Director:Svetlana Telbukh

Film: Requiem for Larissa. Goodbye world.

Bio: Today Ukraine is going through difficult times. Innocent people are dying, everything that was created and protected for centuries is being destroyed. The world is watching Ukraine’s pain with trepidation and hope. Good hearts, filled with empathy, feel Ukraine’s pain as their own. Let this video be a requiem for those who have not had time to say goodbye.

Music Valentin Sylvestrov
Violin Yevheniya Sirenko
Sand Animation Svetlana Telbukh

The idea of the artwork

Sad music touched my soul, and through sand animation, I conveyed to the audience the pain and hope of the entire Ukrainian people.

A child symbolizing the birth of Ukraine sleeps peacefully in the nest embraced by a crane – a symbol of family values.

The girl grows into an adult, representing the growth and strengthening of Ukraine over 31 years. The tree deeply rooted in the ground symbolizes the strength and native land – the genetic code of Ukrainians.

The girl grows into an adult, representing the growth and strengthening of Ukraine over 31 years. The tree deeply rooted in the ground symbolizes the strength and native land – the genetic code of Ukrainians.

The grown woman-mother, embracing her children-cities of Ukraine with her wings, brings us into the present. The most famous landmarks of Ukraine come to life in the sand, from St. Sophia’s Cathedral, Independence Square, Lviv Opera House to the iconic Kharkiv fountain. This image – the mother bird symbolizing modern Ukraine – becomes a reflection of the strength and pain of the Ukrainian people. Within her vulnerable embrace lies strength and protection.

The climax of the artwork is the alarming encounter between the raven and the crane – the clash of good and evil.

I depicted the difficult times of the harsh February 2022 as a malevolent black raven that descended upon our lands with the intention to claim them for itself. If not, then to burn them so that no one else would possess them… The visual rhythm of the wheat field engulfed in flames pays tribute to the peaceful times swept away by the storm of war.

The image of the Ukrainian hut standing in the heart of the fire becomes not only a symbol of home but also living evidence of survival and revival.

The bright image of the crane rising from the ashes symbolizes rebirth and a peaceful future.

“Goodbye, World!” is a synthesis of sand art, music, and feelings. Through my creativity, I consider it my calling to reveal Ukraine’s history, celebrating its greatness and resilience during difficult times.

I hope this narrative leaves the audience contemplating the strength of the human spirit in the most challenging times.

Musical accompaniment

Between 1997 and 1999, the renowned Ukrainian composer Valentin Vasil’yevich Silvestrov composed his last work “Requiem for Larissa. Goodbye, world!” in mourning for his deceased wife.
The Requiem was nominated in the “Best Classical Contemporary Composition” category at the Grammy Awards in 2005.

The refined composition gains new meaning when performed by the outstanding Ukrainian violinist, a candidate of arts and laureate of international competitions – Yevheniya Syrenko. As an artist of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the first violin group, Yevheniya brings sophistication and a high level of performance mastery to her performance. Her violin becomes a messenger of deep feelings and emotions intertwined with the images drawn in sand. The music video becomes a sort of requiem for all the deceased and affected by Russian aggression during the full-scale invasion.