In March, the University of Łódź hosted an international scientific conference “Between the Reality of War and the Rhetoric of Peace”. The event was held under the patronage of the Voivode of Lodz and the Rector of the University of Lodz. This conference is a part of the Polish-Ukrainian art project aimed at popularizing the works of war artists, holding exhibitions of their works abroad, and publishing books about them as a way of their adaptation in peaceful life after the victory and overcoming the consequences of PTSD.
Aneta Pavlovska, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Lodz, Doctor of Science, Professor, who chaired the conference, emphasized the relevance of the project and spoke about the first such experience, the organization of 7 exhibitions of photographs by Captain Serhiy Belinsky, a press officer of the 28th separate mechanized brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign, a famous musician and art photographer. Two catalogs of his works were published, scientific articles were written, and a monograph on Serhiy’s work in peacetime and wartime is currently being published at the Institute of Art History of the University of Lodz.
The following report was made by Yulia Ivashko, Doctor of Architecture, Professor at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, and press officer Serhiy Belinsky by phone from the Bakhmut direction.
The reports by Anastasia Urakina, a graduate student at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, and Agnieszka Gralinskey-Toborek, a doctoral student and professor at the University of Lodz, were directly related to the events of the war in Ukraine.
Anastasia Urakina presented a program of psychological rehabilitation and art therapy for people affected by the war, developed jointly with the Kyiv think tank “Experts Club“. The program primarily involves group work, which will be led by professional psychologists. Classes will be held at the “Experts Club“.
Anastasia Urakina’s theses on art therapy methods were a continuation of Ms. Agnieszka Gralinskay-Toborek’s discussion on which works of war survivors can be exhibited without harming the person, and which are only part of PTSD treatment.
It is worth noting that for the first time, Polish scholars had the opportunity to ask a Ukrainian artist at war questions live. Aneta Pavlovska asked how it is possible to remain an artist in the face of danger even in war. Serhiy answered that he has been in the army since 2021, he is used to it, his camera is always with him, and it is no less important for him than an information war with the enemy.
Yulia Ivashko showed a presentation of Serhii’s photographs and spoke about future plans to expand the circle of artists at war. The same point was emphasized by the Director of the Institute of Art History, Doctor of Science, Professor Piotr Gryglewski.
There were 18 presentations aimed at highlighting the work of military artists who experienced their own experiences, and the topic of war in art was also covered. Lukasz Sadowski, PhD, from the W. Strzemiński Academy of Arts in Lodz, highlighted the evolution of propaganda in Russian military painting.
Justyna Kobylarczyk and Dominika Kusznierz-Krupa, PhDs, professors at the T. Klczyuszko University of Technology in Krakow, who organized an exhibition Old-New Town at their university, showing Ukrainian cities before and during the war, said that such projects are needed.
Andriy Dmytrenko, PhD in Engineering, Associate Professor of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”, highlighted the evolution of artistic messages during the war in Ukraine.
The conference ended with the presentation of the book “And the Light in the Darkness Shines” by Serhiy Belinsky and Yulia Ivashko about the war in Ukraine, published by the Krakow-based Impuls Publishing House.
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On February 23, the Ukrainian-Polish art project “War through the Prism of Art” was presented in Kiev at the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Art plays an important role in highlighting the horrors of the war and in overcoming its consequences, so the presentation of Ukrainian works in the European scientific and cultural space is very important, said Professor of Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, Honorary Restorer of Ukraine Yulia Ivashko.
“In March, a conference will be held at the University of Lodz where the role of the artist and art in covering the war in Ukraine and its post-war reconstruction will be discussed. In addition, exhibitions of works by Ukrainian photographer and defender Sergey Belinsky have already been held in the Czech Opava and Ostrava, and in the near future an exhibition will open in Polish Poznan,” Iwashko said at a press conference in the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Thursday.
According to her, the tragedy of the war in Ukraine forced everyone to reconsider their system of values.
“Now we Ukrainians are changing the world, and in such projects it is very important to feel a sense of elbow of our European friends, so to speak,” she stressed.
The head of the press service of the 28th separate mechanized brigade of the AFU named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign Sergey Belinsky, who is the author of the works presented at the exhibition, thanked Polish colleagues for their support and stressed that the art project was started since the first days of the war and gradually became not only artistic, but also scientific.
“This is not only an exhibition of photographic works, but also a record of the devastation in the south of our country. In addition to the photo exhibition itself, we have already published two books with photos, descriptions and stories,” said S. Belinsky.
Head of the press service of the 28th separate mechanized brigade of the AFU named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign Sergey Bilinsky, who is the author of the works presented at the exhibition, thanked Polish colleagues for their support and stressed that the art project was started since the first days of the war and gradually became not only artistic, but also scientific.
“This is not only an exhibition of photographic works, but also a record of the devastation in the south of our country. In addition to the photo exhibition itself, we have already published two books with photos, descriptions and stories,” said S. Bilinsky.
According to Anastasia Urakina, an architect and young scholar, a graduate student at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, war and the risks associated with it can lead to various psychological traumas, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and others. That is why the art project “War through the prism of art” together with the Kyiv think tank “Experts Club” are conducting a course of psychological rehabilitation and art therapy for people of all walks of life – children, disabled people, the elderly and others.
“The groups will be led by professional psychologists and artists, and the classes will be held at the Kyiv-based think tank Experts Club. There will also be art therapy classes and exhibitions of works by Ukrainian artists,” emphasized Urakina.
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On Thursday, July 14, the president of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Ukraine Artem Goncharenko, the head of Kontramarka Help Oleksandr Poryadchenko and the rector of KNUBA Petro Kulikov handed over a 4×4 jeep to the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, among whom are university employees. This is a contribution to the logistical support of the military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Artem Goncharenko, president of the Reconstruction and Development Fund of Ukraine, noted that only in support is the strength of unity. Colleagues and comrades in the rear should support their brothers at the front. “We are strong together, we in KNUBA are not only rebuilding Ukraine, but also created the International Construction Fund “Ukraine”, which is already starting housing construction projects for “War Heroes”, and today we supported our colleagues by providing them with a car.”
“Choosing a car, looking at a bunch of options, and finding this one, bargaining for it and talking to the owner in Europe, I realized that the former owner really wants a faster victory for our country, he even left the icons. While driving the car to our guys, I thought about the fastest victory and how we at Kontramarka Help can still help, and the feeling of driving was like driving a tank-supercar,” Oleksandr Poryadchenko commented on the gift.
Rector Petro Kulikov made a speech to the military and volunteers: “Each of us is a cog in a big machine that is aimed at victory, everyone tries to help, together we collect and coordinate assistance to the Armed Forces, and not only in the construction direction.”
We believe in our own strength and continue to build our future together. Because we are united by love for Ukraine, unique and unique. And love will win. Yes, right now you may feel that darkness is all around you. But tomorrow the sun will rise again over our peaceful sky.
Press service of KNUBA
ARTEM HONCHARENKO, KNUBA, RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT FUND OF UKRAINE, КОНТРАМАРКА ХЕЛП, ОЛЕКСАНДР ПОРЯДЧЕНКО, ПЕТРО КУЛІКОВ
Higher education institutions have been able to adapt to new working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated the digital transformation.
“We can say that COVID-19 even had a positive impact on the activities of the university. In what way. It accelerated the transition to digital technologies, to create new communication platforms between teachers,” head of the educational department of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture Andriy Shpakov said during the press conference at the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine information agency.
At the same time, he said that the negative side of the issue is that the remote format requires more preparation time.
“Coronacrisis is not only challenges and problems, but also a new window of opportunity and new horizons,” Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work of the Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman, Anatoliy Kolot said.
At the same time, Deputy First Vice-Rector, Head of the Scientific and Methodological Department of Ihor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Serhiy Hozhiy said that their university laid the foundations for distance learning even before the coronavirus pandemic, which made it possible to quickly adapt to the new conditions of the educational process.
Also, head of the Department of Management and Economics of the International European University Yulia Remyha said that the university has fully adapted to the challenges that the pandemic has brought, in particular to distance learning.
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Teachers of Ukrainian universities are actively getting vaccines against COVID-19, the activity of students in vaccination is somewhat lower, the participants of a roundtable entitled “Results of the admission campaign and realities of higher education in Ukraine amid the pandemic at leading Kyiv universities” at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.
Head of the educational department of Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, PhD in Technical Sciences Andriy Shpakov, in particular, said that the university is currently preparing the fourth wave of vaccination of teachers.
“We have a fairly high percentage of teachers who are vaccinated and this percentage will increase when we conduct the fourth wave of vaccination. We invite mobile teams that come and vaccinate everyone,” he said.
Shpakov said that the vaccination of both teachers and students is voluntary.
At the same time, he said that “in the recent wave of vaccination, the majority of those vaccinated were exactly students, although students do not really want to be vaccinated in large numbers, so we are conducting explanatory work.”
In turn, Head of the Management and Economics Department of the International European University Yulia Remyha said that the university began to vaccinate teachers in April, inviting mobile vaccination teams for this.
“Vaccination is voluntary, but the teachers take it responsibly. Today, out of all our staff, about 86% have already been vaccinated,” she said.
At the same time, according to Remyha, early September, the university organized vaccinations for students.
“On the part of the administration, both for teachers and for students, everything is done to get vaccinated conveniently, so that health is preserved,” she said.
For his part, Deputy First Vice-Rector, Head of Scientific and Methodological Department of Ihor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) Serhiy Hozhiy said that the university during the summer invited vaccination teams for voluntary vaccination of teachers and students.
“In KPI, more than 80% are already vaccinated,” he said.
Commenting on the living conditions of nonresident students, Hozhiy said that “special rooms and blocks, isolation wards have been organized in the hostels, where sick students are accommodated, but no one is forcing them to vaccinate.”
Vice-Rector for scientific and pedagogical work of Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University Anatoliy Kolot said that this university is also conducting explanatory work on the need for vaccination.
“Nobody is forcing. We appeal to conscience. We have involved public and trade union organizations, student government. There have already been two waves of centralized vaccination, we are conducting another wave on September 29-30,” he said.
At the same time, Kolot said that universities need more detailed explanations regarding the vaccination rate for 80% of employees.
“Obviously, there should be more explanations from our central authorities, because everything is limited to the 80% standard. But explanations are needed, what to do if there are people who are contraindicated in vaccination, and there are people who have been ill and they have antibodies,” he said.
Kolot said that the university is currently collecting information on the number of employees who have been ill.
At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that “it is not clear what to do if the whole family has been ill, but only one family member has turned to the family doctor and has a confirmation of the illness.”
“Where can those family members who have been ill get a certificate, if only one family member is recorded? There are such cases,” he said.
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