Today, the Powder Tower Center for Architecture, Design and Urbanism opened the exhibition “Here Was My Home.”
The team of the immersive exhibition project demonstrates the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Lviv in the format of VR and 360-degree panoramic photography. This is the first time in Ukraine that panoramic photography is presented as a combination of virtual reality and classical photography. The exhibition will run until April 17.
“This exhibition is a kind of summary of our two-year activity. We started in March 2022, and today we want to show how Ukraine looks like through our eyes during the war. In no way do we want you to feel sad when you see it, but rather angry at those whose fault it was,” explains Taras Volianiuk, author and director of 360war.in.ua.
The photos were taken by Dmytro Malyshev. Before the full-scale Russian invasion began, Dmytro was photographing Ukraine for Google Street View and Virtual Ukraine. In March 2024, when the waves of the Russian offensive reached Kyiv, Dmytro was invited to join the project by Taras Volianiuk, who realized that it was necessary to record the horrors that the enemy brought with him. Taras took over the management of the project and its presentation and design. Dmytro began creating photo content. During the liberation of the Kyiv region, they worked in Hostomel, Irpin, Bucha, and Borodyanka. Then there were Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Donetsk regions. The consequences of rocket attacks in Uman and Lviv were recorded.
The 360war.in.ua project, on the basis of which the exhibition “Here Was My Home” was formed, is the first and largest project in Ukraine to digitally record the consequences of Russian aggression in the format of panoramic photography and virtual reality. Taras and Dmytro are also planning to create panoramic videos.
Panoramic photography is fundamentally different from reportage or documentary photography, the organizers warn, as the format implies that the author can neither enhance nor hide anything.
“When a classical reportage photographer takes a photo, he can choose the angle, lighting, focus, decide what will be in the frame and what will remain unseen, he can emotionally build the frame. Panoramic photos have no boundaries, they cover everything around them as it is. That’s why the photos of the downed AN-225 Mriya aircraft turned out to be truly unique – because of the opportunity to show the scale of what happened,” explains photographer Dmytro Malyshev.
The team’s initial idea was to use the panoramas in diplomacy, to show them to foreigners, to influence them to help Ukraine. But now they realize that they need to show it to Ukrainians, who can also be diplomats and show people abroad what their homeland looks like today.
For the first time, they decided to demonstrate the project in Lviv, at the Powder Tower. The director of the center and curator of the exhibition, Angelina Efymenko, says that showing photos created in 360 format is a unique challenge. Therefore, the exhibition will be organized in a very unusual way. QR codes next to the photos, which allow you to see a digital panorama on the website, and the ability to view photos in VR glasses are expected from this exhibition format. But besides this, the audience will find three very different floors of the exhibition, each with a separate stage. The first one reminds us of the general chronology of the invasion, its global consequences – the loss of homes, emigration, and its impact on the world. The second floor tells the story of the destruction of life – places that are important to every person: favorite parks, kindergartens, schools, cultural centers, public spaces. A separate part of the exhibition will be devoted to the “Dream” – the engineering and cultural heritage of Ukrainians. The third floor tells perhaps the most emotional story of a lost house, apartment, or dwelling. The panoramas taken from inside the destroyed dwellings immerse the viewer in this tragic experience for millions of Ukrainians.
The exhibition “Here Was My Home” at the Powder Tower Center for Architecture, Design and Urban Studies will last until April 17 (from Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 20:00, Monday is a day off). On the opening day, admission is free, on other days – for a donation of UAH 200 or more for the further development of the project.