Events

Recap of the Spring Baumer Lecture Series with Oleg Drozdov & Iryna Matsevko

In March 2024 with the support of the Armed Conflicts and Im/mobility grant, two Ukrainian architects – Oleg Drozdov and Iryna Matsvenko – spoke at the Baumer Series, which invites prominent researchers and practitioners of architecture, landscape architecture, and city and regional planning to present their work and to engage subjects both topical and enduring. Drozdov, the president of the Kharkiv School of Architecture, and Matsvenko, the deputy vice-chancellor at the same school, spoke about contemporary issues of preserving and rebuilding architecture during (and post) the invasion of Ukraine as well as deciding the future of Soviet architectural heritage.

Discussion with Oleg Drozdov (right) and Iryna Matsevko (middle)

Below is a recap of the guests’ presentations.

Oleg Drozdov during his presentation “A Personalized History of Architectural Practice in Ukraine from Independence to Today”

Oleg Drozdov discussed the role of architects in Ukraine during the full-scale invasion and the architectural future of post-war Ukraine. He highlighted several collaborative initiatives aimed at forming a new architectural culture in the country. One such initiative is UREHERIT: Architects for the Heritage of Ukraine, which educates the public about architectural reconstruction through events, exhibitions, and media publications. Another organization is ROZKVIT: Urban Coalition for Ukraine, which has over 100 members experienced in Ukrainian architecture and post-war planning. The goals of these efforts are to develop plans for ethical, inclusive, and climate-resilient architecture for future generations.

 

Iryna Matsevko during her presentation “Difficult Heritage of Ukraine: Navigating the Complexity of Narratives, Practices, and Challenges of the War”

In her lecture, Matsevko discussed the complex history of architecture in Ukraine as a borderland and post-Soviet country. In recent years, particularly since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, there has been an ongoing discussion about the sometimes uncomfortable Soviet past and its place in Ukraine’s future architectural vision. The question posed is whether, and if so, how Soviet architecture fits into Ukraine’s future. With over 300 sites damaged by the full-scale invasion, the decision of whether to rebuild Soviet-era buildings or replace them with national architecture is pressing.

Difficult Heritage of Ukraine: Navigating the Complexity of Narratives, Practices, and Challenges of War with Iryna Matsevko (Kharkiv School of Architecture)

Event details:
March 25, 2024
5:15 PM – 7:00 PM
180 Hagerty Hall

Abstract: “War can destroy cultural heritage twice — in conflict and in clean-up”. The conservation, reconstruction, or clearance of ruins is based on decisions arising from a consensus among local communities and the state regarding their heritage. This involves considering what they want to remember and what they prefer to forget. The lecture will explore two heritage discourses — multicultural and Soviet — and how the war influences the rethinking of a complex and dissonant heritage of Ukraine.

Speaker Biography: Dr. Iryna Matsevko is a historian and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Kharkiv School of Architecture, which was evacuated from Kharkiv to Lviv, Ukraine, in March 2022. As a teacher, she designs courses on the cultural and social contexts of architecture, heritage studies and urban practices. Her academic interests include the social and cultural history of Soviet Ukraine, urban history, and urban heritage and practices as a resource for sustainability in cities and communities. Matsevko’s practical experience includes the development and management of public history projects on contested memories and inclusive approaches in heritage practices. Her projects focus on intangible urban heritage in Ukraine, the implementation of heritage practice, and the guiding principles for cultural heritage interpretation and management. She was a team member of the Synagogue Space Commemorative Project in Lviv, Ukraine; co-leader and coordinator of the three-year project “ReHERIT: Common Responsibility for Shared Heritage” in Lviv and Uman, Ukraine; designer of the methodology and content for contested heritage city walks for guides in Lviv and Uman; project leader for marking ten sites of multicultural heritage in Uman public space; and editor and a co-author of “Uman. (Un)known Stories of the City”, a collection of texts about Uman’s past, memory, and heritage. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Iryna Matsevko has focused on analyzing approaches and discussions about Soviet heritage and how the war is changing the heritage discourse in Ukraine.

“ Future Space and Architectural Education in Ukraine” by Oleg Drozdov

Oleg Drozdov and House with a Peristyle, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo from StirWorld.

Join the public lecture “Future Space and Architectural Education in Ukraine” by Ukrainian architect Oleg Drozdov.

March 27th, 5:30pm

Knowlton Hall, Gui Auditorium (KNO 250)

 

 

Oleg Drozdov is a co-founder of the Kharkiv School of Architecture (KhSA) is the first private university in Ukraine to offer undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MA) degree opportunities in architecture and urbanism. KhSA was “founded in 2017 to respond to the social transformations and the need to reinvent Ukrainian cities and to reform national higher education.”

The lecture is a part of the Baumer Series, which invites prominent researchers and practitioners of architecture, landscape architecture, and city and regional planning to present their work and to engage subjects both topical and enduring.

 

Secret Documents in Soviet Ukraine and the Making of The Face of Fire: A Conversation about History and Literature with Oleksii Nikitin

 

 

 

Join the Center for Slavic, East European Studies (CSEEES) and the Hilandar Research Library for a conversation with Ukrainian author Oleksii Nikitin and CSEEES director Angela Brintlinger. Time permitting, Nikitin will also read in Russian, Ukrainian and English from his novel От лица огня (Ukrainian title Бат-амi, English title The Face of Fire, 2021).

 

 

The event will take place on October 3, 2023 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at the Thompson Library Mortarboard Room (202)

Presenter: Oleksii Nikitin is a Russophone Ukrainian writer from Kyiv. He has won several awards for his novels: Istemi (2011), Mahjong (2012), Victory Park (2013), The Orderly from Institutska Street (2016), and, most recently, The Face of Fire (2021). The Face of Fire will come out in English translation by Catherine O’Neil and Dominique Hoffman in 2024.

Embroidered Past, Imagined Future: Lucie Kamuswekera and the Violence in Eastern Congo

Embroidered Past, Imagined Future: Lucie Kamuswekera and the Violence in Eastern Congo, will open at the Urban Arts Space downtown (50 West Town St. Suite 130)

The exhibition introduces the work of Lucie Kamuswekera, an 80-year-old artist from the city of Goma in eastern DR Congo. By embroidering images about her country’s past and present on burlap sacks, Kamuswekera has visualized a regional history that reflects on the historical roots of its contemporary violence. Kamuswekera sees herself not only as an artist but also as a historian and educator who wants to help shape the future of her country. This exhibition will be the first introduction of Kamuswekera’s work to an American audience.

Events

 

Opening Reception and celebration of African Studies at Ohio State: September 21, 6–8 PM at Urban Arts Space, in collaboration with the Mershon Center and the Center for African Studies at The Ohio State UniversityGuided Tour: September 23, 1:30–2:30 PM at Urban Arts SpaceArt and Activism Panel: September 23, 3:00 PM at Urban Arts Space, funded by the Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme “Conflict and Im/Mobilities” Grant

More here.