urban matters

HOME.MEMORIES

Home. Memories is an art Installation for the Ukrainian Vernadsky Research Base created at the request of the National Antarctic Research Centre. The project was initiated and supported by the Silpo retail chain. The installation is located on the island of Galindez, East of Winter Island in the Argentine Islands, and inspired by the image of traditional Ukrainian house. The Balbek Bureau team created the design, while the Wonder Workshop Bureau was in charge of the construction.

In November 2021, Balbek Bureau was commissioned to repurpose a defunct fuel tank at the Ukrainian Vernadsky (former British Faraday) research base. The installation, intended as a visual treat for the station staff and tourists, had to be easily assembled, resistant to severe weather conditions, and safe for more than 3,500 penguins living on the island.

Envisioning the station as a ‘home away from home’ for the polar researchers, the architects designed an installation based on a composite image of a Ukrainian rural house – one associates with warmth, comfort and grandmotherly coziness. A thin detailed frame around the tank ressembles a pencil sketch: as if someone commemorating would draw their childhood home from memory.

To accompany the installation, Balbek Bureau created a mini exhibition with souvenirs from Ukraine, including a sample of the UNESCO-listed Kosiv painted ceramics and a lump of coal from the Donetsk region embedded in resin. The exhibition was later expanded with the help of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

The disassembled structure was delivered to the Vernadsky base in the spring of 2022, but the mounting was postponed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In February 2023, Balbek Bureau’s CEO, architect Slava Balbek and the Wonder Workshop had Dmytro Zinoviev heading to Antarctica and completed the project.

“The art installation, designed a year before the invasion, took on a new meaning. For millions of people forced to flee their hometowns and villages due to Russian aggression, returning home became their biggest dream,” shares Slava Balbek, “Still, we believe that the war will end in our victory, and Ukrainians will create new memories from the safe haven of their home. And all the way in Antarctica, for researchers and tourists alike, our house will continue to stand strong, a true memento of Ukraine.”

(Volodymyr Braude)

Photo credits: Slava Balbek