Intima cy
2015 June
Creative Northern Energy
Cuddling of Tapio. Finland One of the most known Finnish designers Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) used Intimacy as a helper to create his works. A caressing glance and graceful hands produce sleek forms, much like the erotic hints of an eager man, which may only be born in the head of the spectator. www.wirkkala.fi
Possible Relatives. Tina Enghoff, Copenhagen Person and space – they become one by observing each other, and the person leaves his subsistence in the space when he exits. The author or photographic novels, Tina Enghoff, captures the intimate bond between people and spaces by taking photos of dead lonely habitants of retirement homes in Copenhagen. Invisible, without any hope or role in life, they leave an impression of intimacy. Sensitive observations stress the lack of human contact and closeness in a rich country. www.tinaenghoff.com
Openly hid intimacy Hysterical Literature. Clayton Cubitt, New York 123 years and 144 days – this is how long the people of planet Earth watched women that were reading classical literature and having uncontrolled orgasms. It’s not the first time this artist has used an art project to examine moments of breaking away, getting tired and letting go of your position. The duels between body and mind, woman sexuality and shame, art and sex are being documented. Especially the climax, when all that becomes a single intimate element, a beautiful thing. www.hystericalliterature.com
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Tom of Finland. Finland The most followed Finnish artist, Tom of Finland, draws homoerotic comics. It’s an expression of straightforward intimacy and sex, that is functioning as a huge part of the gay culture since 1960s. The post of Finland published a series of stamps with somewhat “softer” drawings of Tom of Finland. But just imagine how fun it would be to send invoices to clients (or love letters) in envelopes with post stamps like these.
dden N WIND ENCOURAGES TO CHANGE INSIDE AND EXCHANGE BETWEEN “Café Lehmitz”. Anders Petersen, Sweden An instant, compulsory, paid-for intimacy. Petersen published a photography book called “Café Lehmitz” in 1978, portraying various nightcrawlers of Hamburg – prostitutes, transvestites, drug addicts, drunks. He sees a fragile emotional connection amongst people even in the most rough and harsh environment. www.anderspetersen.se
Monthly magazine about culture and creative business in Northern Europe ISSN 2351-647X 2015, Nr. 7 Published by UAB BLACK SWAN BRANDS Address Vilkpėdės g. 22, Vilnius www.nwindmag.eu hello@nwindmag.eu www.facebook.com/nwindmag
Scenes from a Marriage. Ingmar Bergman, Sweden The movie “Scenes from a Marriage” (1973) is pretty hard to watch – the chamber surroundings, acting and sound create an impression of an intimate theatre – you feel as if you’re an invisible family member in a room with Johan and Marianne, experiencing their pain and going through the metamorphoses of intimacy. You lose closeness and find it again, it’s both torturing and making you happy, a kind of naked question – do we have it? It is believed that this film influenced the increasing numbers of divorces in Sweden.
Cover Alexander Bard. Photo by ChronicArt Authors Tautė Bernotaitė, Inese Indane, Dovydas Kiauleikis, Tomas Milkamanavičius, Agnė Tuskevičiūtė, Karolis Vyšniauskas Design Laura Tulaitė, Tomas Mozūra, tomas@nwindmag.eu Printed by UAB „Lietuvos ryto“ spaustuvė
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Protagonist
Philosopher 2.0 After leaving the world of music, Alexander Bard sank into philosophy. Photo from personal archive.
Dovydas Kiauleikis
After spending over 25 years in the music industry, having co-founded the legendary band “Army of Lovers”, produced and published various artists, judged in the Swedish “Pop Idol” – today Alexander Bard introduces himself as a cyber philosopher. Immersed in the analysis of the influence that the online web has on modern society, Alexander even speaks of a new religion – syntheism, which presents the Internet as the main God-like figure. What is cyberphilosophy? In Alexander’s words, philosophy is the art of creating new concepts that help us understand the world better. And the word ‘cyber’ adds a factor of virtuality and technology, especially when the two mix – this makes it possible to examine the links with human existence. Cyberphilosophy tries to investigate the effect that the continuous Internet revolution has on daily life. “For instance, there are questions that keep me interested, like: What would Karl Marx think about the Internet? What would Nietzsche say on the subject of interactivity, or Hagel on participatory culture and gamification? My goal is to plunge the ideas of masters of philosophy through the filter of new reality”, Alexander explains. Skype video calling lets us talk to Alexander on a Sunday morning. Too bad I won’t be able to translate the words ‘camp’ and ‘flamboyant’ directly to Lithuanian as they sum up the overall feel of Alexander perfectly – just look at videos of “Army of Lovers” or the illustrations of this article. So I see a recently-woken-up cyber philosopher in front of me, who’s enjoying an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, exhibiting a beard that seems to be hard to untangle.
The future belongs to the ideals of online society
I ask to clarify the need for a new religion, having syntheism in mind. He laughs: “If we could answer this question in a few words, we would have written an article, not a book”. Alexander wrote “Syntheism – Creating God in the Internet Age” (and the other three books on the effects of the Internet) together with Jan Söderqvist, a media explorer. Well, let’s try to clarify it. Syntheism is a new metaphysical system for the virtual world. Alexander believes that in order to understand our surroundings, we require a certain utopia – something that’s unreachable and incomprehensible. We’re kind of used to the idea of there not being a God these days, so we need to create one ourselves (contrary to the earlier belief that God created us). ‘Syntheos’ means “a God we created” in Greek, and the Internet is exactly that – a metaphysical and inexplicable utopia that links us. “Five thousand years ago, the divinities of tribes were replaced by God. In a way this was a necessity for the tribes to collaborate for survival – they needed a common junction that would allow people to beneficially trade instead of killing each other. Another milestone was placed around 300 years ago – the individual, not God, was put in the centre of metaphysics. Larger amounts of accessible information let us shape our own outlook. Just remember Descartes, saying that he thinks, therefore, he exists”, Alexander continues. Alexander is not a fan of narcissism, also individuals that act as if they’re weak and lonely atoms. He’s all the way for communication, mingling and collaborating: “Individualism is having a hard time these days. Technologies bring interactivity, so the crowd, the group becomes a model for human behaviour. The future belongs to the ideals of online society”. Isn’t religion one of the ways to control, constrain people? And at the same time the Internet is at he core of this new faith, being the most freeing technology ever. Yes, religion controls people, but it also gives them power. Everything humans do is in one way or another related to faith – it’s our basic outlook on life. If you and I have to cre-
Protagonist
Alexander Bard and coauthor of the books, Jan Sรถderqvist. Photo by Niclas Brunzell
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ate something together, we have to unite our outlooks. This is where individualism fails. The Internet is a new type of religion – our world is connected and interconnected. It’s an opposition for Descartes’ individualism, where everything revolved around the personality. So how does intimacy look in this context? Can we still feel close to other people if God is in the Internet (talking about intimacy in a broader sense, not sex)? I agree that intimacy is not sex, it’s emotions. And this is how it manifests itself in life: people who don’t feel sexually attracted to each other decide on living together. Several divorces in one’s life have become a norm. These are the examples of the current ideals of our community.
The Internet is a new religion – our world is connected and interconnected
We now live in a virtual, connected society, or at least in a one that’s trying to be connected. In your own words, how will it look in the future? What will happen next? Back in 1987, when I finally got Internet at my home, I realised right away that all computers will eventually be linked to one mutual machine – this is basically how we live today. So a lot of things can be correctly projected. However, I’m an emergenist or an indeterminist. There are so many factors that can determine the world, emergent phenomena can happen at any time, out of nowhere. This is not news to anyone, Nassim Nicholas Taleb developed this idea in his book “The Black Swan”. Guessing the ways of the future is simply a wild goose chase. You’ve noted in your books that culture is the new version of nature – Nature 2.0. Isn’t culture and nature opposite notions? Historically, yes, nature and culture are contraries – culture is what people used to do, and nature was reserved for animals. But the things we do are so natural – speech and communication are a big part of nature. Humans are not more devel-
oped than other species of nature, we’re just doing things differently. We like to imagine that we’re moral beings and we possess unique intelligence. But our brain controls us – a person is a body first, and the body wants to survive. Therefore, culture is a sort of extension of nature – Nature 2.0. While we’re on the subject of nature, doesn’t sex lose its meaning without the opportunity to reproduce and create new genetic synthesis? Not at all. When we start having sex drive at about 12 years old and start fantasising about having sex with other people, reproduction is the last thing what we think about. Breeding is the byproduct of sexuality. If sex is only for reproduction, does it mean that any women over 50 years of age or homosexual couples can’t do it anymore? Sex is much more powerful than that, and much more useful to us than just breeding. After discussing deeper philosophical concepts we approach an easier subject – music. Discos all over the world had tunes of “Army of Lovers” playing all the time around a quarter of a century ago, and the song “Crucified” held the number one position in Eurochart for eight weeks in a row. The band was popular not just for their catchy music and extravagant style – they also represented freedom. Freedom was ingrained in everything they did, from music to the courageous and somewhat scandalous behaviour of band members. A Lithuanian journalist Ramūnas Zilnys once described “Army of Lovers” this way: “Jean Pierre Barda, a hairdresser, used to go on stage wearing nothing but underwear, massive earrings, high-heel shoes and a ton of makeup on his face. Alexander Bard, a philosopher, looked like someone from “The Three Musketeers”. And the vulgar sex diva Camilla Henemark always caressed her breasts in the music videos”. Alexander says it wasn’t all about the image, he urges us to listen to the lyrics. After leaving the world of music two years ago, A. Bard sank into philosophy and cyberphilosophy: “The world doesn’t need more songs, it has enough of those already. I think the world craves for more great philosophy to understand dramatic changes that are affecting our societies”.
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Subject
Sex just doesn’t provoke anymore 8
Royal Danish Theatre says yes to the rules of provocative games
Photos by Arthur Köstler
Agnė Tuskevičiūtė A modern dance troupe “Signa” presented their ballet “Feberhavnen” at the Royal Danish Theatre on May 2nd. If this sounds normal to you, you should definitely check the posters of this performance and come back to the first sentence again. “We wanted no scandal or provocation. Scandals are tiresome”, replied one of the founders of the
tors present some kind of risk. So posters of “The Nutcracker” now have visuals of “Feberhavnen” next to them. Aside from some comments on social platforms, the performance didn’t cause any major commotion. However, the campaign did its job – every show in the first several weeks was completely sold out. Sex sells? The teaser-like photo session is a big part of the play and it triggers the wondering imagination well. The Danish troupe “Signa” is famous for creating uncomfortable, provocative, interdisciplinary performances. Nobody avoids intimate subjects and sights here, and actors as well as spectators are challenged to test their psychological stability. Most works of “Signa” depend on the audience reacting and becoming involved in the action on stage. Your phones, cameras, even your shame and restraint should be left at the cloakroom. Let your fantasy indulge in the intimacy with the creators for four hours. troupe, Arthur Köstler, when asked about picking a seemingly provocative type of advertising for the new performance. The visuals of “Feberhavnen” are a key point of the project’s structure, they reflect and reinforce the impressions of future action. The performance starts right at seeing the results of this photo shoot – the images show decorations of the performance itself. When the Royal Danish Theatre opens the door for modern experiments, it agrees to the rules of their games and doesn’t block them each time crea-
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Horror leads to yourself You’ll see a SPA or a hostel everywhere you look. Even sea sludge has healing powers here. Estonians have been visiting Haapsalu to re-energise and rest peacefully for a very long time. However, one day zombies moved here. The team of the biggest cinema festival in Estonia – Tallinn-based “Black Nights” – started organising HOFF (Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival). Since then, one weekend of the year is completely muddled by the brutal fanatics of horror movies, or this is how the festival looked for Haapsalu’s people at first.
Karolis Vyšniauskas
First impression
Horror movies are unpleasant, scary and they disturb people’s sleep. So why do we watch them? Let’s look for answers on Haapsalu island in western Estonia. This April marked the 10th time that a horror and fantasy movie festival HOFF took place here, and we were the first Lithuanian journalists to visit. Haapsalu is an idyllic place – sea all around, fresh air, greening nature. It’s like Nida, just a few times bigger and its city centre has a castle, which leaves the Gediminas tower of Vilnius looking like one of those little dwarfs next to giant Gulliver. People say the castle is haunted by a dame that was bricked up into one of the towers. In the 13th century, when the castle was built, this was a normal practice to scare enemies away. It’s believed that each August the ghost – The White Lady – resurrects, that’s exactly why special horror movie screenings with songs and dancing are organised during that time.
“Some of the locals still fear the event, but most seem to enjoy it. This is a summer resort, and spring lacks a bit of action. Over 3,000 people come to the festival each year, and all the hotels and hostels are completely full. Life is very vibrant during that weekend and we’re truly happy about it”, mayor of Haapsalu, Urmas Sukles, notes. He likes to keep his distance from horror films: “It’s not entirely my cup of tea”. Over the years, many famous creators of horror cinema have visited this tiny paradise, including this year’s celebrity – the Spanish director Nacho Cerdà, who brought his “Trilogy of Death”. Some of the most extreme movies ever filmed were shown here, for example, the American picture “Cannibal Holocaust” (1980) or the Japanese “Guinea Pig” (1985), which has a scene with a couple of guys kidnapping a young girl and cutting her eye using a needle. No need to overreact though, the general mood of the event is splendid - it can be felt in the 1970s-styled, retro-blooded Haapsalu Cultural Centre. The people are friendly, very hospita-
Are the most intimate movies R-rated? Not entirely. Facing yourself during a horror film is an intimate experience as well
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Photo from HOFF
and all the lights on. I’m so scared!” “Why do you organise such a festival then?”, we asked, obviously. “Our goal is to show a different kind of cinema to the audience, to educate them. Estonia, much like its neighbouring countries, doesn’t have strong traditions for this type of films. The western independent cinematography of 1970s and 1980s was perfect, but it didn’t reach our parents or grandparents. This is exactly why we must create trends now”, Maria replies. “The more varied the selection, the better it is for the audience. We tend to seek extremes at times, but so do movies of this kind. Individuals who are not used to such cinema can widen their outlook, and I think they like it – more new experiences, more diversity, more out-of-box thinking. If you watch a weird movie from Spain with people doing things you couldn’t imagine – you are more open to the world the next day than you were before”, the organiser believes.
ble and they were surprised to hear that we travelled for eight hours through two countries to get here. The repertoire is pretty varied – from German shorts like “German Angst” to American militarism-tackling “The Guest” or a great parody of Italian films of the 1980s – “The Editor”, which has plenty more humour than horror. A few aesthetic shorts were premiered as well – the most applauded one had the main character killed because of his vegetarianism. “I’ve always wanted to taste vegetarian meat”, said one of the forest gnomes in charge of the execution, who was pretending to be a healthy diet consultant before. This year the festival celebrated a jubilee, so we were offered cake made out of herring and bread. We also met a guy from Germany who lead a masterclass on how to defeat zombies – he showed at least five effective ways to defend from a zombie if it approaches you from behind, if there are more than one of them and so on. “Your friends might laugh at you for participating in this lesson, but they’ll be the first ones to die in the zombie apocalypse”, he explained. To put it shortly, it was the most festive celebration of creepy movies that you could ever imagine. “Each year I get asked the same thing – why do I advocate violence? Questions like these make you aware of how little people actually know about fantasy and horror movies”, Maria Reinup, the organiser of the festival for the fourth year, says. “I’m not a big fan of horror flicks, they still scare me up to a point that I could s**t myself, but I have to see them all when I’m putting the festival programme together. People would laugh if they saw me while I watch these movies alone in my office late at night – when I go to the bathroom at the end of the hall, I leave all the doors unlocked
Scary cinematography helps people open their minds not only to the outer world, but to the inside of themselves. Are the most intimate movies R-rated and include a lot of nudity? Not entirely. Facing yourself during a horror film is an intimate experience as well. Let’s ask a few questions about these experiences to a Canadian we met in Haapsalu – Shelagh Rowan-Legg, who is a film critic in charge of the programme of “FrightFest”, the biggest British horror movie festival in London. Recently she also wrote a thesis on Spanish fantasy cinema, so she must have an answer or two. “We get a lot of adrenalin out of watching horror movies. Also, people enjoy the pleasure of getting scared while still feeling safe. You always know it’s just a movie, even if it makes you have nightmares on some occasions”, Shelagh adds. “These films have a lot of symbols in them that are connected to our daily life and society. For instance, “The Guest” questions militarism and asks us what are we doing with our soldiers in the USA – aren’t we turning them into monsters? “Aurora”, a great work by the Lithuanian director Kristina Buožytė, talks about love and obsession through a science-fictional prism. Horror and fantasy movies are just an unusual and sometimes extreme way of discussing things we take for granted”. Horror cinema is a path to know oneself on such a level of intimacy that almost no other genres can offer. If you overcome a horror movie – you’ll win over yourself anywhere. Of course, this can also turn into an entertaining weekend at one of the most beautiful location in the Baltics. “Come back next year with friends from Lithuania!”, Maria, the organiser of HOFF, smiles. We will be back, and maybe not alone. HOFF takes place at the end of April in Haapsalu, Estonia. www.hoff.ee
Not scared. Guests of HOFF Ove, author of an online sci-fi journal I watch horror movies because you just can’t do that shit in real life. Well, you can, but you shouldn’t. This is escapism, a chance to run away from reality. What is the scariest film you remember? I saw “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) when I was about six. I slept upstairs and I woke up so scared that I thought zombies have the house surrounded. I reckoned it was a good thing that I was up high – I could chop their arms off if they try climbing up the stairs. Maybe I was too young to see that movie. What’s the scariest part of horror cinema for you? Scenes with eyes. To be honest, it’s quite creepy to see a guy cutting another guy’s eye out with a knife. Tina, a mother and actor at an improv theatre I don’t really like horror films, but I enjoy the festival – I’ve been here five times. It’s the only place where I see scary movies. I forget all about the problems at home when I watch those blood-packed scenes. A kind of warm feeling takes over me here, it’s much scarier to watch movies like this at home. What’s your favourite horror movie? “Julia’s Eyes”, I saw it here three years ago. It’s psychological horror, I love it the most. The film is about a girl that becomes blind and starts seeing odd things. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen? There was a movie with a miscarriage scene in the festival. I was pregnant at the time, so that episode completely shocked me.
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A paradox. Our intimacy with ourselves (touching one’s genitalia isn’t that) is incredibly scarce. We do anything to cheat ourselves. We believe in any crazy story just to stay on the squirrel’s wheel. We can’t even raise from the bed for the morning run without lying to ourselves – is this not a paradox?! Do we really hate ourselves so much that we can’t face the true? We do anything just to avoid staying alone against oneself, avoid any personal intimacy. We surround ourselves, even inside, even between the beats of our heart, with mental noise in order not to hear our own voice. It’s difficult to accept that we are greedy, fearful and selfish, doing everything just for a reward. It’s difficult to accept that we are human. We are even afraid to doubt if a God’s vicegerent is really sitting in Vatican! For whom with a big effort one could even manage to telephone. It’s the same as actually call the God directly! Not bad. And yet, maybe all is good, we are of body and spirit? Are they two separate subjects? Or maybe the ego also exists? Probably yes. Only ego is given for us for a reason, to have some ambitions. Even better if ego is big, like Godzilla. Ego can solve this permanent issue, it’s constantly shifting, but the larger – the safer. Don’t bark – bite. Sincerely, Your enemy www.Doberman-inside.eu
SEB Tautė Bernotaitė
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N WIND:
DUETS
Mutual business – an interesting family scenario “We started to learn how to swim after diving in”, note Latvian creators of the BlankBlank brand, Linda and Martin. The family of artists founded a business of clothes and accessories with tremendous enthusiasm, yet not that much knowledge about the fashion industry. The process of production was a big challenge for the couple: they were used to make unique units in the art sector, so they were uncertain about how to approach mass manufacturing. When a famous Latvian band “Instrumenti” ordered 300 T-shirts with complex graphic prints on them, it was, of course, good news for this up-and-coming fashion brand. However, the practical aspect had a few surprises, for instance, how to make many identical, authentic and quality copies, when most prints of BlankBlank were hand-
made. The artists experimented a lot to create a new technique. Mutual vision united them at the beginning of every stage, so they were ready to work as hard as they possibly could to fulfil the vision of their brand being unique. Officially, BlankBlank was founded in 2013, but probably the very beginning of collaboration between Martin and Linda were the studies at Art Academy of Latvia (LMA). Martin graduated as a master of design in 2004, and he has been steeped into various projects of industrial and furniture design, advertising, marketing ever since. In 2012, Linda became a master of graphic design and she now works in the visual and fine arts. A common goal to link graphic art with design was a creative catalyst for the couple.
“We bought our first silkscreen equipment on the 18 th of November in 2008. This was the exact day that the Latvian government announced the country has plunged into a deep economic crisis”, Martin tells us about the circumstances at the beginning. “But, honestly, we don’t see much difference between the situation then and now. It was the start for us and it was really hard, but we face challenges now as well, just different ones. It seems as if we’re changing more – our ambitions, strategies – not the Latvian economy”. By the way, the mentioned equipment was bought in Lithuania because of closed stores in Latvia – November 18 th is the Latvian Independence day.
Julita Varanauskienė, a representative of SEB bank. Photo by Reda Mickevičiūtė
de or two, and what can we do about it today. It’s also beneficial to consider the share of the profit we’d like to transfer into the books of personal financing. This is mainly because we could have a certain financial reserve that would allow us to survive for a while without getting any funds from our business. If a particular professional activity is the only source of income for both people, and if that income is not regular, then the planned period to live through without any business earnings should be double the one that’s recommended for people with regular income. For instance, if a particular sum of money is needed for 3 to 6 months, this time it’s advised to think about a year or so. Later, it would be wise to look into the assets that you should save if you would ever want to back out from your active work practice. It’s a bit reckless to assume that, when the time comes, we will be able to sell our business successfully and live off those funds. It happens, just not every time. Business people have to believe in their
Julita Varanauskienė, a representative of SEB, comments on the model of this duo’s work and personal life from a financial angle.
Finances
BlankBlank keeps financial independence at the top of their priorities. When you’re both a family and business partners, this might be uneasy. What advice would you give them in terms of personal financing? Up-and-coming business people are advised to strictly separate personal and company resources. When we’re dealing with business financing, we tend to (and we should) take risks more often. The planning period here is one year, maybe a few years. If things aren’t the way the should be, we can always terminate the venture or stop the elements of it that are unprofitable. Personal resources should be handled in a calmer, more careful manner, because we always plan them ahead – it’s worth thinking on what will we want in a year or two, as well as after a deca-
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matter of fact, we both can become pretty impulsive! We argue and sometimes say things to each other that business partners wouldn’t dare saying. So fireworks are included in our communication, and that’s fine!” Even though at times they lack personal space, both of them are sure that a mutual business for a couple is much better than watching soap operas together. The duo escapes routine by going to their summerhouse. Yet often even a street becomes their workplace - modern technologies allow us to interact from all sorts of locations. Today BlankBlank is a duet in the truest sense – two partners that create a perfect balance: a very active Martin takes care of management, finances, marketing and collaborations, whilst Linda, a fan of tranquility, focuses on artistic experiments, develops the aesthetic and conceptual aspects of the brand. A bigger team is in their plans to unload some of the work, but the couple believes this will not happen very soon.
Linda and Martin, a couple for eleven years, are happy that BlankBlank is not only a family business, but also a way of life. Photo by Kate Krole
BlankBlank can be proud to be one of the most known brands of conceptual fashion in the country. The clothes made by the duo emit magical graphics of nature. “Fields B&W”, their new collection, was presented during Paris fashion week, also in Japan. And the wrapping paper they created was awarded 2nd place at the Latvian Art Directors Club (LADC) in April of 2015. Aside from clothing, the brand is also into accessories. Latvia has a small market, so it’s natural for the duet to try to take root overseas. However, Linda and Martin call Latvia their home and they feel it’s important to be recognised here: “We love our country, especially all the nature and the peculiar
company, otherwise, why start it? But it’s truly useful to think through the possible and even notthat-possible scenarios. One of the ways to separate personal and company finances is distribute the responsibilities of who’s in charge of what in a couple. There are examples, of course, when one person is capable to strictly separate and handle both personal and business funds. If the responsibilities are shared, the one that manages personal financing should be familiar with various measures and not be a stranger to monetary operations on the whole – personal accounting, planning expenses and controlling them, working with specific financial services. Two people are at the core of BlankBlank at the moment. What is the right time to expand your business and get more people working for you? More people in your team means more commitments and more interpersonal dependence. It goes without saying that it also means more
feel of aesthetics – these are some of our crucial sources of inspiration. Additionally, we like working in Latvia – yes, it’s quite hard to find strong financial sources, but in many other aspects the expenses are way smaller here and it’s easier to be in the right place at the right time”. The founders of BlankBlank travel a lot as a result of their search for foreign clients. Their aim is to become a solid international brand that embodies innovation, quality and reflects their views on fashion.
“It’s important for us to be financially independent. We’ve learned that it’s also crucial to pay attention to the smallest details – analyse the production process step by step so we can comprehend and foresee all expenses and connections. Now we know what is it like to work on a product of the highest quality”. The design products of BlankBlank can be found in their online e-shop, as well as in a famous platform “Not Just A Label”, shops of Japan and Dubai, and, certainly, Latvia, where Martin and Linda sends us regards from: “Dod zaļo gaismu savām idejām, lai arī cik nereālas tās sākotnēji šķistu! Dzeltenā gaisma ir domāta nākamā soļa apsvēršanai! Sarkanā uz tevi neattiecas!”*
Linda and Martin, a couple for eleven years, are happy that BlankBlank is not only a family business, but also a way of life. Still, they admit that difficult periods often result in clashes: “As a
* Give green light to your ideas, no matter how crazy they seem to be! A yellow light is only for figuring further steps out, and the red one doesn’t apply to you.
hands, eyes and heads, giving the whole process bigger opportunities for production and new ideas, chances for discovering something innovative. When the number of responsibilities grows (paying salaries, keeping people, implementing agreements), so should the faith in the success of your business. Flexibility, on the other hand, usually goes down – it’s becomes much harder to adapt to changing conditions. Thus I believe it’s best to know beforehand whether you’ll have something tangible to expand and where to expand it, having as few additional commitments as possible until then. Don’t forget that if your team has more members, your business may be influenced by different economic conditions of the countries you have financial interests in.
and principles of a relevant activity. It’s obvious that the founders of BlankBlank had it all – they didn’t go into this business after finishing cookery school, did they? Often the people who start a venture don’t have any formal education in that area, but they have the knowledge – they’ve been interested in that sector for some time or they simply have practical experience. The application of previously acquired learnings is kind of like swimming when you’re already in the water. You’ll never know whether you can swim until you try though.
Is it better to acquire the needed knowledge before starting your own business or will you learn to swim when you’re already in the water? Knowledge and information will always help – you should figure the basics out, know the technology
Do you create together? Have some plans? Register for a personal consultation about financial aspects at www.seb.lt or via phone – 1528.
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Space
An intimate space: Tales of architecture “Lijo” hotel by DO ARCHITECTS in Gargdžai. Photo from DO ARCHITECTS archive
RUn VĖT GĖ June 11th
WHAT? One-day festival “Summer in the City” WHERE? Kalnų parkas stage, Vilnius, Lithuania WHEN? June 11th. WHY? The stage that hosts national Song and Dance Celebrations is about to witness a one-day music festival. Erica Jennings and Skamp will warm each other up, together with Beissoul&Einius and Giedrė Kilčiauskienė. The pop diva herself, Róisín Murphy, is at the pinnacle of the evening. www.menufabrikas.lt
July 17–19
WHAT? Music festival “Positivus” WHERE? Zvejnieku park, Salacgrīva, Latvia WHEN? July 17-19 WHY? The biggest music festival in the Baltics will gather people by the coast of Latvia to give them world-famous performers and other interesting acts form neighbouring countries. It’s time to get your bikinis and tents out! www.positivusfestival.com/en
June 20th
WHAT? “Midnight Sun“ marathon WHERE? The streets of Tromsø, Norway WHEN? June 20th WHY? The nordic city of Norway with the northernmost university and brewery in the world, also the northernmost mosque and botanic garden, invites to participate in the most nordic marathon ever. 400 kilometres north from the polar circle, this marathon will be a serious test for running enthusiasts. www.msm.no/midnight-sun-marathon
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Tomas Milkamanavičius, architect It’s not often that we hear people talking about architecture in an intimate and open manner. It also seems as if the discipline itself is a guarantee of making individuals be strict and professional, and on rare occasions – simple and mundane. Let’s leave grandeur projects for now and focus on the harmony between architecture and its environment, which is of key importance not only for us personally, but it plays a big role in the process of shaping a free, active and modern community. Three respondents tell us their stories on people interacting with city spaces and buildings. These are basically confessions of town dwellers about the medium they exist in. Andrė Baldišiūtė is an architect, Managing Partner at DO ARCHITECTS and one of the founders of the ARCHITECTURE [...] FUND. Mindaugas Danys, the creator of Hub Vilnius, is a true gardener of the capital. Juozapas Blažiūnas examines different cultures and remains an expert on communication. What’s the relationship between architecture and daily life? Is it rewarding for a person? A. B. You can stroll around carelessly inside the city, disassociating yourself from the sur-
roundings, but it’s still a labyrinth that leads you. For instance, streets of the Old Town in Vilnius can be tremendous guides, allowing people to discover new perspectives – not erratic, but ones that were constructed by the alliance of nature and city habitants throughout the years. However, the overall state of life makes us happy, not the architecture – one is still angry if he roams the streets hungry. A cup of coffee, a croissant or a piece of cake helps, but do we like the cake more or the box it came in? Architecture acts as a fine basis that introduces a person to his life. M. D. A comfortable, yet aesthetic space. Functional, inspiring, but not banal. Any epithets can be used here, but it’s never easy to address your surroundings directly, because pearls of the city hide in a tragic context. J. B. The word “communication” always finds its way into discussions about these seemingly simple relationships of architecture. Of course, there is always the functional side, and we use the elements of architecture every day, thus making it consumable and accessible. Architecture wears away when we use it, so new elements and materials have to enter the space. Therefore it never leaves our daily life – we are almost forced to consume it. When we find the time to stop and observe the space that we live in, create in, consume and reproduce in – THAT’S communication. And we need all sorts of details and colours to exist there. What gets your attention when you’re wandering in the city? J. B. I try to look upwards all the time. We tend not to look up when we’re inside a city we live in
since it’s a space that’s familiar to us – we simply don’t believe there are new things to discover. People love to fly over Vilnius in an air ballon, looking at and capturing the things they usually see every day. It’s a fresh perspective, a new angle, that’s the point. We stare at shop windows when at a foreign city, but the best way for us to explore is to have a wider view. Maybe that’s the case because of our tunnel vision, or is it a reminder of the hunting period, when we had to observe the prey carefully and sling the killing tool with impressive accuracy? A. B. Watching others is what I mostly do when I travel – an architect must know people. And knowing more people ensures a better image of humanity. A painter can be an egoist and engage in art with his notions guiding him, but an architect ought to listen and understand people, he has to try to empathize with their daily routines and find what’s at the core of it all. Let’s say
July 3–6
May 13th – June 7th June 19-28 WHAT? Reykjavík Artfest WHERE? City streets of Reykjavik, Iceland WHEN? May 13th – June 7th WHY? One of the most important culture events in Iceland, the annual two-week festival takes place in Reykjavik since the 1960s. The presentation of modern art is crucial here, especially in unconventional spaces, allowing visitors not only to get to know, but also to feel the northern culture. www.en.listahatid.is
You’re part of a whole in a crowd, but an empty square takes all the intimacy away
WHAT? Festival “Oslo Pride” WHERE? Various public spaces of Oslo, Norway WHEN? June 19-28 WHY? It’s highly recommended to experience an equal rights event without any policemen, shouting politicians or metal fences. Oslo celebrates different people. A ten-day festival is dedicated to the subject of sexes this year – discussions, exhibitions, music and art events will take place in squares and parks of the city. www.oslopride.no/?lang=en
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WHAT? Festival “Newman” WHERE? Druskininkai, Lithuania WHEN? July 3–6 WHY? It’s a brand new festival, the name of which should be pronounced Ne...mun...as (like the river in Lithuania). Newman festival is about the clash of human nature and modern technology, analysing how contemporary media extends and redefines a human being. Experts applaud the musical programme arranged by organisers, and we’re excited about living in a SPA instead of in a tent. www.newmanfestival.com/
a person tells an architect he wants a house with huge windows, just like the ones he saw in some magazine. You must ask him then, what is the thing he want to achieve here? An architect goes to the location and analyses the need for those windows. “Do you wish to see something specific through them? Do you want to see nature and not see your neighbour?” There is meaning in everything. When you forget about the meaning and start chasing cliches you saw, nothing good can ever come out of it. Some clients think they need five rooms. Why? There are only three of you! If it’s privacy you seek, maybe three doors will be enough? It’s crucially important to talk about factors like these in order to know the real needs of people. Architecture can be solved much like a puzzle and yet, it may not bring happiness. We need to dig deeper if we’re on to find something original. M. D. Inevitably, I notice buildings, streets, green areas, parks and squares. I evaluate the environment and wonder whether I’d like to live here, sit or drink coffee there, eat a sandwich on the grass or storm around on a bike. Disproportions always grab my attention, if we were to talk about form, colour, capacity and location. It’s pretty idiotic to have several home owners painting the house in different colours, each one adding their own balcony to it with stairs leading all the way from the street, building concrete fences next to it and even painting those! How is the today’s culture of public urban spaces in Lithuania doing? A. B. As for the city spaces, a public location can
only be successful when it has more ways for people to enter it, then simply more of us will gather round it. When I’m talking about public spaces and I mention this – not a lot of listeners understand it. Afterwards, the space has to be given various events, and details are important as well – an oval corner will bring skateboarders whilst a bench will become a ‘granny place’. But, if different entrances are created, that’s a guarantee of more activities. Some think that a nice covering of the ground will be miraculous, especially those waiting for the ‘floor’ of Laisvės Avenue in Kaunas to be replaced. It’s not the covering that matters, it’s the knowing what you want to do in a certain space. When freshness is the only good thing about a location, time passes, it wears off and there is nothing left. Much like a girl that is only pretty. Obviously, being a pretty house is better than being an ugly one, but it shouldn’t be all about the beauty, because beauty is very subjective. M. D. I believe the city lacks outside benches, mini squares, other elements of miniature architecture, street art, original playgrounds and so on. Public spaces need to be more lively, so architects should work with urbanists and local activists to have a wider perspective on the context of interpersonal harmony and time. What is intimacy in architecture? M. D. It’s an emotion, association, vision that urges one to think. It allows you to explore yourself and look for hidden elements, like coded messages. I like the idea of city exploration that Free University (LUNI) is developing – gathering a few hundred people for expeditions around the city to discover fragments of our history and culture that we know very little about. Events like these
provoke rethinking your relationship with your surroundings, they also add new colours and layers to it and create new associations. Specialists of tactical urban development know this, they aim to include the person, the pedestrian, the cyclist into big spatial plans of the city, also to engage in placemaking – giving context to temporary or permanent city areas. A. B. Intimacy and publicity, I think, go very well together. I would even say that a public place can make you feel even more intimate. You’re part of a whole in a crowd, but a square leaves you facing another person and takes all the intimacy away. There are variations of the aspects of privacy, for example, being in a group and listening to music through your headphones or reading a book is intimate, so is entering a crowd and talking with one person only. The configuration of the space is significant as well – if you feel as if you’re on stage, it won’t get cozy anytime soon. Intimacy occurs when no one tampers you and you can observe everybody. The era of smartphones offers a new dimension: you’re in a public place, yet your phone provides a private space at the same time. Also, why do people like panoramas? Well, panoramas are like a Facebook – you see everything. J. B. Can architecture have intimacy? What word is at the essence of intimacy – ‘warm’, ‘pleasant’, ‘nice’, ‘tender’? ‘Lubricious’? I can only imagine someone looking at columns of a building in a lubricious manner or tenderly opening the door. Of course, places that you have created inside other places exist as well – it can be a dorm room, a shelter at your parents’ house, a room you once rented. But these are just elements. It’s very hard to apply the notion if intimacy for common concepts of architecture.
Photos from personal archive
There is a point in almost every person’s life when he is most likely to start mingling with the surroundings in the house or yard he grew up in. I asked my respondents to tell us about the environment of their childhood.
Juozapas Blažiūnas
Andrė Baldišiūtė
space
I’m a so called ‘asphalt kid’. I used to spend my time in yards of apartment buildings, always full of people and just full of intense urban life. My husband laughs every time we go out into nature and I just miss the city. I’m not even sure whether it’s the city itself or the people and the racket that I miss. Once we went to the Philippines for a whole month. After spending three weeks in a deserted island, we found ourselves in Saigon (Vietnam) – an absolutely buzzing city. It took us ten days of walking in those streets to just feel the life of a city once again.
I don’t remember the place I was born at, but I know it was in Vilnius (it’s a city, sometimes I joke about calling it “the capital of Riga”). My first conscious memories display a precast, five-story apartment building somewhere at the end of Kalvarijų street. It was a pretty weird location – factories and identical buildings everywhere you look, with red-brick nine-story houses invading the territory from time to time. We moved to the Old Town later and I can’t imagine my life without it since.
Mindaugas Danys I grew up in a cooperative apartment building in Kaunas between three local malls called “Sodžius”, “Svajonė” and “Aguona”. They kind of circumscribed our “zone of influence”. If the weather was bad, we played the game of “blind chicken” in the stairway area. I liked the life with no fences – your yard was basically half of a neighbourhood. The building, however, changed with time – habitants got older or moved out, garbage shafts were sealed forever, balconies glassed, elevator buttons burned and stairway doors with code locks were constructed... Now I live in a modern apartment building in Antakalnis, enjoying the forest right next to it, a park of a hospital, many other elements of infrastructure. But I see children who almost never leave the fenced backyard of three buildings.
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Anyway Indese Indane They’re coming.
Subject
A whole crowd of them that talk about sexuality in a different way – no, in a very different way. With stories, dildos and lubricants in their pockets. With tantras, spirituality, and sexual freedom on board. It’s not a recent trend – before today there have been many, many who have fought this battle. The female liberation movement, the sexual revolution, sexual equality – there has been a lot, and some of it has also fallen by the wayside. They are the foundation of the current sexual awareness movements that are gathering strength all over the world. They come to shed light on how paradoxically strange contemporary society is. On the one hand, sexuality oozes from every corner – never before have there been so many bums jiggling at such speed on our TV screens, perfume ads unashamedly bray about hormones and sexual drive. Sex education, seemingly, starts already in the womb.
And underneath it all – complete isolation and ignorance about your own sexual power, a hopeless powerlessness that results in shallow illusions about what love is, and what actually sex is. In sex shops and cubicles, where breath-taking ugliness prevails, porn entreats you to – shove deeper, spank harder, fuck wilder. Which in essence, is nothing unpleasant or unacceptable per se, where it not for the accompanying aura of loneliness that surrounds it. The desperate cry for help – we want to feel, hit us, fuck in all possible ways, we want to feel! The cry that no-one hears. At least, until recently. Notwithstanding the massive and beautiful sexual revolution and hippie movement, female liberation activism and the personal investments made all over the world to liberate bodies and sexuality from assumptions and prejudices, the true road to freedom has started only relatively recently. True change started about ten years ago when the first sex shops that were a little different, together with blogs and publications started to appear. They were the ones that tried to bring together, if not quite body and soul, then at least
some attempts to play with design and the world of feelings. They started to include women’s feelings about sexuality with the side that longs for gentleness and beauty as well the side that can take the dark and wild part of a woman’s sexuality. One of these flagships is LELO – a Swedish brand that a little more than ten years ago announced itself to the market with an alternative to the ridged dildo models designed by the German porn industry and manufactured in China, with THE SAME, but in shiny high quality, such that a woman would want to carry in her handbag and a man would want to place under a Christmas tree. At present they are the leaders, if we talk about high quality materials, design and sex toy philosophy. Their message is simple – don’t be afraid to find out about yourself and the other. Don’t be afraid to satisfy yourself and the other. They call their personal massagers, pleasure objects. They have many followers – extremely exclusive brands that balance on a fine line of sophisticated perversion, offering dildos and vibrators of gold, en-
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Photos by Laura Igoveņa
crusted with diamonds – like the American Jimmy Jane. One of the most beautiful and sumptuously well-designed collections is available at the sophisticated British erotic boutiques Coco de Mer in London. Fine gold chains with a clitoris clip, a blindfold, butt plugs with an emerald at the tip – these and much more are available here. They balance between freedom and the forbidden, enthusiasm and revulsion. Borders are breached – there’s a crossover between the spaces where this kind of sexuality is available. For example, LELO products are comfortably available side by side with exclusive underwear brands in lingerie shops – even in airports. Lubricants are on sale at department store cashiers. Even the sex shops are beginning to understand the wave is coming. There is a rush to create shops for women, or at least to place them on the high street with stylish shop fronts. In this milieu, the overt sexuality of perfume and underwear retailers start to look a little silly – as it becomes clear that there are some that have started to play the real game – to talk about sex and
offer sex. Not just playing around with a red rag to a bull. And yet, it’s not enough. Not enough by far. The divide between sex education in schools and that what is propagandised in cinema, music videos and the media is far too great to ignore. The connect between body and soul is still regarded with great suspicion. Spirituality entering the realm of product, as evidenced by the burgeoning market for yoga, is however, helpful. It brings with it tantra and a deeper interest in the body. Recent successful campaigns and movements against the glossy, fake depictions of bodies that leap out at us from magazine covers creating unrealistic illusions about what is REAL BEAUTY are also very helpful.
Sex education, seemingly, starts already in the womb
But it’s still not enough. For two years now I’ve been writing my blog about intimacy – BUD BLOOM BLOSSOM. This is a story about selfawareness, growth and revealing – blossoming, deeply, intimately and sexually. And with every post, I understand more and more that the point is not about penises, breasts, vaginas and how to give oral sex. That’s just the outer layer, albeit a very pleasant one, it’s still just the thin film over the top. The real story is about demolishing every possible prejudice – about who we are, what is our body, what is the spirit, what is their interplay, what is their connection with other bodies and souls. My chosen theme – sexuality, is just the eye of the needle that allows me to focus, and from a specific point of view, observe the global, the great processes that our planet is subjected to. Freeing penises, breasts, love-making, in the greater scheme of things, means healing the world. It also means, however, to question the prevailing system, its rules and face the risk of losing something along the way. Which is why, what all of these new high achievers with their dildos and designer bum accessories, is damn serious. Because, what are we going to do with all these freed-up, dizzy people full of self-love who have discovered what makes hen happy? Is the world ready for them? Is the world ready for freedom and orgasms? Those who let the genie out of the bottle have a lot of responsibility. Fear it, and let it out anyway.
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www.budbloomblossom.com www.lelo.com
Bud > Bloom > Blossom > For some time now I have been asked, why do you do all this, write all this stuff? What is your conviction, what is this manifestation? Why do you talk about so many different things, why do you mix together so many layers and aspects? Just put it simply, what is BUD BLOOM BLOSSOM all about! Well here it is, this is what I believe. It came to 28 points.
very basis it is made up of creative energy, however on the very top it is covered by a layer of society’s presumptions about good and evil, attitudes to your body and spirit, tradition, the environment, the health of your body and spirit, love of yourself and another. Sex and sexuality are overgrown with layers of cultural, prejudicial and taboo notions; however it’s possible to “clean them away” by getting rid of the source. It’s possible to reveal the source, by finding out, free-ing up the self. Sex is holistic, our own individuality, at the same time, carries with it the experience, pain and joy of the environment that surrounds it. Sex has a thousand colors, tones and tonalities – each has its own, its own creative expression.
So, this is what we believe in:
Sexual energy is the primary energy of the universe – the creative energy of everything. Sex is creative, giving, inspiring, a numinous power. Sex encompasses the divine and the human – enlightenment, spirit, light, earthy basic instinct, depth, naturalness and nature play and flow within it. Both sides of you, gentleness, spirituality, light unite with the passionate, wild internal desire to create a full life-giving you. It’s a holistic, complete path to your true You. A free, breathing, inspired sexuality is a bright, creative and giving form of self-expression. Sexuality and meditation are two things that challenge your Ego the most, as truth can be present only when you free yourself from thoughts, prejudices, be in the here and now, making love, losing yourself in yourself and in the other. The mind and modern society is afraid of sexual energy as it represents free self-realization, maturity and enlightenment.
Subject
Sex is natural curiosity, a process of discovery, creativity in action. Sex is a door to a completely new consciousness. Sex begins with the person him/herself – it includes the heart, thoughts, feelings, consciousness, the body, sensations. In essence, sex is self-acceptance, self-love. Only after that, begins the path to another.
Sex is a very genuine manifestation of love, if you learn to give – to yourself and to another. The human body is a beautiful instrument within which the creative universe plays. You can play yourself or the other, composing a marvelous unrepeatable melody – from heavy metal to Mozart, from silence to storm. A human is unique, wonderful, splendid. If you unleash sexual energy. And allow it to flow. Love-making is a direct way to experience spirituality, to commune with the Universe. A free and well-nurtured sexuality frees up and inspires a person to create, give and love in every sphere of life. Love-making is an exchange of creative energy, an opportunity to surprise yourself, to experience new, absolutely beautiful depths. An orgasm is the most open, most accessible way to experience the Universe. It is also the moment when all the imagined images, visualizations come true as there are no limitations. Sexuality consists of a great many layers – at its
Sexuality is a part of a human’s being – it grows, changes, is born, blossoms, dies and resurrects. The blooming of sexuality, the rising of its fragrance within each individual carries great changes in the every aspect of that person’s life. Denial of sexuality, its suppression, the division of the spirit from the body is at the heart of the fragmentation of the modern world and the root of many global problems. It means most loving oneself and non-acceptance. cutting out an important part. The acceptance of sexuality and its integration, the release of its creative power brings a massive inspirational change in my and your life. It changes this planet, because it shines, creates, sparkles and flows. It makes better everything it touches. To get to know genuine sexuality in all its diversity. To see, smell, touch, hear, taste and feel how nuanced it is capable of being. To show how sexuality is inextricably connected to every area of life. To highlight its importance and magic in the formation of a new consciousness. To play. To live. Is BUD BLOOM BLOSSOM.
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Oslo: 8kph · 308º Helsinki: 8kph · 58º Copenhagen: 6kph · 328º Vilnius: 4kph · 13º
Anchovy fashion brand and N WIND magazine present From Wind, a creative collaboration. An app at www.fromwind.com translates real time data of wind direction and speed from meteorological stations in the Northern European cities into colours. The unexpected colour combinations are re�lected on large format silk scarves, available at V2 CONCEPT STORE in Vilnius. www.fromwind.com
Showcase: texture HOUSE OF NAIVE
Sun beams and fresh winds are weaved into a linen dress and summer sandals. Find at House of Naive store, Didžioji g. 38, Vilnius.
COS
Advertising project
Geometric pendant as if a stone disguised in marble. Find at www.cosstores.com.
VĖJAS GLUOSNIUOSE
Guava high heals – yellow energy explosion. Find at Vėjas Gluosniuose store, Užupio g. 15 / 3, Vilnius.
STASKAUSKAS JEWELRY
Jeweller Benas Staškauskas’s ring Allegory Ce-1 full of Icelandic volcanoes lava and ashes. Find at www.staskauskas.com.
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World’s gravitational centre Agnė Tuskevičiūtė
Allowing complete strangers into your kitchen might be a test for your intimacy. PlateCulture.com, a fast-growing social network in Asia is making its first steps in Europe, offering the taste of discovery combined with socialising through different cultural heritages. The website lets people order a dinner at a home of a local individual, who becomes a chef de cuisine for one night, letting guests in and serving food for them as well as serving stories of local culture. This unconventional and non touristic way of getting to know a certain place was tested many times by one of the founders, Reda Štarė. She speaks about the taste for life and the inseparable notions of food and socialising in this very intimate edition of “Wind mills”. Is it true that most good parties end in the kitchen? Well, you can’t change the centre of gravity of the world. What’s the first thing you do in the morning? I took advice from a friend and I always drink a glass of water, it helps me wake up. The other advice to do some sports still waits for its time. When angry, do you throw plates or cups around?
Living in Greece got me smashing plates under the feet of Sirtaki-dancing men, yet never have I done it angrily. I would miss these perfect things, they’re a big part of enjoying a meal! Can one eat cold beet soup with a fork? You can eat it with a toothpick if you’re stubborn enough. Even if it’s small pieces, you’re still moving forward. Where is the end of the world? I believe you can get there by tasting all the flavours and meeting all the people. So it’s very far away, I don’t think I’ll ever reach it. And that’s sublime. What makes personalities grow? I think there are two main factors. Firstly, getting out of the comfort zone as often as one possibly can – this helps in understanding yourself and finding your ground in various situations. Secondly, I believe the personality only matures when the person starts appreciating people around him. Which plate contains the most satisfying dinner? The one that’s surrounded by friends and family. Would you choose a small road instead of a highway? Every small road can turn into a highway. The main problem here is to find a one that’s your own and is not influenced by other people’s directions. Any advice on being a successful chef right from the first time? Just do it quickly! The winners are not the ones who don’t make mistakes, they’re the ones that learn from them and move on fast enough.
Wind mills
VYTAUTO SKUSTUVAS
For all textures of men’s face: for the cleaned shaved like in the portrait of Vytautas the Great and for the more scruffy, but still in need of love. Find at Vėjas Gluosniuose store, Užupio g. 15 / 3, Vilnius, and online www.vytautoskustuvas.lt.
The Lithuanian startup keeps growing in Asia. Photos by PlateCulture.com
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WAKE UP YOUR HAIR AND SKIN A drop. A touch. Shining. Natural vegetable oils simply radiate with life. Similar by composition to the sebum of our skin, these oils are good for nurturing it, keeping the moisture inside. Cold-pressed oils have many irreplaceable fat acids, the lack of which is often the reason for dryness and other troubles. Part of scientific research tries to prove that acids like these can be adopted through the skin*. More about the oils: www.youandoil.lt/en
YOU&OIL presented a set of remedies to recover the vitality of skin and hair
Almond and avocado oil for the face
FOR EXHAUSTED SKIN
Rich in A, E and B vitamins, various microelements, omega 6 and 9 acids, it gives vitality back to the skin.
Mask from the jojoba oil
FOR DRY HAIR
Rich in vitamins of E and B groups, it feeds the skin of the head and restores the strength of damaged hair.
Hazelnut body oil
FOR LAZY SKIN
Hazelnut oil - mixed with ethereal oils of grapefruits, pine nuts, lemons and sweet oranges - tightens, stimulates and refreshes the skin of your body.
Rose hydrolat for the face
FOR TIRED SKIN
Moisturise the skin of your face with the rose hydrolat just before using face oil – you’ll enhance the potential of moisturisation and purification of these remedies.
How to use YOU&OIL body and face oils? The oil should be applied only on moist skin of the face or body. Clean your face, hydrate it with a suitable hydrolat or water, then apply a few drops of the oil and observe it sink into the surface. You can maximise the effect of the oil by massaging the skin.
* “JAMA Dermatology”, research on the positive effects of sunflower oil and linoleic acid on the skin, published by P. Skolnik, W. H. Eaglestein, V. A. Ziboh.
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WHERE TO FIND IT: Shopping malls of GO9 and CENTRO PASAŽAS in Vilnius LEVANDŲ pharmacy RAMUNĖLĖS pharmacy www.youandoil.lt/en A complete list of selling points can be found at www.youandoil.lt/en
Small fish of books industry Dovydas Kiauleikis I am a genuine lover of books. Sure, I like being alone with a book, but I also enjoy touching them, observing how they sit on shelves, moving them, looking through them, remembering what I was up to when I first read a particular one. So the books are not just for reading – they live with us. Larger countries have a huge range of publishers and there are many various activities related to books like clubs, exchange programmes, let alone the available selection – everything from abstract literature to books that are works of art. The Baltic countries, for example, don’t have that much choice – bookstores fill up with countless shades of grey, the secrets or poor dads and rich dads. Only the independent, boutique publishers make sure that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia get non-standard literature and the unattractive yet necessary classics, also high-quality art publications and authors that disregard the established norms.
Smaller publishers can offer an alternative for the dominant culture – larger ones are not interested in that “Kitos knygos”, a publisher founded in 2004, has skeptics of capitalism like Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, philosopher Herbert Marcuse, beatniks such as Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, critics of heterosexual dictatorship Jeanette Winterson, Manuel Puig, the star of Latin America Roberto Bolaño in their catalogue. “These and other authors and concepts travel to the Lithuanian-speaking world through us. It’s not only good fiction, but also books of social critique which counterbalance the dominant conservative-liberalist discourse in Lithuania. If “Kitos Knygos” wasn’t here, readers would proba-
What urged Laima Slava to found a book publishing business 20 years ago was the willingness to fill the gap in the narrative of art history. Photo by Kristīne Madjare
bly suffocate or just... stop reading in Lithuanian”, says Aira Niauronytė, text editor of the publisher. Expanding people’s outlook is also the mission of Laima Slava, one of the founders of “Neputns”, an art book publisher in Latvia, operating since 1997: “I’m an art historian, and the main incentive to found “Neputns” was the willingness to fill all the gaps in the history of art – there was a lack of available information, publications on different periods of history and diverse perspectives on them. We had a clear vision – every interested person should be able to get hold of art books written in Latvian”. Today, after almost 20 years, Laima feels as if she covered the basics and thus the profile of “Neputns” is changing. The key focus point now is the quality – all editions are specialized, thoroughly examined and investigated more profoundly. Nevertheless, the publishers try to keep the mass readers intrigued as well. Aira sees the reshaping of “Kitos Knygos” as well: “At first this publisher was exceptionally rowdy and counter-cultural (books on alcohol and cannabis, Valerie Solanas’ “SCUM Manifesto”, memoirs of Che Guevara and so on). This was almost
Small, yet influential
Subject
Successful smaller publishers often work with authors that are not relevant for larger publishing houses. However, this doesn’t mean that these publications cannot change the established paradigms. We present the most popular books of “Neputns” and “Kitos Knygos”.
“Classics of Latvian Art” It’s a series that was born last year. The idea is to publish understandable, middle-sized books for the general public about the classics of the country’s art in English and Latvian. Books about popular artists like Karlis Padegs, Jānis Rozentāls and Vilhelm Purvītis were quickly sold out and got some attention from foreign bookstores.
James Howard Fraser “Publishing and Book Design in Latvia 1919-1940: a Re-discovery” The success behind this book lies in the unique material: it’s a comprehensive study by an American book pro on the publishing of Latvia’s interwar period. The author reviews Latvian books as well as publications of Russian, Jewish, German minorities. Additionally, there are over 700 illustrations!
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unseen, and authors that were considered to be classics in other countries were pretty new and interesting for Lithuanians, so they had to have those books in their own language”. Today “Kitos Knygos” is not a clever yet youthful scatterbrain anymore – writers like José Saramago and Roberto Bolaño bring it closer to ‘the ruling class’. Smaller publishing houses are affected by the same tendencies that all regular publishers face (decreasing readership, electronic revolution), but also by other challenges. For instance, the books of “Neputns” are quite expensive and they never make the best-selling lists, so bookstore chains simply don’t want them. The publishers have solved this problem by opening a gallerystore. “By selling the books directly, we don’t have to wait for the payments from distributors for 60 days, we get a bigger margin, and, most importantly, we form bonds with our readers”, Laima explains. The gallery also serves as a tool of advertising, marketing and public relations. Advertising costs a lot, so most of smaller publishers disappear in the general book noise. “It’s a kind of advantage of boutique publishing houses: people who know what they want follow the news themselves – they never are forced to visit us by aggressive campaigns”, Aira from “Kitos Knygos” reasons. Another method “Neputns” uses to boost sales is publishing books in Latvian and English. Art books are perfect in that sense – the text is often less important than the illustration. These kind of bilingual books are especially attractive for foreigners: “It’s how we spread the Latvian culture outside our country, I think that’s significant as well”, Laima says. She was surprised to find her books in bookstores of foreign countries: “I once stumbled upon several books of ours in Tallinn, even though we have no Estonian distributors. I have no idea how they got there”. On the subject of money, I’m curious whether book publishing can survive without support from the state. As far as I notice, most editions have a logo of some institution on their first pages. “Book publishing, at least in our case, is a business that pays off really slowly: it takes a long
time for a book to be translated or written, edited, sometimes unforeseen problems occur. The buying process is also slow, most people choose to only get books after a discount”, Aira opens the curtains of publishing houses. She stresses that the financial backing of Lithuanian Council for Culture, foundations of European Union, embassies and cultural institutes is extremely important. Laima agrees: “Publishing an art album requires huge amounts of money – without the support of institutions, the cost of an album in the store would be out of reach for the readers. We take quality very seriously right from the start, so the expenses are vast, this is also why we still exist – people appreciate it”. Laima and her team were successful in creating a big network of sponsors – the publishing house now has an extra source of income. Companies, art collectors or regular lovers support “Neputns” because they are interested in culture development as well. I’m glad that both women are optimistic about the future of publishing. Laima is certain that her publishing house will slowly grow, so will the whole market. She thinks the quality of life is improving and culture – food for the brain – will always be needed. New readers make her believe that people still need to keep their souls happy after they take care of their bodies. I also agree with Aira on the subject of electronic readership. She already sees the collecting of printed books as a hobby of retro-blooded people, like the ones who collect vinyls: “That’s why we have to make sure the designs are better and better, thus making the books into objects of high-quality aesthetics, allowing readers to enjoy the touch and smell factors as well. It’s reasonable to assume that a home library will eventually become a privilege of wealthy settlers, and no one will ever want unattractive books. Seriously”. neputns.lv kitosknygos.lt
Charles Bukowsi – “Post Office”
Norman Doidge – “The Brain’s Way of Healing”
The first book in Lithuanian by this author also was the first book published by “Kitos Knygos” and the start of counter-cultural publishing in Lithuania. 11 years have passed, and the publication is still in demand and deserves to be considered as a cult.
It’s definitely a book that marks the first changes of habits among Lithuanian readers. Fiction is becoming less popular, whereas science books are slowly taking over. This revolutionary publication of neuroscience was re-released two times after its massive hype.
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Closer to body This piece of clothing is constantly tasting coffee
Intimate relationship can be developed between the wearer and his clothes. Those wearing jeans every day will understand. For the strong relationship to flourish the denim needs to be of high quality and durable. Just like Edwin jeans. Born in Japan in 1947 the brand draws its inspiration from the American workwear culture and combines it with the thorough design of Japanese tradition – this is how some of the highest quality denim products in the world get made. Known for selvedge denim and revolutionary wash techniques Edwin has a strong following around the world.
Adventure? Jeans is a piece of clothing I most often wear at work, so it’s constantly tasting coffee. Especially when I forget to put on the apron. Not only my Edvins often visit the manufactory – they also have been to the President’s House where I was awarded for the design of cold brew coffee packaging!
Edwin brand is dedicated to craftsmanship and quality. The same principles are followed by hard woking Emanuelis Ryklys, the founder of the coffee manufactory „Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories“. Emanuelis is the mind behind DARK TIMES coffee conference and a keen representer of coffee culture in Lithuania. A pair of Edwin he got a year ago is his loyal partner travelling with him through the coffee stories.
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How do you take care of your Edwin jeans? I washed them maybe five times within the last year. I take care of them like Gvidas, the owner of Rugged’n’Raw, told me. So Gvidas said to wash as rarely as possible and definitely by hands. The advice is to wash jeans as late as possible – for the indigo dye to rub in better. Unless you want to keep the colour fresh: for that take a shower or jump into the lake straight after you purchased your pair. I wash everything with scent free detergent – jeans as well.
Emanuelis Ryklys of coffee manufactory „Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories“ likes tempered, calm things. Photo by Greta Gedminaitė
Why did you choose Edwin ED-80 Red Listed model? I was drawn to them because of the clean, minimal design, I like that there is no visible branding on them. I like calm things of good quality. As I noticed, majority of Edwin designs are like that – tempered, subtile. I were my pair often and seems like will do for a long time. Edwin denim available at Rugged’n’Raw store at Dysnos g. 4, Vilnius, and ruggednraw.lt
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