Every Project Has a Beginning

On 7 July 2026 we published a short post on our Instagram, @heroarmor.art. It opened with two lines:

Every project has a beginning. > This is ours.

We want to keep that post here in the Journal, so that the beginning of Hero Armor is written down in one more place.

One moment at Burning Man

The post was about a single moment. As it says:

A year ago, I could never have imagined that one moment at Burning Man would grow into an international art project.

It went on to describe an unexpected chain of events at Burning Man the year before. That chain of events made the author realize how easily the stories of our heroes can disappear if no one continues to tell them.

That realization led to Hero Armor, an art installation dedicated to the courage, resilience, and memory of Ukrainian defenders.

An international team

When we wrote the post, we were working with an international team to bring Hero Armor to Burning Man 2026. The caption states this plainly, and so do we. This was a project built together, by people from different places.

More than an artwork

The post was clear that making an artwork was only part of the mission. We want to do three things through art:

- share the stories of Ukrainians with the world; - preserve the memory of those who gave their lives defending Ukraine; - help draw attention to a charitable initiative supporting the rehabilitation of people affected by the war.

Looking for partners

At the time of the post we were looking for partners and supporters who would like to become part of the journey. The post closed with thanks to everyone who watched and helped keep these stories alive. A Ukrainian version was published in the comments under the English text.

The post carried these tags: #HeroArmor, #BurningMan, #BurningMan2026, #PlayaArt and #BurningManArt.

That is the beginning, in the words we used at the time. The rest of the story, from the playa to the shows that followed, is told in other entries in this Journal.

If you have a story of a Ukrainian defender that you want to see told, or you would like to be part of this work, you can reach us through this site or on Instagram at @heroarmor.art.