Video mapping on the facade of the Ministry of the Interior building on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, February 23, 2023, Prague. The light installation was organized by People in Need.
Prague – A light installation on the facade of the Ministry of the Interior building reminded viewers and passers-by this evening that a war is taking place just a few hundred kilometers from the Czech border. Videomapping on Prague's Letná was organized by the People in Need organization for the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The intention of the creators is to create a space for reflection and at the same time to emphasize the need to support Ukrainians throughout the ongoing Russian aggression. The projection will also be shown on Friday and Saturday evenings.
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The roughly four-minute video mapping, on which the XLAB team worked, impressively evoked the feeling of the beginning of the invasion and what followed in Ukraine. Under the floodlights in Ukrainian colors, which illuminate the Letenská plain in yellow and blue from the roof of the ministry, first appeared an apartment building with many windows, behind which people lived their ordinary lives. Then there was the sound of air raids and sirens, the silhouettes of airplanes appeared and the bombing began. A shock wave followed and the entire house collapsed. The next part of the projection also includes short testimonies of Ukrainians who lost their homes or had to flee their homeland.
Those interested can see a second installation dedicated to Ukraine on the Letenské plain, on three canvases placed among the trees. The animated time loop takes viewers through each individual day of the war and discusses the misery, destruction and devastation that Ukrainians have been dealing with for a year.
“We chose the Letnská plain for the projection because it is a symbolic place for pivotal moments in Czech history and people are used to coming here during important moments of modern Czech history,” explained Petr Štefan from People in Need.
The Ministry of the Interior through its facade, it expressed the events in Ukraine already last year: in October, on the occasion of the Czech national holiday, it hung a tarpaulin depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin in a black body bag and the flags of the Czech Republic and Ukraine. Decommunization. The controversial move was criticized, among others, by the Moscow press agency, but praised by some Ukrainian media.
Russia attacked Ukraine by land and air last February 24. The conflict has since claimed the lives of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and millions drove more people from their homes. Russian aggression sparked a massive wave of solidarity in the Czech Republic and abroad. Western leaders condemned Moscow's actions i and countries apply sanctions against Russia.
