War Effect - the series of immersive experiences:

Borodyanka - Unreal Reality

XR experience about people who survive at russian occupation in a Kyiv region year ago...

Synopsis
A unique documenting multi-platform XR experience that shows a destroyed city known to the whole world by russian army crimes. But behind this destroyed by russian air bombs apartments houses, shotted civilian cars with people inside, and shelled by tanks infrastructure of a whole city there are many people's lives and destinies. Stories of real people from Borodyanka, their evidence in a 360 video, and locations of a city from normal life, time of the war (virtual locations), and after deocupaton!


Also:

1. For virtual locations of war, it was 3d scanned war artifacts and locations of a city. The viewer can go inside ruined buildings and see them above with an "invisible drone" view.


2. Part of the project is an XR exhibition in a mobile app with 15 moments of occupation of the Borodyanka with 360 portals to Borodyanka, augmented reality 3d models of war artifacts, and witness evidence.


3. For a social online engagement, there is one unique world of Borodyanka built-in VRCHAT where visitors at the time of a presentation event (or a festival) can go "inside remembrance" and can meet the witness of occupation at the live event.

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Author
Hi, my name is Valeriy Korshunov, I am an artist, curator, and civil activist from Kyiv, Ukraine.

My portfolio of projects is here www.chornobyl.eu and here www.digitalculture.in.ua

Cutaror of Ukrainian Biennale of digital and new media art, Ukrainian video art program at Burning man, author of Sounds of Chornobyl project, Kyiv Whale eco media sculpture, official mobile app of Chornobyl - CHRNBL, etc.

Head of the Board of European Institute of Chornobyl NGO - www.chornobyl.eu
Member of civil organization board of State Agency of administration of Exclusion Zone.
Media about my Chornobyl projects: Guardian (VICE), Independent, Inews, Express

Have a project at Burning Man at year before COVID -

Organizer of Eurovision 2017 in Kyiv - Euroclub, Euro village, Euro fan cafe.
Etc...




Valeriy Korshunov
Author and director of a project
Connection with a topic
Previously, Chornobyl was my focus, now the whole country needed help in various areas. Since the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion in February 2022, I have been organizing information campaigns and helping to distribute humanitarian aid.
I live in Kyiv with my wife and daughter, and the small towns of the Kyiv region dear to me since I myself lived there when I was a kid.
My grandfather was in occupation near the month at a village next to Bucha and Borodyanka.

During the filming, I met many people who survived the occupation and bombing, as well as those who lost their entire families and who fought with the invaders. We also came under rocket fire in the Kyiv region.

The history of Bordyanka is very heroic and tragic, but this experience is worth it to be discovered by people all over the world.

This is my personal project. I do most by myself. I shoot, edit, develop virtual locations, etc. This is my reaction to the war as an artist, father, husband, and the Ukrainian.
Borodyanka - How it was
The town of Borodyanka was occupy and bombed extensively by the Russian Armed Forces during the 2022 russian invasion of Ukraine.
As russian forces fought in and near Kyiv, Borodianka, which is on a strategically important road, was targeted by numerous russian airstrikes. russian soldiers used cluster munitions and "Tornado" and "Uragan" rockets to destroy buildings and fired at night when the maximum number of people would be at home. Most of the buildings in the town were destroyed, including almost all of its main street (we show it in a project). russian bombs struck the centers of buildings and caused them to collapse while the frames remained standing (We interview the people who lost their families in these bombed buildings). Many residents were buried alive by airstrikes and lay dying for up to a week. Those who had gone to help them were shot at by russian soldiers.


Borodyanka drone footage
Drone footage shows scorched buildings and scattered debris on the main street of Borodyanka, a small town about 40 miles away from Ukraine's capital Kyiv.
Ukraine also accused the russian soldiers of "murders, tortures, and beatings" of civilians.

Some residents hid in caves for 38 days. On 26 March 2022, russia, repelled from Kyiv, progressively withdrew from the region to concentrate on Donbas. Borodianka's mayor said that as the russian convoy had moved through the town, russian soldiers had fired through every open window. He estimated at least 200 dead.

Only a few hundred residents remained in Borodianka by the time the Russians withdrew, with roughly 90% of residents have fled, and a

The bombardments were at the beginning of March, so in April, those who were hiding in the buildings' basements when they collapsed are dead. Excavation equipment is not readily available, leaving the death toll an early estimate of 200 to 400 people.
Borodyanka photo's
About Project
The project is a multi-platform work that uses several mediums and techniques: 360 video with 4 stories of real people, XP exhibition in a mobile application, 3D scanning of war artifacts and locations of Borodyanka, creation of virtual locations of Borodyanka during the occupation, the virtual world of VRCHAT dedicated to the personal history of one of the eyewitnesses and a live event when a visitors can meet a real people form a city.
360 video

Сonsist of 4 stories of real people from Borodyanka, who are witnesses of the occupation.

Also, the video shows the city of Borodyanka before the occupation and after as well shootings in "invisible drone" style.

The virtual locations of Borodyanka at the time of an occupation that I reconstruct virtually using 3d scans of real war artifacts and locations.

Invisible drone view
We are shooting a 360 video using a drone with a fully rounded 360 camera that makes an "invisible view"
Nataliia
managed to get out of the shelter, where half an hour later a 500 kg high-explosive bomb hit
Valentin
being an employee of the local museum, he survived the occupation in the city center and recorded the key dates of the battle for Borodyanka
Mariia
This method allows us to achieve success in problems of all levels.Maria remained alive, but her family was hiding in a shelter in the basement when an russian air bomb was shelled there. Maria lost her family and was left entirely alone
Galyna
She still lives in a ruined house and cooks over a fire every day
Рard-to-reach places
We filmed places that are difficult or forbidden to get into. Many of the unique shots can be seen for the first time
3D scanning and virtual worlds

I recreate moments of occupation in a virtual location I made from real war artifacts 3d scanned at Borodyanka and Kyiv region

I made a 3D scan of war artifacts and locations and I made a virtual location of Borodyanka in a time of an occupation
Some locations repeat the real locations of the city, some repeat the locations about which witnesses of the occupation tell
In my collection, there are scanned tanks, russian military vehicles, weapons, equipment, shot cars of civilians, destroyed houses, and so on
XR exhibition in mobile app

This is 10 posters that are "alive" by the camera of a smartphone, panoramas 360 from Borodyanka, also augmented reality 3d models of war artifacts, intercepted communications of the occupiers, and stories from the witnesses.

Users can place 3d models of burned russian tanks (and many more) and look at 360-degree panoramas from Borodyanka, read descriptions of occupation events, and see the TV news that tells the same things about Borodyanka but not so deeply, without evidence and the raw media materials from the real city that we have.

Visitors can discover stories of the project on their own phones before or after they use a VR helmet with a 360 video.

It is enough to download the mobile application and install the exhibition on your phone. After passing the exhibition, you can re-pass it further or show it to friends. Share content on social networks. For example, send the location of Borodyanka or a burned-out Russian tank to friends