Stephanie Irvine

- I have been living in Gothenburg, Sweden since 2019. I play folk music, new compositions and improvised music.

- What motivated you to take part in our project?

- I’ve always been interested in working with artists from other disciplines, but this was an opportunity to connect with an artist from not only another discipline, but a completely different reality from my own. The project feels very important as an opportunity for people to gain a new perspective on the situation in Ukraine, and to be able to process it in different ways.

- How did the war in Ukraine affect you personally?

- My life hasn’t been affected directly, but it has put everything in a new context. It feels strange to play music and talk about this and that, and all the while have this background of unimaginable suffering happening so close to home. I wake up and read the news, then carry on with my day as normal – that’s a strange and cut-off reality to be living in.

- Tell us about your project partner. What is common between you? And what are the differences that make you complement each other?

- I mostly know Oleksii through his work, and his paintings are really hard-hitting. I think both of us are interested in reacting to a specific feeling with our work. We are both using shape and colour, be it in images or sound. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the combination of this clear and often brutal visual art, and sound which is more abstract.

- A few words about your joint work. Why did you decide to implement this idea?

- Since Oleksii can’t leave Kyiv, we decided that he would send pictures of his paintings to Sweden, and that I would perform alongside them. I will use the paintings as a kind of co-musician. It will be a way of communicating creatively across the great distance.

- What would you like to wish the audience of the project?

- I hope that the audience can find ways of relating to a situation that often feels too horrifying to think about. I hope it can create space to reflect and space for hope.

- The first thing you will do when the war is over.

- I would love to travel to Ukraine, meet Oleksii and see his paintings in real life.

- What is the main message of your art work?

- The artwork will be created partly in real time, so I’m excited to see what the message turns out to be.