ArtHelps and Jung von Matt Turn Weapons into Musical Instruments for Ukraine

A new campaign from nonprofit ArtHelps and agency Jung von Matt is sending a powerful message of resilience and hope to Ukraine for 2024, by turning repurposed weaponry into musical instruments.

The centrepiece of the “Resistruments” campaign is a poignant music video featuring Ukrainian youth playing the instruments crafted from the repurposed weapons, which were created out of war scrap and include a violin made from a missile warhead, a cello crafted from parts of a carrier rocket and a guitar with a body fashioned from a fuel canister used to refuel Russian tanks. 

ArtHelps, which is headquartered in Stuttgart and specialises in art therapy, worked in collaboration with Jung von Matt Neckar on the initiative, which took place at the newly established Creative Hub of ArtHelps in Kyiv. Spanning over 1200 square metres, this hub, established in partnership with the Saving an Angel Foundation and the Save Ukraine organisation, serves as a workshop space and art therapy training centre. ArtHelps has developed a unique training program to assist traumatised children and adolescents through creative workshops and art therapy. The musical instruments were built during this programme with Ukrainian children and teenagers in September of this year. The highlight of the workshop was the filming of the music video, and professionally staged with the young participants.

"The reactions to this campaign vividly demonstrate the strength of creativity,” said Andreas Brunsch, managing creative director at Jung von Matt. “Considering that these instruments seen here were previously fired by the Russian army onto the homes and cities of these young people, one can only have respect and hope that the initiative helps inform and inspire."

The video showcases an exclusive and moving composition by Yury Revich, an internationally acclaimed Austrian-Russian soloist who has played with renowned orchestras worldwide. Since initial teaser videos were released in November, the project has been captivating hearts on Instagram and TikTok. With over 300,000 views in the first days, the clips generated eager anticipation for the premiere of the complete music video on Dec. 13

Tom Lupo, the founder of ArtHelps, said, "We believe that creativity is vital for finding solutions in challenging lives. We support the reconstruction in Ukraine—not only in terms of buildings but, most importantly, in the people learning to reshape their lives with us."

The project receives prominent support from Rae Garvey, an ambassador for ArtHelps and part of the Saving an Angel Foundation, who added: "We must not lose an entire generation of creatives to this war.”