iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Wonderful evening up on Whitehawk Hill in Brighton yesterday with @mattpope.bsky.social, Ukrainians and friends learning how to see 5000+ years into the past below our feet. Another brilliant gig from Matt on archaeology and Vio on translation 🤩

Dr Matt Pope and Vio Korbina on Whitehawk Hill, Brighton, as the sun sets, 26.8.26. A Kupala Brighton event in which Matt talked about the prehistoric Whitehawk Camp site and how to see its traces on the surface today.

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Happy Kupala, happy St John's Eve everybody!☀️🌿

St John's Wort bush on St John's Eve, 23.6.26

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Happy Solstice from Preston Park in Brighton, and from the boloto in Trubaitsi, Ukraine ☀️

Preston Park, Brighton, 21.6.26, at the location where Ukrainian Kupala midsummer festivals were held in 2022 and 2023.

screenshot of Instagram story showing the boloto (wetland) at the edge of the village of Trubaitsi, Poltava oblast, Ukraine, 21.6.26

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Summer is a-coming in, and we saw the fash off! Loved seeing Brighton Folk Against Fascism at the Carnival yesterday ☀️🌿

Banner reading 'Folk Against Fascism', Queens Road, Brighton, protest against far-right, 13.6.26

Anti-fascist demonstrator with placard reading 'fascists can folk right off!' Queens Road, Brighton, protest against far-right, 13.6.26

Accordion player and singer from Brighton Folk Against Fascism, Brighton, protest against far-right, 13.6.26

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Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Brighton friends, on June 18th this brilliant event is taking place at the Rose Hill Tavern. Help support our Ukrainian community through an evening connecting landscape, folklore, loss, memory & midsummer through Vladyslava and @marekkohn.bsky.social 's collaboration. kupalabrighton.org/sands.html

Silence and Sirens June 18: videos and conversation about land, people, nature and belonging.

Silence and Sirens

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Spring is turning to summer, the boundary between the visible and invisible worlds is softening, so here's a handy tip for keeping dangerous spirits out of your home. Happy Green Holidays everybody! 🌿🌿🌿 kupalabrighton.org/blog.html

Spring into Summer: a post from the Kupala Brighton project

Blog | Kupala

Sussex Bylines @sussexbylines.co.uk · 12/05/2026

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Silence, sirens and the Kupala Brighton project The project aims to bring Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians together in a community around themes of nature, land, place and belonging | Marek Kohn @kupalabrighton.bsky.social @marekkohn.bsky.social

sussexbylines.co.uk

Silence, sirens and the Kupala Brighton project

The project aims to bring Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians together in a community around themes of nature, land, place and belonging

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Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Please share. This is an inspiring and urgent project that listens, relocates and unleashes connection between people, culture and place. Grounded in community, during a time of war and displacement. Do follow and look for the Brighton event on the 18th June.

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Sussex Bylines @sussexbylines.co.uk · 12/05/2026

The project aims to bring Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians together in a community around themes of nature, land, place and belonging | Marek Kohn

sussexbylines.co.uk

Silence, sirens and the Kupala Brighton project

The project aims to bring Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians together in a community around themes of nature, land, place and belonging

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Happy May Day / Beltane to all who celebrate, and all who don't! Today we're launching our June 18 event page: tickets are now available ☀️ kupalabrighton.org/sands.html

Silence and Sirens June 18: videos and conversation about land, people, nature and belonging.

Silence and Sirens

Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Happy Beltane! Welcoming in the May in our village square with the local side, Sompting Village Morris. You'll recognise this tune as Portsmouth! Living, Intangible Cultural Heritage. 🌺🏵️💐🌸🌺

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Silence and Sirens. Save the date – June 18, just ahead of midsummer!

Kupala Brighton

Silence and Sirens
A journey to a village in Ukraine from a park in Brighton

Videos and conversation about land, people, nature and belonging

Thursday 18 June, 7pm–11pm, £10/£7/PWYC

The Rose Hill, Rose Hill Terrace, Brighton BN1 4JL

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

People rally round when something terrible happens: an accident, an illness, an invasion. But what do we do now that the invasion of Ukraine has changed from a sudden drama to a chronic condition? Our first blog post kupalabrighton.org/blog.html

Posts from the Kupala Brighton project

Blog | Kupala Brighton

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

We now have a newsletter and you can sign up for it here eepurl.com/jCIgys !

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Congratulations to the Laukiai Oak, Eurovision Tree Contest winner!! 🌳👑🥬

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Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Welcoming the Equinox light in at La Hougue Bie. A deliberate and powerful Neolithic alignment that illuminates the burial chamber just twice a year. Very lucky to be invited to witness this prehistoric spectacle. 🏺

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Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

At La Hougue Bie, Jersey, for the Spring Equinox sunrise with the @societejersiaise. Welcoming in the lighter half of the year from a very special place. 🏺

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Nature, belonging, and drones in the night: moments from our conversation at the edge of a wetland in the middle of Ukraine kupalabrighton.org/trubaitsi.html

Vladyslava Bondar standing at the edge of the boloto, or wetland, that borders the village of Trubaitsi, in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava oblast, August 2025.

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Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Marek Kohn @marekkohn.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

A siren on the audio tracks and Cuyahoga playing in my head as I edited this #R.E.M.

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

The sounds of war just reached deep into the Polish countryside too. Surreal experiences are often previews of a new reality. #Poland #Ukraine

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …' youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ

youtu.be

Trubaitsi: the sounds of war reach deep into the Ukrainian countryside

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

We travelled to the Ukrainian village that is the deep inspiration for our project, and talked on the edge of its wetlands: about nature, childhood, imagination, the sounds of war in the air, and why places must not be stolen from people. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_X...

youtube.com

Trubaitsi: wetland spirits and night spirits in a Ukrainian village

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

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youtube.com

Trubaitsi: wetland spirits and night spirits in a Ukrainian village

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

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All these brilliant performers, and we'll be there too! Looking forward hugely to the Summer Fusion Festival at the Jubilee Library in Brighton, Sun 7 Sept, 11 – 3, free, all welcome! bestfootmusic.net/2025/07/10/s...

Flyer for Summer Fusion Festival, Jubilee Library, Brighton, 11–3 Sun 7 September. Performers billed: Cohesion Plus Bhangra Fusion, Kapil Seshasayee, Suna Alan – Kurdish folk songs, Ukrainian Voices Choir

Marek Kohn @marekkohn.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

A week ago I was eating grapes from a Ukrainian kitchen garden (= small farm in UK city terms) and thinking I should follow the example in my own small way back home so ... rose hip syrup (too early, but best I can do) soundtrack: The Ukrainian Shelf 5: Food www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwOD...

Picking dog-rose hips in Brighton garden

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

We made it, 2700km from Brighton to the birthplace of Kupala in the middle of Ukraine! We’ll tell you all about it when we’re back in the UK

Vlada and Marek at the boloto (wetland) near where Vlada spent much of her childhood. Vlada’s got blue hair and looks like a nature spirit. Marek is very excited. There are blue skies, a forest and meadows on the background.

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

We made it, 2700km from Brighton to the birthplace of Kupala in the middle of Ukraine! We’ll tell you all about it when we’re back in the UK

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

'Every Motanka I make is a quiet storyteller of our homeland and our hopes for the future.' Hanna Mariienko on what making traditional #Ukrainian motanka dolls in Sussex means to her and her community. kupalabrighton.org/motanka.html

Hanna Mariienko teaches how to make traditional Ukrainian motanka dolls at the Kupala midsummer festival in Brighton, 2023.

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

We found a new place to celebrate Kupala this midsummer, and wrote a new piece to accompany it as well 🌿 kupalabrighton.org/kupala25.html

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

National Folklore Survey for England @nfsengland.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Head to our website to read our latest guest blog. This time we hear from @kupalabrighton.bsky.social to learn how this Ukrainian midsummer festival has got underway in Brighton since refugees began arriving in 2022. www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/kupala-...

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Pagans set wheels on fire and rolled them down hills at midsummer in 4th-century France. More recently Ukrainians did the same with car tyres 🔥☀️🔥

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

As it's Rusalnyi Week, when #rusalka spirits come out of water, and sea-themed #FolkloreThursday, we'd like to point out it's a myth that rusalky are #mermaids. Key differences: Fish-tails: mermaids✅ rusalky❎ Complex, tragic backstories: rusalky✅ mermaids ❎ More: kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Since it's Rusalnyi Week, when #rusalka spirits come out of water, we'd just like to point out that rusalky are❗️not #mermaids❗️Key differences: Fish-tails: mermaids✅ rusalky❎ Complex, tragic backstories: rusalky✅ mermaids ❎ More info: kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html #MythologyMonday

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Dangerous spirit alert ⚠️ Today is the start of Rusalnyi Week, when #rusalka water spirits emerge onto dry land. They can be deadly, so ⚠️ Keep away from rivers, pools etc ⚠️ Also fields ⚠️ Put bread, milk, shirts out for them Stay Rusalka-Safe! #folklore kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

It's Trinity Sunday, and here's a priest in #Ukraine blessing people who have brought greenery to the church. They'll also put branches around their homes, to protect against spirits from before Christianity arrived. kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html #folklore

Rusalnyi Week | Kupala

The Start of Summer

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Then flowers and fire at Midsummer, Kupala, and water too ☀️🔥🌿🌼

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Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Marek Kohn @marekkohn.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

I said a few words – some of them in Ukrainian 😁 – at the Rose Hill about what our Razom gatherings mean to us. Thanks @bestfootmusic.bsky.social for including them in this post about last Sunday's wonderful Razom 💛 bestfootmusic.net/2025/03/16/r...

bestfootmusic.net

Razom ~ Together: March 16th

The Razom ~ Together event with the current round of funding, and what a fantastic event it turned out to be Commencing with a great life set of folk songs and stories from Mavka Singer, followed b…

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

If you'd like to spend some time with our local #Ukrainian community in #Brighton and show your support for them, come to Razom at the Rose Hill on Sunday 16 March, 2-6pm. Music, food, conversation, and now a visit from a Ukrainian author too 💙💛

Poster for Razom event at the Rose Hill, Brighton BN1 1JL, 2–6pm 16 March. An afternoon with the local Ukrainian community and friendsm sharing music, food and chat. Free entry

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

'Slavic myth ... is buried under the weight of Christianisation, imperial domination, illiteracy, and the suppression of national identities...' And that problem, astutely addressed in this review, is at the heart of what our project is about.

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

It's Razom @TheRoseHillArts again this afternoon, feat. #Ukrainian music – traditional, modern, dance – and plenty more, incl. food and a quiz. Free, come along when you like, hope to see you there 😃🇺🇦

poster for Razom – Together event, gathering at the Rose Hill, Brighton BN1 4JL, of the local Ukrainian community and friends, 26 January, 2–6pm, free, all welcome

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Deep time travel with @mattpope.bsky.social and Vio Korbina, connecting the local Ukrainian community with local landscapes. Thanks so much to Matt and Vio, to Stand4Ukraine B&H, and to the lovely #BrightonMuseum people for the warm welcome to the archaeology gallery 💙💛

Vio Korbina translates Dr Matt Pope for Ukrainian visitors to Brighton Museum's archaeology gallery, Ice Age section.

Vio Korbina translates Dr Matt Pope for Ukrainian visitors to Brighton Museum's archaeology gallery, Neolithic section.

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

'Kyiv licked the rough asphalt with its pagan tongue ...'

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Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Hello and Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! #ЩасливогоРіздва! We're glad to be here, and we hope you'll join us in our exploration of what #Ukrainian folklore means today. Vlada's full Christmas message is at www.instagram.com/p/DEA4tw1Ovvp/