On 18 December, a large-scale art event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Engine Room was held in Academic building No. 10, Lviv Polytechnic National University. The Department of Visual Design and Art, the Institute of Architecture and Design, together with the multimedia laboratory Garmonia Room, presented a modern interpretation of this day in the format of an immersive audiovisual video projection installation Breathing Machines.
The implementation of the project was made possible with the support of the leadership of the Lviv Polytechnic National University – Rector Nataliia Shakhovska and Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Student Development Mykola Lohoida, as well as the head of the Lviv Polytechnic History Museum Tetiana Dyba and the head of the Department of Visual Design and Art Viktor Shtets, who ensured that the Engine Room remained open to modern artistic interpretation.
The initiator and ideological inspirer of the event was Viktor Zhyrkov, lecturer of the Department of Visual Design and Art, who, together with his creative partner Vitalii Turyk, united the faculty of the Department and representatives of the creative environment in this interdisciplinary project. Professor Viktor Shtets, lecturers Roman Zhuk, Oleksandr Nesterenko, Myroslav Stetskyi, and Oksana Melnyk made every effort to transform the Engine Room space into a media performance scene.
The event was sponsored by LevMetal, which provided the technical implementation of ideas developed and organized by the multimedia laboratory Garmonia Room, including the visual concept, screen, modern lighting and music equipment. The event was supported by Patriot Rental, M-Rental, and EXO. Filming was carried out by Yurii Dakevych and Nightmares.prod.
The musical accompaniment of the installation was created by Viktor Zhirkov (Garmonia), Vitalii Turyk (Purple Daddy), and Serhii Diadko (GVL). The video component was implemented by lecturer Taras Habrel and master’s student Maksym Zinko.
Within the framework of the installation, the historical environment of the University’s technical heritage was transformed into a living media space, where industrial architecture and authentic mechanisms interacted with light, sound, and contemporary visual technologies. The project brought together technical tradition and current media art practices, highlighting the creative and intellectual potential of both students and faculty. The event became a cultural bridge between eras and generations, reinterpreting the industrial heritage of Lviv Polytechnic through the language of contemporary art.
It is worth noting that this is not the first immersive project of the Department of Visual Design and Art. In the spring, the VJXL event was implemented, which initiated the development of this format and demonstrated the relevance of the course «Fundamentals of VJing», initiated and authored by Candidate of Art History Taras Habrel.
The Breathing Machines project demonstrated the openness of the university to modern interdisciplinary practices and dialogue between technical heritage and contemporary art. Such initiatives not only actualize the historical locations of the University, but also form an environment for experimentation, cooperation and professional growth of students and faculty, establishing the Department of Visual Design and Art as an active center of modern visual culture in the academic environment.
