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- Musical Installation with Sound Fragments from the Film “Bookstore on the Ruins”
Lyova Bai
…On the Ruins
The installation …On the Ruins builds on the broader concept of Lyova Bai’s musical art installations, particularly his earlier work The Drawer of Memories. These works merge original compositions, vintage musical equipment, and audience interaction.
The idea arose from two factors: first, a lifelong exploration of diverse musical genres led to a desire for new forms of music presentation; second, the availability of rare, vintage musical instruments, collected over decades, offered a unique medium. These devices, often gathering dust, were given new purpose—bridging music, art, and historical technology.
…On the Ruins is a more narrative-driven work. It is inspired by a documentary film about a family that, after surviving the Russian invasion and evacuation from their home, returned to Irpin to create a welcoming community space amidst the city’s ruins. The installation establishes a symbiotic relationship with the film: experiencing one enhances the other.
A Roland SP-808EX sampler (1996) serves as the central instrument. It has 16 pads, with four loaded musical loops and twelve textual fragments of memories from the film Bookstore on the Ruins. Musical loops play cyclically, while text fragments play sequentially on pad activation. Visitors can create real-time sound etudes, combining samples and exploring personal interactions with the installation.
Three parameter knobs allow visitors to manipulate effects, while a proximity sensor modifies sound based on gestures, expanding interactive possibilities.
The accompanying film, Bookstore on the Ruins, tells the moving story of a family who, after evacuation and separation due to war, returns to Irpin and transforms the destroyed city into a communal oasis.
The SP-808EX sampler—a rare example of late-20th-century electronic music technology—combines recording, sampling, and sound manipulation capabilities, allowing live musical improvisation without a studio. In this installation, it functions as a tool for visitor-driven musical interaction.
Since his student years, Lyova Bai has worked in television directing and media. He has been directly involved in numerous well-known projects. For the past ten years, he has served as the director of a high-rating morning infotainment show on one of Ukraine’s leading TV channels. In parallel, he manages YouTube content, optimizing and producing video material, and runs his own small channel, Scandalously Unknown, which has over 3,000 subscribers and focuses on culture and art.
Alongside his media career, Lyova Bai has been deeply involved in music, dedicating significant time, energy, and resources. After exploring various genres, he sought new forms of presenting and performing music, initially experimenting with actionism and performance art. In spring 2024, a gallery invitation in Irpin introduced him to the local art community, inspiring a shift from creating actions to creating physical art objects. By 2025, two of his paintings were exhibited in another Irpin gallery, encouraging him to pursue a project that reimagines the presentation of musical works.
A lifelong collector of rare musical devices capable of recording and reproducing sound, he realized these vintage instruments could be assembled into musical installations, offering visitors both visual and auditory experiences.