Taras Kovach

In this project I plan to examine the current changes in the landscape after military collisions in the South of Ukraine. The project is focused on the study of the political landscape, the functioning of local communities prior to and after the war, and the analysis of an authentic landscape in the political context. 
Territorially, my study focuses on the Southern part of Ukraine. I am familiar with the context of this region, since I have not only academic, but also personal ties to it. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, local communities have experienced changes in their attitude towards the sea and ecology. Places that were once available and intimate in the day-to-day life and associated with practices of leisure are now considered dangerous in human and non-human scales. In times of war, coastal areas become strategic for the military, and the life in their surroundings becomes conditioned by combat. 
The project covers the Dnipro–Bug estuary, the geographic border between Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, and the delimitation line between Ukrainian and Russian military positions near the villages of Lymaniv, Lupareve, Oleksandrivka, Stanislav and Shyroka Balka. The once unique natural landscape and ecosystem of the region has transformed drastically during the war. 
I plan to start my project with research expeditions, during which I will document the current landscape with drawings due to a ban on photography in the war hotspots. Some of the illustrations will be made in the etching technique and will be printed. It is also vital to document the landscape after some time has passed, since it will allow the local flora to regenerate. This already ongoing process is interesting for me as a researcher as an act of self-restoration and absorbing of a mutilated landscape by nature. In my opinion, it is important to document this process by artistic means. 
Another aspect of the project is audio interviews which will be conducted with residents of the region. During these I plan to collect personal stories about this area, people’s lifestyles, occupations, and habits connected to the landscape. Moreover, I would like to know how the residents see the future restoration of the region. I am also interested in hearing accounts on ecological changes and the influence of war on local nature. Another important aspect of my project is working with the archives of Kherson and Mykolaiv, and the regional archives of Stanislav and Lymaniv, where I would like to learn the histories of development in these regions and analyse them from the position of formation of the political landscape. 
Finally, I plan to organize artistic projects, public lectures and presentations. Since a part of the project will be made in the etching technique, it will be possible to contribute graphic pieces to museum collections.