Anton Hauk

The subject of the research is unofficial insignia as an element of social iteration, including their dissemination in civilian, volunteer, and paramilitary environments. The study proposes to explore the interplay of cultural narratives in their dynamics, particularly with the military’s commitment to their immediate expressions in the form of patches and emblems.

Three of the most significant categories determining the value of unofficial distinguishing marks are also proposed for consideration: humor (including memetics), convictions, and visual design and aesthetics.

The research includes a comparative analysis with similar phenomena in global practice in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It also involves examining the peculiarities of clothing modernization, such as the hand-painted jackets of American pilots, along with their connection to graffiti and the painting of military equipment during World War II.

This research focuses on analyzing informal communication in a crisis society through graphic manifestations in public spaces, including graffiti, inscriptions, stickers, stencils, and other visual forms. The primary emphasis is on capturing sociocultural, political, and demographic processes reflected in these objects during the Russia-Ukraine war. The project examines the dynamics of inscriptions appearing on city streets, iconic landmarks, and destroyed equipment, considering them as expressions of societal narratives, emotions, and ideas.  

The methodology is based on principles of historicism, systematicity, an interdisciplinary approach, and methods of observation, systematization, and classification. Particular attention is given to analyzing local contexts, intertextual features, conceptual value, and the political background of these inscriptions. The study also considers the spontaneous nature of this form of communication and its use as a tool for public campaigns by political forces. 

The aim is to identify material records of social dynamics during times of crisis, offering deeper insights into the current state of Ukrainian society and its response to the challenges of war.