KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE MAY 2019

KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE

Poets

Illustration by Ieva Trinkūnaitė

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Poetry Spring in Kaunas Milk Factory in 1987. From the left: Vladas Braziūnas, Algimantas Mikuta, Marcelijus Martinaitis, Juozas Nekrošius, Laimonas Noreika. Picture by Ona Pajėdaitė

“Kaunas, as a city with a unique idea of beauty, has poetry which continues to remind a modern man of what our ancestors appreciated a century ago - the aesthetic function of language. It is this kind of memory that allows us to believe that so far in Kaunas part of the events of reality, phenomena and texts are born because of beauty and not due to management of production plans and goals,” literary scholar Ramūnas Čičelis recently wrote in Kauno diena, the daily newspaper of Kaunas, on March 8.

His thought could be the perfect final word of this issue - after all, you find the quotes on the fourth cover. However, the May issue is not at all about plans or goals.

Cheers to poetry Ultimately, spring is about poetry. We will admit, the old-timers of Lithuanian Writers’ Union Kaunas branch told us off when we knocked on their door with a request to tell us some stories about Poetry Spring.

They scolded us because it’s the oldest event in Kaunas and we have only just thought of that now. But that is how it goes: the existence of self-evident things starts to raise questions only when it stops. But not this time! After such an acquaintance (that await you after a few pages) we would never allow the Poetry Spring to end.

We use this occasion to congratulate the 2019 Poetry Spring winner

Marius Burokas, who, by the way, declared in his latest column in IQ Life magazine that “poetry is returning with a bang.” This issue’s interviewees are not even sure if it had ever gone out of sight. We did not look for poetry on paper or in the seasons only. Uniform block apartments (like the literary clichés), the disassembled rides at the Vytautas Park, the impenetrable Jurgis Mačiūnas Square, the trolleybuses that forget to retire, crowded classrooms, poetry in an unwritten word, in motion.

After all this, it seems that it is not Kaunas that is full of poetry, but the poetry itself is full of Kaunas.

Forever.

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Unwritable and unrepeatable

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“There are only a few sign language poets in Lithuania,” says Kaunas resident Arnoldas Matulis (he is celebrating his 30th birthday on the date of this issue’s release, congratulations!). The representative of the Lithuanian Deaf Youth Association remembers that this subculture came to Lithuania (was brought by foreigners) maybe a decade ago but hasn’t transcended the margins of the niche yet. And that is because there is a lack of teachers who could clarify the rules of the 'game' or indeed the whole art of poetic movement.

Arnoldas, one of the few sign language poets, has led the workshop in a deaf children’s camp. Everybody liked it and tried it out willingly, but so far, the new sign language poets’ generation does not seem to be growing. But it could, couldn’t it? For example, in Germany, the scene is very strong, and a few years ago Britain held the first sign language slam championship.

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Gunars Bakšejevs Photos by Lukas Mykolaitis

Sign language poetry cannot be written down on a sheet of paper or translated to Lithuanian. You can film it or, well, photograph it, as Lukas Mykolaitis did at the Kaunas Artists’ House. With the help of Arnoldas’ colleague Loreta Veličkaitė, a sign language interpreter, he kept asking to repeat the poem about an eagle and its prey. The poem is shorter than a minute, but after the first few attempts, Arnoldas said he was already getting warm. All that due to physical movements as well as emotions. Although the poet doesn't hide that he likes to appear before the audience (that is one of the reasons 4

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why he’s a poet), he still gets fluttered, even if the audience is small.

While talking and observing the poem that appeared somewhat different each time, a question arose: can one perform another person’s sign language poetry? “That would be a copy,” Arnoldas says. So, no reciting competitions, only people’s own work, and their own polished signs. And to convey one word or action, quite often more than one sign is available.

Arnoldas usually prepares for the performance of one poem for about two weeks!

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“I worked in the Writer’s Union, I was young and wanted to have fun…” Justinas Marcinkevičius, the first laureate of the Poetry Spring as well as the founder of this oldest event in Kaunas (taking place since 1965) once said. He told this to Petras Palilionis who hasn’t yet missed a single “spring-like open sowing of poetry.” This wreath of words was created

by P. Palilionis himself in a publication …Pradžioje buvo poetai…(At the beginning there were poets). There has been and still is so much to tell about this cultural phenomenon which has spread not only in Lithuania but also in the areas around the world densely populated by Lithuanians.

The spring-like open sowing of poetry Kotryna Lingienė

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The laureate of Poetry Spring 1989 Bernardas Brazdžionis and Petras Palilionis. Photo from the archives of Petras Palilionis

But how to start? Here, we received much help from Milda Kiaušaitė, the consultant of Lithuanian Writers’ Union Kaunas branch (LRS KS). She invited four personalities - without whom Poetry Spring would not have been the same - to a room at the Kaunas Artists’ House that looks more like a living room than an office.

So then, let’s get acquainted: Petras Palilionis, 1980 Winner of the Poetry Spring, chairman of Kaunas Art Creators’ Association, inventor of the library of Poetry Spring winners and project manager; 1989 - 2009 chairman of LRS KS and the organiser of Poetry Spring, member of the LRS KS council. Aldona Ruseckaitė served as a director of Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum for several decades which is closely affiliated with the Poetry Spring in Kaunas, member of the LRS KS council and member of LRS directorate.

Vida Jasaitytė, an employee of the culture department at the Kaunas

municipality, who has contributed a lot to the organisation of Poetry Spring events. Poet Tautvyda Marcinkevičiūtė, the 2013 winner of the Poetry Spring.

This festival is an annual series of larger and smaller events that culminate with a Poetry Spring laureate award ceremony. And though, as my interviewees admit, the younger LRS members often tend to criticise traditions and even the oak wreaths, no one else has offered anything more solemn so far. “Sometimes we wish to change things as if we’d want to change Christmas or Easter. We are irritated by traditions that are already vanishing, and it is not that hard to sit them through,” A. Ruseckaitė smiles. Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum started hosting the main Poetry

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Spring event after the restoration of independence. Until then, for many years the winners were announced in Palemonas near Salomėja Nėris home. The 20th anniversary of this poet’s death coincided with the first Poetry Spring. And people continue to ask when will the spring return to Palemonas.

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Aldona Ruseckaitė and the laureate of Poetry Spring 1989 Bernardas Brazdžionis.

Photo from the archives of Aldona Ruseckaitė.

There were several reasons for the transformation, some of them ideological. But there were also earthy reasons, for example, an economically challenging time for Lithuania, when it was even hard to book buses.

In addition to that P. Palilionis remembers, “When my life got linked to the Poetry Spring, the stage and the fence was broken each year in Palemonas, and we had to fix it before the event. Finally, it wasn’t worth organising it there.”

After transferring the remains of S. Nėris from the War Museum garden to Petrašiūnai Cemetery, there was an attempt to move the major events near Kaunas Castle. The open space didn’t fulfil the expectations: there was too much noise and nowhere to gather. In 1996, when Kornelijus Platelis was being awarded, there was a se-

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vere rainfall, and the crowd hurried to find shelter in Maironis Museum.

After that, people return there every year. And although A. Ruseckaitė has not been in charge of the museum since this spring, she is convinced that the event will be worthy of its name. P. Palilionis immediately starts praising the writer and Vida Jasaitytė (even promises her a wreath of the Poetry Spring) for all the hard work (invisible to most) the women did every year in preparation for the festival. “Oh, it is not that difficult - you make a wreath, arrange the chairs. You will see that things will turn out fine this year, even though Aldona will not be present,” the writer laughs. By the way, she has recently published a book about Salomėja Nėris Padai pilni vinių (Feet full of nails). A. Ruseckaitė, who often travels to the book presentation events in Lithuania, notes that the audience of Poetry Spring is changing, “I was in Anykščiai recently. This year, the event will not take place there because it doesn’t attract the audience.”

When we start talking about festivals and the necessity of poetry in the market-oriented society,

1989 was one of the most memorable years for both Poetry Spring and the whole country. It was the year that Bernardas Brazdžionis - who came back to Lithuania for the occasion with the entire family - was awarded the first prize. P. Palilionis recalls that at first communication was not easy because Brazdžionis refused to perform the traditional act - the honouring of S. Nėris. P. Palilionis who was the first-time organiser of the festival had to suddenly come up with a new plan so that no one would get offended. He did come up with something that worked. By the way, Brazdžionis was guarded by Sąjūdis (the Reform Movement of Lithuania) security volunteers called ‘greenbands’.

Quite recently, P. Palilionis has published his correspondence Brazdžionis (only 50 copies) that allows us to analyse the change in communication.

Publishing is a great passion for the Poetry Spring veteran. Each year the festival is welcomed with the almanac containing the works of the best poets (T. Marcinkevičiūtė notes that it is essential to read it for a few weeks after the end of the festival in order to feel the pulse of the poetry and also discover yourself in it), and it is seen off with ’vaidilutės’ - small books containing the laureates’ works (idea developed by P. Palilionis. Kaunas Art Creators’ Association has already published a 31 of them, and this year there will be two more.

The laureate of the Poetry Spring is usually selected based on their last year’s work. Of course, there are some who are awarded for their lifetime achievements, for example, Tomas Venclova, who was welcomed at the VMU Great hall (Maironis Museum was being repaired). The procedure has changed several times. For example, Lithuanian Writers’ Union Kaunas branch used to select the winners from the candidates suggested by the Vilnius branch. Now, the nominees are judged by the winners of the last five years. Tautvyda Marcinkevičiūtė has just finished her term. She says that she was never disappointed with her choice and the opinions on who is the best usually don’t conflict.

Although it was consistently sunny, the motif of the afternoon was rain.

Whenever we started talking about a more memorable event, the story would end with rain! This year it is much awaited in Lithuania. So much, in fact, that it would not ruin the award ceremony but would instead become a much-needed symbol of rebirth. So, do you think it will rain on May 24 in Maironis’ garden?

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T. Marcinkevičiūtė brings some positive aspects to the conversation. “It is the only thing that unites the whole country. None other reaches so far back, nor has such deep roots. Each time we wait for it feeling a bit anxious about which poem to read and how it will be met by the audience. The connection with the listener is necessary. The heart trembles all the time.”

M. Kiaušaitė adds that in addition to the need, the form is also changing, “I don’t agree with the claim that there are no people who would be into arts and humanities, or that the poetic word has disappeared. Just look at the crowds that bard festivals attract.

Poetry has affected and continues to affect various people. During the same Poetry Spring we associate with actors, they visit the festival, read and sing.

This year, an exhibition The Coexistence of Muses will be held for the third time. Poetry correlates perfectly with sculpture, painting, and photography.

It seems to me that litterateurs aren’t meddling with public relations, they are not willing to advertise themselves; they choose to create and hope that someone will discover and read their work.”

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“I was too lazy to write and loved to talk”

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Slam (or poetry slam) is a platform for expressive spoken word poetry that emerged in the US three decades ago as an alternative to academic literary readings. Slam readings have clearly defined rules that turn the passive audience into an active participant determining the course of events, and it also brings into readings elements of battle, sports, court, and party. Domas Raibys started organising first regular poetry slam events in Lithuania in 2010 at the Fluxus Ministry in Vilnius and brought them to Kaunas in 2013.

In 2017 slam settled in Kaunas Artists’ House.

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Julija Račiūnaitė Photo by Inga Navickaitė

After that, the regular event in Kaunas continues to attract its audience. This report took place, a couple of years later (April 16, 2019) during one of the many slam events.

After entering the building, I was met by a crowd of many very young people. It seemed that a few odd thirty-year-olds might be offered a seat at any time. The ones who did

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not fit were looking for a place on the stairs, windowsills or wooden floor spots outside the main hall where they spent several hours listening to the event. According to witnesses, even a fire alarm that was set off by an electronic cigarette once was not a good enough reason to leave the poetry slam premises.

Vėlesnysis „Tresto“ periodas. Autorius nežinomas.

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Asta Volungė (Cultural activity manager-educator at the Artists’ House) claims that slam in Kaunas is a unique phenomenon, “It is unique because, in comparison to other cultural events in Kaunas, poetry slam always attracts many people, and many of them are very young and enthusiastic. On the other hand, we also have someone from an older generation - Povilas (Povilas Venta Kuprys), today’s winner and finalist who we are very proud of. However, currently, he is the only active participant of his age group. As far as I know, in Vilnius, the audience is a bit older, and probably also judges the authors more strictly than the audience in Kaunas.”

Domas Raibys, one of the pioneers of slam in Lithuania also compares the different audiences of the big cities, “The main difference between Vilnius and Kaunas (although in one of them slam has been going on for a much longer period) are the first participants. In Vilnius, most of the performers have already created something in other art fields, and in Kaunas, on the contrary, for many, these are the first creative steps. Both beginnings have their pros and cons.”

The event series that have been taking place in Kaunas for 3 years now is evolving slowly. The expression of performers is becoming more diverse, more enthusiasts of the genre appear, adapting slam elements to different initiatives, connections with other countries’ slam poets are made and also everyone is invited to run for the job of the host. “After Domas - the regular host of slam - has left Lithuania there was an idea to allow different slammers to host the event. We agree with each host that they will add their own oeuvre to the program: poems, jokes, stand up elements - anything they like. Essentially, this is how we seek to reveal the

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And in serious readings, ladies clap for you and that’s it - there is no play.

diversity of the genre to the audience.

So far, most of the hosts have been slammers from Vilnius, who already have a lot of experience as participants, winners or hosts. It is nice that Darija Lyzenko who hosted today’s event wonderfully is the first girl to host a slam event. By the way, all who wish to try themselves out as a host are very welcome to nominate themselves! ...In my opinion, self-critical poetry that was dominant at the beginning of Kaunas slams is slowly changing, becoming more diverse, bolder and funnier.” (Asta Volungė) Domas Raibys summarises the predictions about slam’s future in Lithuania, “In slam, just like in life, you often have to choose between long and boring or short and fun.”

Now back to the event that took place on April 16. There were two finalists that day - Jovaras Kelpšas and Povilas Venta Kuprys. When the audience could not decide who should be called the winner, Povilas handed over the first place to Jovaras. Both authors share their love for Edgar Allan Poe’s work, but they encountered slam in different circumstances.

According to the Šiauliai-born Jovaras Kelpšas, who is studying philology in Kaunas, the same poem can acquire a completely different form on the stage and on paper, “Sound, the performer’s facial expressions, body language, and ingenuity are essential in slam. Therefore, a poem made for a more silent reading could really gain a completely different form, more respectful of literary rules. In fact, at school, I first started writing lyric poetry. It seemed to me that one should follow certain canons: rhythm, poetics. Later, after joining the university, I understood I wanted more freedom and then started writing free verse poems. Finally, I heard about slam events, and I believe that my texts truly evolved here. The lyrics disappeared, stand up elements increased and I started to enjoy making the audience laugh.”

The slam’s format ensures a close encounter between the poet and the audience. During each event volunteers from the audience evaluate the participants in a ten-point system.

Each author has his/her own arguments for choosing slam instead of

a seemingly more moderate relationship with the audience that is expected in more traditional poetry reading events or when one decides not to transcend the pages of a book.

“I was too lazy to write, I liked to talk.” (Domas Raibys) “Maybe it is even related to exhibitionism? I want to reveal myself to the public, to tell them something important. After receiving a strong reaction from people, I gain energy and inspiration. By the way, I have participated in the Poetry Spring - I was reading a Lithuanian translation of my Norwegian colleague’s poetry.

The event has left a good impression on me, but being a poet is too official for me; besides, it draws an audience which is more of my age, and I like to communicate with students, youth. It is exactly because of the young audience that slam is playful and stylish. In addition to that, it features give and take sort of dialogue or a dispute with young people. And in serious readings, ladies clap for you and that’s it - there is no play.”

(Povilas Venta Kuprys) “As Povilas said, in slam, a relationship with the audience is of utmost importance, it is essential to get a response. They either like you or don’t but when you receive a clear reaction you calm down because you understand that people were touched by what you’re doing. I feel that if I had to be a bit stricter with myself and go to read poetry to a more traditional event, I would be afraid to lose my informality. I will have to participate in Maironis Museum poetry readings maybe something will come out of it.” (Jovaras Kelpšas) Would you like to participate? The closest slam in Kaunas is scheduled for May 25th at the Kaunas Artists’ House.

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“Povilas Venta Kuprys is my poetic name. I spent 40 years working in front of the living people, I taught maybe at five universities, did some work in politics, and spent five years in Brussels. I published my first poetry book The First Kiss of the Sun when I turned 60. About a year ago I started observing slam and later decided to participate. In my opinion, not all poetry can be considered slam and not every slam is poetry. I have created a slam niche in my work.

Sometimes I write a poem, and if I want to use it for a slam, then I add some features common to it because it is equally important in this genre what you say and how you say it. Part of my second poetry book will probably be called “Slam poetry.”

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“I was pleasantly surprised that so many poets live in Šilainiai. Both older and young.” This is what artist Evelina Šimkutė told our magazine in 2016. She is the head of the experimental zone Šilainiai Project, who, in the same year, gathered the poets of Šilainiai for public poetry reading in this neighbourhood. Among the yards of apartment blocks, in their sandboxes and playgrounds, around concrete constructions, first young creative attempts were observed publicly including poems worthy of more than one book.

And last year, Pož(i)eminiai skaitymai (Underground readings) moved to the 8th fort of Kaunas with poetry readings at night. The event, literally, took place underground, 50 meters deep. Later, poetry continued to spread further around fortifications of the past together with Baterija festival.

The readings in unexpected spaces introduced Šilainiai residents with local and foreign poets.

The guests were presented with the intimate geography of the district. Yet others were impelled to learn that poetry has been going on in this neighbourhood - and some of it - for a long time.

Poetry in Šilainiai: unexpected discoveries Vaida Stepanovaitė Photos by Lukas Mykolaitis

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Long-lived poetry of Šilainiai The community of poets has been living and creating in Šilainiai for decades. Not as a one-way group of people but as a multifaceted, changing, phenomenon that is being created by long-standing or completely fresh interpersonal relationships.

Some poets have been living in Šilainiai since the time the construction workers started building the new neighbourhood, working tirelessly in three shifts; when it was connected to the city centre by only one bus line and when people had to wade through dirt because there were no pavements. This was the Šilainiai that poet Julija Augustauskienė–Rudenė and after a few years, around 1988, poet Zenė Sadauskaitė moved into. These poets are connected by many ties that are strengthened in collective readings - by organising them, reciting, and also by publishing, as they say, ‘little books.’ Such independently published form of creation that fits into a pocket or a handbag has become one of the independent ways of expression for writers. After all, both poets have been members of the Lithuanian Independent Writers’ Union for a long time, along with several other literary Šilainiai residents. The union brings together writers of various professions, whose speciality, for example, J. Augustauskienė-Rudenė’s - leather

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technology engineer - does not interfere with her literary work.

Quite the opposite: J. Augustauskienė-Rudenė is known by the local community as one of the most active organisers of cultural events. Each season, traditional poetry events draw large audiences to the local library. Lūpose pražysta žodis MAMA (A word mother blooms on the lips) is dedicated to Mother’s Day and Kur skubi mano vasara (Why in such a hurry, my summer?) that takes place in the summer and also features the performance of Šilainiai ensemble Slaunos su škarpetkutėm represented by the organiser. Pedagogue Z. Sadauskaitė whose name you will often see next to Julija’s has published 58 books, over 600 songs and is an author of six Lithuanian literary records. She had brought one of the trophies out to her yard in Šilainiai, which had become the poetry stop during Šilainiai Project.

The so-called ‘little book’, in this case, a selection of poems, was acquired by Šilainiai female poets’ club Auksinės rožės (Golden roses) in 2016. Active writers, including J. Augustauskienė-Rudenė and poet Zenė Sadauskaitė were inspired for joint activity by a now-deceased famous cartoonist from Šilainiai, Algirdas Radavičius who illustrated this publication of Golden Roses. The club, which is run together with Kaunas

Šilainiai Community Center shared their work not only in the well-known local subdivision of Vincas Kudirka public library. In the absence of a permanent space to welcome the audience of the centre mentioned above, poetry readings sometimes took place at the home of one of the Šilainiai poets - an environment where, having a cup of tea, most of the ideas are born ‘from below’, a frequent need emphasized by E. Šimkutė.

During the conversation with the poets and E. Šimkutė in one of the cafes of Šilainiai, they had the idea to repeat the poetic walk, only this time it was supposed to take place in the underground passage of the neighbourhood. In addition to the traditional poetry events organised

by J. Augustauskienė-Rudenė, it was decided to invite poets of different generations to a different kind of event - to try out the recitation in the twilight of the small architecture symbol of Šilainiai in early summer.

Poems after the winter and under the ground Huge apartment blocks built in Šilainiai during the Soviet occupation and tsarist military architecture in Kaunas are connected not only geographically. There was poetry - and not only readings - in yards of block apartments and underground premises of the fort. The 8th fort of Kaunas Fortress has a unique history. The building never entirely performed its military function.

Saulius Vasiliauskas, the doctoral student from Contemporary Literature Department at the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, author and journalist chose the aforementioned 8th fort of Kaunas for the Underground readings. The peaceful fort of these annual readings has be-

come a part of an unexpected poetic history of Šilainiai, which, until now had been taking place in the cellars of Vilnius churches, palaces, manors or bars. A popular event presented the texts and voices of young and advanced poets and litterateurs from Šilainiai, Kaunas, and Vilnius.

Just like the upcoming poetic stroll in Šilainiai, a current initiative of S. Vasiliauskas tries to ‘catch’ the passing season through a public reading. Descending to an old dungeon, S. Vasiliauskas summons all that was thought out and written during the winter and presents it to the live audience. It is one of the best critics, albeit sometimes its physical endurance is tested under the vaults of the fort or long walks in the block apartment yards.

It seems that the 7th Underground readings started a new tradition of providing a peaceful balance to (even if symbolically) militarised past of Šilainiai through public poetry reading. Whether it was the 8th fort of Kaunas in the spring or the nearby fortifications of Linkuva in the autumn (both led by Egidijus Bagdonas) young poets were spreading their verses in the cold darkness.

—— The poetic side of Šilainiai has always been out there. News about the most active members of community spreading by word of mouth, or recently, through big slogans and the most uncomfortable yet extremely interesting places for reading your literary work. Here, poetry is not only an individual creative expression but also a geographic point, acquaintances made with neighbours, reconciliation between generations mostly happening through unexpected discoveries.

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I met Adrian Pedrazas Profumo from Barcelona entirely by accident in the famous underground passage connecting the Old Town and downtown Kaunas. He was part of a Scandinavian days workshop conducted by the Kaunas city municipality and Fluxus Labs program of Kaunas 2022, and I was invited to review the workshop.

After exchanging a couple of sentences, I found out Adrian, now 26, is not only an Erasmus architecture student in Kaunas University of Technology, but also a photographer, an illustrator, and a poet. I could not ask more for the poetry issue of Kaunas Full of Culture, could I?

Rhyming architecture Kotryna LingienÄ— Photo by Donatas StankeviÄ?ius

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I write for someone, as a present for people I love.

Adrian, how did you find out about the workshop?

I joined another Kaunas 2022 event one just before the Scandinavian days - it was Cafe du Monde, a storytelling workshop. I went there because I was invited by a close friend of mine - she's from Kaunas but is currently studying in Paris. She always recommends articles to read, things to do and events to attend.

This was one of them! I met this friend the second day I arrived here.

Why did you decide to study architecture?

I had my doubts, even though I knew I wanted to be an architect since I was a little kid when I constructed toy castles. I also did ceramics and painting since I was quite young. Architecture for me was a mixture of art and science, even though I didn't really like the technical part, but I

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realised it would be useful for me. So, after school, I applied to a few different subjects, including architecture, graphic design and fine arts. I got into architecture, but now I kind of regret it. The knowledge, of course, incredibly useful, but it's a continuing sacrifice. It's now my ninth year in architecture studies.

Did other fields of art interfere in your studies? Photography, maybe?

My aunt bought me a camera for Christmas during my first year at university, and I started using it. During my second year, I got pretty close with my drawing teacher, and she really liked my photographs, so we started working together on an enterprise for private lessons on various subjects of art. It was tricky because studying architecture requires a lot of time and dedication. For one year,

Centrinis Vekšės parkas.

Mats Samuelsson nuotr.

... and how did you end up in Kaunas for your Erasmus? Was Lithuania your top choice?

Kaunas was my choice because of the country and the city itself, not because of the studies. KTU is quite different from Barcelona, it's quite technical, and back home we are more artistic. I was also thinking about Glasgow because of school.

The Glasgow school of arts also has excellent photography and graphic design departments, and you can study it all. But Glasgow was a halfyear offer, instead of one year in Kaunas. Also, Lithuania is much cheaper than Scotland.

Moreover, I'm really close with one teacher in my faculty, who is a physics lecturer. He's the kind of person you want to hug! And he's also a coordinator of Lithuania as an Erasmus destination, so I knew a little bit about your country because of him.

How did you imagine Kaunas before coming here?

Like this, actually. Something in the middle of everything. Not a city with a strongly expressed personality maybe it has one, but it's difficult to find. But I really like it there. I needed this. It's actually the first time I am in another country for such a long time. I enjoy exploring the different neighbourhoods of Kaunas.

Many people don't advise me to go there because of aesthetic reasons, but it's very subjective.

Which part of Kaunas is the most photogenic for you?

Putvinskio street. It's unique from the architectural point of view. I love the many stairs leading from the centre, too. You know, in fact, I

am currently making a short film about my stay here. It is telling about my feelings before coming here, while living in Kaunas, and before leaving. It's quite poetic.

Poetry was the reason we met!

What kind of poet are you?

I mix the written and visual forms of poetry. My illustrations are not only illustrating the poems but also part of them. I write in Spanish, sometimes even in English. Usually, I write for someone, as a present for people I love. Sometimes, I write for myself. The topics I cover are quite universal. I often write about what's surrounding me and what I feel. For a long time, I didn't know if I was able to write, but I started because I was struggling with personal issues. Now, I kind of continue this habit. I relate my feelings to the way I behave and relate myself with people I meet here. Architecture, too. In fact, the poetic expression of architecture criticism is quite an exciting field. Take, for example, the works of the Japanese writer Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. It's not poetry, but it's very poetic.

What can you tell us about Spanish poetry? What about the contemporary poetry scene in Barcelona?

Well, I usually read unknown poets. For the last five years, I was very much into classical poetry, but now I prefer opening books without any prior knowledge about the contents. In Barcelona, I often go to a bar called "Cronopios", like the fictional personalities created by Julio Cortázar. The place is dedicated to slam poetry and live music, which is always connected to poetry in one way or another. In fact, this bar dragged me deeper into poetry, from writing as a therapy to writing because I want to write.

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I photographed for free. Then I got some paid jobs, more and more, so I took a break from my studies.

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Medinis daugiabutis. Mats Samuelsson nuotr.

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“Am I raising you or are you raising me?”

Irena Buckley, literary scholar and a professor at the Department of Lithuanian Studies at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), answers my question by posing a similar one to her students. Creative group Declamationes established by her a few years ago meets on Wednesdays. The members explore classic texts and think of ways to make them and eternal truths encoded in them relevant today. They present their ideas in various events that take part in the university outside its limits.

Mačernis is dead, long live Mačernis!

Kotryna Lingienė Photos by Teodoras Biliūnas

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Almost all the students were lured to Declamationes in a rhetoric course taught by Professor Irena Buckley.

When asked what she gets from the ‘after class’ communication with young people, the academic assured that she feels the same joy as she experiences when teaching in class.

And also, such groups are part of the studies. Indeed, VMU is a full-spectrum university where studies are not just studies. Programmer, philosopher, sociologist, biotechnologist, historians, philologists, and future new media specialists are all like-minded people, discovering in the group not only food for thought and soul but also the joys of friendship. Some were led to Declamationes by their search for like-minded people, others because of professor’s authority, and yet others by a sincere desire to learn more about historical personalities, known (or rather almost unknown) only from textbooks or monuments.

Before the group’s rehearsal, we also had time to talk about monuments, a topic always relevant when it comes to discussing the modern society and its needs. I tried to provoke by saying that the creative group looking for new ways to present classic works is also kind of building monuments.

However, we all sort of agreed with Pushkin’s thought that a monument is a creation and Declamationes only removes the dust from it. But maybe it’s just modesty? It seems to me - someone who bid farewell to, say, Vytautas Mačernis, a well-known Lithuanian poet who died very young, during the high school exit exams that the group is doing a lot.

“It was interesting to see how we could make his poetry sound different, how it could be illustrated with acoustic or visual means,” Milda Gineikaitė, one of the old-timers of Declamationes, remembers literary breakfast with

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Mačernis organised some time ago.

The students resurrected the texts of forever young Mačernis through sung poetry, a currently very popular thing in Lithuania. The poet’s work in the context of his life was presented to everyone participating in the breakfast by Aldona Ruseckaitė, author of the biographical novel Dūžtančios formos (Scattering forms) about Mačernis. By the way, the group chose a small classroom for this event, but eventually, they needed to bring more chairs and still not all the university students, school pupils and seniors were able to fit.

The members of Declamationes claim that they don’t seek to look at the text pragmatically as if they were hoping to find eternal truths by reading it. They view the works academically. For students, the texts represent historical periods acting in their own contexts. “We try to understand how a classic work could be approached today and how these contexts can interact.” And what makes a text classic? “Classic literature, in addition to carrying universal values, must have another component characteristic of the time in which the work was born.”

Texts for the group are often recommended by Professor I. Buckley, and then students look for a personal relationship with them. Declamationes had a talk with Donaldas Kajokas, who might be too young to be considered a classic, but after discussing, a connection was also discovered.

Gently encouraged, my new acquaintances, open up: I find out they even devote time to visit future university students in other parts of Lithuania.

For example, in Papilė, they wondered whether the pupils sensed that they live in the town of Simonas Daukantas, a writer, historian and one of the pioneers of the Lithuanian National Revival. The kids said they do! Perhaps

because they are thinking about the future of their group, Declamationes are organising the national young reciters’ competition together with VMU Faculty of Humanities.

Another activity they engage in is the event series Kaunas: The Present of History. The active participants of the event also include older Kaunas residents who are not directly connected to the university. Last year the group visited Carmelite parish and recently there was a meeting in Aleksotas microdistrict, bringing together many old-timers. But I think we should agree that the age of a listener or a reader is not essential when talking about texts written in the 19th century.

If you inadvertently thought that these romantics of the 21st century are wrapping themselves with the lace of classic texts into a cocoon that protects them from fake news and virtual reality full of false prophets, well, you are not exactly rightt. “There is nothing wrong

in reading modern literature,” one student answers, as if jokingly, to the question I posed: why classic literature is relevant today when it seems that there are already too many texts, verses, fragments, and other symbols. Also, you can find one member of the group in another article of this issue which is about slam poetry. So, we covered the form but what about the revolutionary nature of today’s literature that would give a sense to it and immortalise it? I hear a couple of interesting thoughts which seem very fitting to end our indeterminate acquaintance with Declamationes. One of them is that poetry, presently, is causing a rebellion in itself and also asking itself in a postmodern language what is, how to survive, how to be read and reach a person who is not aware of it.

Students also told me that modern literature can raise and is already raising a revolution in environmental protection. And not only literature - there are already ecological heavy metal bands and examples of climate change prose and poetry.

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No posing, just rehearsing!

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Perhaps many people associate fairy tales with childhood memories. There is an image burned into my memory of my parents and grandparents leaning over my bed before sleep and reading fairytales about princesses, heroes, and wonders.

However, contemporary storytellers are not limited to the children’s audience. They tell stories to both adults, children, and seniors, and this art becomes their profession. The organiser of the International Anykščiai Storytelling Festival SEKAS and a professional storyteller Daiva Ivanauskaitė shared her thoughts on the uniqueness of storytelling, its application, and tradition in Lithuania.

Art of the moment Justė Vyšniauskaitė Photos from Kaunas 2022 archive

How did the art of storytelling come into your life?

Very spontaneously, but not accidentally. One evening I was telling a group of various artists about my relationship with dance that developed over the years. Then we sang and danced together with the audience. Later, during one project, a fairytale about a boy named Clyde and a magic red girl was born. Then followed a tour of personal stories around Vilnius for friends, during which, inspired by specific places, we shared stories that emerged from the memory. I tried

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myself out as a storyteller in a workshop with visually impaired seniors.

They found my voice soothing and pleasant, and they asked where they could buy my recordings.

All of these experiences encouraged me to continue my creative quests.

I have learned that there is a Scottish storytelling centre on the Royal Mile of Edinburgh. One day, out of curiosity I opened its door, and now I visit it all the time. After five years, this building has become my second home and the community that

gathers in there - my family. I studied with the famous, talented and incredibly generous Scottish masters of storytelling - David Campbell, Janis Mackay, and Jean Edmiston. Now storytelling is my job that makes me very happy.

What do you focus on most in your stories? Where does the inspiration come from?

I tell the stories that matter to me.

I choose fairy tales that speak about the search for authentic identity, old wisdom, cultural roots and communication between people.

I am interested in the connection between a person and a place, how it is created or revived through stories. That is why the city stories or even urban fairy tales or legends are

fascinating to me. I am inspired by my own experience, my family’s stories, memories, songs, and mythical symbols that sometimes repeat in my dreams. I am drawn to the tales of transformation when characters can shapeshift - to turn from a human into an animal or plant and vice versa. I really like the fairy tale about a woodland fairy, the river spinner, which I associate with my memories about my grandmother who was a talented weaver and I also add thoughts about my inner rivers.

That is how the story is born, woven from the fairy tale and the memories of life. An essential motif in that

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I want to tell about human warmth and connection and kindle that heat with the stories. Currently, I am working on a story called “Wolf’s Girl”, and I will present it this autumn at the Kaunas Story Festival.

“Wolf’s Girl’s” will also entwine biographical experience and historical reality with magical fairy tales. Another project of mine is to do with maturing and developing a program of Lithuanian fairy tales, intertwined with impressions, short stories about grandparents and trying to regenerate the roots based on the needs of today’s urban person. And next year, I would like to tell Scots stories about Lithuanian independence because I think that would be beneficial for them.

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story is a wagtail that kicks the ice off the rivers, so I also share my stories from a hike on the Lithuanian seaside where I was accompanied by wagtails that communicated with me. The bird motif is quite common in my stories. The bird itself symbolises history, storytelling, and creative thought that arises from the needs of the soul. Here appears the dragon as a symbol of my inner fear and strength. The dragon can immobilise rivers with its freezing breath, and can also blow fire and warm everything up.

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Do your stories remain only in verbal form or do they sometimes turn into texts?

My stories do become texts sometimes, but I improvise every time I tell them. On the spot, I come up with something new, spontaneous and unexpected even for myself.

Sometimes I write these variations down and sometimes they remain here and now, in the moment. They are destined to either remain in the audience’s memory and their stories or not.

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I write my fairy tales and through them try to understand and accept the life challenges that I encode with symbols. When working with old, traditional fairy tales, I recycle them in many cases. Usually, there is no other way, there are elements that are no longer suitable for me, they are against my values, views, as well as the modern context. I also have to introduce clarity in the structures of fairy tales, to remove what is unnecessary and add what, in my opinion, is lacking.

What makes the art of storytelling unique? How is it different from theatre or poetry readings?

The art of storytelling is as old as human language. In his/her performance, the storyteller may use poetry, songs or musical instruments and also work with singers or musicians. My teacher has said that the storyteller is closer to a singer than an actor because he/she always remains him/herself. The storyteller does not create a role but reveals the authentic ‘voice’ through a distinctive dynamic of physical and emotional expression. The storyteller can embody all the characters of the story, but he/she also conveys states, atmospheres, and environments. He/ she can convey an image of a lake surrounded by mountains during the break of dawn, temporary tranquillity, and an anticipated sudden change.

The storyteller does not get attached to the learned text, they are free to open up to the flow of words, which is born here and now. When you tell the same story that was learned by heart, the story might lose its vitality and reliability, it can become stagnant and monumental. Storytelling is an art of the moment when the storyteller meets with the listeners at every moment. This meeting is

one of the most essential features of the art of storytelling that distinguishes it from other performing arts. It is an extremely social art, there is no fourth border here. The storyteller is open each moment to a mutual connection with himself, the story, and the audience.

How does storytelling differ in terms of audiences, let’s say, children and seniors? Which audience is more difficult?

There are many fairy tales that can be told to both children and adults.

Children will see a simple surface action in them, and deeper meanings and symbols will settle in their consciousness’ inner drawers. Adults are often surprised to hear fairy tales they knew when they were kids because they discover deep wisdom, similarity to their experiences, and even answers to life questions.

It can be difficult to tell stories to children and teenagers because they feel when they are being protected from the darker stories or when someone doesn’t trust their readiness to receive serious, sad, and cruel elements of the story. In such cases, they do not listen, they protest. Still, when telling stories to children, playfulness, silliness, animation, dramatisation, interactivity, puppets, paintings, drawings, and, of course, songs and music help. Here, I think, the biggest challenge is to remain natural.

It is a real pleasure to tell stories to adults because they have experience and it is truly magical to discover their inner children. Certain cultural prejudices, habits, styles, and tastes may be a problem. For example, Japanese storytellers might put Spanish people to sleep, and the Scottish crowd might get irritated with English storytellers’ theatricality

and monumentalism. A Lithuanian may feel awkward when a storyteller is active with his/her body, and the story is rich in emotional expression because our culture appreciates restraint.

How can stories be useful to connect people and communities?

Storytelling is one of the most powerful methods of art which should be applied in restoring the connection between people and strengthening communities. By its very nature, this art creates a space for a meeting during which stories are told, and people listen. After a few hours of storytelling, people notice that one of the most important experiences and results is the warm and deep connection made between the participants.

It seems to me that telling stories can help re-establish the relationship between generations because now there is an apparent gap between them due to different values and lifestyles. It is difficult for the young generation to accept those who are limited to dogmatic rules, are inauthentic, moralising, and too didactic. However, if seniors are open and share their experiences naturally, telling children what happened, reflecting on their lives with love, compassion or smile, they become centres of attraction. It is also essential for the young generation to find space where they could tell their stories, to feel heard and accepted. Therefore, I would like to see how these generations meet for longer and more in-depth conversations, how they tell stories. There are already beautiful initiatives when seniors go to tell fairy tales in kindergartens or schools.

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Storytelling in communities can contribute to psychosocial well-being, fighting loneliness, exclusion, alienation, and giving meaning to life experiences. Storytelling helps with connecting community members with different experiences and views, and that helps to develop tolerant and democratic communities.

A natural empathic connection is made while telling and listening, and it doesn’t matter if communities are divided by ethnic, religious, political, social or other differences.

How can storytelling become an educational tool?

Storytelling brings back emotion to education. As Albert Einstein said, to have talented and creative future specialists as well as strong, self-confident and empathic people, children need to be told as many fairy tales as possible.

Teachers in Lithuania say that children lack speech and spoken language skills, but these are the skills that teachers themselves are lacking. It seems to me that in Lithuania there is a general lack of creative literacy. Skills to understand a story, spoken word, and creative writing should first be provided to teachers.

One thing is to say that during the

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Holocaust six million Jews were killed, and another thing is to tell a local story of a particular person, preferably a child of the same age. I remember crying when an old lady browsing through an old notebook told us about the shock she experienced on September 1, 1942. Only half of the students were left in the class, and the empty seats were testifying to the fact that classmates ended up in horrible ditches in the pine forest and none of them will do mathematics, sing in a choir or play basketball again.

This year your storytelling workshops became a part of Kaunas 2022 programme. Some of them were focused on the staff of art institutions and others on the community of Vilkija eldership. Could you tell me what you did during these workshops?

I guided the group from Vilkija in the creative process of discovering stories about the public and personal places of residence. The participants were looking for memories connected to rivers, mounds, town streets and buildings; they told stories about mysterious places and people who lived there. Lovers of Lithuanian history reminded us of the stories that testify to significant historical

moments of the state. Slowly, the portrait of a bold, resistant, and persistent Vilkija resident who creatively overcomes obstacles and cherishes a live connection with the tradition started to emerge. Community members listened attentively to each other’s stories and worked, analysed and created together. A warm relationship was built, and a few tourism and business-related ideas were born.

for the development and unifying representation of professional storytellers.

The storytelling workshop for the employees of Kaunas city and Kaunas district cultural organisations drew both groups of participants into intensive two-day training. Participants searched for ways to reveal their authentic storyteller’s voice and explored the possibilities of storytelling in cultural activities. We heard fantastic stories about Garliava Count Garlevsky and his stone of sins, a story about a minister’s wife’s shoes during the Paris Peace Conference, how Jurgis Mačiūnas saved the Manhattan’s linden trees; we also learned about the secret of Girstutis pool and an interwar Kaunas ballerina’s way to stardom. I was yet again inspired by the variety of people’s talents and possibilities of creative expression. I think the workshops helped create new acquaintances that might grow into personal friendships and cultural cooperation beneficial to Kaunas.

The censorship of thought and word during the Soviet period shaped a unique tradition of expressive reading. It did not appreciate lively, authentic and creative storytelling, connection with the audience, and a variety of natural body and voice expression. But now the storytelling is slowly coming to life, people are interested in it, they educate themselves, visit the events, listen to both fairy tales and stories based on real-life experiences and memories.

The art of storytelling is much more established in other parts of the world and attracts large audiences. Is there also a tradition of storytelling in Lithuania?

In many countries, storytellers work purposefully to make this art of social value, to be protected and to become an object of heritage. We want the storytelling to be recognised as a separate art branch, with adequate funding and conditions

The new storytelling movement is happening in Anykščiai, Kaunas, and Vilnius. Librarians, actors, teachers, art therapists, culture professionals, guides, educators, community leaders, the business world and many other professionals are interested in storytelling. So, there are new intriguing storytelling initiatives in Lithuania. It is meaningful to participate in them and nice to see them grow.

A storytelling tradition both exists and doesn’t in Lithuania. So far, the country is dominated by songs, music, and dance. Folklore concerts attract large audiences, and very few people know about storytelling events. They exist but remain nichelike.

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It is a wonderful opportunity to create a new generation of contemporary storytellers and an art branch.

I believe that the new generation will be free to actualise traditional narratives and present them in a new light, with values that are important to this era. I hope that the real stories will be based not only on experimental expressions but also on interdisciplinarity and old tradition.

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Just poetautojai things

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There are poets, poetry fans and there are poetautojai. This term could be loosely translated as ‘poetists’, ‘poetry pickers’ or ‘poetry seekers’, depending on the situation.

This sort of club was started five years ago by Rūta Vyžintaitė. Three years ago, Tadas Greičiūnas - friends call him Tačkis - joined the club. We sat down with him to explore how poetautojai work and how poetry affects them.

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Kotryna Lingienė Photos by Lukas Mykolaitis

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Already after our meeting, just before Easter, poetautojai presented the latest fourth issue of poetry zine Dešra ant žaizdos (Sausage on a wound) at the Vytautas Park, on Orbita ride, which is currently in the balance. You can find the zine in the city and don’t hesitate to take it if you read Lithuanian. The publishers refer to the zine as a street magazine. It is more independent than other publications in Lithuania that feature poetry; however, a selective process does exist in the

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zine. So, my first question to Tadas is how to discover a good poem?

“The most important and interesting thing for me is a feeling. Not feelings, but the ability to sense the environment, your inner states. It is also interesting to walk in someone else’s shoes with the help of a poem.

Others care about the technique, the interplay of words, and topics.

Some people look at what has been said - was it interesting, intelligent, revolutionary?”

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We also talked about trends, for example, Instagram poetry that is becoming more popular than actual books. There are some successful examples in Kaunas, although on Facebook. And Tadas, who doesn’t follow any authors, believes that people have the right to not consider it poetry. I notice that perhaps a combination of words that touch someone might be a more meaningful spoiler of internet traffic than yet another selfie. But then Tadas reminds me that, for example, Japanese haiku are also selfies.

“After all, once, the essence of haiku was to quickly describe the poet’s feelings. You get a letter, and it starts with three lines about the sender’s inner state, environment, and that day’s weather. Seems like a selfie to me.”

I don’t want to scroll, so I continue asking Tadas about the best places for poetautojai in Kaunas. We already mentioned the Vytautas Park. poetautojai have once tried to gather people around the impenetrable Jurgis Mačiūnas Square (here, we agree with Tadas that its existence is poetry by itself) where poets read their verses. They also invited people to Mažasis Paryžius, one of the oldest bars in Kaunas.

“Mažasis Paryžius is a legendary place, everybody likes it, so Rūta asked the owner if we could host an event there and he agreed. You don't need anything in there, one just enters a frozen time. It's fascinating.” In general, Tadas says that it is interesting to do something in a place where no one has ever done anything. But when such atypical selections increase than a desire to organise something more typical comes about, “Trends and fashions are irritating, let's do something against that.” Strange

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A good poet is not afraid to strip.

cafes, forgotten restaurants - are they typical? In May, Godo bar that welcomes diverse culture, DJs, film screenings, poetry readings and drawing classes will host the readings of a favourite poem - I recommend visiting the event!

By the way, about drawing lessons. A few years ago, poetautojai organised a series Pose for Poetry. They even went to Jonava together with Gintaras Patackas. “People come, listen to poet’s verses then he chooses a person for whom he will write a poem right then and there and does it.”

And then Tadas admits to me that in principle every human being is a poet. “Poetry is constantly boiling in our minds and feelings, only not everyone decides to capture it or to broadcast it.” Here we touch upon the fact that often writing is chosen as a way to recover, “I know many people who were writing and then stopped because, they say, it was only a therapeutic period for them.

That is quite disappointing because they wrote well and could have continued.” And is writing therapy for Tadas, who, if I haven’t mentioned before, is also a poet?

“I would not want it to only be that, but the truth is, writing does calm me down. After some time, it is interesting to explore the flow of your consciousness and understand how things were, so I guess it can be a therapy also a diary, and photographs.”

It is fascinating to ask seemingly quite common questions and to

construct a very personal portrait of a poetautojas from the answers.

I wonder why so many people completely ignore the poetry? “Because it is pretty naked. Not everyone dares to go naked in the street, and not everyone can look at a naked person. Nakedness is not necessarily pleasant; it is very sensitive.” Tadas also adds that people generally look for entertainment, not art, because entertainment helps one escape the pain and in art, you can accidentally fall into stranger’s pain. “People are probably protecting themselves naturally.” As Sigitas Parulskis said, poetry is an awkward and challenging affair.

And also, powerful. “A poem can cause both war and revolution because it manages to enter a human being through the locked door. And if it gets into the inner home, it establishes its order.” Those looking for weapons of mass destruction or perhaps creation should like it.

But can one learn to be a poet? Or to become one? Aren’t people born poets?

“First you have to learn to not lie to yourself. It is not difficult to learn writing techniques, but it can get difficult to learn how to master the mind, release it and catch it, stop it or create an internal dispute. Poetry means a lot of work with yourself,” Tadas says. He thinks that a good poet doesn’t even need to read poetry. A good poet is not afraid to strip.

These are the people that Tadas and his poetautojai friends are looking for. On the street, of course. The ones who haven’t hatched yet, who are shy and afraid. There are so many people like that. By the way, Tadas is trying to find and count all the poets of Kaunas, because, well, there is no list yet.

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Speaking about cafes and other places, I add that recently “Kaunas 2022” program “Kaunas Challenge” ideas for the city contest was won by an initiative for reading poetry in trolleybuses. “I think it’s wonderful,” Tadas says. “I admire street music and other public art forms.

Perhaps there aren’t that many of them in Lithuania, but if you travel around Europe, you can find many good examples. For example, mini theatre performances take place in trams in France.” I wonder whether a modern person considers such events in public transport as an invasion of personal space? After all, it is so convenient to watch a TV show or arrange your schedule on a trolleybus. “It must be done. Someone should start melting our northerners’ ice.”

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Calendar STAGE Saturday, 05 04, 6 pm

Contemporary dance festival “New Baltic Dance“: “Even Worse“ Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, Kęstučio g. 74A

festival invited dance collectives from all over Lithuania to present their most exciting performances.

Saturday, 05 18, 20:00

Dance performance “Match” POST gallery, Laisvės al. 51A

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Artists Vilma Pitrinaitė and Emily Gastineau invite you to take another look at competition and the never-ending race of contemporary society. Why do buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t love?

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Tuesday, 05 21, 10 am Photo: Ernest Potters In Even Worse choreographer Guilherme Miotto brings three of the most remarkable dancers from urban and contemporary dance together on a stage. After the dark duet Gefallen (2014) for b-boys Joey Schrauwen and Menno van Gorp, and the solo Rise Up (2015) – which brought Van Gorp a nomination for a Zwaan award – Miotto has now created a trio: Even Worse.

Sunday, 05 05, 3 pm

Dance festival “Šoku tau“ [“I dance for you”]

Kaunas Cultural Centre, Kęstučio g. 1 From neoclassical dance to ballet, including various other genres – the Pet-friendly places

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Installation for babies LUMI Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, Kęstučio g. 74A

Photo: D. Matvejev Šeiko dance theatre has created a piece for babies younger than one year of age. The unusual experience is constructed with the help of movement and contemporary dance. The performance lasts for 3

May hours, but you can join in any time and leave when you need or want.

Tuesday, 05 21, 7 pm

Dance performance “Game Changer” BLC business centre, V. Putvinskio g. 53

Photo: Svetlana Batura This is a dance performance choreographed by Birutė Letukaitė, the founder of Aura dance theatre and the fairy godmother of contemporary dance in Lithuania. Antanas Jasenka, a Lithuanian academic and electronic music composer, improvises live during the sculptural performance created with artist Guda Koster.

The premiere of Nathan the Wise was the highlight of the previous season at the National Kaunas Drama Theatre.

This year, the spotlight’s on Ghetto, a performance directed by Gintaras Varnas and based on a play by Joshua Sobol. The play focuses on the experiences of the Jews of the Vilna Ghetto during Nazi occupation in World War II, as well as the story of the Jewish theatre inside the ghetto. The theatre became the source of strength and resistance. It’s a story about a collective fight for survival, both physical and spiritual. Varnas added a lot of documentary material to the work of Sobol. Surtitled in English.

Tuesday, 05 28, 6 pm

Musical “Addams Family” National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71

Friday, 05 24, 6 pm Saturday, 05 25, 5 pm

Performance “Ghetto”

National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71

Photo: M. Aleksa The musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and the book

by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice first debuted on Broadway in 2010. It’s a hit in Lithuania, too!

Photo: Donatas Stankevičius

More events pilnas.kaunas.lt

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Calendar MUSIC Friday, 05 10, 16:00

“Buitis”

Organised by industrial culture movement “Ghia”, the event at a former gunpowder warehouse will present the harsher and rougher faces of electronic music from Lithuania and Belarus. Moreover, a handful of visual artists will present their works; you’ll also be able to attend a workshop.

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“Parakas”, corner of L. Ivinskio g. and Prancūzų g.

Saturday, 05 11, 20:00

“Corpi Sonori” POST gallery, Laisvės al. 51A

“Corpi Sonori”, or “Bodies of Sound”, is a series of sound art events, including an exhibition, a seminar and performance nights. The final event is your chance to experience the art of Juozas Milašius, guitarist, composer and author of various performances, the enfant terrible of the Lithuanian jazz scene, as well as catch the exhibition of ::vtol::, a prominent sound artist from Moscow.

Friday, 05 31, 7 pm

24th Pažaislis music festival opening concert: “Ode to Joy” Pažaislis monastery, T. Masiulio g. 31

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Photo: Pažaislis festival As every year the Pažaislis Music Festival is returning to Kaunas city and Kaunas region, as well as other concert spaces all over Lithuania. The opening concert will be held at the baroque monastery and will invite everyone to remember the emotions provided by classical forms of art. Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas State Choir and soloists will perform various arias from classical operas; Beethoven’s 9th will be the highlight of the event.

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May Saturday, 06 01, 20:00

“Wacken Metal Battle” country finals Club “Lemmy”, Girstupio g. 1

“Stop” is an international short film festival that started from 2007 and is being held by KTU Social sciences, arts and humanities faculties’ Student union SHM. The festival entries will not only be screened but also valued by jury and the audience. Of course, the best will be awarded.

Sunday, 05 11, 6 pm

Film “Halston”

“Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

“Lemmy” is providing a chance for Lithuanian heavy music bands to perform in the legendary German festival Wacken Open Air. Five ensembles will play in the country finals.

CINEMA Thursday, 05 09, 6 pm

Student film festival “Stop” POST gallery, Laisvės al. 51A

Still from “Halston” Prodigiously talented, Halston reigned over fashion in the 1970s and became a household name. But everything changed in the Wall Street era. With his empire under threat, Halston took the biggest gamble of his life. The screening of the 2019 movie is part of the “Design Week” programme In Kaunas.

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Calendar Sunday, 05 12, 6 pm

Film “Our New President”

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“Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

Still from “Our New President” The 2018 documentary follows the story of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and is told entirely through footage from Russian state-sponsored media. It is a satire about the Russian media and its take on American politics, originally made as an amateur short 120minute collage of short clips from Russian media outlets and amateur clips by Russians for “Field of vision”. It was subsequently expanded into a full-length documentary, showing how the Russian media overhyped the election of Trump in a Russo-centric manner, falsified information leading common Russian people to behave irrationally.

“Kitas Kinas”, an educational film platform, continues its series of documentary film screenings, at the core of which lie portraits of eccentrics and hermits, tender relationships and everyday social occurrences, subcultures and communities, living in the margins of society. “Glow” chronicles the rise and fall of the first ever all-female wrestling show on television through the stories of those who lived it.

Monday, 05 20, 10 pm

Pre-premiere: “Rocketman” “Forum Cinemas”, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

Wednesday, 05 15, 7 pm

“Common People”: “Glow” (2012) Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

Still from “Rocketman”

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May Be among the first to see the biographical musical drama film based on the life of Elton John. The film was directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall. It stars Taron Egerton as John, with Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

The film follows John's early days as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music up to his eventual musical partnership with Bernie Taupin. The film is titled after John's 1972 song “Rocket Man”.

EXHIBITIONS 04 15 – 05 20

Exhibition “Jono Basanavičiaus Praha” [Prague of Jonas Basanavičius] Kaunas County Public Library, Radastų g. 2

Sunday, 05 26, 2 pm

Film “Ramen Shop” “Romuva”, Kęstučio g. 62

Photo from the archives of Prague City Museum Still from “Ramen Shop” Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo directs “Ramen Shop”, which is about a young ramen chef from Japan named Masato. When he finds his late Singaporean mother’s journal, he takes it with him to her native country, hoping to put together the story of his family and his life. The screening is part of the Lithuanian gastronomy week’s programme.

Doctor Jonas Basanavičius, often called the father of Lithuania as an independent state, lived a fair share of his life abroad – in Prague, too. Jindřich Čeladín of Prague City Museum decided to recreate the everyday life and surroundings of Basanavičius with the help of historic photographs reflecting Prague at the junction of the 19th and 20th centuries.

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Calendar 04 17 – 05 20

Exhibition “Bėgimas su vilkais” [“Running with wolves”]

Last year, the exhibition featuring 44 best contemporary children book illustrators from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, visited the London Book Fair. Now, it has arrived in Kaunas. All of the illustrations have one thing in common – wolves.

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Kaunas County Public Library, Radastų g. 2

05 09 – 05 12

“Gallery Weekend Kaunas 2019”

Up until now, the cartographers of GWK were only mapping the stars the most massive objects - but this time the upgraded telescope allows to change the scale by uncovering whole planetary systems: cultural networks which are propelled by green background GWK radiation. This year a traditional linear course is facing experiments: the visitors are invited to become autonomous interplanetary explorers by independently gravitating around local bodies of art. The latter will differ in idiosyncratic characteristics of movement. While some places will present static aesthetic encounters, others will invite visitors to experience the art via physical movement.

05 16 – 06 16

“Haubitz + Zoche: Hybrid modernism. Churches in South India” Kaunas Gallery, Vilniaus g. 2

Various locations

Gallery Weekend Kaunas is coming back for the fourth time to mark the ending of the gallery season by inviting to explore the multifaceted cultural skyscape of the city. The concentrated 4-day programme will activate around 30 artistic instances in both traditional and unconventional exposition spaces.

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Photo: Haubitz + Zoche German photographers Sabine Haubitz and Stefanie Zoche are bringing their fascinating photo series depicting colourful churches of South India.

The images show the unique mixture

May of western and socialist influences and local construction styles.

Saturday, 05 18

Museum night Various locations

Photo: Linas Žemgulis

Photo: Artūras Bulota Kaunas could easily be called “the city of museums”. More than 20 of them are located here, including national, municipal and private institutions. A great time to explore them all it is the Museum Night or La Nuit des Musées, the international event scheduled for May 18 this year.

Many of the museums in Kaunas will be open late on Saturday, and by late we mean 10 pm or even midnight; the entrance to all of the participating institutions will be free of charge. A lot of the museums will offer carefully curated and exciting events!

The Lithuanian El Clasico is always super-emotional for die-hard fans of two most awarded teams in the country.

It’s always fun to watch for those who still haven’t chosen sides! We hope you go green-and-white, though…

Wednesday, 05 22, 6 pm

A league: FC Žalgiris Kaunas – FC Stumbras NFA stadionas, Aukštaičių g. 51

SPORTS Sunday, 05 12, 5 pm

Photo: Elijus Kniežauskas

“Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

There’s no better way to spend a warm Wednesday night than a kaunastic derby. Well, we hope it’ll be even hot!

LKL: BC Žalgiris Kaunas – BC Rytas Vilnius

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Calendar OTHER EVENTS

05 06 – 05 12

“Design Week” Various locations

05 04 – 05 05

Dance competition “Gintarinė pora” [“Amber couple”]

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“Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

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A nation-wide initiative of bringing designers of all kinds closer to people has planted its roots deeply in Kaunas, occupying many spaces all around town to celebrate Lithuanian talent for one week every year.

Thursday, 05 09, 4 pm

This is the first, oldest and longest-running international dancesport competition in Lithuania. It’s attended every year by the best dancer couple from both Lithuania and abroad, as well as international-class referees from at least 15 different countries. A concert program is presented every year, too, which includes international dancesport superstars and local music performers. The initiators of the contest are a wellknown Lithuanian dancesport couple, honorary citizens of Kaunas Jūratė Norvaišienė and Česlovas Norvaiša and their dance club “Sūkurys”.

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Europe Day

Nepriklausomybės square

The Kaunas Vincas Kudirka public library and Europe Direct are inviting Kaunasians and guests of our city to celebrate Europe Day. Expect discussions, lectures and live music!

May Friday, 05 10, 5:30 pm

“Café du Monde” Bar “Godo”, Laisvės al. 89

Initiated by “Kaunas 2022”, “Café du Monde” started with a series of storytelling workshops, and now it’s time for the show! If you like telling stories and want to try yourself in front of the audience, or maybe you want to listen to the stories of others, the open mic storytelling event is precisely for you. To share your story, come to the event and register on the spot before it starts. Performances can be held in English or Lithuanian. All the stories will somehow include the city that we are living: Kaunas.

them!), have been gathering in Nemunas valley in Zapyškis, district of Kaunas, near a beautiful little church, to colour the sky for one day.

05 12 – 05 29

“Poezijos pavasaris” [“Poetry spring”] Various locations

Saturday, 05 11, 11 am

Kite festival Zapyškis, Kauno raj.

The poetry festival has been held every year since 1965 when the tradition was started in Palemonas, a suburb of Kaunas. Organised by Lithuania Writers Union, it’s the most prestigious literature event in the country At the festival, poets from Lithuania and foreign countries read their verses; the festival also involves other forms of art, though the main focus is her majesty poetry. The prizewinner of this year’s event will be awarded on May 24 at the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum.

For almost three decades kite enthusiasts, mostly families (thousands of

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Calendar 05 17 – 05 19

Kaunas City Birthday

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Various locations

The third weekend of May is officially the birthday weekend of our 611-yearold city. Get ready for a three-day marathon representing the full scope of Kaunas, including its Hanseatic history, the colourful interwar period and the hopeful future. Three époques will melt into a singular event full of action, sound and light. The organisers have made sure there’ll be something for everyone, despite his or her age and preferences.

The main stages of the Birthday weekend will be located at the Kaunas Castle and the Town Hall Square. The Old Town of Kaunas will be filled with pop-up activities including markets, trampoline parks, traditional craft workshops, exhibitions, drum shows, fire performances, Medieval dance classes etc.

Photo: Martynas Plepys The European Capital of Culture Forum is an annual event initiated by the team of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022, where leaders representing various creative fields from all around Europe come together for gaining and sharing knowledge, getting inspiration, networking and discussing the opportunities for cooperation.

This year, the umbrella topic of the Forum will be the “Human Factor”. It helps to raise questions such as: do we consider the human factor before engaging in creative or business practices? How to leave one’s “social bubble” and truly understand people who are different from us.

05 23 – 05 24

European Capital of Culture Forum “Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

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Thursday, 05 23, 7 pm

Neighbour Day Laisvės alėja

May everyone to this historical axis of Kaunas. Concerts, games, flea markets, readings and other activities have proven to be the highlights of the block party like no other.

05 31 – 06 02

International Folklore Festival “Atataria Lamzdžiai” Various locations

Photo: Martynas Plepys Imagine bringing your dinner table to the longest pedestrian street in the region and sitting down for a pleasant evening with neighbours and friends you’ve just met. That’s possible every May in Laisvės Alėja, thanks to the local artist Vytenis Jakas whose projects aim for a happier community. Join us if you don’t have a table, too!

Saturday, 05 25

Putvinskio Street Day

Photo: Lukas Mykolaitis Kaunas Artists’ House and the community of V. Putvinskio street have started a new tradition that gathers

The traditional folk festival is held annually in May since 1984. The festival is visited by participants from as far as Cape Verde! The program stretches from the traditional song and dance performances to photography exhibitions, arts and crafts workshops and music lessons.

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pilnas.kaunas.lt

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

Laisvės alėja 59, third floor

Editorial office:

Authors: Andrejus Bykovas, Artūras Bulota, Austėja Banytė, Bernadeta Buzaitė, Donatas Stankevičius, Eglė Šertvyčūtė, Emilija Visockaitė, Gunars Bakšejevs, Ieva Trinkūnaitė, Julija Račiūnaitė, Justė Vyšniauskaitė, Kotryna Lingienė, Kęstutis Lingys, Lukas Mykolaitis, Teodoras Biliūnas, Vaida Stepanovaitė.

Patrons:

KAUNO MIESTO SAVIVALDYBĖ

RUN 100010COPIES. TIRAŽAS 000 EGZ.

ISSN 2424-4481 2424-4465

Leidžia: Publisher

2019 2017No. Nr. 52 (45) (18)