Defense Intelligence Operatives Memorial: a conversation with sculptor Nazar Bilyk

Did you know each other? Or someone referred them to you?

They knew a lot about me. At the meeting, they mentioned my father, also a sculptor, who used to work with the intelligence. 

You mean they didn’t even ask for your address? Just said, Nazar, we’ll be at your place in five? (laughs — editor’s note)

They came to my workshop, and we discussed everything there. I didn’t plunge into work, didn’t start right away. And then your team took me to Chernihiv.

Yes, we invited you on our Chernihiv expedition. 

Getting two requests about the same topic in a row got the gears turning in my head.

I remember how we doubted whether you would go. We knew you had a lot on your plate. It was a great joy to see you arrive—having an experienced artist like you with us meant a great deal. Did the discussion part of the Memorialization Practices Lab help you?

It sure did. I checked out the participants’ capstone projects even when I was ill. The Lab provided immersion into the problem even at the idea development stage. Doing things alone is anything but easy, but there, I had a community.

In Chernihiv, I met Yehor Perepeliuk from Guess Line Architects. The bureau’s team and its founder, architect Andrii Lesiuk, made a strong impression. We made a great creative team, which gave me more confidence. 

A month later, we held a presentation of three ideas for the future memorial. The following day, they called us back and said one of the ideas was a go. It was “evocative,” as they put it.

Which one did you like the most?

The one they picked, actually. It emerged at the confluence of architecture and sculpture during a discussion within our team.

How did you come up with the visual language, and what was the meaning you wanted to impart?

I realized that working with intelligence took talking the same language—the language of symbols, signs, and ciphers. We wanted to integrate this language into the memorial.

When they saw the memorial’s top-down visualization, they found it moving. It’s impossible to notice as you stand near it. But from a bird’s-eye view, which you would see on Google Maps or satellite imagery, it looks like an eye watching the stars from the Earth— unsleeping, unblinking. This is the main idea behind it.

DIU’s motto is Sapiens dominabitur astris, and the memorial will light up in the evening, like a starry sky.

Also, the wings, flame, and shields are all metaphors for their land, air, and sea operations.

The symbolism of DIU’s emblem—the owl—is also there. The eye, the wings… There are many layers of meaning here. And they caught it all. Even though it’s not a literal depiction or a direct reference, they recognized themselves in that complex form and multi-layer approach.

They did. I saw that recognition happen. 

Specifically, it was when we discussed the memorial’s central element—the round platform between the stelae. It looks like a pupil of an eye. It was conceived as a place to put flowers, death lanterns, or other tokens of respect.

On its side, we put the word “eternity” in different languages.

You said it was the only thing that Kyrylo Budanov (Chief of Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine—translator’s note) had a specific request about.

Yes, he said it would be great to thank all our partners from many countries globally.

And we decided to write the word “eternity” in the languages of all those people who work with DIU, accenting the Latin one—aeternitas. This is our way of expressing gratitude through language.

They told me that many foreigners work in DIU units, so it’s an important thing to do.

And then there are the names on the inside of the wing stelae…

Yes, we wanted to honor each of the fallen with a dedicated plaque. Initially, we considered engraving. Later, though, we got the idea to make chevron plaques with names or even call signs, mimicking their counterparts on uniforms. It’s the military’s visual language distilled into a modest stainless steel plaque. 

Also, it’s a really cost-effective and durable solution. 

It is. And it’s symbolic and optimal, too. The stelae have a metal framework inside, which is integrated into their foundation. It‘s the engineers’ work. I won’t deny, I’m nervous about it, and I will be until it’s installed—that’s when everything comes together. 

If installed this summer, it will make around a year from the project’s idea to execution. That’s fast.

It’s really fast. It takes people a year to renovate their apartment, and we will have built a memorial in that time. I mean not the stelae themselves but also the landscaping, lighting, and greenery. Even for a footprint this small, a year is really fast. 

The next step is to see how people interact with the memorial, how they react, and how it works.

In February, we had a groundbreaking ceremony, inaugurating the memorial’s first element on the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I was privileged to talk after Budanov. Then there were floral offerings, and the music… And although we all got somewhat used to the emotions and the funerals, it brought tears to my eyes. And I had an even more profound realization of what we do, for whom, and why. 

This is the state you want to end your work in and see how people take it.

As a professional community, we all look forward to the completion of your DIU project. It would be a great example of how a contemporary memorial may look. We are often asked for “anything but Soviet,” but what are we to show? The Vietnam Memorial in Washington? It’s a different country and a different war. And this one will be here, and it’s Ukrainian. Although the memorial is located in a restricted area, its significance is hard to overstate. Will it be accessible to the public, by the way?

Sure thing. It will be open to the public on some dates. The territory is gorgeous, with all the grass and water.

I doubt it would become the top dog walking destination. (laughs—editor’s note) However, it’s great to have an opportunity to visit it.