'strikha': ukraine's vernacular architecture filmed during the war

‘strikha’: a five-part film on ukraine’s architectural heritage

Multimedia platform Ukraïner and film studio Craft Story have teamed up for a special five-part documentary series entitled ‘STRIKHA’ (meaning ‘the roof’ in Ukrainian). Based on a long-term expedition throughout all regions of war-torn Ukraine (except those occupied by Russia), the series portrays the country’s authentic and vernacular architectural ‘treasures’, particularly those hidden in distant villages, away from the main road. The project also seeks to trigger public discussions around the traditional Ukrainian ‘architectural code’ — specifically on how to preserve it and extend its presence to contemporary life. ‘STRIKHA series is also about the sense of home, shelter, and ‘a roof over one’s head’ that many people in Ukraine have lost due to the war,‘ adds the team.

all images courtesy Ukraïner

ukraïner and craft story’s expedition across the country

The expedition throughout Ukraine kickstarted in November 2022, when Ukraïner (see more here) and Craft Story (and here) began hunting for over 30 real-life examples of vernacular home designs. These included the ‘mazanaka’ and ‘gradja’, Cossack’s wooden churches, windmills, a country house in the Carpathians, the ‘wooden lace’ technique of Sivershchyna, the original huts of Bessarabia, Slobozhanshchyna, Podniprovia, and Zaporizhzhia — and much more. The duo captured and recorded all of these unique archetypes, piecing them into a heartwarming documentary available on Ukraïner’s YouTube Channel (with ENG subtitles).

‘STRIKHA’ is a five-part film on Ukraine’s folk heritage

The storytellers of the ‘STRIKHA’ documentary series include owners of those unique folk houses scattered in different parts of the country, activists involved in the preservation and restoration of architectural heritage, as well as a group of local experts — architects Oleg Drozdov, Slava Balbek, and Yulian Chaplinskyi, on the one hand, and scientists and art historians on the other. ‘Each building has a fascinating history, documented and preserved for reinterpretation by future generations,’ continues the team.

about 30 architectural ‘treasures’ were unearthed

‘Although today it is impossible to go on an expedition to the temporarily occupied territories, the unique architecture of these regions is also covered in the project. Furthermore, after the full-scale invasion of Russia on February 24, 2022, there were also issues of post-war reconstruction, housing for forcibly displaced people, as well as the trend of moving from the city to the countryside, which gained particular popularity – all these topics also revealed within five episodes of film STRIKHA.’ Make sure to catch the complete series on YouTube.

storytellers included homeowners of those unique vernacular structures