KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE 2020 JULY by Kaunas Pilnas Kultūros

KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE

Collectors

2020 J U LY Illustration by Ugnė Vedeckytė

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Time is mentioned frequently in this issue. in this issue. You need time for nurturing your collections, and sometimes, people even collect time itself. Well, clocks – you’ll find a story about that. And this little beauty can be purchased in an antiques store on M. Jankaus street – there’s a little something about the store in this very issue. Photo by A. Čiukšys

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The oldest exhibit of Kaunas Tadas Ivanauskas Museum of Zoology is a stuffed Pallas’s sandgrouse made in 1859. Professor T. Ivanauskas hadn’t been born yet, but he inherited the passion for the natural world from his father Leonardas, who, in his manor in Lebiodka (present-day Belarus) had founded a Bird room.

Hundreds and thousands in drawers and on the shelves If not for the nobleman’s interest and constant deepening of knowledge, who knows if today we would have a bird ringing station in Ventė, the museum mentioned above, the zoo, and, well, T. Ivanauskas’ homestead in Obelynė. The whole life of Lithuanian Indiana Jones is one collection after another. There are 220 apple trees in Obelynė that were grafter or newly bred by the professor. First and foremost, collecting is interesting, however, in the case of a more serious passion, it can be expensive, but usually, no one really wants to talk about the material side of collections. As Kaunas scientist and collector Algimantas Miškinis once said (by the way, his collection, donated to the city of Kaunas, never found a place in it) anyone can understand the value of their

collection, but it will be impossible to say how much money was spent on it. Therefore, in this Kaunas Full of Culture issue, where we discuss the recent and inherited collections, you will not find any Euro signs. And who can ultimately say what’s better – a hunted cloud or a piano resurrected for a second life? The miraculous painting from the mid20th century or a shellac record printed in Kaunas? To each their own. In addition to emotional gratification, collecting unconsciously introduces a particular mode, order, customs, and habits into one’s life. To spend weekends in flea markets or, on the contrary, behind closed doors in a workshop; to follow weather forecasts or fail to notice the time of the year altogether. And what kind of collector are you?

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There are various hobbies, from collecting beer coasters to trainspotting. But have you heard of cloud chasing? This honourable activity has been practised in the USA since the mid-20th century, and it was particularly popularized by the documentary Storm Chasers that came out in 2007. The Lithuanian sky is currently being closely watched and photographed by the Sky Chasers LT group, which presents itself on its Facebook page as a “small group of like-minded lunatics that came together for a reason. For many years, as long as we can remember ourselves, we have been chasing the sky. Not only clouds or stars, but also the most interesting phenomena of the sky: northern lights, halos, strange alien-like glows. Lightning and various elements never scared us, on the contrary, excited and attracted like a magnet.”

Running towards a tornado Julija Račiūnaitė

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“The area is part of a larger nebular complex called North America nebula and is usually referred as Cygnus Wall because it is located in Cygnus constellation and resembles this wall dividing darker and brighter regions of the sky and exhibits most concentrated star formation in the region. This so-called wall stretches for around 20 light-years and is located about 1500 light-years away from us. Light in this image was emitted by Hydrogen (alpha part of the spectrum) and double ionized Oxygen and combined using a special technique for dual filter colour images. What makes astronomy great is that it allows your mind to be free and roam through the sky, so your imagination goes wild and starts seeing various shapes. This way we got constellation names, nebula, galaxy, star cluster names, no exception with this part of the sky. What I noticed were two figures and the top left part of the image – a witch flying on a broom and a woman with her hair flailing behind her. The first image was completed at the beginning of last season, most of the data was gathered without astrodark, so I am super impressed with the way this turned out,” says Arūnas Medvedevas, the author of this photography.

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Lithuanian chasers can be found in all major cities of the country, but we talked to Algirdas Rakštys and Artūras Medvedevas, members of the group who usually watch the Kaunas sky.

What skills, knowledge, qualities do you need to engage in such activity?

What is sky chasing?

A. M. Desire, patience, and ability to function without sleep for two days.

A. M. Well, the name comes from storm chasing. It is very popular to chase hurricanes and tornadoes in the US. Other than that, there are many different types of chasers, for example, I look at the sky a bit further than my colleagues, i.e. I chase deep-sky objects, and I often know about their appearance in advance. Usually, it takes more than one night to capture them.

A. R. We may well be considered amateur enthusiasts, but, as Artūras said, there are very serious professionals in the US working on this issue.

A. M. There they have pretty good conditions for storm chasing. Chasers can create enough content and even make money from that. And in Lithuania, we do this for our own pleasure, we simply share what we enjoy doing.

What celestial phenomena do you find ordinary and which are valuable, unique, and worth pursuing? A. M. This is everyday life (points at a beautiful summer day without a single cloud). A. R. On the other hand, what seems ordinary to us might be fascinating to the observer or chaser – even the rainbow. People rarely raise their eyes to the sky, but perhaps sky chasers will encourage them to do it more often. A. M. Yes, and even on a day like this, without a single cloud, you can find something to chase. For example, pick up a solar telescope and look at the sun.

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A. R. You need a desire first.

A. R. Whether we capture the night sky or storms or lightning – all that is hardly predictable, depends on weather conditions, various nuances. Only conditional predictions are available about the occurrence of one or another phenomenon. A.M. Yes, just like this year, when the appearance of the comet P/2019 Y2 was predicted. It was getting brighter and brighter until it couldn’t and blew up! Also, two weeks apart from the first, the other comet in the Southern Hemisphere was showing so brightly that it was visible to the naked eye but then later also began to crumble. Do you each have your own area of practice in celestial photography? A.M. Algirdas’ primary tool is a camera and a wide-angle lens, and mine is a telescope. A.R. Yes, we all work differently. Artūras is into the deep sky, night photography, and I am into the wide-angle night landscape, and I also really enjoy chasing storms, lightning, and so on. The last week of June has been truly exceptional for us. There were so many storms in Lithuania that I slept for maybe only four hours in three days because as soon as the night comes, the storm approaches. You feel exhausted, but there’s that special feeling – you know that something will definitely happen and the horizon is already flashing! There’s just nothing else you can do! You grab your camera and go, sensing that tomorrow things will not be great.

Photo by Dainius Ščiuka

How did you become interested in this activity and how long have you been practising it? A. R. Maybe ten years ago, I first got my hands on a camera I got from my sister. At first, I photographed everything with auto mode – I just shot anything. At some point, I started to like it more and more; I tried out many things and eventually stayed with the landscape. I took pictures of landscapes, later moved to the night sky, got acquainted with time-lapse photography, and captured my first storms and the northern light. It’s a fun process – you come up with an idea, start exploring it, planning, monitoring forecasts, choosing location, technology, ways of photographing. Detailed planning develops into a trip and even later into photo processing. Eventually, the old members of the Skychasers LT group (Marius Čepulis, Tadas Janušonis, Lukas Jonaitis, Mindaugas Gasparavičius) invited me to join this group of crazy enthusiasts, which I did with pleasure.

And what’s the story of Artūras? A. M. I was never engaged in day time photography. Quite spontaneously in 2013, I got myself a telescope and later joined the forum of astronomy aficionados to check what others are doing. I noticed that a lot of people were taking photos, and I got intrigued. I slowly collected equipment, and in February of 2015, I tried it out and got immediately hooked. For the first time, I saw so many colours, such a clear image. That is what motivates me to this day – when looking at the sky live, through the eyepiece of the telescope, you do not see colours, and you have to invest a lot of time to see specific details, and they still remain dim. Finally, there are many objects, which are impossible to see with a naked eye. When you take photos, you capture things you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see, so you can show people what’s hiding in the sky. The whole work process, in my case, is quite technical, I don’t even know if I consider it all art, after all, my photo processing is based

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on mathematics, algorithms and so on. I don’t create anything – what already exists in the sky is transferred to the photographs. It looks like storm chasing can be an increased risk factor. How do you protect yourself from accidents? What adventures have you experienced? Maybe a bolt of lightning had taken away your tripod?

A. R. If it had done so, I would probably not be sitting here! I once went to Šventoji with a colleague to take the pictures of the night sky at the seaside, and we got stuck in the sand. I will admit, there was some stress that we were somewhere in the dunes, in the sand, at night but we finally managed to get out of there, and the sky happened to be clear, so we took plenty of photographs of the night sky. And in terms of protecting yourself from lightning, we all know, more or less, what to do – you simply should not go near it, you should run away from it.

A. M. Only sky chasers do the opposite.

A.R. You have to take the risk. Last spring, my colleague and I drove to Elektrėnai to photograph lightning. We were standing under electric wires, near Elektrėnai power plant, the camera tripod was metal, so there were some risks. But sometimes when shooting, you forget and don’t realize that the situation is slowly becoming dangerous. Of course, we try to be careful, if something occurs, we hide in cars. A.M. In my case, one of the more extreme things is shooting in the winter. More than once I’ve had to work in minus 25-28 degrees Celsius, spending around 14 hours in the car, the engine of which you obviously cannot keep running through all that time. At the very beginning, I would take many blankets with me. You sit wrapped in

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them, trembling like hell, and yet you continue shooting. Later I took care of it – bought a heater. Is it necessary night shooting?

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A. M. Well, if the sky is clear then yes! It would be a great pity not to use the hours of fine weather. A. R. Especially in Lithuania. A. M. And especially in winter. I think I’ve reached my personal record the year before last when I photographed 70 nights a season. The season in this area starts around the second half of July and ends in the second half of May. During the off-season, it just doesn’t get dark enough. And in winter it is very cloudy for at least a couple of months. There have been cases when in winter, you check the forecast, and they promise clear skies. Then you arrive at a place, and the sky is covered all the way to the horizon. You feel cheated, but most of the time, after a while, it clears up. Or it rains, and you have to sit in the car instead of getting ready, putting up equipment, and so on. Or when you finally set up the equipment and then the last rain cloud appears [laughs]. Then you cover it all with the same blankets. Is the Lithuanian climate favourable for your activities? A.R. I can’t say for sure that it is favourable or unfavourable, anything can happen. Recently I talked to my colleagues Lukas, Mindaugas, and Marius. They started photographing much earlier and were really surprised by the recent weeks in Lithuania – there were really strong, big storms, almost on an American level! Even a tornado passed in Švenčionys county and was captured. Only it is a pity that it wasn’t the chasers who took the photos but random passersby with their phones. We were very sad that none of us was there.

Few would be sad, but you were. A. R. Yes. Interestingly, when the group was formed, it turned out that the activities overlap and that someone is constantly capturing something, doing something. A. M. We complement each other. Recently, there was a phenomenon completely unrelated to storms – the transit of Mercury. Everyone tried to catch it, but it was difficult to do so in Lithuania. The next one, unfortunately, will only take place in a hundred years from now. A. R. Children will have to inherit this activity. Is there any celestial phenomenon that you consider your best catch or just dreaming of capturing it? A. M. Probably everyone has such aspirations – I would very much like to photograph in the Southern Hemisphere, because the Northern sky is already familiar, and in the Southern one there are all sorts of objects that are quite exotic to us, such as the Magellanic Clouds, for example. A. R. One of my dreams came true about four years ago. In Lithuania (also in Ukraine and Poland) you could see an insanely bright northern light, visible even to the naked eye. I was very fascinated by those lights, but somehow, I didn’t notice any report of increased solar activity. Still, one of my co-workers knew about my hobby and offered to go together and take photos. I accepted the offer lightly, with a bit of irony, because he was a bit of a comedian. We drove towards Rumšiškės, and suddenly I turn to the rear window and see these whitish-green pillars all over the sky! At first, I thought it must be some lights coming from Kaunas, on the other hand, Kaunas is more to the west... Since I had never seen such a thing in my life, I couldn’t even as-

sess whether it was a real northern light or not. We parked a car next to Rumšiškės Open-Air Ethnographic Museum, I pulled out the camera, my hands were shaking. I snap the first photo – everything on the screen looks green and red! The camera’s sensor absorbs a lot of light and really brings out the colours in the sky. And when you make a time-lapse, you see how dynamic the northern light is, its movement is revealed. So, one dream has already come true, and in terms of storms, it would be extremely fun to capture a tornado, no matter if it’s in Lithuania or elsewhere. Maybe we’ll get a second one? A. R. Sky chasers are waiting, of course, but on the other hand... A. M. The same storms last week in Poland tore the roofs and lifted houses up in the air, so on the other hand, there’s nothing good about it. By the way, when it comes to travel – last autumn I took my equipment to Turkey and managed to photograph one object that would be almost impossible to capture in Lithuania – the so-called Helix Nebula, the exploding remnants of a star, scattered and expanding to the sides. And finally, do sky chasers in Lithuania work closely together? A. M. We share information on our channels and plan some things together. For example, one of us reports that satellites show that the front line is approaching in southern Lithuania – so that someone nearby could go there and capture an impressive spectacle. A.M. Yes, in such cases, it is not so important who will be the one to capture the celestial phenomenon, what matters is that we succeed together as a group.

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The house of music, built in the last decade of the 20th-century, stands out among the surrounding wooden houses in the depths of Žaliakalnis, where a swamp used to be and Napoleon’s horses were buried, with its size and age. The home is also distinguished by content and vision. The owners – the Bazaras family dynasty of musicians and piano technicians – hope to establish a museum of keyboard instruments here, which would also function as an educational centre.

Žaliakalnis Philharmonic Kotryna and Kęstutis Lingys Photos by Lukas Mykolaitis

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The three brothers – Motiejus, Mykolas, and Benediktas – are different but also similar. The first one is immersed in the world of keyboard instruments, the middle one is into bass, and the third is all about percussion. But first and foremost, they are all pianists, just like their mother Aušra and late father Saulius Bazaras. Motiejus laughs and says that his cradle was placed either on the piano or under it, so it’s no surprise that he and his younger brothers live in music and for music, next to and among instruments. Smiling, he calls his home, which accommodates a hundred pianos, thirty synthesizers and varying numbers of other instruments, records, CDs, books, sheet music collections, a conservatory, classical music, jazz, electronic music, creative work, first rehearsals before going on stage, a parrot and a dog, the Žaliakalnis Philharmonic. A collection of one hundred (approximately) pianos and grand pianos was started by the older Bazaras family members. The instruments continue to arrive and to depart; some of them dismantled in the workshop, but the numbers remain roughly the same. It’s hard to imagine how much space it would take for all of them to be exhibited appropriately, but that’s the shared vision. “We dream of having even more space. Now, most instruments are stored, pushed next to each other, you cannot play them or show them to someone quickly,” Mykolas says. In his opinion, the meaning of such a collection is not accumulation, but the use of instruments. He, for example, has not accumulated many bass instruments, he has only the ones he uses. “The function is the most fun. It is nice to have the Fender Precision Bass created in 1950 for one situation and Jazz Bass for another; to have an active six-string bass and a Lithuanian double bass made in Utena.” But let’s get back to the keyboard instruments. Bazarai are proud of one

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out of two Lithuanian pianos Birutė created in the interwar period. Evaldas Virketis short documentary film made about Bazarai-owned Birutė helped discover the second piano located in Biržai Region Museum Sėla’s collection. Soon the two Birutės will meet because the one from Biržai will be coming to Žaliakalnis for restoration. “Sometimes, people call and say that they don’t need an old instrument anymore, they don’t see its meaning anymore, but we do. They are interesting from the engineering and technical point of view, we have some really uniquely constructed objects,” Motiejus says. His personal world revolves around electromechanical instruments that are currently experiencing a renaissance in the world. It is only a pleasure for a musician to collect – in the modern view clumsy – instruments like Mellotron that was, for example, used by Led Zeppelin because they have a lively tone and rich expression, “You can play fewer notes but they sound more meaningful.” Mykolas remembers how the brothers played together with Arvydas Joffe and Tomas Botyrius in the former Ryšių kiemelis in Kaunas Old Town more than five years ago, “Motiejus had just brought the Fender Rhodes Mark I 88 Suitcase and we decided to drag it to the concert and, I have to say, we felt completely different vibrations, the inspiration experienced there and then changed the flow of the program.” The Bazarai collection, or more precisely collections, requires not only space but also time. “In order to make an instrument play as it should you have to put in a lot of time, adjust according to specifications, repair it, be ready to fix it again at any time and it is not the same as turning on a digital emulator that only allows you to touch upon the sound,” Motiejus ponders. A pop-up exhibition of synthesizers

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took place in his room while we were visiting. Motiejus teaches sound synthesis at the Kaunas University of Technology, so during the quarantine, via Zoom, he was able to show students much more than he could while at the auditorium.

Mykolas, Motiejus and Benediktas Bazarai

Among the exhibits, synthesizers donated by Giedrius Kuprevičius and custom made by an engineer Orūnas Urbonas specifically for the composer’s band Argo (one of the pioneers of Lithuanian electronic music) stand out the most. More precisely, back then, musicians created their own instruments because there were almost no opportunities to acquire decent Western instruments at that time. The heroes of our article congratulated G. Kuprevičius on his birthday by playing a piece on Argo synthesizer. It would be nice if the current generation of DJs would be able to get acquainted with this part of the history of Lithuanian music. And this again 1 4

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leads to the main idea of the house of music – spaces open not only for exposition but also for experiments and tests. But let’s get back to the piano. The history of this instrument is 300 years old; therefore, the details of antique models have to be made by musicians themselves. Benediktas – the constructor in the family, who indulges in the deepest experiments when it comes to adapting and restoring the parts, is currently studying piano at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. He decided to direct his master’s thesis towards his area of interest. Benediktas recreates the models of mechanisms, is interested in the evolution of the instrument, and can create replicas of ancient ones, “It is now accepted that old instruments can be better experienced by reproducing them according to precise drawings but with new materials.”

From here on, we start talking about trends. The trends in instrument decoration are related to the dominant styles of art. 19th century piano shapes were determined by classicism, romanticism, historicism, and only in the first half of the twentieth-century modernists began to pay more attention to functionality. Indeed, the instruments of the time are reminiscent of modernist buildings! Today’s manufacturers can offer a wide variety of shapes and colours, from Victorian times to postmodernism. After many years of experiments, the winged shape of the grand piano was established in the 19th century. In general, the exterior of the instrument is determined by the internal construction. The most important thing is to withstand the tension caused by the strings, which can be up to 25 tons. Until a metal frame was invented, the instruments were simply “exploding.” The piano frame also might not be able to withstand the tension. Motiejus had experienced such an “explosion” while tuning. It happens that people turn to the family of piano masters with a request to simply paint the instrument in the desired colour. “Then we have to explain that this is a workshop. We can and must talk about the exterior, but the inside is more important to us,” Mykolas says. And Benediktas has a solution for those who cannot play but wish to have a grand piano at home, “I can install a system, which can be integrated into the instrument, so it can play on its own after you choose a piece on the phone or tablet.” According to Mykolas, this is similar to American pianola. It can be criticized, but it is essential that music played with sufficient precision and a job well done gives joy to a person.

And how do professionals listen to music? For relaxation, critically, in the background? On Sunday, Bazarai have a tradition to listen to vinyl records, the collection of which, as well as other music media, are lined up on the shelves. Many records are inherited from relatives. However, it is not the format that matters. Motiejus says he is also happy about the 21st-century music media because it allows us to learn and discover, although the flow and content are really awful. “I can’t listen to music playing in the background while doing intellectual work because I tend to focus on the music too much,” he says. In the workshop, on the other hand, the oldest brother spends time getting acquainted with new music, and while analyzing the recording or performance, he also works. Mykolas notices that at first music is a feeling, and only after that, it is what the listener has to say about it. Here one can look for similarities with food: when figuring out what a favourite dish is made of, it can lose that first emotion caused by discovery and surprise. When working with music, according to Mykolas, you tune in that piece so much that it becomes your life. It can be risky, like for actors, who don’t know how to leave a role. “Sometimes, when talking to your colleague or professor, you ask how they are able not to lose their heads when performing one or the other piece and their answer is usually – I simply don’t think.” After leaving the Žaliakalnis Philharmonic, your head spins with images, impressions, and new ideas born during the conversation, and yet, the main question – whether the Bazarai brothers are collectors – remains subtly unanswered. And if they are, is it the instruments or the emotions produced by them that they are collecting?

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Kaunas Modern Art Foundation has officially registered just a few years ago. The collected works of Lithuanian artists are filling in the puzzle of the 80s and 90s when late modernism and expressionism prevailed in the Lithuanian art scene. We talked to Rugilė Andziukevičiūtė-Buzė, who currently works at a government office, about the foundation established by her parents Giedrius and Eglė Andziukevičius, the peculiarities of collecting and the childhood spent in an artistic environment. Perhaps this is where we should begin.

Motivated by feeling Monika Balčiauskaitė Photos by Artūras Morozovas

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Our interviewee is posing next to one of her favourite paintings by RiÄ?ardas NemeikĹĄis. 2020 J U LY

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You grew up in an artistic environment. What was the very first inspiring encounter with art?

The first vivid memory is of a visit to the sculptor’s workshop, where the sculptures currently decorating the roof of Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus of Vilnius were being renovated. The massive plaster human figures made a significant impression on me as a child.

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I didn’t realize for a long time that paintings and the ever-new sculptures decorating the house are something special. It wasn’t until a little later that I noticed that my eyes were unconsciously accustomed to late modernism, abstractions, rougher paintings, and rather bold, unadorned art. Occasionally, I find that people tend to view abstract, minimalist works negatively because they don’t see any particular story, figures, or context. Rough strokes are associated with a lack of mastery or a poor work of the artist. But after all, the most important thing is to know the context, to be interested, and to allow yourself to perceive art with feelings, not with the mind.

Art Foundation organized three exhibitions in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Telšiai. I still remember that he got along very well with Edmundas Frėjus about whom the foundation is currently publishing an album. Over time he was introduced to more members of the Angis group, who encouraged him to become more and more involved in art culture and to accumulate works by other artists. In fact, I don’t even know if father considered himself a professional collector – probably not. His collection was motivated by feeling, a desire to interact with artists, and he was also looking for ways to support them. My mother, Eglė Andziukevičienė, was also very involved in this activity. I remember how the two of them would carefully select the works, discussing each and every one of them and persuading each other to buy or not to buy. I am glad my mother was always supportive of my father and never reprehended him, although sometimes you were really wondering why all the savings went to art.

How did your parents, Giedrius and Eglė Andziukevičius, get involved in the art world?

In 1992 your newly founded family home was decorated with a painting named Dance. Do you remember that moment? Were there any other pieces in the house that were especially important to your family?

My late father, Giedrius Andziukevičius graduated from a four-year art school in Kaunas, and in his spare time, he was interested in drawing and arts; however, he did not choose this path because he started studying medicine. But apparently, the hobby remained and gradually transformed into a search, because he always wanted to bring art closer to home. It all started when he got acquainted with artist Vytautas Povilaitis. My father published an album dedicated to his works, and Kaunas Modern

I don’t remember that moment. Recently, while flipping through albums, I found a photo in which father and V. Povilaitis are standing next to the picture mentioned above. Our family was very happy about this friendship, and that is how the intensive collection of V. Povilaitis’ works gradually began. Today, we have a few dozen of them. Probably one of our favourite works of his is Baltic Spring, which is also on the cover of the album published by Kaunas Modern Art Foundation.

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It is not easy to single out one artwork or author. The Angis group makes up the largest part of the collection, which is dominated by the late modernism of Kaunas. The 80s and 90s were an extraordinary period for the history of Kaunas art. That was the time when abstract expressionists were active: Rimvidas Jankauskas-Kampas, Alfonsas Vilpišauskas, Arūnas Vaitekūnas, and others and they all joined the Angis group. My parents were young at the time, just starting their careers, but at the same time purposefully looking for artworks produced by members of Angis; seeking teachers and students, and relationship with them. The collection may not have ended up being very varied in terms of authors, but the focus on this particular period is the thread that binds all the works together. Depth is perhaps what makes this collection valuable. You have accumulated over 100 paintings, graphic artworks, and sculptures in the collection of the Kaunas Modern Art Foundation. Do you have your favourite? Ričardas Nemeikšis’s painting Untitled that can be found on the wall of my home in Vilnius. It is a pink canvas with a few white strokes. I really like the way it speaks to people and provokes them because we get all sorts of reactions from guests: some ask if the picture is finished, others suggest that maybe it should be unwrapped. This is the artistic direction of this ironic painter. I also like Arūnas Vaitkūnas’ painting Interior in an Abandoned Garden – a large canvas, which, when properly lit, makes you feel like you are actually walking around an abandoned garden depicted in the painting; you see the

wooden constructions, the various mysterious spots. It invites you not to stop, to look around and search for different angles with a fresh pair of eyes. The definition of a French word collectionneur encompasses different practices. Some on the subjective value of the item, others focus more on the accumulation and selection process. Which practice is most relevant to you? Let’s start with the fact that I don’t consider myself a collector, I contribute more to the educational activities of the foundation. While, of course, it’s really nice to pick out and buy at least a couple of pieces a year, it’s all done out of intuition, a feeling, and what the artwork or a moment means to you at that point. Last year we bought one photo by Antanas Sutkus because at that time the photographs seemed so powerful and sincere that you wanted to become a better person. But, again, we very often think that it is important not to have the artwork, but to share experiences and support artists. Of course, it is very nice to purchase works from people who live and create nearby because you can observe their process and encourage their selfconfidence. But Kaunas Modern Art Foundation never sought to turn this activity into financial investment. Everything was done for the sake of feeling and communication. We will soon implement a project together with Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022 about experiences, during which the residents and guests of the city will be able to travel around Kaunas on modern art routes. We believe that by visiting an exhibition or keeping in touch with an artist,

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One of the family’s most favourite paintings is „Baltic spring“ by Vytautas Povilaitis. It was part of the artist’s exhibition.

a person can get much more than what they would get from purchasing an artwork. Therefore, first and foremost, we tend to focus on experiences. Do you remember the very first work of art you bought with your own money? One summer, I visited Šilavoto Davatkynas in Prienai. There, in historical cabins, Alfonsas Vilipišauskas-inspired plein airs are taking place, attracting artists from all over Lithuania in the summer. That is where I saw Klaipėda-based photographer Remigijus Treigys’ works, which radiated seriousness and concentration. I remember finding the artist very quickly after that and visiting him in Klaipėda, where I selected a photograph that I wanted to purchase. It depicts a chair in a dark interior.

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What local galleries museums inspire you?

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I really like the Meno Parkas gallery in Kaunas. I admire the fact that they choose bold authors and present them in an exciting way. In Vilnius, in my opinion, the National Art Gallery does a great job in preparing the exhibitions in a modern way, according to Western standards. There are also some interesting private galleries in the capital, such as Vartai or Rooster. A few days ago, I visited Auksė Miliukaitė’s exhibition, and I was really amazed by the creative presentation through various senses (smell, taste, touch) and, of course, by the artist’s works. Abroad, I like the exposition of the Feuerle private collection in Berlin set in complete darkness, in a military bunker with some 6-meter-thick concrete walls. Access is only possible

by prior arrangement, in small groups. At first glance, the things exhibited there are irrelevant to me, perhaps I would never be interested in them but due to the created environment, presentation and narration, it all takes on a different form. This inspires me to focus more on the presentation of art. Now, in preparation for the exhibitions, we are working with the architect Adomas Rimšelis because we think a lot about the layout of the artworks and the redesigning of spaces.

In various ways, we encouraged people who possess the artworks of the artist to respond because the purchases of paintings were never documented, and the relatives of the artist did not follow his work closely. We simply appealed to the public, and we were very happy when so many people responded. They lent the artworks for the exhibition and participated in it as well. Someone even said that it seemed as if Vytautas had come to life and was walking among people.

You are currently working in the Government. Isn’t it hard to be active in both lines of work?

What do you think is the future of the art market?

According to Nathalie Moureau, a contemporary art collector is not only a buyer but also a person who positively influences artistic life. How does the Kaunas Modern Art Foundation contribute to the creation of artistic value in Kaunas? We believe that exhibitions and educational activities leave a mark. When we publish an album, we notice how slowly the settled dust is blown away. When we organized the exhibition of V. Povilaitis last year, we involved a lot of Kaunas residents in the process.

Occasionally, when reading foreign magazines about collecting or the art market, I get the impression that the future of the art market is like a tapering pyramid, where only the most expensive works and the most famous artists in the world are in demand. For many buyers, collecting is a financial investment in a time-tested and valuable piece of work. But I reckon there are many who think less about the acquisition and financial value of works – the new generation is more inclined to think about involvement, participation in art, support for the artist and their work. All the more so as contemporary works are rapidly changing the format – how can you acquire a contemporary opera? Smaller galleries representing smaller artists are finding it increasingly difficult. I think it is crucial to support them and contemporary artists if we want the circle of recognized artists to expand. I understand that Lithuania is small and the number of people interested in art is relatively tiny, but I think we each need to educate those around us, encourage them to invest in art, donate art and make connections.

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I never considered myself a representative of art. I would say it is my hobby and volunteer work that does not require much time. For me, it is a pleasure that has nothing to do with professional work, so it allows me to refresh my thoughts and get away from everyday worries. My career has always been about the public sector, politics, the executive, so this area is also very interesting to me. Especially recently, working in the face of a pandemic and directly touching upon crisis management. It is a very demanding period that also teaches you a lot.

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“And how about keeping the oldest alarm clocks, you know, roosters?” We asked as if accidentally, the former forestry officer and currently a happy senior Vytas Sinkevičius, while walking around his collection of 600 exhibits. “Here it is, an interwar period German-made alarm clock. But it has a Lithuanian inscription First-rate smart rooster,” the collector responds. We discovered him thanks to Kaunas 2022 program Modern elderships and Ežerėlis Culture Center. For now, artists from Kaunas and Ežerėlis residents are just getting acquainted, but we hope to tell you about their upcoming joint projects in the future.

Six hundred smart roosters Kotryna Lingienė Photos by Teodoras Biliūnas

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The clock that our interviewee’s grandfather bought is in the middle.

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So – six hundred (though probably more) clocks, and all of them different (although the mechanisms are the same, the exterior is decorated by different craftsmen). “I tell my visitors – if you can find two of the same, you can take one with you,” V. Sinkevičius smiles calmly. His collection, stored in Kaunas county, Ežerėlis, on the edge of the forest, barely fits in a couple of houses. One of them was built specifically for the clocks. The owner really hopes to open a clock museum here, he plans to group the watches according to the country of origin. If there will be enough space, of course, because the number of exhibits is only growing. At the entrance, you can find a German 2 6

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factory clock, where workers had to punch in at the beginning and end of their shift. Maybe it will become the museum’s ticket collector. The collection is not as old as it might seem – it was started in 2010. However, the owner admits that he had a hobby of collecting as a child, for example, old coins. Later came the horns, the millstones that are now decorating the yard of the homestead. One of them is actually made in Aleksotas – that is what’s written on it in German. Collection’s first exhibit is stored in the study located in the residential

Practically all the French, German, Danish, American clocks – whether they are table, fireplace, wall, or two-meter tall stand-alone furniture clocks manufactured fifty, hundred or two hundred years ago – are working. The latter, made in 1773, was brought as a gift from Denmark by the owner’s nephew. Interestingly, the manufacturing year is usually not written on the clocks, but this one is an exception. It is also unique in that it doesn’t have a minute hand, only the hour one, “Apparently, the minutes were irrelevant at the time.”

Generally, the owner is not inclined to look for material value in this collection, as he puts it, these are not Rolexes.

Aren’t all these “clever roosters” preventing him from sleep? It turns out that V. Sinkevičius is already accustomed to the humming and now, as a freshly-baked retiree he allows himself to sleep in – nothing is preventing him. And he reveals a secret – if you want the old clock to tick but not ring, you should not wind the mechanism on the left, only the one on the right. But according to ancient wisdom, it is best to not count time. Perhaps when you have so many clocks, it finally becomes possible?

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building next to the future museum. It is a clock made by a German company Junghans and bought by V. Sinkevičius’ grandfather in Griškabūdis. Its price at that time was one hundred Litas, which is almost half of the average monthly salary. His grandfather was a substantial farmer, so the family’s life story was brutally directed to Siberia. Still, the clock was preserved and, upon returning from exile, carried ten kilometres on foot. Never previously repaired, it continues to tick, and, in addition to being the first, it is also the most emotionally precious.

We entered the “clock house” right at eleven o’clock, and I must tell you, the feeling is exciting. All the sounds are different. Some are a little late (or perhaps too early?), but all of the clocks are periodically wound by V. Sinkevičius. And when driving around flea markets, where he is looking for treasures (he says the antique stores are a tad expensive). V. Sinkevičius always grabs the master-key, with which he checks if the clock spring is intact. If it were broken, the repair would cost a lot. He had bought several clocks online, but there aren’t “many interesting things there”. In any case, he prepares, greases, repairs and wakes up all the exhibits bought or brought back from abroad by acquaintances, in his studio.

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Wandering between different radio frequencies on a Saturday afternoon, you can find a radio show that has been running for three months already, titled Kaunas Record Factory. And while hearing the name alone immediately makes you think of vinyl records that are becoming increasingly popular once again and perhaps of some start-upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential ambition to start printing them in our city, this show is neither about the vinyl nor about our times. The show is trying to resurrect the sonic legacy of a factory that has been almost forgotten and which, for at least a decade, between 1954 and 1964, was printing shellac records in Kaunas. Collector Linas Turauskas kindly agreed to tell us about both sides of this phenomenon - the factory that operated in the middle of the previous century and about the project (he is one of the initiators) of today that aims at reviving the sounds produced in the factory.

Records from Kaunas Paulius Tautvydas Laurinaitis Photos by the author

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Today, our interviewee has hundreds of records made in Kaunas. It all started a year ago - with the message that Kaunas’ artefacts guru and a collector Jonas Palys published on a social network. “I saw that Jonas wrote that he has almost 500 records made in Kaunas and is looking for someone who could catalogue them and I decided to undertake this task,” Linas said. “While others were collecting stamps as children, I still collect coins. Later, when I was able to go to a bar, I started collecting coasters. Perhaps this is my vocation as a collector – to collect round-shaped phenomena.” In this way, our interviewee became the administrator – or as he calls himself Cerberus – of this collection, acquired by J. Palys from almost fifty people. Still, this phenomenon did not end with the creation of a catalogue alone. “Since the shellac records break ... quite impressively, I asked how many of them am I allowed to accidentally break. The answer was that I can do anything I want because they cannot be played anyway,” the interviewee said. “Gradually a technology allowing to play them came about. It turned out that most of them can be played. That is how, together with Jonas Oškinis, we came up with the project to revive and restore. The radio show was the final result.” Let’s remember the story of the factory. The changing names and administrative responsibilities of the factory founded in 1954 were pointing at the changing political climate and various reforms of the so-called Khrushchev Thaw period. The factory founded as a part of the Industrial Combine subordinate to one of the ministries of the Soviet Republic became subordinated to the self-government – the Kaunas City People’s Economic Council of the time – after the reforms

of 1957. During the decade, the record-printing plant was known by the names of its various parent companies. The clumsy names of the time continued to change on the sleeves of the records – The Combine of Kaunas City Textile-Haberdashery, Kaunas Plastic Products Factory Saga, Kaunas Household Chemical Products Factory. As Linas Turauskas notes, the records where just another product line of such companies next to products like the comb or later on shoe polish or detergents. The factory itself changed its location only once: it moved from Panemunė to the vicinity of Žaliakalnis Market. Interestingly, shortly after the opening, the factory’s capacity was probably strengthened, “It could be said, half-jokingly, that although vinyl records manufactured in the 60s in Kaunas were of poor quality, the production of an older, similar factory in Vilnius, was probably even worse. It closed about 1956 and handed over the equipment to Kaunas.” However, music in Kaunas was only reproduced but not recorded. Most of the music, released in Kaunas until the opening of a recording studio in Vilnius in 1958, came from other parts of the Soviet Union, especially Riga. The demise of the factory was also related to the changes in the central government. With the beginning of the Brezhnev era, decentralization was abandoned, and only seven of the forty factories throughout the Soviet Union remained. And although the last record in Kaunas was made in 1964, according to the interviewee, more than 150 thousand recordings were left waiting for their turn in the storage. We had to inquire how much and what kind of music was released in Kaunas. 33-38 different records were released in Kaunas in one year, but there were very few Lithuanian musicians, most of them were 2020 J U LY

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being released in Riga,” Linas said. “Since in Lithuania popular music appeared late, Lithuanian recordings were mostly of various folk songs that were not popular. In Kaunas, the focus was on the pop music of that time, and Lithuanian folk music recordings were not really suitable for a party, and thus they were not popular in the discjockey suitcases.” Trends in the West were taken into account as quickly as possible in a planned economy. 3 2

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Covers of the most popular hits appeared quickly, for example, the local “Mambo italiano” cover appeared a year after the release of the original record. Of course, this only applied to those genres that were “acceptable.” There was no talk of rock and roll or twist at the time, although one recording of the latter somehow passed. Waltz and foxtrot were dominant, whatever was popular in dances. Jazz wasn’t regarded favourably, but if the

record had foxtrot written on it then everything was fine,” Linas laughed. “Even the jazz standard “When the Saints Go Marching In” was named foxtrot. And if there was a need for rock and roll, there were other solutions, such as the phenomenon of home-made recordings printed on the x-ray photos. My uncle had told me that “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley was being sold from inside the sleeve in Panevėžys market of the time.” A significant turning-point occurred after 1957 student youth festival in Moscow. New original releases appeared, not only from the neighbouring countries of the Socialist bloc but also from Yugoslavia, Mexico, India, and Argentina. When African countries, one after another, started declaring independence, the Soviet Union started releasing their music as well. Linas is still looking for a record of Ghanaian and Guinean performers released in Kaunas for the current collection. There were not that many overtures of operettas as well. The release of similar works was also limited due to the three and a half minute limit on one side, although the low popularity was probably also taken into account. The interviewee pulled out one of the few opera records with the overture from “Carmen”, “This record had to lie on the shelves for at least two years before it was sold. You can see both the old price and the stamped new after the ruble reform that was carried out two years after the release. Money changed during that time, but no one managed to buy the record.” One more aspect that Linas drew our attention to was the design of Kaunas record sleeves, which, albeit simple, still managed to surpass other printing shops in the quality of their execution or, according to Linas, “Design was if not number one than one and a half in the context of all other factories.” The accuracy

of the statement was illustrated by various sleeves from different parts of the Union laid out in front of us. All records are restored by Linas himself. A long process consists of both physical cleaning of the record and digital restoration – such “finished” records are neatly packaged and become just an exhibit. “The cleaning work was dirty. Sometimes after opening the sleeve, the sand from Kaunas lagoon beaches or dead flies would fall out,” the protagonist tells about the process with a smile. “Also, you cannot clean shellac with whatever you have near you. If you want to get the necessary trisodium phosphate in Lithuania, you must buy a ton. I had to find like-minded people in England who have repeatedly provided me with a necessary amount.” To restore the records, we had to look not only for good quality hardware with the right speed and a needle suitable for shellac records but also to buy a separate turntable that was used for cleaning: today almost the entire collection has undergone physical cleaning processes. Recordings of cleaned and digitally restored records sound great, although after cleaning the hissing sounds, the high frequencies and such instruments like clarinet or xylophone suffer, according to Linas. The crackling sound is a different matter, “If there is a dent or a crack, you cannot do anything about it; moreover, it can be said that it adds authenticity.” We wish Linas success in his further attempts to preserve the forgotten sounds of Kaunas and remind you that the show Kaunas Record Factory is broadcast on Tau radio every other Saturday at 2 pm and we pass on the interviewee’s invitation to turn your radios on, on July 18.

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The previous issue was about nurseries and flower farms, and now we will cover places frequented by the people who inspired this one. It turns out that the owners of all the antiques visited also have their own personal collections. “I started collecting pacifiers after I was born,” Kęstutis from V. Putvinskio Street laughs. Vidmantas Staniulis, the founder of the antique and second-hand book dealers’ paradise, astounds us by saying that his personal book collection is much more extensive than the one exhibited to shoppers. Meanwhile, the family which is based in Žaliakalnis says that they like to keep Art Deco objects for themselves. And Gerardas from Laisvės Avenue, after pronouncing the phrase that was used in the title, explains that it is necessary to combine business with passion; otherwise, you will simply go bankrupt. You need to learn to enjoy and let go. One more insight that unites all the antiquarians: young people collect less and less. They don’t get so attached, they don’t want to surround themselves with things and can get everything virtually. But, as Kęstutis says, “They are not interested today, they will be interested tomorrow.” We only hope it will not be too late. And you will find out why we say so after visiting Gerardas.

“We are all partly collectors” Kęstutis Lingys Photos by Arvydas Čiukšys

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Antique shop “Antikos spektras“ Laisvės Ave. 26 This historic building, hidden behind Soboras, houses one of the three surviving furnaces of the tsarist period in Laisvės Avenue. But this is not where the highlight of this place lies – not even in the small sculptures (the same as the ones in the city, just smaller) created by Robertas Antinis. The highlight and the mission of the founder of antique shop Gerardas is lituanistics and everything that this word encompasses, as well as bringing it home from the all the corners of the world, where we scattered our culture and heritage through plagues and wars. Most of the wealth in his shop is reserved for museums. Gerardas tries to find most of the objects himself, for example,

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in auctions where it is difficult to compete with the Poles, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. They have a lot of funds and desire to transport the heritage of the period of Grand Duchy of Lithuania to their respective countries. And not only personally, at the state level as well. We do not have this in Lithuania – museums need to beg for money to purchase new exhibits. Such institutions around the world have already tried going virtual – and are now going back because no virtuality can replace witnessing a real document or another object of interest. Moreover, bringing back the state’s history should be of high importance on the government level, as it’s both material and cultural capital.

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Antique shop in Kaunas M. Jankaus St. 9 Aidas and Jurgita Arbačiauskai, the owners of this antique store five years ago had to build a new house in a plot located on a quiet alley, so they could fit around five thousand objects! And they really do have everything here – from coffee cups that many can afford, to real treasure that is relevant to Kaunas cultural historians. Those looking for traditional, folk items would not be bored here. Museologists find exhibits here too – a current exhibition running at The Galaunė Family House “The art of clothing in the interwar period” presents fifty items borrowed from this antique shop: dresses, hats, and other fashionable accessories. 3 8

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Unlike other antique stores we visited, this one, they say attracts even very young people. One twelve-year-old bought a watch and after some time came back to boast, “You know, it is actually 106 years old!” Others may be fascinated by mass-produced but sentimental things, “Oh, my grandmother used to have this as well.” You just need to have a right eye and see if the object will fit in your home. And that happens. The owner laughs and says that sometimes she receives messages with photos from the buyers of a specific object, which now looks completely different due to a new context.

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Vidmantas Staniulis antique bookstore Vytauto Ave. 58 Yes, this antique and second-hand book dealers’ paradise nurtured by the biggest Lithuanian bibliophile and antique book dealer – who has been collecting books since adolescence – and his wife is located in that newly renovated interwar building designed by Jokūbas Peras. And yes, we have already written about it in the January Clubbers issue, when we told you about the history of the XXVII Book Lovers Society. Since 1993 Staniuliai were based in the current Kaunas Culture Center and then, several decades ago they moved across the street. And you can find about 10 thousand books there. The

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oldest is from 1677, in Latin. Lots of books, of course, are about Lithuania, including miniature ones! You can also find “additional” things here: paintings, coins, stamps, models, postcards. “A time will come, and we will sell everything,” Mr Vidmantas laughs. Although he notices that young people are reading less and less, therefore buying less as well. But both Staniulis’ love of books does not diminish because of that. Imagine this though – you purchase a book in that store and start reading it right there, on the steps of one of the most beautiful houses of Kaunas.

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Antique shop-gallery GK Gallery V. Putvinskio St. 42 The readers of our magazine should also remember Kęstutis Šafranavičius. We wrote about his Tartar origins and related activities in the May issue of 2018. And now, we wonder what collectors can find in this antique shop. First of all, they can buy tools for collecting: albums, sheets of paper, and anything else that you can slip and put things in and protect. They can also gain knowledge here because Mr Kęstutis is interested in many different fields (his greatest passion is notaphily, i.e. banknotes and well, he can talk about sports forever!) and has accumu4 2

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lated a lot of material, so he can advise, explain and direct you. He is not sure about the future of antique stores in general, agreeing that young people get less involved in it. But he notices that collections can be twofold – some collect, perhaps materially cheap things, but it is their work and health they invest that makes it valuable. Often it is related to a profession or a hobby of travelling. And others see a collection as an investment, and that is the whole other level that won’t go away. It will be inherited or donated to the state.

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Calendar STAGE Sunday, 07 05, 8 pm

Festival “Operetta at Kaunas Castle”: “Traviata”

Monday, 07 06, 8 pm

Festival “Operetta at Kaunas Castle”: Concert “Opera Pearls” Kaunas Castle amphitheatre

Kaunas Castle amphitheatre

Photo by the organisers

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Verdi’s 18th opera played a significant part in the Lithuanian history of the art. It was “Traviata” that was the first performance by the professional Lithuanian opera theatre, back in 1920. The exclusive open-air performance by Kaunas City Musical Theatre is dedicated to the centennial of Lithuanian opera.

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Dedicated to both the centennial of Lithuanian opera and Statehood day, the concert program will include various opera arias and duets performed by Lithuanian soloists.

More culture visit.kaunas.lt

Saturday, 07 18, 7 pm Sunday, 07 19, 7 pm

Summer program of the festival “New Baltic Dance”: PLI

Raudondvaris manor courtyard, Pilies takas 1, Raudondvaris, Kauno raj. Garliava neighbourhood park, Vytauto g. 132, Garliava, Kauno raj.

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from his Body as Object / Object as Body research blends elements of physical theatre, contemporary clown, dance and circus. The performance will first take place in Raudondvaris on Saturday and then travel to Garliava on Sunday. The international contemporary dance festival “New Baltic Dance” promises to come back to Kaunas district in August.

MUSIC Sunday, 07 05, 6 pm

Sutartinės concert “Tūto tūto, valijo”

Courtyard of Kaunas V. Kudirka Public Library, A. Mapu g. 18

Photo from the archive of PLI

PLI is a new project on the borderline between dance, circus and performance by Viktor Černický (Czech Republic). In this physical reflection of Leibniz’s philosophy, a single performer throws himself in action for the schizophrenic reconstruction of the Universe. Whether it is the architecture of space or design of our thoughts, PLI is confronting these fragile structures with endless human dynamics. In a strictly limited space and with 22 conference chairs, baroque robustness is replaced with spatial modesty, and material minimalism compensates for the heavy accumulation of motives. Viktor Černický is a multidisciplinary author and performer. His works, built

Atlikėjų archyvo nuotr.

Sutartinės is a syncretic art form based on interlinking polyphonic music, lyrics and movements. The meaning of the word ‘sutartinė’ is derived from a Lithuanian verb ‘sutarti’ which means ‘to be in accord’. Women usually sing Sutartinės – this occasion will be no exception. The concert dedicated to Statehood Day will be performed by ensemble “Trys keturiose” led by Daiva Vyčinienė

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Monday, 07 06, 4 pm

Carillon concert by Julius Vilnonis

Vytautas the Great War Museum garden, K. Donelaičio g. 64

Thursday, 07 09, 8 pm

Live: Free Finga

VMU Botanical garden, Ž. E. Žilibero g. 6

Maestro Julius Vilnonis will have the pleasure to play a special concert in the middle of the carillon season. The program will be dedicated to Statehood Day. Tuesday, 07 07, 20:00

Kaunas Cultural Centre (terrace), Vytauto pr. 79

Photo from the artist’s archive

Live: Kabloonak

Free Finga is a producer and songwriter from Vilnius. Also, a former child pop star, who writes songs to deal with personal dramas. The concert will be a memorable one, for sure – imagine contemporary urban rhythms surrounded by thousands of live plants and flowers.

Photo by Laura Jaraminaitė

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.

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More culture visit.kaunas.lt

Friday, 07 10, 9 pm

“Pakrantė LIVE”: Jurga Nemunas island

July

Sunday, 07 19, 7 pm

Pažaislis music festival: Opening concert Pažaislis monastery, T. Masiulio g. 31

Photos from the archives of the artists

Photo by Kipras Štreimikis

Lithuania’s iconic intellectual pop singer Jurga has just released her eponymous album – eight in her career, it’s also one of the most open and intimate ones. Jurga is bringing her new programme to Kaunas and will definitely add some of her best-known ballads. Sunday, 07 12 / 07 19, 17:00

Live music in parks Concert company Kauno Santaka is glad to announce the new season of music picnics in the parks of Kaunas. Kaunas big band will visit Kauko stairs fountain on July 12; Ąžuolynas brass band will perform in Kalniečiai parkas on July 19; Ainiai ensemble will sing in Dainava park on August 16.

The 25th Pažaislis Music Festival is happening this year, despite all the adversities that have shaken the world recently. Scheduled to be held more than a month later than usual, its opening concert of the festival will bring together the world-known Lithuanian artists: tenor Edgaras Montvidas, pianist Lukas Geniušas, the Kaunas State Choir and the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius. The program will include Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra and pieces by Richard Strauss, Kazimieras Viktoras Banaitis, Giacomo Puccini and Leonard Bernstein.

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Calendar Tuesday, 07 21, 20:00

Live: Planeta Polar

Kaunas Cultural Centre (terrace), Vytauto pr. 79 Parranda Polar was a band that brought cumbia rhythms from tropical Colombia to arctic Lithuania. Planeta Polar is pretty much the same people, but it’s “what they would like to be” musically. Even more emotions involved!

Sunday, 07 26, 7 pm

Pažaislio muzikos festivalis: „Pradžioje buvo“ Pažaislio vienuolynas, T. Masiulio g. 31

Thursday, 07 23, 8 pm

“Laukas” terrace, Nepriklausomybės a. 12

Photos from the archives of the artists

Live: BA.

As 2020 is the year of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, this event is dedicated to him – the first symphony of the classicist genius will be performed by the young family Anna and Lukas Geniušas together with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Adrija Čepait. Also in the programme – concerts for two pianos and orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach. Photo by DJ YUNG ŽIŽEK

One of the biggest indie acts of the decade released its most recent album H8 a year ago, and it’s still as good as new. The band’s gig in Kaunas means long queues and a forest of arms raised high.

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More culture visit.kaunas.lt

July

Friday, 07 24, 9 pm

Live: Freaks on Floor” “Adform Yard”, Rotušės a. 20

Thursday, 07 30, 7 pm

Pažaislio muzikos festivalis: „Music for a while“ Pažaislis monastery, T. Masiulio g. 31

Photo by Justė Urbonavičiūtė

For the past dozen of years, Freaks on Floor have been active in the fields of funk, grunge and hard rock. They have performed more than three hundred shows, have scored a handful of awards and have released five studio albums. Time to meet them face to face! Sunday, 07 26, 7 pm

Pažaislis music festival: “At first, there was…” Pažaislis monastery, T. Masiulio g. 31

Photo from the archive of the artist

Accordion mastermind Martynas Levickis and his chamber ensemble Mikroorkéstra will perform an inspiringly free music programme consisting of pieces by George Gershwin, Henry Purcell, Karl Jenkins, Yann Tiersen etc., rearranged and interpreted by the young artist and his company. Thursday, 07 30, 8 pm

Live: Solo Ansamblis “Laukas” terrace, Nepriklausomybės a. 12

Photo from the band’s archive

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Solo Ansamblis combines dance and emotion shattering moods, electronic sounds with live instruments, analogue synthesisers and digitally processed sound. It invites you to a trip within yourself, your mind and heart. The ever-growing audience named their style as ‘sad dance’.

From 07 03

“Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist”

Kaunas cinema centre “Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

CINEMA From 06 26

“Nova Lituania”

Since igniting the punk movement with ex-partner and Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren, Dame Vivienne Westwood has been redefining British fashion for over 40 years and is responsible for creating many of the most distinctive looks of recent time. Blending archival footage and insightful interviews a portrait emerges of Vivienne’s fascinating network of collaborators, taking viewers on her journey - from a childhood in postwar Derbyshire to the runways of Paris and Milan. Directed by Lorna Tucker.

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Kaunas cinema centre “Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

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1938. A new war looms on the horizon. Geographer Gruodis comes up with a creative solution to the situation: He proposes creating a “backup Lithuania” overseas, a place where the country’s inhabitants could move in case of danger… Working with carefully composed black-and-white shots, director Karolis Kaupinis recast the original idea by Kazys Pakštas into a gripping drama of a man trying to save his homeland and while facing the collapse of his marriage. Subtitled in English!

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From 07 17

“Unhinged”

Kaunas cinema centre “Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

From 07 10

July

“A Mermaid in Paris” (Une sirène à Paris)

Kaunas cinema centre “Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

Film still / Solstice Studios

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Academy Award winner Russell Crowe stars in the timely psychological thriller that explores the fragile balance of a society pushed to the edge, taking something we’ve all experienced – road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late to work when she has an altercation at a traffic light with a stranger (Crowe) whose life has left him feeling powerless and invisible.

The feature debut of Mathias Malzieu tells a story about Gaspard, a man who has gone through breakups and believes he has no more love to give. One day, he crosses paths with an injured mermaid, Lula, by the Seine in Paris and takes her home to heal in his bathtub, but learns that any man who falls in love with her dies. Don’t worry, it’s a comedy.

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From 07 17

“Oleg”

Kaunas cinema centre “Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

The exhibition presents 75 artworks by Samuel Bak created from 1946 to 2007, which are part of the collection of the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History. The exhibition is dedicated to the year of the Vilna Gaon and Lithuanian Jewish History, celebrated in 2020. An exhibition of Samuel Bak’s artworks of this scale is represented in Kaunas for the first time. 06 10 – 08 16

A young Latvian butcher travels to Brussels in search of a better wage, but a series of misfortunes lead him to a life of crime. Based on a true story and directed by Juris Kursietis (Latvia).

Exhibition “Textile and us” Kaunas Picture Gallery, K. Donelaičio g. 16

EXHIBITIONS

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06 06 – 09 13

Exhibition “Key to the Childhood City” Kaunas Picture Gallery, K. Donelaičio g. 16

Artwork by Ernesta Dikinytė

This exhibition represents artworks by textile artists working at the Vilnius Academy of Arts Kaunas Faculty and the final works of their graduates. The structure of the exhibition is based on the idea of comparing the creative works of the teacher and the student. The relationship between the works is diverse: sometimes the thoughts of the leaders are extended, sometimes Samuel Bak “Sound of Blues”

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they are strictly denied. In both cases, the teaching artists patiently cultivate new creative personalities. This exhibition represents the artworks of famous artists and teachers, among them – Laima Oržekauskienė-Ore, Lina Jonikė, Monika Žaltauskaitė-Grašienė, Jūratė Petruškevičienė, Loreta Švaikauskienė. The young generation of textile artists is represented by Ernesta Dikinytė, Asta Puidokaitė, Edita Tamulaitytė, Giedrė Antanavičienė, Viktorija Berezniova, Meda Vitartaitė, Vaiva Strimaitytė, Donata Jutkienė, Odeta Liutvinaitė, Karolina Veissenborn.

06 18 – 09 20

July

Jubilee retrospective exhibition of ceramicist V. Miknevičius

A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations and Collections Museum, V. Putvinskio g. 64

06 18 – 07 26

Exhibition by Vytautas Dubauskas “Dozė” (Dose) Kaunas Picture Gallery, K. Donelaičio g. 16

Picture by the gallery

Vytautas Dubauskas (b. 1958 m) was part of the innovative Angis painting movement back in the 1990s. The artist who was born in Šiauliai, studied in Kaunas and currently resides in Vilnius, states he loves our city. So, he decided to bring his works of the last four years and dedicate the exhibition to his former schoolmates and teachers.

Photo by the museum

Vaclovas Miknevičius (1910–1989) is well known as one of the most significant representatives of Lithuanian professional ceramics. Throughout his life, the artist was especially productive: he created numerous samples for serial mass production, unique exhibits, and large monumental objects. The artist had distinguished himself as an organiser of the ceramics industry in Lithuania, a tireless inventor, brilliant technologist. Alongside, he had devoted the rest of his time to educational and social activities. Art historians divide the artist’s creative development into three stages. The first (1933–1958) is characteristic of the influence of Lithuanian folk pottery, its forms and national ornaments. The second phase (1958–1970) distinguishes for

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modern design, modest but stylised décor and expressive textures relevant to vases and sets. The third stage began in 1970 and continued until 1989. I this period the artist set to monumental architectural and sculptural ceramic works.

06 20 – 11 14

Exhibition “Petras Kalpokas (1880–1945) and Environment” National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art, V. Putvinskio g. 55

06 18 – 07 19

Photography exhibition by Andrius Repšys “4 sq. m. of Freedom”

Kaunas Gallery, Vilniaus g. 2

Petras Kalpokas. ve1920s. Kaunas Town Hall Square, Church of Francis the Xavier.

Photo by Andrius Repšys

Nominated in this year’s Lithuanian Press Photography awards, the project opens up the small isolated worlds scattered around Lithuania–jails–andrevealstheeveryday lives of their residents – prisoners. The author partly created the intimate worlds – he hid or changed faces, tattoos and other attributes that would allow the people to be recognised. Repšys states it’s a social photography project inviting young people to think about where crime could bring them.

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Petras Kalpokas (1880–1945) was one of the most outstanding and productive Lithuanian painters, scenography artists and fresco authors of the first half of the 20th century was acknowledged not only in Lithuania, but his creation was also well known in Germany and Latvia. Professor P. Kalpokas taught and headed the painting studio at Kaunas Art School. In the years of the First World War P. Kalpokas lost all of his works – 120 paintings during their transportation from his exhibition in Mitau (Latvia) to Berlin. In 1937, Vytautas the

Great Culture Museum succeeded to purchase 16 of them from a private German collector H. Lüder-Lühr. This exhibition for the first time presents the whole oeuvre of P. Kalpokas; besides, it is supplemented by a significant number of lost paintings which have been returned to Lithuania by private persons, mostly by the owners in other countries. Visitors are provided with the exceptional opportunity to acquaint with the most significant early period of P. Kalpokas’ creation, the paintings that brought him fame abroad and cognise the extraordinary talents of the painter in his youth.

MORE A Lyga: FC Žalgiris Kaunas – FC Banga Gargždai “SM Tauras“ stadium, Neries krantinė 7b One of the youngest teams in the top division of professional football in Lithuania is doing very well after the renewal of the championship earlier this summer. Come and see how Žalgiris does facing Banga, a club from West Lithuania that has a rich history but has only recently made it back to A Lyga. The game will be held in a cosy stadium by the river Neris.

July Thursday, 07 16, 20:30

Performative poetry reading “Ribos” (Limits) Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

The event aims to connect music, poetry and experimental cinema. The keywords of the night could be darkness, black humour and absurd. Expect dramatical tragedies and miniatures by Daniil Charms. Also, expect to merge with the texts, ambient music and cinema. Languages may vary. Wednesday, 07 28, 7 pm

Slam #PoezijosPavasaris Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

“Poetry Spring” is a poetry festival held since 1956. This year, its events have been postponed to July and August because of the pandemics. On occasion, Kaunas Artists’ House invites you to a celebratory poetry slam event, which might be a little bit more poetic than usual. Still, it will remain faithful to the definition of slam poetry.

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pilnas.kaunas.lt

“I pick up what’s lying around. I’d always pick things up, bring them home, fix them. <...> I was never ashamed to dig around in dust or rubbish because people often throw out a valuable item without realizing that.”

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Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

Editorial office:

Ričardas Venckus (1941–2015) Collector of books, postcards and press, founder of Lithuania’s first printing museum (in the premises of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences), member of Lithuanian Union of Journalists and XXVII Book Lovers Society

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

Authors: Artūras Bulota, Arvydas Čiukšys, Austėja Banytė, Dainius Ščiuka, Emilija Visockaitė, Julija Račiūnaitė, Kęstutis Lingys, Kotryna Lingienė, Lukas Mykolaitis, Paulius Tautvydas Laurinaitis, Rita Dočkuvienė, Ugnė Vedeckytė

Patrons:

KAUNO MIESTO SAVIVALDYBĖ

RUN: 500 10 COPIES TIRAŽAS 000 EGZ.

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

ISSN 2424-4465

Leidžia: Publisher:

2020 2017No. Nr. 72 (59) (18)