He/him
Sat 1 June | de Brakke Grond

On 24 February 2022, the world shuddered as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They called it a special military operation. To everyone else it looked like war. To those living in the cities that came under attack it was utterly horrifying. But cities like Kyiv are so much more than a trophy capture the Russians hoped for. No matter what they threw at it, the Ukrainian capital would not be broken.

When the first anniversary of the invasion approached, electronic music artist Oleh Shpudeiko, who records as Heinali (now based in Germany), released ‘Kyiv Eternal’, his tribute to the city he loves. He spent 37 years of his life in Kyiv. “It has become an inseparable part of my identity.”. Particularly affecting was the Battle Of Kyiv, a five-week onslaught early on in the war that saw Russian troops try - and ultimately fail - to lay siege to historic capital.

“After the Battle of Kyiv was over, many Kyivites noticed this strange feeling,” recalls Oleh. “It was as if the city was alive, breathing. We wanted to hug it, to protect every inch of it from harm. I didn’t know how to do it back then. It took time and distance to figure it out, but ‘Kyiv Eternal’ is my hug.” The tracks on ‘Kyiv Eternal’ feature fragments of field recordings made in specific locations around the city, along with accompanying ambient loops taken from Oleh’s archives and recorded over the past 10 years.

We present an excerpt of the original audiovisual work, which accompanies the album. Please support the artist by buying the album or donate to Musicians Defend Ukraine; a grassroots volunteering initiative helping musicians fighting in the armed forces.

This screening combines audio reworked from Heinali’s album with pre-war footage gathered via an open call and from friends and acquaintances, then assembled by Warsaw-based Ukrainian artist Maryna Osnach and Poland’s Kachna Baraniewicz

We present an excerpt of the original audiovisual work, which accompanies the album. Please support the artist by buying the album.

About the artist
Oleh Shpudeiko is a music composer and sound artist who records as Heinali. He specialises in electronic music and modular synthesis, taking inspiration from Early music and mediaeval polyphony. Oleh writes music for games, films, choreography performances, creates sound art installations and performs live show.