Concept
Theater of Hopes and Expectations. A project under construction
The Theater of Hopes and Expectations took place from August to October 2022 in the Volksgarten in Düsseldorf. At the center of the project was a public pavilion, which was designed and realized by the artist collective Prykarpattian Theater.
The artistic concept of the theater followed the logic of construction as process: on the day of its opening, nothing existed more than a slightly elevated, unroofed platform that would later provide the floor of the building. It served as a stage for events. Exhibitions, lectures, discussions, concerts, performances, and charity events invited people to participate in the discourse in the afternoons and evenings, and, in parallel, the walls and roof of the temporary building were erected in the mornings. A large part of the activities was thus performed in what appeared to be an improvised construction site situation. The displays, which changed from week to week, were assembled from scraps accumulated during construction—cut chipboard, foil, fence elements, etc.—and modified for each event. Some of them were formed into modules. Tabletops could be converted into room dividers, presentation walls or seats, for example, depending on the presentation. To cover the façade, the collective used discarded stage sets provided by local theaters. Not least the necessity to react to the donated material gave the pavilion’s appearance its patchwork character.
This approach reflects the reconstruction of culture that is still taking place in Ukraine today, parallel to the ongoing destruction caused by the Russian armed forces. In addition, the concept, which is based on openness and responsiveness, made it possible to react programmatically to the constantly changing political situation.
After the project was completed in early November 2022, the Theater of Hopes and Expectations was dismantled. The materials, especially its solid wooden base structure, were transported to Kyiv region on the initiative of the non-governmental organization Livyj Bereh. With the additional help of the architect and artist collective MNPL, it was transformed into a permanent residential building. With this act, the artistic project was transferred into everyday life. Today, the former exhibition house provides a home for the five members of the Honchar family, whose former home was destroyed during the Russian invasion in the spring of 2022.
Credits
Kunstkommission Düsseldorf
presentsa project by
Prykarpattian Theater
Theater of Hopes and Expectations
Artists
Ivan Bazak, Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk, Tereza Yakovyna, Ostap Yashchuk
Curated by
Ania Kołyszko
Co-Curator
Nikita Sereda,
Head of Production
Roman Zheleznyak
Builders
Shalva Abashidze, Jamal Ashurov, Andrei Dureika, Mykola Linchuk
Assistаnt Curators
Anastasija Levchuk
Production Assistаnt
Julia Dauksza
Graphic Design
Ostap Yashchuk
Technical drawing
Olga Malyshenko
Architectural Advise
Kaspar Stöbe, Stöbe Architekten
Structural engineer
imagine structure GmbH
Copy editing
Ania Kołyszko, Anastasija Levchuk
Translation
Daria Anosova
The project was made possible by the generous help and support of
Bauaufsichtsamt Düsseldorf, Gartenamt Düsseldorf, Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf, Wuppertaler Bühnen, Blumen Wichmann, Bulle Bäckerei, Lunatx Special Effects GmbH, Polnisches Institut Düsseldorf, Charim Galerie, #hotelfriends Düsseldorf Downtown
We would also like to thank: