August 25, 2022 - February 25, 2023
Photos by Oleh Samoilenko and Oleksandr Ivannikov / The Ukrainians.
Social Hub
The social hub is a temporary educational, humanitarian and cultural space which was operated on the basis of Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture (DCCC). Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, DCCC functioned as a cultural center, focusing on international cooperation and working with the local context. Exhibitions, festivals, educational programs, residencies for artists, art and urban projects took place here. On February 24, DCCC suspended its activities, and already in March it was turned into a social hub for local residents and internally displaced persons.
The hub was home to events promoting communications between the city's various communities and integration of forcibly displaced persons, supporting Ukrainian artists, and also providing space for research and understanding of Ukrainian culture.
The social hub’s program comprised 8 areas of activities.
Discussions Program
Touching upon themes of historical heritage, solidarity, materiality, ethics, geography, geology, economics and law, Ukrainian experts talked about words, images, memory and the legacy of the war in the context of culture. Together we tried to characterize the new common experience that we acquire and share with each other.
Ukrainian Speaking Club
The speaking club was created for people who want to improve their communication skills in Ukrainian and find like-minded people. During meetings, we talked about various topics, including independent cinema, modern education, the Ukrainian cities, traditions and much more.
Film program Front-line Geographies
Front-line Geographies is a series of events that, through the experience of collective viewing and discussion of films, tried to understand the issues of new community and emotional maturity in times of the war. The program was created in cooperation with the Dovzhenko Center, curated by film experts Aliona Penzii and Oleksandr Teliuk. The structure of the program was built around themes which gained special relevance after February 24, 2022.
Workshops for Teenagers and Adults
During a series of workshops in the social hub, teenagers and adults were able to acquire new skills and work in various techniques. In particular, workshops on DJing, graphics, printing on a machine, mosaics and animation were conducted.
Artsvit for Children Educational Program
Artsvit for Children is art classes for children aged between 6 and 13 which were held twice a week in the social hub. Here, children could master various artistic techniques, learn to understand modern art, interact with others and freely express their own ideas. The purpose of the program was to show that the world of art is multifaceted and interesting, not boring or difficult to understand.
Community Kitchen
Through food and conversations devoted to cuisines that had been shaped by everyday life and politics of different countries and regions, we wanted to promote the dialogue between communities in Dnipro. Each community kitchen meeting was dedicated to a specific product or dish. The invited experts and guests shared their thoughts on regional traditions related to food, their own eating habits, daily rituals and, of course, practical experience.
POMIZH Podcast
Pomizh is a podcast about culture during the wartime. It involves talks with Ukrainian cultural figures about their wartime experiences, new projects and visions of the Ukrainian identity. The podcast is an attempt to perceive the role of culture during the war, to understand how it responds to the challenges and what its impact on society might be.
Charity Music Events
A series of charitable music events aimed to support Ukrainian artists and modern Ukrainian music. Over the events we raised funds to meet current needs of cultural figures currently protecting Ukraine.
The DCCC social hub was supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
