I woke up today to a strange surreal view of Istanbul, taken over by a thick white fog. It’s been 10 days since we left Ukraine in a hurry, with many projects postponed and plans deeply changed. I was supposed to be in Kyiv, working on drum solo collaborations with Ukrainian dancers, and ethnic fashion shoots with Ukrainian models and designers, but that was not in the cards. I thought of coming back to Canada right away, but the increasingly authoritarian actions from the government there made me think it would be a safer bet to be in Lviv or Odessa. Strange times.
Pedro Bonatto drumming in Istanbul. Photo by Iana Komarnytska.
This view from our ‘castle in the clouds’ is a good metaphor for how far our sight and insight can go in times like these, when our best resource is to look inside: our values, our intuitions, our unique opportunities, our commitment to pick up things left undone. As I was retooling and reimagining projects this week, and thinking how my work could help folks in Ukraine and around the world, I got a chance to sit down and record two conversations that might be of use to fellow artists, both in terms of tactics and inspiration.
The first is an episode of my podcast with Iana Komarnytska, Artist Date, where we talked about our thought process and strategy for leaving Ukraine. In this conversation we talked about how our work was built for the last 5 years to be completely remote by design, and centered around travel and not depending on one specific place. It is my hope that this episode will give some ideas to fellow artists that want, or need, to escape difficult traps.
The second is an episode of my own show, the Wanderings Podcast, where I interviewed Jurij Fedynskyj, a Ukrainian-American musician, kobzar and researcher, where he described his plan to tour around Ukraine bringing music and community together at these uncertain times. This conversation is filled with inspiration and hope, showing at least one way how artists can use their craft to unite people around a common noble - and peaceful - cause.
Finally, the take away from my gazing and drumming into the fog is a thought of hope: I stand in a country that not so long ago used to be an enemy of Ukraine. Today, they are partners in trade and defense. It is a good reminder that collaboration can turn ancient enemies into allies, and I think the glue that holds it together is trade, culture, and art: which is exactly the intersection where artists live.
Слава Україні. Слава всій планеті.
