Art During Wartime Art During Wartime

Spiilka is a Kyiv-based design büro that bridges engineering and aesthetics to create significant projects. In this episode, design directors Nastichka Zherebetska and Volodymyr Smyrnov discuss the launch of their recent project, the first contemporary periodical magazine about Ukrainian design, Archive of Ukrainian design ("Літопис українського дизайну") and the importance of preserving Ukrainian design history.

Mykolai Sierga is a Ukrainian musician, comedian, and cultural activist. In this episode we’ll discover Mykolai's journey from Odesa to the heart of Ukraine's cultural resistance, where he uses his talents to lift the spirits of soldiers through music and humor. Learn about his innovative mobile studio bus project, which brings live music to the front lines, demonstrating the powerful role of art in sustaining hope and resilience in times of war.

TUMAZAR is a Ukrainian singer, musician, and TikTok creator. His videos gathered huge numbers of views and his clever simple hacks can help anyone who learns English.

Anton Tymoshenko is a Ukrainian stand-up star from the Dnipro region. He’s a member of the League of Laughs and twice winner of the Make a Comedian Laugh project, a resident of the Underground Stand Up club, and one of the leaders of the Stand Up Time project.

Anton Tymoshenko also managed to give an interview to the famous American TV host David Letterman and appear (for a moment) in the same episode with the President of Ukraine on Netflix. Anton has been doing stand-up since 2015. Political trends and events are among the central topics of his jokes. The comedian talks about them funny and professionally, as he has a degree in political science.

OTOY is a project of Ukrainian hip-hop artist Vyacheslav Drofa, which he presented in September 2020. In the tracks OTOY raps only in Ukrainian and English, expresses his civil and social position, as well as tells about current events in Ukraine and the world.

«There is no chance I will have another life when I can do my music. I don't have a lot of time on this planet.
The war is happening.
We are doing war.
We are doing rap.”

Tina Peresunko is a founder of the Leontovych Institute and author of the book “100 Years of Ukraine`s Cultural Diplomacy – Shchedryk’s World’s triumph”.

Topics include:

• "Shchedryk is much more than a Christmas song. It's a politically significant song for Ukrainians."
• "The appearance of Shchedryk in Ukraine in 1916 is linked to the historical context of the collapse of the Russian Empire during World War I."
• "This song became a tool for cultural diplomacy, promoting international recognition of Ukrainian statehood during the Paris Peace Conference in 1922."
• "The song faced challenges during the Soviet era, as it was suppressed and misrepresented as a Russian folk song, leading to the murder of the composer, Mykola Leontovych."
• "The history of Shchedryk is an example of Ukrainian soft power, showcasing the country's cultural diplomacy and historical significance."