In June 2025 the artists worked at ∄’s creative and tech production space, u2203 studio, collaborating closely with scientists and researchers who are investigating the environmental destruction caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion — from contaminated water systems to soil destabilised by ongoing military explosions. In dialoguing with scientific research, the artworks aim to propose different ways of relating to ecocide and expand anthropocentric perspectives of military realities.
Kyiv sound artist Khrystyna Kirik and US-born, Amsterdam-based artist Mark Bain, known for his seismic and architectural investigations, explored the impact of military explosions on soil — from surface shockwaves to deep, often invisible ruptures that reshape Ukraine’s landscape. Enhanced with visuals from alen hast and myk rudik of u2203, their work translates the intense destructive violence of explosions in different regions, from Sumy and Kharkiv in the north east to Kherson in the south, through an embodied performance, by making audible some of the low frequency vibrations that fall below the human spectrum of hearing, as well as through archisonic processes that vibrated ∄'s impressive halls as well as the bodies present.
Odesa multidisciplinary artist undo despot and Berlin-based contemporary artist Zeynep Schilling focused on contaminated water bodies, drawing from scientific studies that detail the pollution of Ukraine’s rivers and reservoirs — from the collapse of the Kakhovka dam to the toxic residue of submerged military debris running through rivers such as the Oskil and the Seym. Their performance weaves together ecological research with mythological imagery to reflect on the river as both a carrier of memory and a site of transformation.
The results of the Kyiv residency were presented at ∄’s Concert Hall on June 22, 2025. A work-in-progress preview followed in Berlin in July, leading to further development and the official premiere at CTM Festival in early 2026.
Disturbed Ground is co-produced by ∄ and CTM Festival with support from Goethe-Institut’s Co-production Fund. Curated by Mariana Berezovska, alen hast & Anastasiia Syradoieva (u2203 Studio), ∄, and CTM Festival.