For the 15th Gwangju Biennale, Jura Shust presented his multimedia project Neophyte, which explores how ancient traditions of communication with nature merge with contemporary technological advancements. Neophyte III revisits the traditional Slavic ceremony of the summer solstice Kupala depicting eight Belarusian refugees near the Belarusian border in Poland. According to Slavic myth, animals, trees, and herbs gain the gift of speech and movement when fire and water are invested with the power of purification and regeneration on the night of Kupala. This video presents a ritual as an ancient form of communication with the environment, exploring contemporary geopolitical tensions in the light of the Kupala rite of passage.