The masters of the OMI studio fulfilled the order of the Kyiv City State Administration to restore the distance indicator to regional Ukrainian cities and European capitals. The sign is located in the very heart of Kyiv - on the street. Khreshchatyk, near the Main Post Office. One of the geographical signs, namely, “Kherson - 432 km”, was irretrievably lost as a result of clashes on Independence Square in 2014.
“In 2014, Ukraine experienced a government coup. Ukrainians came to Kyiv from all over the country to change the history of the country. At that time, Maidan protesters were least interested in the aesthetic appearance of the square or cultural monuments. Paving slabs were dismantled for use as a throwing weapon. Apparently, the indicator ring that came to hand was used for the same purposes,” noted Igor Ashcheulov, art director of the association of masters of Ukraine.
To recreate an element of the existing sculptural composition, the masters of the OMI studio took precise measurements of the missing sign and made a mold for casting. A couple of days later, the geographical sign “Kherson 432 km” was made of a durable metal alloy and installed in its rightful place.
The masters of the OMI studio checked in practice the correctness of the indicated distance from Independence Square to Kherson. If you follow the road routes of Ukraine, the distance is more than 550 km. But when measuring on a map in a straight line using Google Earth, the experts were convinced that Kyiv and Kherson are separated by 432 km.