And the wind is quiet, the straw is light

А вітер тихенький, солома легенька

Social scientist and mezzosoprano Alice Lackner and photographic artist Mark Neville are collaborating on a new project which interweaves social research into war and displacement, documentary

photography, and a contemporary re-interpretation of traditional East Ukrainian folk songs.

The collaboration will result in an audio-visual installation event, in which Alice Lackner will

perform her own interpretation of traditional folk songs recorded by Mark Neville on

Ukraine’s frontline and elsewhere. Simultaneously, Neville’s images of Ukrainians affected

by the war in different contexts are simultaneously projected.

With this installation, the artists will shed light on (so far unheard) tales told by the people

affected by the war. The goal is to broaden and deepen our understanding of the way a

conflict influences and alternates the narratives of a nation. Commissioned by the Centre for

Eastern European and International Studies (ZOiS) Berlin, this collaboration is

complementary to ongoing scientific work on the war in Ukraine.

Photography: Mark Neville (www.markneville.com)