At this year's Burning Man 2024 festival, Ukraine presented an impressive art project that became one of the highlights of the event. The installation “I'm Fine;)” impressed the audience with its scale. Learn more about the creation and symbolism of the project

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From August 27 to September 4, 2024, one of the largest art festivals in the world, Burning Man, took place in the Black Rock Desert (Nevada, USA).

This year, Ukraine was represented by a unique installation “I'm Fine;)”, which became a symbol not only of artistic expression but also a powerful voice of cultural diplomacy in times of war. The project was created by the media platform Ukrainian Witness, headed by activist Vitaliy Deynega, in collaboration with the famous artist Oleksiy Say.

We are going to tell you what makes this year's installation from Ukraine unique, how it was created, and the impressions of the event participants.

Ukrainian installation I'm Fine

The project by Oleksiy Say and a team of 25 people, many of whom have direct experience of war, was a real challenge for both artists and engineers.

The installation was built in a workshop in Vyshneve, where all the artifacts were collected and assembled in a month. For transportation to the Black Rock Desert, the metal letters were placed in three shipping containers, and the installation itself took two and a half days.

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The idea and symbolism of the installation

"I'm Fine;) ” is a monumental reminder of the consequences of war, which destroys not only homes and infrastructure, but also human lives and dreams.

Created from artifacts found in the de-occupied territories of Ukraine, the installation consists of shot road signs, fragments of solar panels, broken satellite dishes and other war-damaged objects.

It is 32 meters long, 7 meters high, and weighs over 10 tons.

In an interview with Babel, artist Oleksiy Say emphasized that the elements for the creation were collected from all over the country, namely from Chernihiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Donetsk regions. These are both the de-occupied territories and those where the fighting is going on now.

This huge inscription “I'm Fine;)” attracts the attention of the festival participants, who at first perceive it as a funny message, but upon closer inspection realize the horrific reality it symbolizes.

As Deynega explains, the installation demonstrates how unbearable war conditions have become the norm for Ukrainians, and how terrible this norm is.

Interestingly, the installation evoked surprisingly strong emotions among the festival visitors. According to Oleksiy Sai, people often come up with questions, not believing that all these objects were brought from Ukraine. Many start to cry when they learn the history of the things that became part of the project. This deep emotional impact is amplified by the scale of the work and the reality it reflects.

The Ukrainian installation has become a vivid symbol of Ukrainian resistance and resilience, showing the world the horrors of war through art.

After the festival, the authors hope to exhibit it in different cities around the world.

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Military DJ Tapolsky's performance at Burning Man 2024

One of the important components of the Ukrainian contribution to the festival was the performance of Ukrainian musician and DJ Anatoliy Tapolsky.

On August 28, he performed a DJ set that combined electronic music and the voices of Ukrainians answering the question “How are you?”.

An emotional performance with Ukrainian voices

Tapolsky's performance had a special emotional component. In his DJ set, he used recordings of the voices of people close to him: his mother, comrades-in-arms, and friends, who answered the questions: “How are you?” and ‘What are your dreams?’. These recordings added depth to the musical performance, embodying the voices of Ukrainians living through the war.

The set culminated in an air raid warning that sounded at the end, reminding us of the constant danger Ukrainians live with.

According to Vitaliy Deynega, the initiator of the “I'm Fine;)” project, the emotional response of the audience was very strong. One of the Americans even cried, commenting that there was a lot of grief and death in the installation, while another noted the strength of Ukrainians, saying that if they were victims and not warriors, they would not have been able to bring this project to Burning Man.

What is Burning Man?

Burning Man is an annual festival that takes place in the Black Rock Desert from August 25 to September 2. The festival is based on the principles of radical self-expression, inclusion, and self-reliance. For seven days, participants create Black Rock City, which becomes a center for art installations, music performances, and performances.

Every year the festival brings together about 80 thousand people from all over the world. An important feature of the event is that after its completion, participants completely dismantle all installations and leave no trace of their stay in the desert.

Ukrainian projects at Burning Man

This is not the first time Ukraine has participated in the festival. In 2023, Oleksiy Say presented the installation PHOENIX, which became the first Ukrainian sculpture to take part in the traditional burning of figures at the festival.

“PHOENIX” was among the five works selected for the final ritual out of more than a hundred presented at the event.

The Ukrainian installation “I'm Fine;)” in 2024 continues this tradition, drawing attention to the reality of the war in Ukraine through art that makes you think and feel the pain and resilience of Ukrainians.

Now, more than ever, it is important to support Ukraine and its people in their fight for freedom and independence. Every contribution counts, and you can make yours by supporting Ukrainian initiatives and projects. One way to support is to purchase merchandise with Ukrainian symbols from Visit Ukraine. This is one way to show solidarity with Ukrainians on the international stage. Choose your merchandise here and join us!

Photo: babel.ua

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