LAB: DOCU/SYNTHESIS x Ukraine War Archive is an interdisciplinary art lab organised by NGO Docudays. Within this lab, several art projects and documentary films dedicated to the subjects of memory and cultural heritage preservation will be created.
The project will involve Ukrainian artists selected on a competitive basis by the Lab's team. For several months, they will work on their creations together with the Lab's curator Oleksandra Nabieva and their mentors: Olga Balashova, Oleksiy Sai, Janice Kerbel, and Manuel Correa.
In response to the full-scale invasion, NGO Docudays, in partnership with the British organisation Infoscope, established the digital platform Ukraine War Archive to systematise and securely store video, audio, photo, and text evidence of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Based on these materials, the team creates art projects that serve as powerful tools of cultural diplomacy. This year, the work is taking place within the framework of the Interdisciplinary Art Lab. The outcome will be 5 art pieces. The subject is working with memory and preserving cultural heritage.
Who will participate in the Lab?
Artists working with any digital or analog media, objects, sculpture, installation, and those interested in working with archives.
Directors who wish to expand their cinematic language through modern tools.
What does the Lab provide for project creation?
Workshops and consultations with Ukrainian and international mentors.
A budget for idea implementation.
Curatorial support.
An author's fee.
A platform for presenting the work in Ukraine and abroad.
Key stages of the project
Lab Presentation with a Q&A session: 31 July 2024
Announcement of the open call and application submission period: 31 July – 30 September 2024
Application review: 1 October – 31 October 2024
Announcement of projects participating in the 5-day educational workshop: 4 November 2024
Educational 5-day Lab workshop with final presentations of updated projects to the jury (the jury will include Lab organisers and mentors; the exact jury composition will be announced separately): 19 November – 23 November 2024
Announcement of 5 finalist projects: 26 November 2024
Work on projects with individual and group mentoring online sessions: 28 November 2024 – 31 March 2025
Work on the final exhibition: 1 April 2025 – 5 June 2025
Final exhibition at the 22nd Docudays UA: 6 June 2025 – 13 June 2025
After the Lab concludes, the artworks will continue their journey across European countries as part of cultural diplomacy.
This project is implemented by NGO Docudays as part of the Engage Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact in Ukraine. The content of the project is the sole responsibility of Pact and its partners and does not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or the U.S. government.
NGO Docudays is a non-profit non-governmental organisation. Its goal is to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, affirm the understanding of human dignity as the highest value, increase the level of civic activity in Ukraine, and promote the development of documentary cinema.
Ukraine War Archive is a non-commercial partnership platform for storing digital data, which creates a unified registry of materials related to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was established in collaboration between NGO Docudays and the British organisation Infoscope.
Should you have any questions, please email us at: [email protected]
