A nationwide open architectural competition has been launched in Lviv to create a public space named after Ivan Vakarchuk in Ivan Franko Park. According to the Department of Architecture and Spatial Development of Lviv City Council, teams can register to take part until 4 September.
The competition invites teams of architects, urban planners, landscape architects, artists, sculptors and accessibility experts. The aim is to find the best concept for a public space with a commemorative element that will combine the park’s natural environment with contemporary landscape solutions and honour the figure of Ivan Vakarchuk.
The Department of Architecture stresses that the conceptual centre of the space should be an artistic object dedicated to Ivan Vakarchuk, and that the space itself should become a fitting place of remembrance for the renowned Ukrainian scholar and public figure.
Competition jury member, Doctor of Art Studies and Rector of the Lviv National Academy of Arts Vasyl Kosiv noted that the organisers expect participants to propose different approaches to shaping the space.
“This is a challenging task for the architects and teams taking part in the competition. It is important here not to lose the meanings embodied in the park, as it has a rich history. We must respect this history and not lose the spirit of the park. At the same time, there must be an idea about a great person, a great Ukrainian, a great Lviv resident, an innovator who looked ahead, beyond the horizon, when others did not notice what he could see,” says Vasyl Kosiv.
The organisers emphasise that participants may propose either a literal sculptural solution or a contemporary symbolic interpretation integrated into the landscape and designed to prompt visitors to reflect.
The key tasks of the competition include:
- developing a concept for a public space on the site of the existing flowerbed, delicately integrating it into the park’s landscape and creating a new high-quality recreational area;
- proposing an artistic commemorative element that will reveal the personality of Ivan Vakarchuk and his contribution to science, education and public life;
- ensuring a barrier-free environment and ease of use of the space for all population groups;
- taking into account visual connections within the park and ensuring a harmonious visual unfolding of the space.
Ivan Vakarchuk’s son, musician and public figure Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, has called on artists to take an active part in the competition. He recalled that next year will mark the 80th anniversary of Ivan Vakarchuk’s birth, and that public art in Franko Park, next to the street that bears his name and Lviv University, where he served as rector, could become a symbolic gift for the jubilee.
Competition teams may also include students of relevant educational institutions and citizens of other countries, except representatives of terrorist states. A mandatory qualification requirement is that the head of the authors’ collective or the individual participant must hold an architect’s certificate.
To take part, it is necessary to register by filling in the relevant form. Registration is open until 17:00 on 4 September. Competition entries in digital and printed formats will be accepted until 17:00 on 23 October. From 26 October to 6 November, the jury meeting is scheduled to be prepared and held, and the winners selected.
The competition prize fund is 500,000 UAH. Three prizes are envisaged: first prize — 250,000 UAH, second — 150,000 UAH, third — 100,000 UAH.
Information about Ivan Vakarchuk
Ivan Vakarchuk was born on 6 March 1947. He was a Ukrainian physicist, politician and public figure, and served as Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2007–2010. In 1990–2007 and 2010–2013 he headed Ivan Franko National University of Lviv as rector.
The scholar held a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences degree and was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the State (5 March 2007) for outstanding services in the development of Ukrainian education and science, many years of academic and teaching work, and a significant contribution to the consolidation of independent Ukraine.
Ivan Vakarchuk died on 4 April 2020 at the age of 73. He is buried at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.