The two-day event was dedicated to the legacy of Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit, a unique Hutsul artist, photographer, writer and creator whose work has become an important part of the cultural memory of Kryvorivnia. The programme combined artistic laboratories, workshops, local-memory research, photography, theatre, sound recording, archival screenings and open public events.
The event also marked the beginning of a longer journey towards the 100th anniversary of Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit’s birth in 2027. The organisers sought to make her creative spirit a living part of contemporary Kryvorivnia.
Over the two days, local children and young people worked with artists, writers and researchers in a series of creative laboratories. Kateryna Mikhalitsina led visual-art workshops inspired by Paraska’s imaginative world, while Diana Horban explored theatre, movement, masks and storytelling. Bohdanka Davydiuk worked with participants on collecting local memories and creating handmade “Books of the Hamlets of Kryvorivnia”. The Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit Photography Laboratory, led by Natalia Yastshembska and Rostyslav Kuzyk, explored the village and its landscape through analogue photography. Volodymyr Olshanskyi and Artem Bemba led the “Hunting for Sounds” laboratory, exploring Kryvorivnia through field recordings and its natural and cultural soundscape.
The programme also featured the “Rakhman Country” exhibition and the visual-acoustic performance “Contemplating the River” on the bridge over the Cheremosh River, where photographs created by young participants were projected onto the river, accompanied by texts connected with Stanisław Vincenz, youth research and songs by Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit. Archival footage of Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit and Odosia Sorokhan was also presented.
The culmination of the event was a ceremonial procession and mystery performance through Kryvorivnia, bringing together the results of all the laboratories — artistic objects, theatre, music, songs, local stories and handmade books. The procession ended at Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit’s house, with an acoustic performance, presentations of the participants’ work, communal singing and a celebration.
The event was organised by the Borderland Center / Ukrainian Catholic University, with Volodymyr Olshanskyi responsible for organisational matters. Project partners included Mystetska Biblioteka, the I Will Live. Horytsvit project, the Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit Museum in Kryvorivnia, and the Ivan Franko Museum in Kryvorivnia.
The event was also supported and co-organised with the involvement of The Borderland, Poland, as part of the international programme “Small Centres of the World”. The programme supports the development of local communities through culture, education and collective creation.