Mitryasova, O. CHRONICLES OF THIRST: DOCUMENTING MYKOLAIV'S WATER SECURITY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN A WAR-AFFECTED CITY: Monograph. Mykolaiv: PMBSNU, 2026, 124 p.

CHRONICLES OF THIRST: DOCUMENTING MYKOLAIV'S WATER SECURITY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN A WAR-AFFECTED CITY 4.5. CHRONICLES OF THIRST THROUGH BRUSH AND PHOTO LENS AS MIRRORS OF WATER RESISTANCE In February 2026, Mykolaiv witnessed a unique event that united the scientific platform of the Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University and the creative energy of young and adult artists. The art project "Chronicles of Thirst" has become not just a contest of drawings and photos, but a confession of young Mykolaiv residents about their lives in the conditions of the water crisis. The concept of the "Chronicles of Thirst" The theme "Chronicles of Thirst: Water and Life during the War in Mykolaiv" was chosen as the most resonant point of contact between environmental safety and human sustainability. Students of gymnasiums and lyceums were offered to become "the voice of the indomitable city". At a time when the city had already begun to gradually restore a stable water supply, there was an urgent need to prevent this memory from being erased. The contest had a clear goal — to turn the subjective experience of survival into a "document of the era." Works made in arbitrary techniques — from classical watercolors to graphics and mixed media — have become a visual archive of how "water tastes of life". For many teenagers, participation in the project has become a form of art therapy, an opportunity to put on paper what was difficult to express in words during the previous four years. The project received wide support on social networks, uniting activists, teachers, and the public. The culmination of the project was an exhibition that opened in February 2026. Difficulty in choosing a commission Evaluating children's drawings on the theme "Water and War" is a task where the usual criteria like "execution technique" often fade into the background. For the high school students of Mykolaiv, who participated in the competition on February 26, 2026, it was not just a creative work, but an attempt to record their life over the past four years. When the members of the commission (art critics, teachers, graduate students and students) laid out the works, it became clear that they were not just drawings, but a visual diary of the city (Fig. 4.6). The controversy in determining the winners arose precisely because of this emotional aspect. It's hard to give a lower score to a job where the technique may be imperfect, but the idea hits the mark. The main result of the competition is the formation of active 108