Kharkiv has been one of the hardest-hit cities in Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion. Apart from the loss of life, countless buildings have been damaged or destroyed. And the Russian bombing continues.

This VR production puts the user in these locations: in someone’s home, with broken windows and collapsed ceilings. In an abandoned playground. In a school, among the remains of chemistry classes. In a hospital that no longer has a roof. Everywhere you are surrounded by destruction and the remnants of lives cut short. Meanwhile, you hear sounds from better times, when children played here, hospital equipment was functioning, or someone was simply brushing their teeth.

And as you hear these echoes from a recent and peaceful past, you come face-to-face with residents of Kharkiv, amid the ruins of their homes or workplaces. They stare at the viewer in silence, inspired by Marina Abramović’s famous performance “The Artist Is Present.” Depending on the viewer, this intense confrontation may induce despair, sorrow or possibly hope.