Please join us at Refresh – the Cultural Animation Discussion Forum
for a Live Online Discussion Event on the topic:
"Activating, or Animating, Public Space"
Tuesday 18 December, 2007
17:30-19:00 in Czech Republic or Poland.
which of course is 18:30-20:00 in Lithuania
or 16:30-18:00 uK
with invited speakers:
Gall Podlaszewski (www.planetwawa.org)
Ula Tornau (http://www.cac.lt)
Teresa Durdilová (www.divadlo.cz/spolekrichelieu)
The Pink Group – Rita Akelaitytė, Vilma Balčiauskaitė, Aistė Kasperavičiūtė, Arnas Šedovas and Patrycja Proniewska, working with Pamela Wells – when we were exploring our section of Kaunas, we asked people what they found ‘wonder’ful about Kaunas.
This is what Vilma wrote from our day and it was part of our installation:
We had a visit organised to the TV & Radio Station. The group explored the building and met with people working there while Linara and Pamela were interviewed – you can listen to it by clicking HERE then click on “Klaskika” in left column then you will find “Ryto allegro” in the right column) Ania Bas is also in this interview, but she did not come with us. She was exploring another part of Kaunas. The radio people talked to her at another time.
We went to Ramybés Park, a famous place for being robbed. The people we found there were mostly nice. Some of them thought we might be robbers, but most of them talked to us anyway. It is a place with a lot of history. We also went on the funicular and talked to the workers there. From the top of the funicular it is easy to get to Prisikėlimo bažnyčia, a church built between the 1st and 2nd World Wars – an important time for Kaunas, when it was the capital while Vilnius was occupied. (The name Prisikėlimo means Resurrection.) We talked to a man working there who had been sent to Siberia, and had returned. You can take an elevator to the top where there is an amazing view and even more amazing it was sunny.
We talked about the street musicians and street vendors on Laisves Avenue where shops are having a hard time competing with the new-ish huge-ish mall called Acropolis, which is just outside of the centre and not very attractive. We talked about the fact that Laisves means“Freedom”and we talked about talking to people about what that meant to them. We also went to Nemunos Island, where there is a park with a lot of rules and plans for development.
The group created a progressive installation that traced our interactions, including a film in response to the funicular.
We explored Vilijampole, known as a dodgy district of Kaunas. My group was very reluctant do go there because as they have stated "nothing interesting is there". We have been exploring the district during 2 cold afternoons, gathering materials through talking to people, taking pictures, collecting objects and exploring group own views and fears about the area. Our pre-arranged visits were: a convent and a seminar.
The final work consisted of: a PhotoRain – a photo installation; a short film ‘Vilijampole Witch Project’ – exploring group’s own fears about the area; "Sister Klara from Viliampole" – a slideshow linking visit to Vilijampole with sister Clara met in the convent who is originally from there; an installation created using found objects and a wall of suggestions and possible futures for Viliampole. The group have not had previous experience in creating this sort of work.
Our group’s given area was the Kaunas zoo and adjacent Ąžuolynas – the oak park.
We focused on exploring the zoo – the group interviewed the staff and visitors and collected their wonders and stories using various media to record them. When the material had been collected the group decided to present their findings in the form of an interactive installation with photography, sound, text, found objects and some live guests from the zoo…
[mygal=kaunas]
Work in progress 7/12/07
Artists from Laundry (UK) have worked with students from the Art Institute and the Institute of Political Science and Diplomacy at Vytautas Magnus University alongside with students from the Institute of Polish Culture at Warsaw University – in search of the Wonders of Kaunas.
One month before the ‘Wonders of Kaunas’ started the participants of the workshop (i.e. students from the Art Institute and the Institute of Political Science and Diplomacy at VMU, Kaunas) were asked to pose their questions about cultural animation. Some of these questions hopefully were answered during 5-day investigation of Kaunas city and engaging with local people last week. Some of them remain open to discuss…
Aided and assisted by artists from Laundry, on Monday thirty participants from the Art Institute and the Institute of Political Science and Diplomacy at Vytautas Magnus University – along with students from the Institute of Polish Culture at Warsaw University - set off in search of the Wonders of Kaunas. Come along and see their work in progress on Friday December 7th at 6pm!
Atidarymas gruodžio 7 d., penktadienį, 18 val.
VDU klubas „Sesija“, S. Daukanto g. 27, Kaunas
With 37 nominations on line and more than 100 collected from postcards we look forward to the results, which will form part of a publication the Art Institute will be presenting in 2008.
Roll up, roll up, for more wonderful workshops…
Workshop ‘Wonders of Kaunas’ – 3 – 7 December 2007
Place: ‘Sesija’, a club of Vytautas Magnus University, S. Daukanto str. 27, Ground Floor. Participants: Artists’ group ‘Laundry’ (UK, www.laundryline.co.uk), students of the Art Institute and the Institute of Political Science and Diplomacy at Vytautas Magnus University, and students from the Institute of Polish Culture at Warsaw University. Here is the schedule…