Zoi Mykhaylova AKA Facheroia at the Wawel jest Wasz festival in Krakow

Krakow Wawel. If you haven't visited Wawel, you haven't been to Poland. It is an unforgettable feeling when you make your way through the narrow streets of the old town in Krakow, to meet the unforgettable Krakow Dragon, or as it is called here - Smok. You look at the map, and suddenly you come to the foot of the mountain, and in front of you appears the unforgettable majestic ensemble of the Royal Wawel Castle. It's a fabulous feeling that stays with you forever. Vavel is perceived differently by the residents of the city itself. An impregnable fortress, a gallery carefully guarded by a team of self-sacrificing museum workers. A familiar tourist building, a museum, which is attacked by hordes of tourists.

So last week I was lucky enough to visit Krakow and feel like a tourist for a while. I lived in a cozy area of ​​Podgorze, not far from the Ghetto Heroes' Square, and in the evening I went for a walk through night Krakow. Along Navislyanska Street, through the always bustling Kazimierz, I made my way to Wavel. But the secret was that I did not come to him by chance. Previously, I came across an advertisement for the Wawel Jest Wasz festival, which took place for the first time on the territory of the museum at the initiative of museum employees, and in a very multi-layered, eclectic style, involved all, without exception, the most modern types of urban art and activities. Wawel opened its doors for Krakow youth - tattoo, BMX, skating master classes, DJ master class. It was even possible to draw graffiti on Wawel...but only on paper. An ambient night was also held as part of the festival. An eclectic mix of electronic music and ancient architecture, the ensemble of which has been layered over the centuries and overgrown with all possible styles. I managed to talk about this project with Paulina Žacek - the founder of the Granko event agency, who organized the filling of the event commissioned by the Royal Castle.

My name is Paulina Zacek, we are located at the Wawel Royal Castle. At the ambient night that closes the Wawel Vash festival. The festival consisted of several layers - lifestyle, film and music. Actually, today we meet in front of house number 9, at the top of the castle, to listen to the ambience. This should help us reveal the Castle from a completely different perspective than we could ever do. I am the owner of the Granko event agency. Previously, we organized both master classes and concerts. Granko School is part of our agency. Personally, I and my colleagues have organized many events, but we are cooperating with the Wawel Castle for the first time. The name of the Festival fully conveys the vision and task - to make Wavel a location for the most diverse audience of visitors. The Granko agency is located in Krakow and we have a practice of cooperation with Ukrainian artists. The Krakow scene is quite small and we have known the group that opened the Sekta bar for a long time - they are Ukrainians who came to Krakow a long time ago and are involved in the landscape of the independent Krakow electronic scene. Therefore, it was logical for me to invite the actual Ukrainian component of this scene. DJing master classes were held here under the leadership of Artem Badalian, whom we know as DJ Badalian. It was a master class for Ukrainians, and it was held in Ukrainian. We understood that this is important in order to break away from everyday life and develop our musical hobby a little. But it is worth noting that this is not only our reaction to russia's aggression against Ukraine, because we have cooperated with the group Sekt'y before, they are an integral part of the Krakow music scene, so it was logical to show them. And Facheroia, a producer from Crimea, plays on "Night of Ambient", her set is based on Ukrainian music, but also inspired by the history of Wawel Castle. What we are listening to is the result of her reflections on the history of Wawel.

Does the agency have any plans in the near future to hold events for Ukrainians in Krakow?

In our autumn program, the Granko school plans to reserve part of its activities for the freshest part of the Kraków community, which joined us as a result of russian aggression. We will try to extract some positivity from this situation. And music is such a medium that unites and gives interesting results. The master classes were very positively received, several people asked about individual workshops, so we will plan to have more such meetings.

Zoi Mykhaylova, a producer from Crimea who moved to Poland long before the war started, now lives in Warsaw and is an active participant in the Polish electronic music scene. I recently had the chance to hear her perform at the Ephemera festival in Warsaw, and today she is playing on the set of the Krakow Royal Castle.

I was born in Crimea, in Simferopol. I have been living in Poland for 8 years. I moved here a few months before my house was occupied. I did not intend to live here long-term, but it turned out that I simply had nowhere to return. I stayed in Warsaw, I have been living there for nine years. My mother lives in Crimea, relatives live in Odesa region. All remained, those in the Crimea and those in the Odesa region. Now is such a time that some leave Ukraine because they can't stand it, but some stay because this is their home and people of the older generation stay. At the moment, I can only help them financially by being here. To help the army financially. Help the family. I also have no influence on when a person does not want to come and says that he never wanted to live in a foreign country. In my case, it was my conscious decision to leave and see the world. But I know people who just want to live on their land. They don't want to leave anymore.

How has the situation changed over the past 8 years in Crimea?

I came through Odesa, took those terrible minibuses, through the pseudo border that appeared there, visited my family several times during those years, but I don't feel at home there. Military moments are very felt there. When I came to my family, it was always difficult, because you don't feel like you are at home, in general, it is a very difficult feeling. feel that other people want to change my home. I don't feel at home when these people are there, when russia has already come to take my home, I don't feel at home there.

Do you have a community here in Warsaw?

You know, when I arrived, I was alone. I didn't know anyone. Nobody from Ukraine. And it seems to me that 3 years ago I met people who are best friends, as it is now fashionable to say - "besties". And at the beginning, I didn't have any community, neither Polish, nor Ukrainian, none. And 3 years ago, an art group united us all. When the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine began, we joined forces, we collect money here, we hold some parties, picnics, for example, in Yazdov, in order to somehow help.

What kind of group is this?

"Proximity" is an art group that was founded within the framework of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Warsaw. They are very helpful. The Museum created another group called "Solidary House of Culture Sonyashnyk" in Warsaw. They also help a lot, collect money, show our culture - cinema, music, some master classes. Besides, you know, there is a chance for her and if you help our country, then also if the unification and integration of Ukraine and Ukrainians here, who came to help them, also help people, for example, the entrance. Are you scheduled to perform at festivals before the end of the year? You know, I'll tell you honestly, when the russian invasion started in February, it was very difficult for me to do music or play, I just fell out of everything. I was completely involved in volunteer work, helping people, I simply could not create or perform at all. Now I am gradually entering again, I agree to perform. Because somehow you have to live on and somehow you have to feed myself and my dog ​​Nadiya, whom I took from Ukraine, from a house destroyed by russian tanks, feed my family in the Odesa region. Today she played at Wawel. When I got an offer to play a hybrid set, it was a great experience for me, it's rare to be invited to play in a castle. Since it is a castle, the atmosphere is immediately so fabulous. A hybrid set is 60% of my material and 40% of someone else's, that is, I add my own material to someone else's music. I will perform in Wroclaw on Friday, September 2, September 10 in Gdańsk, on September 17 there is a very interesting festival in Łódź called Festiwal Łódź Czterech Kultur and they invite artists and musicians from Ukraine. There will be a lot of different musical content, not only something experimental or off. There will be a lot of popular music. It is important that such things are organized in order to integrate our people and to show our culture to Poles, to integrate Ukrainians into Polish society.

When I came to my family, it was always difficult, because you don't feel like you are at home, in general, it is a very difficult feeling.