This weekend, Souni residents Alexey and Ekaterina from the Blue House returned from the Cyprus Burning Man-style festival, where they presented a unique art installation and community space called “Souni on Fire.”
The camp was built entirely from objects that had survived the devastating wildfire that struck Souni earlier this year — furniture, musical instruments, a motorcycle, and even a burnt trailer that welcomed visitors with a glowing neon sign.
Each day, the team cooked 18 liters of Ukrainian borscht and a massive pot of pilaf — about 15 kilograms of rice and 42 kilograms of assorted meats were prepared over three days. But the real flavor came from something deeper: all the spices used in the dishes had been donated by residents who lost their homes in the fire — small, soot-covered jars of pepper and cumin rescued from the ruins.
Next to the main trailer stood a memorial alley — a row of black plaques with the addresses of burned houses. Though incomplete, the installation powerfully conveyed the true scale of the tragedy.
On the opposite side grew the Tree of Wishes — a charred black sculpture where visitors could leave notes with their wishes in small jars or fulfill someone else’s wish in return.
Every evening at exactly 20:41, the camp came alive with a fire performance by Ekaterina — a symbolic moment marking the time when the evacuation was announced on July 23.
The “Souni on Fire” camp became both a tribute and a celebration — a space where memory, art, and resilience came together to honor what was lost and what continues to grow anew.