Details: SWAP UK/UKRAINE Residency : Funded by the British Council, I spent one month as an artist in residence in Muzychi, a village 40 minutes drive from Kiev, Ukraine. I conversed with residents from both the village and the city, discussing the social and political climate of the country, and gaining a better understanding of Ukraine and it's rich history. I found Ukrainians to be generous, resilient, open and welcoming people - neighbours in the village gifted me home grown vegetables and greens, strangers offered free guided tours of the city, invited me to parties, and made me feel like their best friend and sister all in one. I created a small exhibition in the village where I made visual outcomes in narrative form that shared the opinions, stories and conversations of the people I met during my time in the country. I also created my own currency of which I called 'Muzychi money' that my visitors could download and print to use the bus to the exhibition, purchase local produce from my exhibition stall, and buy postcards of my drawings. I wanted to give back some of the generosity I had received. I also created a map that directed visitors around the village to various points that were visualised in the exhibition. I think everyone had fun printing the money, riding the bus, drinking, eating and purchasing local goods. I was also invited to exhibit at Male Gallery,Kiev, for a group show the following year. I created a large scale drawing of Muzychi, souvenirs(keyrings, postcards, magnets, and t-towels), and a comic(in Ukrainian and English) that told the stories, opinions and social history of the people I had met.
