Operating as a six-month initiative, this project focuses on the detailed documentation and preservation of the historical traces of Kapytolivka, a village deeply affected by military actions in the Kharkiv region. Researchers work regularly within state archives in Kharkiv to trace family lineages and institutional documents, while simultaneously collaborating directly with residents in the village to access private collections. They identify and scan old letters, certificates, and photographs, leaving the physical originals with their owners, and record interviews regarding household items and documents destroyed or lost during the occupation. All gathered materials are systematically organized and described according to modern archival standards to build a unified, publicly accessible community digital repository.
Over the course of six months, we focus on documenting and preserving the historical traces of Kapytolivka that remain scattered across archives, family collections, and personal memories.
Living in Kharkiv, we have access to archival institutions that hold records connected to the village and its residents. Through regular work with these collections, we trace family histories, local institutions, and fragments of everyday life that help illuminate the village's past beyond official historical narratives.
At the same time, we collaborate closely with residents of Kapytolivka to identify and digitize photographs, letters, certificates, and other documents preserved in private family archives. Many of these materials exist only in a single copy and remain vulnerable to loss. Creating digital copies offers a way to safeguard them while allowing the originals to remain with their owners.
An important part of this work is documenting absence. Through conversations with villagers and displaced residents, we record memories of family heirlooms, photographs, books, documents, artworks, and household objects that were destroyed, damaged, or left behind during the occupation. Although these items can no longer be physically recovered, their stories continue to form part of the village's collective memory.
Throughout the fellowship, we develop methods for organizing, describing, and preserving these materials in ways that ensure their long-term accessibility and responsible care. Our aim is to create connections between institutional archives and personal collections, bringing together different fragments of the village's history into a shared record.
By the end of the fellowship, the collected documents, digitized family archives, and records of lost objects form the foundation of a community archive that preserves not only historical facts, but also the everyday lives, relationships, and memories that give meaning to a place.
