Concert and Audiovisual Performance “The Elements / FREE UKRAINA / FREE IMPROVISATION”

“The Elements / FREE UKRAINA / FREE IMPROVISATION” is a unique creative process combining intuitive music, performance using EEG brainwave readers, and a hybrid approach that merges improvised music with live performance and electronic music. It incorporates instrument samples recorded during an open-air concert in Kraków (post-mastering) in a hybrid form using EEG technology. The project blends intuitive and electronic music with performance and visual mapping elements. The foundation for the concert is material created in collaboration with Ukrainian artists living in Kraków and Lviv, as well as musicians from Poland, Japan, and the USA.

The event begins with a moving recording of a young artist’s voice from Kyiv—her singing during a walk through the deserted streets of the city interacts with the sound of air raid sirens. This dramatic sequence serves as an introduction to a multilayered sonic and visual performance. In its core message, the project stands as a testimony of solidarity and the power of culture in the face of the horrors of war. The concert continues a series of artistic actions initiated by an event in Kraków on February 24 of this year, held on the Vistula River boulevards beneath the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill, marking the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Since 2018, the WIEŻA Festival, held in Lviv, has combined architecture, urbanism, and art with active social and cultural dialogue. Despite the war, this annual event brings together architects, designers, urban planners, and artists from Ukraine and abroad, becoming one of the most important platforms for the exchange of ideas in the region. The festival focuses on promoting contemporary architecture and design, providing education and workshops for professionals and students and supporting international creative cooperation. It is organized by the Lviv Association of Architects with the support of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine. Since 2022, the festival has been co-organized by the AYA Found Foundation and Polish artist Aleksander Janicki as part of the Kultura Futura ŚWIT and Kultura Futura e-POLIS programs. Some events take place in the historic Architects' House in Lviv at the Gunpowder Tower – the headquarters of NASAU – and at Świrz Castle, both of which become stages for reflection on Ukraine’s past, present, and future.

Concert by Formacja HiQ and Audiovisual Performance “The Elements / FREE UKRAINA / FREE IMPROVISATION”:

Formacja HiQ lineup: Jorgos Skolias – vocals, Ayako Kanda (JP) – vocals, Antoni “Ziut” Gralak – trumpet, Frank Parker Jr. (USA) – drums, Przemo Borowiecki – drums, Michał Dymny – guitar, Andriej Saheva (UA) – violin, electronics, Marianna Janicka – electric violin, vocals, Marek Pospieszalski – saxophone, Kuba Sojka – drums, Antoni Skolias – percussion, Franciszek Araszkiewicz – electronics, EEG brainwave reader, Alek Janicki – author of the artistic concept, performer, EEG brainwave reader, video, large-scale mapping/projection.
Intro: Diana Oganesyan – voice from Kyiv (UA).
Immersive sound production: Rafał Drewniany (Immersive Sound) / SAV – Studio ART V / mastering: Antoni Ziut Gralak.
Produced by: AYA Found / SAV 2025