Photo: Vitaliy Deynega and Oleksandr Slobodianyk Facebook
At the American festival Burning Man, installations from Ukraine were placed, including the "Phoenix Bird," resembling a trident, and the "Hedgehog Temple," made from anti-tank hedgehogs.
Phoenix Bird:
The sculpture "Phoenix Bird" was created by artist Oleksiy Say and architect-artist Dana Kosmina. Visually, it resembles a trident, but it is an 8-meter-tall bird symbolizing the unity and strength of the Ukrainian spirit.
During the installation of the artwork, it was covered with boards, so festival visitors couldn't see what was inside. The boards were burned at the beginning of the festival, even though according to the event's rules, burning typically takes place at the end. A corresponding video was posted on Facebook by Vitaliy Deynega, the founder of the Come Back Alive Foundation and Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Transformation. This performance was meant to depict what happened to Ukraine and Ukrainians: the Ukrainian Phoenix that went through fire and rose from the ashes. Visually resembling a trident, it is actually a bird.
Hedgehog Temple:
The authors of the sculpture "Hedgehog Temple" are Yaroslav Korets, Oleksandr Slobodianyk, Mitia Zinoviyev, and Leila Zhdanova. From a distance, this 7-meter-tall art object looks like an ordinary hedgehog, but upon closer inspection, one can notice a military theme. It is constructed from rusty metal, and inside there are anti-tank hedgehogs.
Here they placed stories of fallen heroes, soldiers, friends, or loved ones who were taken by the war. The project's goal is to raise funds for ambulances and evacuation vehicles for the Ukrainian military.
