Cis-Irpin Region: Palimpsest of Traditions and Avant-Garde (Exemplified by the Village of Bobrytsia in Bucha District of Kyiv Oblast)

Author

Bosa Liubov

a Ph.D. in History, a senior research fellow at the Ukrainian Ethnological Centre Department of M. Rylskyi Institute of Art Studies, Folkloristics and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5381-8151

Cis-Irpin Region: Palimpsest of Traditions and Avant-Garde
(Exemplified by the Village of Bobrytsia in Bucha District of Kyiv Oblast)

Abstract

The aim of the research is to unveil the unique features of the cultural landscape of the village of Bobrytsia in Bucha District of Kyiv Oblast in the Cis-Irpin region, which are insufficiently described in ethnological studies. The landscape is considered as a distinctive palimpsest and a conduit of cultural memory. The local community, engaging with both traditional and contemporary forms of environmental development, serves as the focal point of the investigation. Diverse research methodologies, encompassing ethnographic and anthropological approaches, as well as the analysis of social networks and in-depth interviews with respondents, are used. Two primary groups of village inhabitants are determined in the article. It is emphasized in particular on their disparities in civic and cultural orientations. While new residents are focused on avant-garde artistic practices, involving the entire community (such as street art), organizing international plein airs, the old residents on the other hand have endeavored to pass on the local context, respect for heritage, and a distinctive attitude to the origins of the ancient Cossacks’ village. However, here traditions and avant-garde do not conflict but interact and coexist, creating a unique cultural context.

An active collaboration within the community is shown towards establishing a shared platform for uniting old and new residents through ecological and cultural-artistic projects. The key themes in the local discourse are described in the text, including the visual portrayal of the village, the role of the museum, and the creation of new identities. The meaningful components of local interactions, focused on a collective vision of the cultural landscape as the primary resource for sustainable territorial development are considered. It is emphasized that while suburban villages in Irpin region may exhibit typical infrastructure, they manifest notable distinctions in community practices. The submitted experience is a revolutionary one due to the attempts of both new and old residents to cooperate actively, creating optimal mechanisms of involvement, and considering attentively local traditional eco-cultural senses.

Keywords

cultural landscape, palimpsest, tradition, avant-garde, community, the village of Bobrytsia, Cis-Irpin region, Russian-Ukrainian war.

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