KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE 2019 NOVEMBER

KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE

In moderation

2019 NOVEMBER Illustration by Julija Račiūnaitė

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There’ll be more plastic than fish in the oceans if we don’t get serious about plastic waste until 2050. Artist Artur Shirin took a creative look at the problem and suggested we take a look at some of the future fish species. The mural is located at Sapiegos park in Vilnius. Photo by the author.

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As the year draws to a close, it is clear that its most prominent highlight will have been discussions about climate, planet, nature, future, and a human in the middle of it. Where’s the culture, you may ask.

Well, everywhere.

Plastic Sisyphus As the year draws to a close, it is clear that its most prominent highlight will have been discussions about climate, planet, nature, future, and a human in the middle of it. Where’s the culture, you may ask.

Well, everywhere.

Congratulations once again to the tamers of the Golden Venice Lion, Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė, authors of opera-performance Sun and Sea (Marina) that caused never-ending lines and commotion. We also cannot forget the Digital-Virtual-Real theme of the recently finished Kaunas Photo festival, which has revealed how much space that invisible internet really takes.

The artistic language helps broadcast a well-known issue (which doesn’t seem dangerous at first glance) a bit louder and in a more unexpected way. For example, in October Giedrius Bučas, the founder of social initiative Kūrybos kampas 360°, leader of change, and a researcher who inventories garbage during his hikes around Kaunas or Baltic sea coast invited to examine the Picture Gallery pavilion’s - Gallery without

walls - bottom. Wow, we do smoke a lot, dear colleagues. FYI, it takes 15 years for a cigarette butt to decompose in water, and in nature, the process takes even longer.

So, this time, let’s talk about what we are doing and what we can do to make life more enjoyable. In this issue, we invite you to get acquainted with representatives of various professions and sectors of society and, of course, their different views.

Fridays for Future Kaunas believe in the power of protest. Researchers at Vytautas Magnus University and the Kaunas University of Technology talk about adaptation and small but necessary steps. The girls who make vegan products with their own hands in Palemonas say they’ve grown out of declarative statements. Seniors, gathering at the museum, share authentic examples of “unintentional eco-friendliness.” A cultural anthropologist calls you to reclaim your city. One way to do this is through collective gardens that are having albeit a small but still a renaissance.

About them - in the essay discussing the ecology of culture. And where are the men? We find some heroes in the interwar period and shake hands with Steponas Kairys.

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Today the name of a sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg is recognized worldwide, but just over a year ago, she was protesting alone.

Greta-inspired Fridays for Future are now held in many countries. In August, the initiative reached Kaunas as well; it also exists in Vilnius and Klaipėda. We spoke with Elzė Drūlytė, founder of Fridays for Future Kaunas, about the organization, its goals and youth activism.

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We refuse to reconcile Justė Vyšniauskaitė Photo by Dainius Ščiuka .

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Photo from the archive of Fridays for Future Kaunas

Can you tell us briefly what type of organization Fridays for Future is? Why did it emerge and how the community of Kaunas’ climate activists got established under the flag of this initiative?

It all started in August 2018, when Greta Thunberg held her first protest in front of the Swedish Parliament.

For three weeks, to urge politicians to look at the threats of climate change,

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she held a rally every day and later chose only one day, which happened to be Friday. The movement quickly spread across Sweden then moving to Europe and North America, and since spring 2019, initiatives have begun to pop up in Africa, Asia, and South America. The German climate activist community is particularly active today.

When I returned to Kaunas after

spending half a year in Budapest, where I was an active participant in Fridays for Future protests, I felt like the initiative and youth’s active interest in climate was really lacking and that is why I decided to organize this movement here. At the time, I just thought – who else if not me? And drawing from the Vilnius’ community, I held the first protest on August 2.

search. Similarly, responsibility for combating climate change should be allocated in proportion to the damage caused, with the biggest polluters taking the most responsibility.

Why do you think the voice of Greta Thunberg has become an incentive for young people to become more interested in climate change and its threats?

Our main goal is to reach out to politicians and engage in dialogue with them. It is they who should understand and evaluate the climate crisis as a primary question in the country’s politics before sufficient changes can be made. At the same time, however, protest takes place in public spaces and can serve as a way to raise awareness of the problem among various people. Everything is connected – if the citizens will understand the importance of the problem and will seek change that would be implemented in the country’s politics, then the authorities will have to listen to the majority’s opinion.

I think she just impressed with her determination and courage. People are also affected by her simplicity.

Greta’s example shows that you don’t have to be very big and influential or even an adult to be able to change something.

What is the primary goal of Fridays for Future Kaunas’ community?

I believe that to combat the climate crisis, national politics – both in Lithuania and abroad – need to undergo systemic changes. Based on global examples, we have compiled a list of requirements to make the climate crisis a priority in the country’s politics, economy, education, and media. We want greenhouse gas neutrality to be achieved by 2030 and for governments to take every effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial times.

These figures are outlined in the IPCC document, which must be implemented to prevent the irreversible start of climate crisis catastrophe.

One of the most important requirements is that state decisions must be based on the latest scientific re-

A common form of your activity is a protest. What exactly is your protest against? Do you want to reach politicians or citizens who are sensitive to the issue?

What have Fridays for Future Kaunas section already done?

Our movement is still very young, born in August this year. During these few months, we held three protests against the climate crisis to highlight the importance of the problem and show Kaunas that there are active people here. Also, on September 20 – 27, we organized a series of events called Week for Climate. During the event, we hosted a procession that stretched from Kaunas City Hall to the historic presidential courtyard, we also joined the River Cleanup Lithuania initiative and organized Panemunė Forest cleanup. September 23, when the United Nations meeting took place in New York to address the

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climate change strategy, was a particularly important day. That day we held a “mass dying”, during which the participants lay on the ground as if dead. In doing so, we wanted to emphasize that decisions made that day can cost human and many other kinds of lives. Another protest Open My Eyes was focused on the role of the media and education system in the context of the climate crisis. With this protest, we wanted to show that the climate crisis is not sufficiently discussed, actualized and addressed both in the media and in schools. During the Car-Free Day, we greeted the drivers with posters near the busiest roads that get the fullest during the rush hour. In the posters, we provided information on how cars are polluting the environment. The closing event of the Week for Climate was the March for the Future in Vilnius, attended by all three Fridays for Future communities: Kaunas, Vilnius, and Klaipėda.

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I want to emphasize that all our protests are peaceful. We do not show or want to promote anger, but we do our best to spread information and try to reach as many people as possible. I think one of the most pressing problems in Lithuania is the fact that not enough people know and understand how significant and real the threat of the climate crisis is.

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What reactions do you get from the people around you during protests?

Very diverse ones. Some people support and encourage and are happy about the youth’s activism, and sometimes they even thank us for finally starting to talk about the topic publicly. Of course, there are sceptics and people who are dissatisfied with protests. Some say that climate change does not exist, that it is nonsense.

Others think that climate warming

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up is a natural process which is beyond human control – often comparing the current situation to that of dinosaurs and ice age. Yet others agree that the climate crisis exists and is driven by human activity, but do not believe that something can be changed, or even believe that nothing needs to be changed because the extinction of humanity is a natural part of evolution.

Not everyone wants to hear the voices of protesters, but it is understandable in part, after all, we are only simple people. If politicians or other celebrities spoke more about climate change, the problem would become more real, closer and more relevant to society. However, I hope that our movement can help spread the message, and the more people are concerned about climate change, the sooner we can achieve results.

Why do you think many people in Lithuania do not believe in climate change?

False thinking can be the result of an educational gap. Climate change is mentioned at school, but no one conveys the reality of the threat or emphasizes its importance. Another possible reason is that there does not seem to be any drastic changes in Lithuania. At first glance, everything looks clean – the streets are tidy, the beaches and rivers are clean, and people are glad about the rising temperature because the warm weather seems nice. However, the truth is different – both the sea and rivers in Lithuania are polluted, but everything lies in deeper layers.

Beaches are also littered with rubbish, but to find those “treasures” of waste you need to sift through the sand a bit. Due to the warming climate in Lithuania, groundwater is decreasing, and sea levels are rising. It is particularly challenging to see this

You mentioned that the fight against climate change requires systemic changes in the politics of the world and that the voice of the ordinary people is often not heard. What drives you to disregard all these obstacles and not give up?

I think we just have no choice.

Protesting and talking about the problem seems to be the only way out. We don’t believe that change is impossible and refuse to accept the consequences of the situation. Efforts to address the situation can still be made, but the country’s leaders need to recognize climate change as an important issue and to devote time, attention and resources to solve it.

Several hundred cities around the world have already declared a state of emergency regarding climate change and are actively seeking solutions and working on informing the public. These actions help people understand that something serious and threatening is happening in the world. Such examples give hope and encourage struggle.

Are there any initiatives in Lithuania striving to combat climate change that you would consider necessary, progressive and sort of a role model?

As far as I know, there are no organizations specifically dedicated to combating climate change, except Fridays for Future. However, many important initiatives partly contribute to climate change mitigation. One of them – Gyvas miškas (Living forest) – actively takes care of the protection of Lithuanian forests. Another organization worth mentioning is Kūrybos kampas

360 (Creativity angle 360) located in Kaunas. This initiative works with the education of children and families, emphasizes minimalism, and strives to reduce consumerism. The River Cleanup idea, which organizes the practical environmental cleanup has recently reached Lithuania.

Socially - responsible business Textale, which promotes sustainable fashion and makes clothes from second-hand fabrics, is also eco-friendly. In the field of information dissemination, the users of Instagram are doing a good job, and one of them – Žalia žinutė (Green message) – has recently created an entire website. The page provides information on sources about climate change and ways to combat it. Website eco-logika.lt also provides information and advice. Finally, Išpakuota (Unpacked) initiative produces great podcasts on climate change and ecology.

How can everyone contribute to the mitigation of climate change?

The most important thing an average consumer can do is to spread the message about climate issues. This can take place at the simplest level in the household – after reading useful information, it should be passed on to a friend, mom, dad, grandmother and other people around. If there is a wish to combat the issue more actively, one can join the climate activists’ community. Finally, climate-friendly personal habits will undoubtedly be beneficial. Each of us can try to consume less meat, buy less new things, instead of throwing out the unnecessary items – give them away, buy Lithuanian products instead of imported goods from faraway lands, to avoid single-use plastic, opt for public transport instead of cars and fly as little as possible.

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phenomenon – there is little public talk about it, and the processes are not happening quickly.

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I met Jūratė Žaltauskaitė on probably the ugliest Saturday in October – wind, rain, and a carpet of wet slippery leaves.

“But it’s real Lithuanian autumn,” she said. Jūratė found time for our interview only on the weekend when she returned to Kaunas between business trips in Poland. Working as an associate professor at Vytautas Magnus University, she has a PhD in ecology and environmental science. She recalls that when considering where to study, she chose VMU because of its democratic atmosphere. At the time, environmental studies were taking the first steps in Lithuania.

We must learn to adapt Kotryna Lingienė Photos by Arvydas Čiukšys

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Let’s start with the terms.

What is environmental science, generally speaking?

Environmental sciences are about the relationship between the living and inanimate nature and human-made objects. We are interested in how we change nature and how to mitigate the negative consequences of our activities. We pay a lot of attention to developing people’s awareness and shaping the culture of our behaviour. Every country has a different understanding of the topic.

Which country has been a prime example of starting an environmental sciences tradition at VMU? Where did you get the experience and inspiration from?

It all started from human contacts made by scientists who started this field. Of course, we were build-

ing a lot upon Scandinavian countries which are known for their eco-friendly attitudes and the efforts to avoid negative environmental impact. Now there are many more channels of information, academic literature; one can travel and see for him/herself how things work and then pass on the experience to students.

Is Lithuania already an example to other countries?

Yes. For example, to those Balkan countries that are not yet in the European Union and are looking for ways to adapt to its standards. But that’s just one side. On the other hand, we Lithuanians have a traditional culture that is close to the environment. We are at the forefront of the Western world in this regard, but we do not realize it. We want to buy some takeaway coffee to fit in and be fashionable, but we

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And what about agriculture?

There are opinions that it is quite privileged; the farmers are enjoying payouts. Does it help maintain tradition, the most precious thing we have – nature?

Or perhaps the opposite, it spoils us?

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never did that before, did we? We have a significant impact on the environment when trying to fit in.

I keep saying, coffee is for the ones in a hurry, but where do you hurry, people? Perhaps because of our backwardness, we wanted to become Westerners quickly and picked up some bad things. Colleagues from abroad, mention that in informal conversations, “You moved to wild capitalism and you are not taking what is really best; you are satisfied with the attributes of a good life but not the ones that would benefit the environment.”

Farmers could invest more in their labour and willingness. They want to get compensated and grow what is easiest to grow and if the crop fails, increase the price of production. Why not cultivate traditional cultures that may require more work (sometimes when lacking we even import them)? Why not fill in the niche? If there’s a trend to grow blueberries, everyone starts doing it.

But do they fit here? They are not ours. Why can’t we eat what we ate before? For example, we do not produce enough pears which we used to eat in childhood.

We should unlearn these things, right?

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Yes, because one of the main postulates of sustainable development is to use what is local and seasonal. We no longer eat what we used to eat, for example, in interwar Lithuania. No parsnips, parsley and

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the like. We choose avocados, but at what cost? Even vegetarians, whose diet has the least impact on the environment, have a huge impact when eating these fruits from South America. It isn’t eco-friendly.

It is hard not to notice that rapeseed has become popular in Lithuania – all the fields are yellow in the summer. But isn’t it also trendy because the climate is getting warmer?

True, rapeseed prefers a warmer climate. It has become very popular, and it is encouraged to grow them for biofuel production also. But if we will grow more cultures for biofuel, the agricultural stretches of land for food farming will shrink. The aim should be to find a traditional crop that is more resistant to climate change instead of planting new cultures. Only in this way, we will preserve our identity. And we shouldn’t forget the seasons. We are so proud of mushrooms but have you ever seen mushroom dishes dominating the restaurant menus in autumn? Or potatoes... They say we are a potato country, but there are only a few varieties. In the West, if it’s an asparagus harvest, people eat it en masse. What I am trying to say is – why not grow more diverse and interesting cultures but without forgetting our traditions?

This year A. Stulginskis Agricultural University became a part of VMU. Have you already started any joint projects or the merger is still in progress?

The process is complex and lengthy.

In terms of natural sciences, it is hoped that the merging of two quite different potentials will bring synergy and cooperation and be beneficial to both science and students.

Are natural sciences popular among VMU students?

The number of school graduates is decreasing across Lithuania. We have also experienced that decline, but now we are recovering. After all, in terms of environmental sciences, we are the only ones in Lithuania, elsewhere the programs are closed or paused. I hope that environmental science programs in Lithuania will only get stronger, and there will be no shortage of environmental specialists.

Do you think such youth leaders like Greta Thunberg can motivate students to choose which university program to join?

Everyone has heard her, people talk about her, but how long will it last?

What real impact will this have?

Studies will make sense if the young person has the initiative. Today studies offer many opportunities to travel the world, gain knowledge, participate in exchanges, but only a very small percentage leave.

Apparently, that stereotype of Lithuanians being sedentary and closed people is not entirely wrong.

They only go abroad in the summer for work.

I’m worried that people seem to understand what Greta and other activists want to say, but they don’t make any changes in their lives.

They only press the like button.

Yes, or they know that it’s trendy, so they try to copy it even though they don’t think like that themselves.

And not everything that is advertised to be eco-friendly is actually good...

True. We have already talked about fruit from South America. There are also scooters, very fashionable now. At first glance, it seems like an excellent idea. But if I chose a scooter instead of walking, I wonder if that’s okay. If I use it instead of a car than, of course, it is fine. But wouldn’t it be better to choose public transport? On the other hand, the scooter needs to be manufactured, charged, etc., so before getting it, people should think about it and evaluate it.

I have read that the expenditure of producing electric cars is so high that they are not so much better. Or is it yet another myth?

But they use less fuel and solve the problem of urban pollution.

Of course, if you want to calculate the full environmental impact, you need to count from start to finish – where we source our raw materials, how we manufacture and utilize the goods. In English, this is called “from the cradle to the grave.”

Not only cars but also phones and packaging should be treated this way. Sometimes a short effect can be the exact opposite of the whole cycle. So, I urge people to view things more broadly.

You mentioned the world, and I immediately want to ask you what should we do with those countries that do not offer solutions to reduce pollution, global warming, etc. For example, China. In terms of that, don’t you find yours and your European colleagues’ work quite Sisyphean?

If Europe imposes demands on goods, or on their production; if they

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stop buying substandard products, there will be an effect. If each citizen is aware, then it will have an impact, at least a small one. I wonder if China would have enough demand for only domestic consumption. Besides, I believe that while solving the issue of our region, we contribute globally. Of course, in comparison to the rest of the planet Europe is a minor part of the problem.

How to raise that awareness?

From the early days! From kindergarten and parents have to set an example as well. The process is

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long-lasting. Informal education, games, experiments you can engage in, are much more effecting than dry theory. And you know, I believe that changing the minds of a few dozen or a hundred people makes more sense than creating another new product that is supposedly green.

We visit schools with my colleagues and speak about our work. Students are sincerely interested. The problem is not in their involvement, but in the educational programs – they are extremely dry. I am not sure that the teachers are capable of explain-

There are talks about “the heatwave has striking again.”

And it affects not only health but also agriculture, infrastructure.

Of course, human denominator matters. In the summer of 2003, during the heatwave in Europe up to 70,000 premature deaths were estimated in just a few weeks. But still, most people think it’s good when the winters are warm with little snow and summers hot. There is a need for a deeper and broader understanding of the processes, not just in terms of separate facts.

We cannot stop the change, but can we still learn how to live with it?

We need to reduce emissions and learn how to adapt and adjust the infrastructure. What do cities in the west do? New landscaping projects are underway as trees cool the air.

The cities of Lithuania are naturally green, we are already ahead; after all, our identity, culture, is attractive to the guests. But what do we do? We cut those trees.

If we stopped cutting trees now, would Kaunas still be a very green city?

It would. Trees are not only about aesthetics. It is also shade and moisture retention. When the soil to which water can infiltrate is exposed, the risk of flooding is re-

duced. Now, the streets that have been renovated, often flood after the rains, right? Having more trees reduces such issues.

Are there different approaches to this issue on a municipal level in Lithuanian cities?

No, I would even say that we are not doing anything. I have not heard that someone would be preparing a strategy for adapting to climate change in Lithuania.

But why? After all, everything is at our fingertips.

It is difficult to see how we can adapt. Preventive adaptation is expensive at first, and nobody wants to invest in it because it seems like it will never pay off or it will but only after a long while. We cannot measure that return right now, especially at the political level. Such decisions would be unpopular among voters.

Finally, I want to get back to VMU as an institution offering a 360° education that aims at shaping a person universally.

Incidentally, as we are talking now, visiting lecturers, Gediminas and Nomeda Urbonas are giving lectures on new environmentalism. It already belongs to the art sphere. What do you, as a scientist, think of that?

I only welcome such initiatives. Interdisciplinarity and unscientific tools that scientists might consider “too simplistic” can do a lot. If you attract a person with an artistic language, they will move forward.

A good example is Urbonai Swamp School that attracted so many people who don’t even study in VMU. In terms of the general context, this is very good.

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ing all the processes, the general context. The same is true with the media – popularly, in the context of climate change, most talk is only about CO2. But climate change is not about CO2 alone! There are many other gases, other substances involved in those processes. Land use, hydrological regime – these topics are not mentioned.

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They are both born on the same day; they are deepening their knowledge in similar fields and often meet at the same university. In one of the buildings of Kaunas University of Technology, the former State Printing House, the girls took me straight to the library. Jolita Čeičytė recently defended her doctoral dissertation on Implementing responsible innovation at the firm level, and Valdonė Daugėlaitė-Šuškevičė is trying to save us from drowning in the sea of ​​plastic.

They also put their ideas and discoveries into practice – Jolita dresses people in woollen clothes, and Valdonė together with her husband has created the CupCup brand. Two interviewees, four burning eyes and a bit more optimism about the future of the planet after our conversation.

Whatever you do, do it better Kotryna Lingienė Photos by Teodoras Biliūnas

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How did you two find your way into KTU?

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Jolita: It was a completely heartbased decision. Initially, I saw myself in business, and after graduating, I spent a year in that sector.

Then I went on to study further and discovered the topic that was close to my heart – responsible innovation. My supervisor, Monika Petraitė professor in the field of innovation, motivated me to move forward. I realized that it was my topic. The university has a really great environment and a team; there are all the conditions to do research, to travel. I defended my doctoral dissertation a couple of months ago, and I am now an invited assistant professor. I’m teaching more at the moment, but I’m not planning to limit myself to that. I want to be useful to society, to put my research into practice. I integrate part of my knowledge into my own business, and I want to help others become more environmentally and socially responsible. Innovation is not only about new products, but it is also a form of organization, processes, so I want to help companies improve these activities from a strategic point of view.

Valdonė: I chose KTU after completing my Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Sciences at Vilnius University. After these studies, I felt the need for technological knowledge. Many people recommended me environmental engineering in Kaunas. And after finishing my postgraduate studies there, I am continuing with PhD at KTU Institute of Environmental Engineering. It is a very innovative centre of excellence; things here are not only about lectures and articles.

It provides many opportunities for doing projects with business or going abroad for internships. You are

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always surrounded by new information and knowledge and never remain in one place. Academia is an opportunity to create. I entered the doctoral program after trying out public work and experiencing its bureaucracy and rut.

J.: From my internship experience – and I had done it in France, Germany, and Holland – I can confirm that the best research centres are those with a strong practical aspect and collaboration with industry. It is up to us, who bring this knowledge to Lithuania, to go deeper into our environment and discover what can work here and help society.

And what are the main problems in the Lithuanian industry? Do companies produce too much, dirtily or irresponsibly? Or perhaps things are not that bad?

V.: Lithuanian companies are quite modern, processes are up-to-date, clean. But we shouldn’t talk only about production. I see a bigger problem with how the state is governed, the bureaucracy, systemic gaps.

We do not have well-functioning state control of environmental protection; we lack basic measures.

So, it is not so much businessmen as government officials who need to get their act together. I think academics could do a lot in this area, but their services are not required.

Institutions that should be interested in improving the system are distancing themselves from innovation.

But there are good examples too – for example, bottle recycling system implemented through the collaboration of business and government, which makes Lithuanians the world leader in the number of containers recycled.

J.: The system works because the right tools are chosen, and the public sees the real benefits, the monetary change. When striving for sustainable development, the financial benefit is a crucial aspect but not the only one. Responsibility is of paramount importance, but it is an ethical, value concept. We are not limited to what we get from doing one thing or another. I think responsibility must be integrated into all aspects of the activity. When it comes to business, this is what we

finally give to the public, what they actually receive get from the company. This is difficult to measure in the short term. But in the long run, customers and the public are more likely to trust such a company. And this is especially true now when there is a major transformation of society’s values regarding ecology and social responsibility.

During my research in Lithuania, I noticed that foreign companies coming to our country already bring

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strong principles of sustainability and ecology. Mature companies in Lithuania also have this culture because they have already created well-being for themselves and want to continue to improve and be more valuable.

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The way young businesses behave depends a lot on the specific industry. However, I would distinguish two types. For some, who develop specific products or services that are not related to the environment or ecology, surviving those first few years is key. But if it is a business based on sustainability, then the responsibility is its core from the very beginning.

I heard the word “well-being”, and I want to come back to it. It is often thought that one must be able to afford to be eco-friendly, innovative and sustainable. Is it costly?

J.: People often think it is either all or nothing. Green movements are often extremely categorical, lacking the education that would lead, step by step, to a more sustainable life. Then from the outside, it looks very complicated, inconvenient, expensive. For example, I slowly started talking to my wool suppliers. I tell them about the problems in the world and invite them to discuss how things could be to stimulate their thinking. I don’t support blaming and moralizing.

When you frighten people like that, they don’t feel like changing anything because they won’t be able to do it perfectly and are afraid to be judged. It is better to be a partner or mentor, to share your existing experience and to find a solution together. This year, maybe the company will improve one aspect, next year – another, and it will already be better than nothing.

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Valdonė, it is time to talk about CupCup – a name that’s probably heard by many music festival-goers in Lithuania this summer. Thanks to the product, event organizers have saved hundreds of thousands of disposable plastic mugs and glasses.

How did you come up with the idea of ​​offering an alternative to this truly obvious sea of ​​ plastic that floods Lithuanian forests and meadows after concerts?

V.: The idea came from exploring the circular business models and packaging systems. Pure academia. Together with my husband, we decided to try something similar to what works well elsewhere – a take-away container deposit system. We dreamed of creating solutions for everything that is normally considered to be a onetime use but realized it would be too much for the very beginning, so we limited our work to cups for hot and cold beverages. We shipped our first 15 thousand cups from China. We didn’t think there would be a significant demand right away; we only planned on trying them out. But the festivals we came into contact with were immediately interested because disposable plastic is a real disaster for the organizers. It substantially inflates the volume of waste – meaning you pay for the air. So, we took part in eight festivals and also worked in the Curonian Spit during the summer.

This is the first municipality to not only speak loudly about disposable plastic but also reject it. Now we are refining our idea – there is room for improvement both in packaging design and customer service.

The organizers of festivals and fairs will probably have to adapt whether they want it or not – after all, plastic straws

J.: I can go back to my dissertation again. When analyzing the logic of Lithuanian companies, I realized that businesses put institutional and ethical factors in the same group, i.e. they hope that institutions will point the right way and support sustainable decisions.

We have already discussed the business idea of Valdonė, and now I want to know more about the brand Nešalta. Jolita, how is this business innovative?

J.: I started Nešalta (Not cold) after the first year of my Master’s because new knowledge and the Innovation Management program inspired me. The professors were changing our thinking! I took a fresh look at the environment around me. My whole childhood was spent between woollen fabrics because my parents worked for a fabric-producing company. Besides, I was constantly feeling cold... I set up Nešalta by combining my personal experience and using resources from my immediate environment. I aimed at keeping a reasonable price for Lithuanian-made products: wraps, cloaks, blankets. I wanted it to be an affordable product because wool at that time had two images – it was either a thing of luxury or grandmother’s attribute.

It was these stereotypes that I wanted to break down and offer stylish, warm, quality, durable items at a good price. This is a business based on moral values, although there is still room for improvement in terms of sustainability.

Listening to you, I want to believe that this is the breakthrough in science, that young academics really understand what they are

talking about, because they not only speak, they act. And what about your students, do you see the future in them?

V.: From my experience, I would say that there are very few active students who would be devouring information and would be genuinely interested in exploring the field. But those who are, do a lot. I also noticed that many young people generally choose not to enter higher education, believing that they do not need higher education to be successful. They follow real examples.

J.: Yes, sources of knowledge are changing, and this is a challenge for the university. How to present the relevant information in an exciting way and combine it with practice?

How to convince that a university is a place where you can learn a lot, and you won’t get that opportunity in a two-day seminar or online course.

V.: At the beginning of the conversation, we both told why we like it here. I can only add that we also have an opportunity to comunicate with researchers in other fields. Jolita represents the world of management, and I represent engineering, and we still have a lot to talk about. We are surrounded by people who individually study narrow areas, but they all also seek additional knowledge.

J.: Those students who come already knowing what they need make me happy. One wants to build their own business; another wants to add value to a particular company. A bit older, already experienced, they enter the university to become more well-rounded. This is how we all improve together.

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have a year left, so perhaps the mugs will be banned too?

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Dovilė Stonė and Milda Beržanskaitė, the founders and makers of Sviestas sviestuotas (Buttery butter), offered to meet in a new and cosy place in the Old Town of Kaunas. The residents of Vilnius can find their products – butter made from various nuts (and more) produced in Palemonas, “next to the railroad tracks” – in Chaika cafe. The girls, of course, soon befriended its “offspring” located in Kaunas. At noon, Chaika is buzzing with visitors who came to admire the café’s interior and fill themselves with vegan cakes. We sit down and turn the Sviestas sviestuotas clock back.

Made in Kaunas.

Buttery butter Kotryna Lingienė Photos by Dainius Ščiuka .

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Sviestas sviestuotas is no longer a young business, right?

And why don’t you want to work with the big chains?

Dovilė: Yeah, we can’t get any support anymore. The company is counting its 6th year.

D.: There are many reasons. We are afraid to lose our grip on the process. In general, we don’t want a big business; we can’t see ourselves in it. In addition, we greatly appreciate local initiatives and want to strengthen them through a collaborative network. Yes, being in big stores would be comfortable for customers, but it would grow one corporation. Small partners would immediately feel it.

Milda: And we started it in our kitchen exactly six years ago, in October.

Have you already passed through the toughest stages?

D.: New stages are coming up. In the beginning, we were worried about technical things; we were thinking about gaining momentum and how to convince others.

M.: Now’s the tough phase of growing competition.

D.: When we started, we were the only producers of nut butter in Lithuania, and now it is hard for us to trace how many new businesses are emerging. So, we’re refining our direction. After all, everyone imagines that business has to grow to infinity. We imagine our future differently and see different values in business. Sometimes we even question whether it is us who don’t understand something or it is those who ask when we are going to expand.

What is your vision? Where do you see yourself after six more years?

M.: Sviestas sviestuotas might not stay alive this long, anything can happen. We hope that we will continue to ignore the big chain stores and will be cooperating with small businesses, little shops, cafes and that it will be enough for us to survive.

When zero waste became a fashion, I became more sceptical.

What does that collaboration network look like? Are you dealing with other issues besides business but also, say, sustainability and other questions of life?

D.: There are various partners. We have met small businesses that think like ordinary business people.

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With others, we may share the same points of view. We really have conversations; the bond develops.

You bring the products, chat a bit.

Practical matters are also important. For example, we collect the boxes from Chaika and reuse them.

Because we share the same values, we are not ashamed to ask them to keep the boxes for us, and they don’t have a problem in saving them for us until we come to get them.

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How else do you sustainability in business?

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M.: Our product is vegan. We communicate the value of plant-based nutrition.

D.: Being local is, I think, one of the fundamental principles of sustainability. We are not looking for new markets overseas, for there are also people who make delicious

nut butter. Our product only travels when tourists or expats buy it as a present. When we first started, we were looking for cheapness, speed, and convenience to reach as many people as possible. For example, we wrapped jars in bubble wrap. But we have long been using paper for this, often a leftover from other parts of the manufacturing process. This is something, right? You still need to pack, that’s unavoidable. Glass

is also chosen for sustainability, though plastic might be more convenient for shipping.

I saw on Facebook that you suggest a larger amount of nut butter in a plastic bucket and one client immediately pointed out that it was unsustainable.

D.: Yes, that happened. It is sad when people see only one mo-

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ment, but not the totality of our values and work principles.

What should we do if people want a larger quantity? Sending a jar of this size and weight would require tons of plastic for protection. Then you must look for compromises.

Basically, we suggested to her that we can put a new portion later in the same bucket. But people rarely take that opportunity.

Do you do yourselves?

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Milda illustrates, we do the marketing and communication, and we also produce everything ourselves. We can respond to people’s needs and produce as much as needed during the month, production never stagnates. We even encourage our partners to order in smaller amounts, so they would not have to throw the product away. We schedule the itinerary and drive the orders around Kaunas and Vilnius ourselves.

M.: You can find us elsewhere in Lithuania, in a dozen cities and small towns. We ship our products there, however.

Does everyone already know what the nut butter is?

D.: That’s a funny story. We translated the term from English and needed to explain to people that it was not a dairy product. We succeeded. Then came a new directive, and we can no longer call our products “butter” for that very reason! Now the buyers are reading, “Oh, so this is a nut cream... so it is not the same thing?” So, now we are making a “cream” and butter remained only in our name.

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How did your Temporary capital product (probably the most Kaunas-like) come about?

M.: It is the result of our love for Kaunas. We kept thinking about how to associate that feeling with butter. That is how the interwar period architecture ended up on the label.

D.: We’ve taken a closer look at it, taking guided tours. When we receive guests, we right away take them to V. Putvinskio Street to admire the architecture. Besides, the centenary of Temporary capital is celebrated in 2019. It isn’t a coincidence that this cream consists of three layers; we put the whole legend in the description.

How eco-friendly lifestyle?

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M.: We are doing our best. However, we still buy things in big supermarkets. We are taking small steps. If I am drinking something through a plastic straw, I get afraid that someone might see that.

D.: Yes, because people often don’t ask if I need one in a drink, so the result doesn’t seem to depend on me.

However, when zero waste became a fashion, I became more sceptical.

You want to retreat, to clarify what is real and what is a business’s wish to exploit a new niche, a so-called greenwashing.

Isn’t it exactly what your myth debunking blog Šiaip tai is about, Dovilė?

D.: Yes, it was born out of personal interest and constant confrontation. I notice that the internet is full of discrepancies, so I thought

Yes, it does. Will you participate in the Christmas fairs?

D.: During the Christmas season, we focus on production, not fairs.

We have many regular customers.

We work double during that period!

Have you had enough of your products?

D.: We eat them every day. Milda is very fond of Temporary capital, and I like the poppy-seed spread. It was to be produced for Christmas only, but many people loved it. We like to cook at home and use our butter for different dishes. We are experimenting constantly and sometimes, unintentionally, a new recipe is born, like halva. That time the butter just lumped into pieces.

We were eating it and thinking – it is tasty, why shouldn’t we offer it to others? We were thinking about packaging – plastic is wrong, but halva doesn’t usually come in a glass jar. However, our Better than Halva is fine being in glass jars.

M.: Once we tasted pecan nuts in a salad and we thought that something interesting might come out of it. Pecan and date duo Karamia turned into a successful experiment. And sometimes the

nuts are tasty, but their butter isn’t.

How does a small business rest? How do you find time for vacation if you do everything by yourselves?

M.: It is hard to get away, but we learned to relax. We allow ourselves to not work on weekends and sometimes those weekends get longer, especially in the summer, when we have fewer orders. We go to the cinema, concerts, book presentations.

D.: If we make it, of course. During the first year of Sviestas sviestuotas, our personal and social lives really suffered because we were not planning our time right. It is easy to get burned out like that. Now, having rested during the summer, we are learning discipline again in the fall. The Christmas period is always difficult, but we have already accepted the fact that there will be back pain and sleep deprivation. But you also know that it will pass. After Christmas, we inform our clients that we will rest and go on a short vacation. However, we feel the responsibility to our partners and regular customers. Whenever we go somewhere, everyone’s stocks run out at the same time!

M.: When we were both finishing our studies, our business was on a break for a month. Some angry customers were saying, “How will my family survive without your butter?”.

D.: I think it is because people are not used to looking at a business from a humane point of view; that there are real people behind the brand who don’t have anyone to replace them.

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that maybe others would be interested in searching for truth as well.

Not limited to ecology, but including it. I am trying to understand and to choose. For example, one clothing company says that it collects unwearable clothes and provides a discount for a new purchase for that. Isn’t it nice, you would say, but is it environmentally friendly?

Doesn’t it just encourage consumption?

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The saying, “New is well-forgotten old” is also meaningful when talking about a thrifty, sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle.

That is why we talked (and joked) about these things with the members of the local senior citizen club – Janina Račkauskienė, Romualda Žukauskaitė, Vitalija Masteikaitė, Daiva Kriščiūnaitė and the coordinator of the club, the employee of M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Rūta Klevaitė.

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Clothing J. R.: Why were we frugal? Of course, because we couldn’t get anything! But I was always saved by knitting. Even one professor at work would say, “Well, this woman is gracing the faculty,” because I was always wearing my knitwear. By the way, all three of my daughters grew up with jeans and sweaters. But regarding the knitting – there was no yarn! We had “access” to the yarn factory, so I would get a variety of remnants that my granny would unknit into yarn. I would use it for my knitting. Other women would knit sweaters from unknit woollen socks.

My acquaintance Verutė was a fantastic knitter. She would not wash the sweaters but unknit them, wash the yarns and make new clothing.

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V. M.: It used to be that you knit one patterned sweater out of two unknit monochrome ones.

R. Ž.: An active barter took place with the yarn factory workers regarding their production. It was said that “you can get (produce) anything in Kaunas except the atom.” We would knit actively because we did not want to look the same. Besides, it was possible to buy excellent, high-quality materials made in Kaunas, if you were lucky to capture the moment when they were sold above and not under the counter.

V. M.: My education was connected to clothing design but to be frank, at the time, all women knew how to sew, embroider, and knit. Not only

Daiva Kriščiūnaitė, Vitalija Masteikaitė, Romualda Žukauskaitė

did I sew, but I also made patterns for clothes. We also dyed clothes but rarely because the fabric would not fade that quickly.

I also remembered – my mother would wear a coat made from baize.

When I grew older, she tore it apart, washed it, turned it inside out and made it over into one that fit me.

Everybody was doing that with baize coats; I had at least several altered for me by my mother.

R. Ž.: We wore each other’s uni-

forms. I had my neighbour’s. If the elbows wore thin, you would adjust the colour and sew new sleeves – the seam would be hidden under the wings of the uniform.

V. M.: In the dance, girls would swap dresses, so they wouldn’t have to show up with the same one.

R. Ž.: But not the shoes – they would get distorted by someone else’s feet.

D. K.: I really liked rummaging around my mother’s old dresses in

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the basement. Some of them, for example, I have turned into a skirt.

Also, my mother had some pieces of clothing that she would update by merely changing their collars. I, too, liked to remake clothes, alter them in my own way. My friend’s mother worked at the fine arts factory; she would get me some thread.

R. Ž.: There there, with the thread.

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J. R.: My husband and I made our first T.V. I’m an engineer, and he’s a mathematician, and he was always interested in radio technology and so on. And I knew how to solder.

So, we made it from the parts he collected.

V. M.: My father had the so-called metal foot – a shoetree – for shoe fixing; he would mount the boots on it and hammer or glue them if needed.

A lot of people did that back then.

R. Ž.: I was able to fix the sewing machine by myself. By the way, I have a still-functioning Soviet fridge. My sister bought it, she was then a student, and now a pensioner.

I am still waiting for that Snaigė to break down, but it doesn’t [all the ladies knock on wood three times].

V. M.: And the oldest thing in my house is an iron which is one year older than me, made in 1951, weighty.

my yard, I found a penny with Vytis.

I was really excited about it; I am 63 years old, and I still remember it.

We wouldn’t even throw away candy wrap – it was necessary for playing forfeits.

Also, I remember very vividly one older man from my childhood, who used to walk around Laisvės alėja with a big sack full of dolls. He was known to everyone as a doll doctor.

R. Ž.: If the doll broke, you would find the doll doctor and give it to him, and the next time you met him, you would get your toy back.

D. K.: And from ball bearings (with little balls inside) and wooden boards children would make scooters.

R. Ž.: After all, there were no wheels unless you took them off of the stroller, but they were too big for a scooter.

D. K.: You will laugh, but once, I put the iron in a doll stroller because I wanted for the doll’s weight to be closer to real child’s.

V. M.: We would come up with many things. We played with rag and paper dolls. The friend who knew how to draw the best would draw a doll, and then the rest of us would draw clothes. So much imagination!

R. Ž.: We were in no hurry to throw away things – I remember that when the first pens showed up, we went to refill their ink somewhere in Laisvės alėja.

R. Ž.: By the way, I don’t understand what is in children’s backpacks these days. They are larger than first-graders themselves. How can they walk? We would put in a pencil, an inkpot, a math textbook and off we went!

D. K.: In my childhood, I lived in the yard of Tulpė cafe. In fact, when I was a kid, I used to like to rummage about in the stuff they had left behind to throw away later. I remember how, digging around in the soil of

R. T.: Recently, we introduced a group of children to sekretai (a collection of knick-knacks arranged in a small pit in the ground and covered with a piece of glass) – they did not know what it was.

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R. Ž.: Because there is nowhere to dig around in the yards – there is room only for cars and cats.

D. K.: my relatives are from Suvalkija, so we would not get anything in return.

Food

R. Ž.: When we would go to the village in my childhood, first we had to do the jobs assigned to us around the farm, and only after completing them we were allowed to run around.

J. R.: For one year, I would can from five to seven hundred litres of canned food, so autumn was a difficult time. Compotes, preserves, cucumbers, apple sauce – all homegrown by us. It was much cheaper. I am a curious person, so I grew all sorts of novelties – leeks, black salsifies.

And home is a perfect place to grow onions. You take a plastic bottle, make holes in it, put bulbs in it, and they grow into a big hump.

R. Ž.: It is necessary to have raspberry preserves to fight colds.

You go to Kleboniškis Forest and collect as many raspberries as you like. No need for teas – preserves are much tastier.

V. M.: I lived in the Old Town, so I remember that every apartment in the house had a small patch of dirt for their beds. Tomatoes, onions, and radishes were grown there.

Children would pull the radish right from the soil, wash it in a water barrel and eat it.

R. Ž.: I have a village, and I would not be able to eat all the goodies I bring from there, so I can them. Here, I canned ten jars of beetroot – one for each month. The last ones will probably be used for next season’s šaltibarščiai (cold beetroot soup).

V. M.: Each year, my parents and I used to ferment a large wooden barrel of cabbage. Pressed with stone, it stood in the basement and lasted us a year. Many had family in a village, so the townspeople would get food (pork flitch, berries, vegetables) in exchange for their help on the farm.

V. M.: Yes, even though we were townspeople, we still had to take the cow, beat the butter, pick berries, feed the animals and go to the grocery store that was several kilometres away.

R. Ž.: We did not waste any food and only had as much as we needed. And there wasn’t so much plastic – sausage, bread, and candy were wrapped in paper.

J. R.: I remember that relatives, who went abroad, would bring us plastic bags as souvenirs, which were used many times. My dream as a Soviet woman was to stop washing them.

D. K.: There is nothing new about waste sorting: organic waste goes to compost in a village or garden, other things to the fireplace, all containers were glass so you would take it for recycling. Now I live on the ground floor of an apartment building, and I pour the so-called compost on the adjacent shrubs.

I crush it if it’s the eggshells and even wash them to keep them from smelling and then throw it near the bush. You should see how my yew and lilac bushes are thriving! Or for example, orange peel – it smells so lovely, how can you throw it away?

I am looking forward to the authorities arranging separate containers for compost.

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N G I S E D F O Y T I C O C S E N U – S A N A U K

In the last issue, we wrote about the city’s burgomaster, a signatory of Act of Independence of Lithuania on February 16, 1918, Jonas Vileišis and his merits to the city.

His colleague in many political battles for the reconstruction of the country, signatory Steponas Kairys was also an associate in developing the more modern Kaunas. He was a man who had strong principles in all different areas of his work, having played many roles throughout his life: engineer, minister, signatory, parliamentarian, oppositionist, Righteous Among the Nations, professor and even pioneer of Japanese studies in Lithuania. For 15 years S. Kairys was the head of the city’s Water Supply and Sewerage Department. Sounds boring? Until then, all Kaunas residents used outdoor toilets daily, and some were taking drinking water directly from the Nemunas.

The big change Paulius Tautvydas Laurinaitis

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Water carriers, 1920s. From the book “City Sewerage” by Steponas Kairys

Each city has both visible and invisible sides to it. It is natural that the technical issues of everyday life in the city are often overlooked – after all, the things hiding under the hood of the car are only remembered by common drivers when some issue arises. Among other things, as generations change, what was once considered a breakthrough eventually is understood as a given. Looking at the old photographs of cities from the 19th or early 20th centuries, we bestow their invisible side with the attributes of today’s city. And the average European city, after the Industrial Revolution, was a depressing place for many to live in: enormous population densities, unsanitary conditions, stench, ever-rising epidemics, and colossal mortality. One of the most significant achievements of the 19th century and a response to this were modern plumbing and sewerage systems; they were one of a few main lunges that made the cities the way we understand them now.

Not only industrialization but also these attributes of a civilized city were lagging behind in Lithuania during the Tsarist peri-

od. Only in 1911 systematic sewerage and plumbing works were started in Vilnius, later suspended because of the WWI. It also stopped the similar plans in Kaunas – the City Board had even signed a water-supply design contract with William Lindley Jr., a prominent British engineer who worked on plumbing and sewerage systems in cities like Warsaw or Prague. Kaunas, which had become the centre of independent Lithuania, was developing fast and the ditches on the sides of the streets, outdoor toilets, wells, and the water scooped up with buckets from the Nemunas for residents’ needs did not serve well the image of the temporary capital.

In 1922 a German company David Grove was commissioned to create a water supply and sewerage project, which was later recognized by local engineers to require adjustments.

A special commission of local engineers was formed to further develop the city’s water supply and sewerage project and system, with Steponas Kairys in the primary role as a chairman of technicians’ commission.

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This should not come as a surprise, especially since he was also involved in the development of water supply and sewerage development in Vilnius before the war. One of his first tasks was to go to Berlin and coordinate the project with the authors of the first project. It was interesting that Josef Brix, a well-known German urban planner at the time, who was not only working on developing Berlin but had also designed an engineering infrastructure in several cities, was also involved. While working on the project’s corrections, S. Kairys drew on the experience of Klaipėda – recently incorporated into Lithuania – which already had modern sewerage and water supply system.

The sewerage project, which marked the city’s significant leap forward was completed on May 21, 1924, but the works of designing water supply (at the time it was referred to as a ‘water-shoot’) took much longer to complete. At that time S. Kairys took over the management of the newly established Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Department, and immediately the planned rain and domestic sewerage construction works began. In addition to the mechanical sewage treatment plant, the project also included chemical processes – during epidemics, urban wastewater had to be chemically treated in a special reservoir before it could reach the rivers.

The main sewerage works were concentrated in Naujamiestis and Old Town: the first underground rain canals were installed under the present sections of the Gimnazijos and Vilniaus streets, where after heavy rains many problems would arise. Later, the underground rain and household sewerage continued to extend into more streets of the city centre. Meanwhile, one of the most impressive engineering

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structures of the time – the district rain collector – appeared under the ground in Šančiai. Meanwhile, water supply works stagnated for some time due to economic difficulties.

And yet, in 1924 intensive construction works began and a year later in Kleboniškis area (Eiguliai) the first water supply of Kaunas was sanctified, and the first pipes were installed through which on December 16, 1929, drinking water reached the city.

It is symbolic that the first water stream of the city’s water supply coming from the hydrant installed in the Town Hall Square fell into the glass of burgomaster Jonas Vileišis, which he drank after making a toast, “to the health of Kaunas citizens!” The location of the water well near the Neris was already selected during the project’s corrections in 1924. The aquiferous layers of gravel there warranted good quality groundwater supplied from 6 meters deep. From here the water reached the water supply tank on Aukštaičių Street: interestingly, the filling of the Kaunas fortress storehouse was used for that, which until then served as an improvised stage for the first song festivals.

In 1933 a technologically advanced water supply station was opened in Žaliakalnis. S. Kairys designed its technical part, and among other things, it had to ensure the uninterrupted water supply to Žaliakalnis. S. Kairys himself, pleased with the opening of the building, noted that it was only an intermediate stop for the gradual expansion of the water supply network in all areas of the city. In 1983, 62 kilometres of sewerage had already been installed in the Old Town, Naujamiestis and Karmelitai. The more populated parts of Žaliakalnis had 21 km, and these works were continued intensively; besides, an order issued by the City Council had to ensure the im-

provement of the city’s sanitation. It ordered the individuals living next to the communications to connect to them. S. Kairys noticed the positive results of the already implemented works – when the typhoid epidemic started in the city in 1936, the least infected were the Old Town and Naujamiestis, where, until then, the sewerage installation works were concentrated.

S. Kairys left his mark in this area not only in Vilnius and Kaunas. Back in 1929, Šiauliai City Municipality commissioned him to prepare a water supply and sewerage project.

The engineer again chose J. Brix as a consultant for the job. And it was not only Šiauliai – there was no city to which underground system works S. Kairys would not have contributed to directly or indirectly. He advised the municipalities of Marijampolė, Panevėžys, Vilkaviškis, and Palanga who were determined to improve the sanitary condition of their cities.

From 1923 onward the engineer taught at the primary university of the country, where his course was attended by a whole new generation of engineers and architects. The highest point of this work could be considered a publication titled Miestų kanalizacija (Urban sewerage), which was one of the most detailed books on the science of engineering in independent Lithuania.

Although S. Kairys was head of Kaunas Water Supply and Sewerage Department until 1938, the department continued to work following the previously outlined guidelines and S. Kairys was often hired as a consultant. Kaunas met WW2 with 87 km of water supply pipes and ambitious plans that had stopped but were resumed after the war by S. Kairys’ colleagues, although the actual further development of the city’s underground infrastructure stagnated until the early 1960s.

Steponas Kairys. © Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum

S. Kairys’ engineering capabilities are evident – parts of the sewerage network designed by him are still serving their original purpose. The modernization of the Kaunas at the time is inseparable from these less visible aspects. According to S. Kairys, “...construction of new houses in Kaunas, coinciding with the beginning of the sewerage and preparatory water supply works was able to employ and implement modern facilities in apartments; it had become possible to have clean water at hand and to eliminate the used one easily.”

We want to end the story with two quotes from biographer Juozas Stražnickas, who compiled a detailed picture of S. Kairys’ life. According to Jurgis Gimbutas, for his works in the field of sanitation the engineer “deserves the title of the pioneer of Lithuanian ecology” and Antanas Novickis, country’s chief building inspector in the 1930s, a former student of S. Kairys and a hero of our magazine’s previous issues, later stated that S. Kairys had played one of the leading roles in Kaunas becoming “one of the most modern cities in the Baltic States.”

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Ecology amongst culture

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One April night this year, slogan ART FOR CLIMATE was projected on the facade of the Prague City Council as an incentive for declaring a critical state of the climate in the city. It is one of the public actions taken by over eighty cultural institutions and organizations in the city, including museums, theatres, schools, independent art and culture initiatives.

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These organizations are responding to a loud warning from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IGC) issued in November last year which states that the global catastrophe will occur in twelve years if we do not take any action.

The cultural field of the Czech capital, recognizing its responsibility for the environment, directed attention with petitions and public art at the municipality instead of trying (as they themselves point out) to rev up the sluggish state processes. One of the results of this active dialogue is that starting next year, the guidelines of culture project funding that comes from the city’s budget should include sustainability requirements for applicants.

By the way, the European-led project Kaunas – European Capital of Culture KAUNAS P FU I LLNL AO S FK C UU L TL Ū TU RO R ES

2022 is also implementing it, so the city’s cultural representatives will not have to apply for it through petitions.

Bringing together different cultural operators in one city for the same purpose is not a common occurrence, primarily when it deals with a sensitive issue of climate conservation which is essential to both the cultural field and the general public. This turned into an excellent opportunity to look at the relationship between the cultural area and the cultural sector as well as the relationship between the mechanisms of European (supra) nationalist culture politics and ecological problems and through that reflect on a slightly different – yet linked with sustainability development – process, culture ecology, which is not discussed much in our country.

What can be done to benefit the natural environment, at the level of cultural institutions and organizations?

First of all, it is necessary to look at it in a very practical way, identifying actions that can produce concrete results. After all, cultural institutions such as museums, galleries, theatres, and cultural centres are public spaces that require endless resources to maintain buildings and staff and to achieve the panned number of events and visitors. In Europe, cultural (and not only) institutions are seeking to reduce their contribution to environmental pollution in simple steps – saving electricity, eliminating unnecessary paper printing, both in administration and in terms of flyers, sorting waste as well as encouraging their visitors to do the same, and focusing on other well-known ways. And the visual arts institutions that bring in a large number of artworks every year are starting to look for ways to recycle or reuse packaging materials that are usually just thrown away.

Besides, artworks often travel by air and air travel has a massive impact on nature.

Practical ecological thinking in cultural institutions is often revealed in the context of state politics, which also reaches the local Lithuanian system through the engines of the European Union’s culture-related laws. The i-Portunus mobility fund, set up by the European Union’s Creative Europe program, is asking participants in funded projects to cover distances of less than 700 kilometres using a more environmentally friendly means of transport than aeroplanes. Likewise, cultural operators receiving Nordic funding for mobility and other cultural projects are aware of the need to demonstrate not only the qualitative and quantitative benefits of the event, but also the practices of eco-sustainability, again by promoting greener travel, waste sorting, and similar actions. By the way, Kaunas

European Capital of Culture can be found next to these examples.

It asks its partners – cultural operators – to tell about the environmental impact – how “project activities will contribute to sustainable development environmentally, socially, economically, in terms of new infrastructure development, etc., and work on raising awareness on moderate consumption and sustainable living, implementation of equal opportunities and principles of non-discrimination, sustainable growth, and the promotion of environmental and eco-friendly values.”

The private cultural sector also tackles pollution practically. It keeps up with the trends and, unlike the state or non-governmental culture sectors is never short on funds for sudden or large-scale changes. Despite this, one can also take a brief look at the world of private cultural operators, for example, European-wide events, such as art fairs. They seem to be often followed by harsh criticism in the broad and professional media, directed at excessive consumption and environmental pollution.

Encouraged, perhaps by such public engagement, the organizers of Frieze, the annual contemporary art fair in London, announced this year that they are trying to reduce their pollution footprint by 90 per cent and told the public about the innovations which will help do that. These include supplying electricity to a giant international event using vegetable oil waste instead of conventional power sources, scrapping plastic VIP cards (that are distributed in large numbers) transferring this status symbol to smartphones, and encouraging participating galleries to reuse their packaging instead of throwing it away.

All of these are reasonable measures, perhaps even self-explanatory,

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and the aim of reducing pollution almost entirely is impressive. However, despite the implementation of the ecological dimension, the entire ecosystem around Frieze is far from being environmentally friendly or sustainable. Events of this nature and scale attract thousands of participants who travel by planes, including art lovers, professionals flying in from around the world, galleries participating in the fair who travel with staff and their artists and, of course, art collectors. The latter often choose to travel by private jets, which are known to be an even bigger sin to the environment than the “budget” flight of art lovers. Works purchased at the fair will also travel to the collectors’ homes via aeroplanes and, in many cases, will not end up on the walls of their home but will be stored in special rooms with constantly working electric-powered systems that provide the right conditions for the storage of artworks. Therefore, attention to openly published and less illuminated practices in the private cultural sector is essential to draw experience from good and bad practices and to understand the difference between loud ecological practices and the overall sustainability that could be realized in ecological culture and at the intersection of cultural ecology.

Cultural ecology, as mentioned above, differs from the introduction of ecological practices in institutional activities, but is hugely relevant to delve deeper into the political and economic attitudes that drive the cultural sector towards sustainability. As early as 2015, Professor John Holden published a study that promotes a view of culture through the prism of social value rather than through economic factors. Here, “ecology” is defined as the expression of cultural value, thinking of culture as a creative ecosystem whose health needs to be maintained regardless of its financial return. Such research and proposals

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stem from a review of neoliberal policies that most creative industries in the UK and European cultural sector are following. The number of visitors and the added economic value began to influence not only private sponsors’ decisions on whether to invest in a particular cultural institution, but also the European cultural policy sector, at supranational, state and municipal levels.

Although the financial evaluation of the cultural sector can be a useful tool for assessing the numerical benefits of a cultural event, it also sets a negative precedent. In such cases, cultural operators are more concerned with reaching larger audiences in the mainstream media and bringing them, for example, to a festival, but cannot focus enough on qualitative, and therefore valuable visitor engagement. Furthermore, there is perhaps no need to mention that the neoliberal system which encourages large consumption, is one of the reasons that drive climate change, which is being tackled by ecological measures in culture. However, it is necessary to realize that without a holistic view of cultural ecology, we are fighting ourselves.

How does cultural ecology relate to ecology in the cultural sector? Many may be surprised, but in Europe, measures such as reducing the surplus of cultural events in particularly busy geographic locations, as well as decentralizing cultural events, are proposed to combat environmental pollution. This “cleans” the attention of cultural events’ visitor and discourages so-called “art tourism” when visitors fly from one art fair to another (again, air travel causes heavy pollution), or use an eco-unfriendly transport to reach their destination of interest located close to national centres. Another important aspect is the accessibility of culture in one’s own environment. For the same rea-

Following the examples of the intersection of ecological culture and cultural ecology, community projects in the cultural sector could be placed here. They reflect the concept of sustainability pursuit as long-term and inclusive processes that create social value rather than economic value, respecting their environment, promoting local production and local values. Engaging communities is far from being a one-layered process, and it also has many problematic points, depending on the ideological lens or discipline you choose. In terms of cultural ecology and non-cultural management textbooks, communities should be seen not only as a non-audience attraction in terms of numbers but as an opportunity to maintain a healthy cultural ecosystem. In search of cases of cultural communities in Kaunas, probably one of the largest events investing in long-term community projects – Kaunas European Capital of Culture 2022 – comes to mind. Initiated by the European Commission, the project respects the European environmental protection values, which are increasingly evident in other Europe-related funding bodies. Kaunas – European Capital of Culture considers sustainability as one of the main lines of the project, so it is interesting to mention practices in urban and district communities as an example of ecology in culture and cultural ecology, which are not discussed much.

All as One is one of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture programs that seeks to promote community

through culture and to cultivate hospitable local hosts. During the Fluxus labas! community lab program, community agents are trained in various places in Kaunas and its district and Modern Elderships project looks back to Kaunas district focuses on learning more about it.

Within the scope of these activities, a communal urban garden was established in the Eiguliai neighbourhood when residents planted berries and vegetables in the old sandboxes. It is a small project and, as the members of Eiguliai community say, it does not have to be idealized but still is an excellent example of the intersection mentioned above of ecologies as a continuous process directed at local communities and local resources.

This type of process can be seen in the swap fairs organized by Fluxus Labas! where people exchange things they do not need, as well as in their green activities carried out together with Akademija’s community centre.

By the way, it is worth mentioning that the number of community gardens will only increase. Šlainių sodai (Šilainiai gardens) – an example of the sustainable gardening – has already been established in the territory of the 8th fort in Šilainiai, some gardening beds are also being prepared by Kaunas Artists’ House.

A genuinely eco-friendly culture requires the sustainability of cultural events, understood not only as a reduction of electricity use but also as an implementation of the long-term projects, through targeted community engagement programs, creating a self-sustaining system with its participants. And if we want for the climate to not reach the catastrophic levels in 12 years, the cultural field must also contribute, whether it would be large projects driven by mechanisms of culture politics, budgetary cultural institutions or independent initiatives.

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kaunas2022.eu

son, art lovers have been introduced to a neologism this year – JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) and not FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Although glossy and more relevant to the art world, it illustrates the desire to escape a culture of haste known to be environmentally unfriendly.

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To survive the city

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When walking through the fenced Laisvės avenue, navigating the streets of the center of the city, counting their endless plastic surgeries, I examine how trajectories of movement, constructed in a particular way by opening or blocking certain road segments, not only change the space as well as the speed of my movement, but also the relationship between everyone experiencing that same complicated space. A never-ending obstacle course becomes an internal annoyance complemented by a soundtrack of arrhythmic polylogue of excavators, trucks, lifts, asphalt rollers, and metal tools dragged through gravel.

Daina Pupkevičiūtė Photos by Algirdas Čiukšys

Intentionally or not, over the last year and a half of walking around (this) city, I was assessing its accessibility and sustainability. The measure of these aspects is my body, a handy tool in understanding urban structures, both physical and social.

When measuring (or trying it on), I create my own city, just like everyone else in it. To each this structure is more than the web of alleys extending through different spacetimes, as seen by Venclova; more than a city of “nights, metal and crowds” Radauskas wrote about. We measure this space with each step 4 0

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and unconsciously try to expropriate it. In this one city, numerous others are shaped by overlapping micro situations: sights, smells, touches, a whole network of personal experiences. It is these stories, those that interlace physical urban structures, that are the true albeit invisible, experiential, cities.

There is often a discrepancy between the experiential and discursive cities, and “discursive” I call the idea of the city, which is sold on public transportation screens, posters and election campaigns. The discursive city offers

growth, innovation and a future bright with Scandinavian design colours. The experiential city stretches from the hands of a granny selling woollen socks near Kaunas Castle bus stop; to a beggar I meet next to the construction fence of one new glass business centre, which swells up next to one entertainment capital made of reinforced concrete; to the rustling autumnal Ramybės Park, till the funeral wreath passage in the station market, unchanged for at least thirty years. Experiential cities contain many things that won’t fit into the definition of “modern” city.

Experiential cities need old trees and a meadow along the river that a discursive city would sacrifice for the sake of “transport throughput.”

To think of the city as a place fit to (sur)vive is to think about the city as a (sustainable) organism and an integral ecosystem. However, I often think that the privilege of experiencing the city as integral, inclusive, empowering, and safe is reserved for those that can afford it.

Such experience is limited by many small things, such as partitions and furrowed sidewalks, urban security control systems, aesthetic urban elements which declare symbolic power, the aforementioned discursive strategies, political decisions as to whom will be allocated with the right to take over the unused spaces, and larger strategies of city planning, with which certain spaces, as-if-quite-naturally, are “cleansed” from certain people, in order to be fit for others, usually wealthier residents.

But “space is produced by its social relations and that those social relations are made up of different conceptualizations of space,” anthropologist Setha Low writes. She researches space and place, cities, public spaces and us, people, within them. This means that action is

mutual: in certain spaces, certain relationships are formed, which, in turn, shape spaces that they thrive in. Actions that confine and fence, in physical and nonphysical ways, become possible in a society where the isolated movement becomes more important than the totality of movements and the effects a (one) movement has on the entire sequence of movements that follow.

Those same acts of restriction – acts of exclusion – are also possible in a society of risk, within which our reactions stem from suspicions, which are in their turn triggered by political narratives left undissected. It is easier to raise suspicion and emotion than to persuade with factual data of cause and effect, which is in recent years well illustrated by the clashes between climate change activism and criticism thereof.

“Who has the right to the city?”

Henri Lefebvre asked back in 1968.

Glass structures that absorb and reflect the heat, shrinking green spaces, expanding road infrastructures seem to be indicating one answer, while Fridays For Future march demanding climate justice, still scarce in numbers, – a very different one. I would like for the actions of (peaceful) resistance in commodified urban spaces – here and everywhere – to be a sign of a new movement that links different aspects of sustainability. In one of the dictionaries of Lithuanian, the term “tvarumas, tvermė” - sustainability or tenacity, means strength, solidity and in this context, in my opinion, it also is a physical and spiritual category. In order to achieve sustainability, I guess, we should start with the realization that the differences between me and the other are constructed, that issues of social exclusion and ecology are one and the same because they all arise from the culture of dichotomies and oppositions.

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This is how you can survive Kaunas. If not by actually climbing on the roof of the wooden house at V. Putvinskio street, then by imagining you’re sitting in this cafe for two (artist Vytenis Jakas) and gazing at the Christ’s Resurrection Basilica.

Photo by Arvydas Čiukšys.

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Calendar STAGE Wednesday, 11 13, 6:30 pm

Dance night “Amor. Pasión.

Tango.”

Carla Domínquez and Julio Seffino started their professional tango career in 2013 in Buenos Aires. They’re now touring the world and scheduled a stop in Kaunas after a trip to the US. The local tango community is looking forward to this special night.

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“Teatro klubas”, Vilniaus g. 22

Wednesday, 11 13, 6 pm

Performance “Sombras”

National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71

Performance “Hamlet”

National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71 Vidas Bareikis directs this contemporary take on Shakespeare’s classic work. Hamlet’s personality in this particular performance is neither that of a romantic hero nor of an idealist. He is just a man looking for the truth. His feelings are real ranging from love and hectic revenge to mourning, rage and desperation. All the emotions create a real human being with all possible colours and shades. Perhaps that is the reason which makes the play so relevant after hundreds of years. Surtitled in English.

Wednesday, 11 20, 8 pm Friday, 11 22, 9 pm

Theatre director Gintaras Varnas Premiere. Dance based the two-act performance on the performance “Overheated” works of Federico García Lorca and Luigi Pirandello. “Sombras” (Shadows) National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71 is a reflection on the meaning of theatre and its value. It encourages a discussion about theatre art and the artist that is seeking an unattainable truth. This dramaturgic collage is an intellectual journey into the theatre world, where magic and everyday life, reality and mysticism, real world and illusion, lies and truth, life and death intertwine. Surtitled in English.

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Sunday, 11 17, 6 pm

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Photo by Artūras Bulota

November The members of dance company NUEPIKO explore, analyse and creatively interpret the term overheated. The word, highly prevalent nowadays, refers to negative consequences of the contemporary world on global and individual levels.

What is more, the topic of ecology and global warming on the global scale is becoming a highly relevant part of our daily lives on a personal level. Ecology refers not only to environmental pollution but also how various triggers of the contemporary dynamic world stimulate our lives and influence our process of decision making. The inability the set priorities in our lives may become the reason to make autopiloted, unconscious decisions or, on the opposite side, become numb and unable to choose this entity of surrounding triggers.

Even though the theme of the performance is broad and becoming one of the mainstream topics in our contemporary world, the aim of our team is not to moralise, but to concentrate on ourselves with the question: “where do I burn myself?”

The constant reference to this question helps us to uncover more and more creative possibilities and abilities to interpret the topic through movement.

It profoundly impacts our daily lives, habits, behaviours and our values, work ethics, relationship on the team level. So, the new performance is, more likely, a self-reflection, which hopefully will become a tool for the performers and audience to become more aware of the topic of being overheated.

Sunday, 11 24, 6 pm

Performance “The White Shroud” National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71

Photo by D. Matvejev

The dramatisation of the Lithuanian classics “The White Shroud” by exodus writer Antanas Škėma (1910-1961), directed by Jonas Jurašas, the performance invites you to meet Antanas Garšva, who’s wandering through his cracky memories in places of the interwar Kaunas, High Panemunė and Vilnius. Garšva, having no opportunity to vow to his creative work and achieve immortality of his soul, is forced to carry out a Sisyphean-like lift operator’s work in the biggest hotel in New York. His fragmented consciousness is haunted by homesickness, and sometimes images of women whom he loved. Garšva rejects love, ruptures human relationships, remains lonely in the cage of an elevator, but he still lives in the desire of hope fruition.

Surtitled in English.

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Calendar MUSIC Wednesday, 11 06, 9 pm

Live: Bell Lungs

“Emma” social centre, A. Mickevičiaus g. 35

Friday, 11 08, 18:30

Concert “A String of Motets for Juozas Naujalis” Kaunas Arch-Cathedral Basilica, Vilniaus g. 1

The concert is dedicated to the 150th birthday of Juozas Naujalis, the patriarch of professional Lithuanian music. The 45-year-old Šiauliai State Chamber Choir “Polifonija” will perform his most famous pieces.

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Forging richly textured live sets which draw on free improvisation, ambient, avant dream pop, drone, noise and folk traditions, the musical landscape of Scottish raconteur Bell Lungs is often cinematic in scope, featuring electric violin, guitar, omnichord and a range of wild and wonderful noise toys, all wrapped around mesmerically shifting vocals. Bell Lungs has been permanently on the road for the past few years, performing widely across Europe and often collaborating with scientists, dancers, artists, poets and theatre-makers. Notable appearances include Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2019, Supernormal Festival 2019, Edinburgh Art Festival 2019, Swansea International Festival 2018, Fort Process 2018, and Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art 2018. Prepare to be transfixed.

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The golden unicorn is coming home.

“Tarp Dviejų Aušrų” is a big household name for the house music tribe in Kaunas, though the team spreads its wings wide, playing everywhere around Lithuania, inviting only the freshest house music specialist to perform together. This time it’s the D. Tiffany and the gang’s friend from Warsaw, Kovvalsky.

Saturday, 11 09, 8 pm

Live: Junior A

“Sakramentas”, Vilniaus g. 31 Junior A is a young Lithuanian musician’s one-person project that’s been a massive surprise in his country’s music scene. In early 2017, he started recording lo-fi electronic music in his room and almost immediately after upload-

November ing his songs he got onto Spotify’s US Viral playlist. He’s got five EPs in his pockets now and is bringing his newest, Spa Day, to Kaunas.

Friday, 11 15, 9 pm

Live: “Planeta Polar”

“PuntoJazz” attic, Kęstučio g. 6

Kabloonak is a tiny musician, living under your carpet or somewhere in the attic. He makes songs that fit perfectly into your pocket and keep you warm while listening. Kabloonak was born in 2016 when the drummer Jonas Narbutas put aside his drum sticks for a while. He’s now touring with a few fellow musicians, but his music is just as chamber and melancholic as it was when he was on his own. Slightly out of tune, too.

Saturday, 11 16, 9 pm

Live: Nahash, Luctus, Inferno Club “Lemmy”, Girstupio g. 1

Photo by NONA

Parranda Polar is a band that brought cumbia rhythms from tropical Colombia to arctic Lithuania. Planeta Polar is the same guys, but it’s “what they would like to be” musically.

Even more ore emotions involved!

Saturday, 11 16, 9 pm

Live: Kabloonak

“PuntoJazz” attic, Kęstučio g. 6

All of the collectives perform black metal music; The Kaunas-based Nahash and Luctus will meet their Czech colleagues Inferno.

11 16 – 11 22

Contemporary music festival “Iš arti” Kaunas State Philharmonic, L. Sapiegos g. 5

The festival was born in 1997 out of the desire to promote the work of Kaunas-based composers and encourage relationships between Lithuanian musicians from different regions. Gradually, the modest event grew into a substantial annual showcase of modern music, featuring more or less new symphonies, dances, psalms, concertos, rhapsodies, suites, conversations and lectures.

Photo by Laura Jaraminaitė

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Calendar Saturday, 11 23, 7 pm

Live: Colours of Bubbles “Gargaras”, Raudondvario pl. 101

Saturday, 11 30, 7 pm

Concert “World premiere with legends”

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Kaunas State Philharmonic, L. Sapiegos g. 5

Colours of Bubbles represent the most recent generation of guitar bands that Šiauliai, a Northern Lithuanian city has always been famous for. This time, however, it’s not funk-infused postpunk, Britpop or electro-rock, but a rather fresh indie rock that combines alternative country influences and modern rock’n’roll drive. Staying true to their musical roots, Colours of Bubbles write all of their songs in English. Their newest album full of light guitar sounds is called “9 mm” and “is the reason why we came together many years ago”

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The French trombonist Jacques Mauger, a true ambassador of the French school and its repertoire, is hosting a world premiere of film composer’s Vladimir Cosmos new piece for trombone and orchestra.

The latter role was given to Kaunas brass orchestra “Ąžuolynas”!

Saturday, 11 30, 8 pm

Povilas Voe x Zolo Bar “Godo”, Laisvės al. 89

November Two masters of the Lithuanian experimental and industrial music scenes are joining their forces for a double performance – a live session of their own music and a DJ set.

11 14 – 11 24

European Film Forum “Scanorama” “Forum Cinemas”, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 49

CINEMA Sunday, 11 10, 2 pm

Film “Kusama: Infinity”

Kaunas Cinema Centre “Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62 Still from film “Portrait of Vanagas”

One of the largest and most prominent international cultural film events in Lithuania brings together over 40 000 film-fans each year. Every November, the team introduces a selection of highly regarded European films and best-pics from other continents. Since 2017 the festival has been awarded the EFFE label of remarkable festivals by the European Festivals Association. This autumn, it’s back for the 17th time.

The 2018 American biographical documentary film covers the life and art of Japanese painter Yayoi Kusama, now one of the best-selling painters in the world, who earned her recognition despite sexism, racism, and a stigma of mental illness. In Japanese English with Lithuanian subtitles.

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2019 NOVEMBER

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Calendar EXHIBITIONS 10 17 – 11 17

Kaunas International Printmaking Biennial “Beauty”.

M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Nepriklausomybės a. 12

show to reflect on his/her point of view and to interpret the term so that it does not stray to the primitive perception of this word. This year, the biennial attracted more than 40 participants from 14 countries.

10 24 – 01 12

Česlovas Lukenskas. “The Rave Terminal”

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Kaunas Picture Gallery, K. Donelaičio g. 16

Augustas Bidlauskas. “Meteor”

Dedicated to the memory of Jūratė Rekevičiūtė, the 3rd Kaunas International Printmaking Biennial “Beauty” returns to the ambition to present works done with classical printmaking techniques. Artists are asked to reveal to the viewer that beauty is multifaceted, thoughtful and not always in the understandable form that we sometimes understand.

The purpose of this exhibition is to explain the positive side of art, to encourage every participant of the

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Photo from the personal archive of Česlovas Lukenskas

“Over the years, I have recognized many delusions within myself, which makes an exhibition very personal. There are works, based on self-analysis, directly related to autobiographical events. From the early youth to the experiences of recent years,

November these textual/visual/audio reflections are closely linked to the reality of daily living,” the artist says.

The retrospective exhibition of Česlovas Lukenskas reveals the entire creative period of an artist: from the transformation of themes, the change and variety of artistic images, the intersections of genres and disciplines, to sarcasm and self-irony. The exposition is divided into five parts.

The first part, SEED, reviews an incubation period of creative strategies.

The Objects of various textile fabrics, solids and kinds, photo/video documentation. The second part, VACCINATION, moves from plane surfaces to space, from idea to an object.

The Post-industrial and post-Soviet hybridization can be seen in drawings, paintings, collages, assemblages. The third part, REPRODUCTION, includes moving from item to process. Interdisciplinary access. Increased measures of exposure. Objects, ready-mades, installations, environmental and earth art. The fourth part, CONSUMPTION, brings us the Performance Art: Actions, provocations, interventions, performances, concerts, and happenings. The last section, RAVE, represents unrealized projects, texts and sound art of the author.

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10 25 – 11 30

Pranas Griušys. “City in Itself” A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations and Collections Museum, V. Putvinskio g. 64

Pranas Griušys. “Having lunch”

In his personal exhibition, painter Pranas Griušys observes and explores the city, by reconsidering its’ time and again. The object selected for painting analysis is specific and intimately close. All the works shown in the exhibition are related only to Kaunas City.

The city as a pulsating and altering structure brimming with spaces and people has been attracting the artist for a long time. The daily

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OTHER EVENTS

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routine of Kaunas City, its past, personalities, random details observed while passing by – anything may become the motif of a picture.

The painting narrative organically grows into a painted chronicle of the city. Then you experience something that is profoundly common in the works of the artist – a dose of sarcasm or ‘soft’ irony. The spectator is glancing at Kaunas City through the eyes of the painter. What is Pranas Griušys thinking at this moment, where does he focus his glance?

What does he see?

11 12 – 11 13

KAFe2019. Workshop “KTU Campus Gate” “DesignLibrary Kaunas”, K. Baršausko g. 59

The goal of the workshop is to create the concept of Kaunas University of Technology campus gate – clearly perceptible “entry points”. They may include sculptures, direction signs, or other spatial information elements with the name of the campus. The workshop is part of the Kaunas architecture festival.

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11 14 – 11 16

XVI World Lithuanian Symposium on Arts and Sciences VDU, V. Putvinskio g. 23

The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania has announced 2019 as the year of the World Lithuanians. As a result, Vytautas Magnus University, together with the Lithuanian World Community, Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and Lithuanian Foundation, are inviting everyone to the XVI World Lithuanian Symposium on Arts and Sciences. This will be a celebratory event, as it continues the tradition that has started 50 years ago (in 1969, Chicago, USA). Organisers invite to participate consolidating the collective wisdom for Lithuania and Lithuanians. After gathering the Lithuanian academic and creative community from Lithuania and the world, the community strives to contribute to the cultivation of productive and positive imagination of Lithuania.

11 16 – 11 17

Kaunas Art Book Fair Kaunas Gallery, Vilniaus g. 2

November Kaunas Photography Gallery and contemporary art and theory bookstore “Six Chairs Books” invite everyone to the first event of its kind in the city. The fair focuses exclusively on the culture of art publishing, building a new community and maintaining an existing one and initiating global trends in Lithuania as well. Over 15 publishers/artists/bookstores will represent their publications at Kaunas Art Book Fair. The program also includes Steidl publishing exhibition, lectures, creative workshops for children, discussions, book presentations, readings and film program “It’s not easy” by the publisher of “Starship” magazine (Berlin).

Sunday, 11 17, 09:00

TEDxKaunas 2019: “Message in a Bottle”

Kaunas Cultural Centre, Kęstučio g. 1 Coming across a Message in a Bottle is a great privilege since the receiver decides the fate of what can be found inside. The finder may be surprised, alarmed, awed, curious or cautious, but never indifferent. What would YOU do with the bottle once you’ve read the message? Would you re-seal it and let it carry on floating for someone else to find? Will you break the glass and keep its contents?

Would you try to reach out to the author of the message? Maybe you will even share the IDEA with those around you.

who will question human nature, based on a conversational case study at Lukiškės prison, Australian Lithuanian futurist Kristina Dryža who will share how to think mythically and sense archetypally to better understand our shared humanity, yet honor the diverse ways we live and make meaning, and Kaunas-based chef and lecturer Gavin Stewart who will talk about how eating trends have changed over the last five years in Lithuania, and what people can expect in the near future.

Tuesday, 11 19, 8 pm

EuroLeague. Žalgiris Kaunas – Panathinaikos Athens “Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

Every match in EuroLeague is tough on nerves and physical strength. The Greeks getting ready to visit us know Lukas Lekavičius well – he spent two seasons in Athens. We’re positive this won’t be enough to conquer our green-white fortress… Are you in?

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Among this year’s speakers are theatre director Kamilė Gudmonaitė

2019 NOVEMBER

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Calendar Friday, 11 22, 7 pm

Slemas #28

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Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

The 28th poetry slam at the Kaunas Artists’ House might become a starting point in your slamming career.

You can slam in English (or any other language). Register at asta@kmn.lt

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Photo by Vytautas Paplauskas

11 25 – 11 29

Free Museum Sunday Various locations

Since January 2019, every last Sunday of the month means free entrance for everyone to a long list of museums all around Lithuania. The new initiative by the Ministry of Culture is a continuation of a programme that kicked off last year to guarantee free entrance to museums for schoolchildren. Now, their families can join them, as well as everyone else interested in that.

Kaunas is well known for its extensive museum network, so this news opens up many possibilities to discover exciting places and dive into the history of our city.

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K AU N A S F U L L O F CU LT U R E

It’s important to note that only state museums and those institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Culture participate in the initiative. The programme guarantees free entry to the permanent expositions, excluding guided tours and other paid services.

The list includes M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art and its departments (Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas Picture Gallery, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius Memorial Museum and Devil’s museum, Historical Presidential Palace of Lithuania, Museum of Ceramics, Adelė and Paulius Galaunė House, Liudas Truikys and Marijona Rakauskaitė Memorial Museum, Juozas Zikaras Memorial Museum), Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum and its departments (Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Memorial Flat-Museum, Salomėja Nėris Memorial Museum, Juozas Grušas Memorial Museum, Balys and Vanda Sruogos House-Museum and Children Literature Museum), Kaunas 9th Fort Museum, Lithuanian Aviation Museum, Lithuanian Education History Museum and the Open-Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumšiškės.

11 25 – 11 29

48th birthday week Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

One of the most contemporary and up-to-date institutions in the city is actually 48 years old! The birthday week of the Kaunas Artists’ House is a perfect chance to explore what the venue does and how everyone can get involved. The programme includes

a presentation of New York-based interdisciplinary platform dis.art, an event by Kaunas Architecture Festival, a book presentation, a movie screening and, of course, a proper party.

11 28 – 11 29

KAFe2019. International architecture forum “Landmark Architecture – creating or destroying the city’s identity?” “Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo g. 50

Saturday, 11 30, 10 am – 4 pm

Fair “Kaunas Food” “Žalgirio“ arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

Many travellers think food is the best souvenir. If you agree, we suggest you visit this fair. Dozens of local producers of both meat and vegetarian products, baked goods, drinks etc. as well as plenty of chances to taste everything – what’s not to like?

Saturday, 11 30, 6 pm

Christmas tree lighting ceremony Town Hall Square

Prominent architects and researchers from Lithuania and the world will share their insights and experience in the main event of this year’s Kaunas Architecture Festival. Architects participating in the forum will each exhibit one of their works, which best suits the topic of the forum.

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It’s time to set your Christmas plans! The festive season in Kaunas, the city guarded by patron saint St. Nicholas, officially starts on December 1, and the Christmas Tree will be lit at 6 pm on November 30. The Christmas Town will be open every day until the Feast of Three Kings, January 6.

Known for unlimited fantasy and attention to the finest detail, the Kaunas-based artist Jolanta Šmidtienė has already decided on this year’s Christmas theme. Together with her team, the creator of award-winning festive concepts and decorations is already working on this year’s Christmas town under the banner of “The Mysterious Planet”.

2019 NOVEMBER

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pilnas.kaunas.lt

“Do you ever think about what the purpose of a human being on earth is?

The aim is to live for others. Everyone and everything, starting from fresh grass, is living in nature to be valuable.”

Vydūnas

KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE Monthly magazine about personalities and events in Kaunas (free of charge)

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Laisvės alėja 59, third floor

Editorial office:

Authors: Artūras Bulota, Austėja Banytė, Bernadeta Buzaitė, Eglė Šertvyčūtė, Emilija Visockaitė, Gediminas Skyrius, Julija Račiūnaitė, Justė Vyšniauskaitė, Kamilė Kaminskaitė, Kipras Štreimikis, Kotryna Lingienė, Kęstutis Lingys, Lukas Mykolaitis, Paulius Tautvydas Laurinaitis, Teodoras Biliūnas, Vaida Stepanovaitė.

Patrons:

KAUNO MIESTO SAVIVALDYBĖ

RUN 100010COPIES. TIRAŽAS 000 EGZ.

K AU N A S F U L L O F CU LT U R E

ISSN 2424-4465

Leidžia: Publisher:

2019 (51) 2017Nr. Nr.11 2 (18)