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 subjectivity in children. The works reflect the understanding that the quality of tap water directly depends on the state of the ecosystem and the stability of the infrastructure, and the environmental consequences of the war are perceived as a personal challenge. Fig. 4.6. During the work of the competition commission, February 2026 (photo by the author). Between the report and the symbol The works of the participants can be roughly divided into two types: direct fixation of reality and an attempt to comprehend the crisis through images. The first group of drawings is almost a "reportage". On them we see what has become everyday life: plastic eggplants of various calibers, characteristic automatic water dispensers and queues (Fig. 4.7). It is interesting how accurately children convey details: people's clothes, the texture of walls cut by debris and the concentrated faces of people in line. There is no decoration in these works, only a statement of how the life of Mykolaiv residents has narrowed down to the search and transfer of water. The second group of works is metaphors. Here the water appears as something living and very fragile. Often there is an image of hands protecting a single drop, inside of which a peaceful city, sailboats on the river or green trees are depicted (Fig. 4.8). The drawings show the loss of the illusion of the availability of water as a given. Teenagers began to perceive water supply as a complex process, where every drop has its price and requires efforts to conserve." The use of colors is particularly impressive. Works describing the period 2022-2026 are often made in gray, brown and ocher tones - this is the "color of rust and drought". However, pure blue and green appear in drawings relating to the future. This is not pathos, this is a visualization of the hope that the water will finally become clean and safe. 109