The new installation ‘No Fate’ was assembled by the Ukrainian Witness media project team from what remained of the artwork ‘Black Cloud’. On August 24, the first day of Burning Man in the Black Rock City desert, the installation was destroyed by a hurricane
‘No Fate’ was assembled in three days from the remnants of the first work, using pieces of black Oxford fabric. The phrase ‘No Fate’ is a shortened version of the quote ‘No fate but what we make’ by Sarah Connor from the film ‘Terminator 2’.
According to the creators, the installation is a ‘harsh response to the concept of fatalism’ as well as a continuation of the message ‘Get Ready’, which was the basis of ‘Black Cloud’.
‘In fact, when we were thinking about this year’s work, the image of Sarah Connor shouting this phrase to the world, warning about danger and the need to stop it, came to us very often, — Vitaliy Deinega, founder of Ukrainian Witness, says about ‘No Fate’. — I am absolutely convinced that if Western countries do not urgently break into the arms and military technology race, they might also soon hear a rifle butt knocking on their doors.’
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The presentation of ‘No Fate’ at the festival was accompanied by a set from DJ Tapolsky — a veteran of the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation and a current serviceman. During the hurricane on August 24, he broke his leg.
In 2024, DJ Tapolsky performed at Burning Man against the backdrop of the ‘I’m Fine’ installation by Ukrainian Witness. We told you more about the work here.
About ‘Black Cloud’
‘Black Cloud’ by artist Oleksiy Sai is a thundercloud 15 meters high and 30 meters long, sewn from 45 smaller ‘clouds’, using 4 kilometers of black Oxford fabric.
The installation’s shape is stylized as a child’s drawing of a thundercloud. The work was complemented by flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder to ‘urge the world to be ready for challenges and danger.’
The audio accompaniment for the installation was created by Ukrainian drum and bass producer Involver. He used sounds from the acoustic diary of Zaporizhzhia musician Denys Vasyliev (from the band Barabanza), which documented the explosions and shelling of Zaporizhzhia.
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Before its presentation at Burning Man, ‘Black Cloud’ was shown in Kyiv at Sophia Square.
