Soma.majsternia: Musical. Concert vitan’ Event

Soma.majsternia is a contemporary dance and performance collective founded in Lviv by a group of self-taught choreographers, artists, and musicians in 2019 and located in the former book factory. After the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24th, Soma converted its premises into a shelter for people fleeing frontline communities. Eight months later, ten internally-displaced Ukrainians, aged 20 to 60, continue to live on site.

Musical. Concert vitan’ is a work about the experience of living together in wartime. Turning the shelter into an art workshop, the residents and members of the broader Lviv and Kyiv cultural community were invited to join the group and share their expertise, serving as vocal coaches, costume designers, and sound mixers. The production persisted through missile attacks and power cuts, with each resident contributing his or her insights and perspectives, simultaneously shaping both the form and content of the project.

The musical will be presented at hoast as a series of videos, documenting the collective process, which lasted for a month. Each video will be edited by a different participant/group of participants, offering a new look at the events of the musical-residence. The absence of a common vision, the lack of direction or a clear script encouraged a joint activity which supported the practices of self-organization and shared responsibility which emerged in this newly formed wartime community.

The musical is sung by the participants of the residency. In addition to recounting dreams and memories, making wishes, cooking food, and persevering amidst horrific uncertainty, the participants engaged in self-defense exercises, taught by Volodymyr Pylypenko. According to Pylypenko, it is best to protect yourself from attack by a stronger and more skilled opponent by hitting the most vulnerable parts of his or her body, such as the eyes, the throat, the ears, the nose, the groin, and the knees. This series of techniques is called “Black medicine”.

The residency was convened in the context of the Kindling project co-organised by Baltic Art Center and Milvus Artistic Research Center in collaboration with Soma.majsternia and Sorry No Rooms Available, and supported by the Swedish Institute.

Opening May 5, 7pm

Over the duration of the first weekend after the opening performances by Dymetrii Starkgard-Venier, Oleksiy Minko, Ira Loskot, Tomash Hazslinszky, and Olha Marusyn will take place (to be announced).

On view: May 06—21, 2023