Events

<< January 2009 >>

European Café

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

Each month the all-year-round discussion club will invite the residents and guests of the capital to join discussions on hot topics of culture, economics and policies related to the presentation and perception of contemporary culture. The debates in cafés with the participation of various cultural figures from architects and film-makers to poets will provide a fine opportunity to discuss contemporary culture and today’s art live.

Series of Concerts Conducted by Winners of Herbert von Karajan Conductors’ Competition

01 / 01 2009 - 05 / 31 2009

In 2008, the world commemorates the jubilee of 100 years of Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), legendary conductor of the 20th century. Herbert von Karajan is synonymous with the pinnacle of conducting art. Maestro has often been called General Music Director of Europe. The conductor's significance to the musical culture of the world is measureless. His interpretations and records are still amazing and demonstrating deep meanings and inimitable beauty of music that can be revealed by the master of the baton. Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra (artistic director and senior conductor Gintaras Rinkevièius) is getting ready for the special concert cycle dedicated for the commemoration of this unique personality in its home, i.e. Vilnius Congress Hall, during the concert season of 2008-2009. The concert cycle will present the most renowned conductors from different countries, who won one of the best known and most prestigious contests named after Herbert von Karajan in different years. The contest has been held for as long as three decades in the 20th century. Big authority and popularity of conductor Herbert von Karajan as well as the prospect of world acclaim available for the contest winners attract young conductors from all continents. Gintaras Rinkevièius, one of the contest winners (1985), is going to conduct the opening and closing concerts of this concert cycle.

New City Face. 2nd Quadrennial of Contemporary Lithuanian Fine Arts

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

This interdisciplinary project is going to pinpoint the unique cultural heritage of Vilnius and its modern apparel, introduce the latest art works of fine art in an extraordinary way, and seek impressive union of theatrical and cinematographic effects. At nights, the façades and interiors of the main buildings of Vilnius Railway Station, Vilnius Airport and Vilnius Bus Station will be transformed with the help of light and video projections containing the compositions of art works. The new looks of the familiar architectural shapes will provide the city with different, mystified and intriguing face. In daytime, the approaches of these Vilnius “City gates” will become open-air galleries. Lithuanian and foreign artists will display their latest art works, dedicated for the public sites, here. The art works demonstrated in the transit areas will meet the incoming flow of passengers surprising, engaging and inviting them to get involved into the cultural city life.

Film Marathon “52 weeks”

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

All 52 weeks of 2009 will be dedicated to the important stage of evolution in cinema. Fifty-two best-known films of the world that had the greatest influence on the language of cinema and its development will be screened. The films will be selected according to two different viewpoints - classical and experimental. The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), representing the classical approach, will select the most significant films from this perspective, while the experimental perspective will be shaped and presented by the Film Department of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, together with Anthology Film Archives. The new trends in cinema have interacted with various social, political and economic phenomena, therefore, each week will feature additional films intertextual with the main 52 films. These supplementary films will portray the evolution of genres in cinema and how it influenced public opinion. Thus, we will see the first cinematic derivatives of political propaganda, advertising and musicals.

Handicraft Heritage of Vilnius

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

The heritage of crafts in the city is relevant to the Vilnius of today in its struggle to revive old handicraft traditions as an expression of urban culture of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy (LGD). The revival of olden craft customs in Vilnius is also important to the development of cultural tourism and the endeavour to present Vilnius as a city upholding old European traditions. Once per month, educational events will be organised in the original sites of craft workshops in order to revive the old tradition of Vilnius handicrafts. During the Bartholomew Fair, fine, crude and ethnographic handicrafts using old technologies, will be demonstrated by Vilnius craftsmen. The fair is expected to attract the members of ethnic minorities (Karaites, Tartar, Jewish) and, thus, to disclose the historical multi-cultural characteristics of both Vilnius City and its old crafts. The educational, entertainment, cultural and social influences of the project will allow Vilnius to be portrayed as a modern and dynamic city in which creative people design the future by reconstructing the past.

Virtual Museum of Vilnius

01 / 01 2009

This virtual museum will outline the history of Vilnius, historical capital of the Lithuanian State and an exceptionally rich metropolis of the Central and Eastern European regions from ethno-religious, cultural, social and political standpoints. Incoming tourism will be promoted and an appealing image of Lithuania and Vilnius will be created by presenting Vilnius City history to different target groups (Vilnius residents, other residents of Lithuania and foreigners) by means of an interactive format. The virtual museum of history will not only promote knowledge of the past, but also provide incoming tourists with an opportunity to plan their own scenic routes.

1984. Survival drama

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 30 2009

1984 is the best-known twentieth-century dystopia, written by George Orwell while Stalin was still in power. The book ponders what life would be like in a future totalitarian society in the far-off year of 1984. What if we, children of the twenty-first century, took a look at the past, to the real 1984 in the Soviet Union? Perhaps you simply forgot or cannot even imagine what it looked like? Well, now you are presented with a unique opportunity to experience the historical setting of the Soviet regime. An underground bunker located in Vilnius District, built in the ‘80s as an alternative television station in the event of nuclear war, will provide a venue for the authentic survival drama of 1984. This survival drama in the bunker is set in the Soviet era in Lithuania during the 50 years of occupation which ended on 11 March 1990. The project will strive to portray the impact of the totalitarian regime not only on political, economic and cultural life, but on the daily lives of people as well. The authentic atmosphere of 1984 will cast participants of the project into the grim reality of those times. 1984. Survival Drama will have no stage or viewing hall, no actors or audience. All those who go down to the bunker of their own free will become its actors.

Baroque Dialogues

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

This is a special programme of baroque art (architecture, music, theatre, literature and dance) which will take place in the baroque churches and chapels of Vilnius, the Royal Palace, and other locations in Vilnius suited for concerts. The aim of the project is to present Europe’s heritage of baroque art through relevant means and interpret it in a contemporary light, a heritage which created Vilnius, one of the most beautiful baroque cultural centres of the Old Continent. An interaction of Europe’s seventeenth and eighteenth-century common cultural heritage and twenty-first century ideas of artists will build new bridges in the present for the creation of the future. The programme, which will consist of concerts, operas and publishing events, will feature performers, interpreters and artists from a number of European countries.

Haiku to Vilnius

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

Haiku to Vilnius is a public creativity action: we invite every Lithuanian to create a haiku poem dedicated to Vilnius. Awards for the best three-line poems will include special prizes and publicity through outdoor advertising, newspapers, television, radio, and unusual sites of the cities. From now on, public areas of Vilnius will be directly open to poetry. Everyone is invited to give a sense to their impressions of Vilnius in a delicate literary form, thus, contributing to the development of the open city together.

Lithuanian Capital of Culture

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

National Competition Lithuanian Capital of Culture should enliven the cultural processes not only of Vilnius but of the entire Lithuania. Artists and cultural institutions of the cities and towns prepare cultural projects representing their cities. The winning city or town for the best project submitted will be awarded the exclusive title of the Lithuanian Capital of Culture for a period of one year.

Public Spaces Animation Programme

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

The Public Spaces Animation (PSA) programme consists of: 1) permanent works of art in public spaces; 2) temporary projects of art in public spaces; 3) discussion platform “Alternative vision of the city”; 4) projects in transit spaces (airport, railway and bus station); 5) living environment animation projects based ion cooperation of artists, architects and communities (contest “My Yard / Art Yard”). Permanent works of art in public space reveal the perception of the most outstanding Lithuanian masters of sculpture of the last decade of the urban space. Their aim is to develop an alternative for the époque-making monumental thinking and encourage more creatively insight of inhabitants and guest of the city to the environment surrounding them. Temporary projects in public spaces aim at distinguishing historic and cultural transformations and revealing specifics of a particular location. Selected semantic areas are different: sacral (St. Jesus’ Heart Church and the Monastery of Visitation), disappearing public (former House of Culture of Railway Employees) and institutional (“Talking Doors”) space. Approaches to the Sport Palace also represent potential space for the participants in this project. Discussion platform is designated for theoretic, critical and artistic analysis of public spaces. The public space of the city is disappearing because it is more and more occupied by signs of commercial culture. One of potential ways of artistic/critical analysis of public spaces is a specially created film about disappearing public spaces of Vilnius and demonstration of this film in unexpected places. The final event of the discussion platform – exhibition of projects submitted for PSA pending in end-2009. The purpose of LAA project “New face of the city” is to provide an innovative interpretation of transit spaces – airport, railway and bus stations and their approaches. As a rule, these spaces are occupied by people for a short time; they are intended for quick “use” and often are visited by accidental visitors. But at the same time they are like a visiting card of the city which might be introduced each time from a different perspective. Living environment animation contest “My Yard/Art Yard” is devoted for giving artistic and functional meaning to remote living spaces of downtown and places of entertainment. The title of the contest denotes the principal aim – to create the public space available to all giving to it creative meaning just as if you were creating in your own yard and for our family. The contest seeks to involve into the creative process different social groups actualising the network of avenues, streets, squares, unused buildings as the space suitable for creation and discussions.

PEOPLE Programme Foundation Projects

01 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

Creative initiatives of Vilnius communities in the City of Vilnius. The Foundation has been set up exclusively for culture / art / social community initiatives. The community in this case means people permanently residing in a respective territory and connected by common public needs and interests. For the purposes of this contest communities will also include groups of people formed for sports, religion, entertainment and other purposes. The contest of this Foundation which has been lasting for two and half years already provides the opportunity to implement projects focusing on community needs.

Hommage à Heifetz (Homage to Jascha Heifetz)

01 / 09 2009 - 01 / 13 2009

Vilnius has contributed to the world a number of musicians including the legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz. In the Hommage à Heifetz project, Vilnius will stand out as a city which honours the traditions of the art of violin. In cooperation with EMCY (European Union of Music Competitions for Youth), the opening day of Jascha Heifetz Violin Competition will include a Concert of Europe featuring prominent winners of the European violinist competitions (as well as prior winners of the Heifetz violinist competition). A special award will be established for the best performance of a piece from Heifetz’s repertoire. The competition programme will also include the performance of a piece by a Lithuanian composer, specially written for this occasion. The programme will reach its culmination with a special concert, Hommage à Heifetz, by violin virtuoso Gidon Kremer.

ARTscape

01 / 14 2009 - 02 / 27 2010

This Project introduces the most unique contemporary visual art, jazz and cinema representatives of twelve European Capitals of Culture in Vilnius, presenting their works together with twelve most outstanding representatives of the same spheres in Lithuania. The purpose of this intensive programme of lasting for eighteen months is to build the bridges of culture connecting the former, existing and future capitals of culture.

4A - Code Share: 4 continents, 10 biennials, 20 artists

01 / 15 2009 - 03 / 31 2009

Eight artists from the “4A“ continents (Africa, America, Asia, Australia) will meet in Vilnius for the sole purpose - to put together a large-scale contemporary art exhibition, the Code Share. This ambitious exhibition will be accompanied by 4A events all month long: joint concerts, cinema and video projects, and artistic installations in public areas. A code sharing flight is an agreement between airlines to exchange passenger lists and services when passengers have connecting flights on different airlines. The Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) will borrow this tourism strategy to create a platform of cooperation between modern art biennials of Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe. Two artists from each biennial will be invited to Vilnius to work on the Code Share project. This is the first CAC project to present artists from Africa and the first occasion for the visual art professionals from Asia to work in Vilnius. The Code Share will promote intercultural dialogue: each couple of artists will consist of a local and a foreign artist.

Tour of Comédie-Française Theatre (France)

01 / 29 2009 - 01 / 30 2009

During its first visit to Lithuania the legendary Comédie-Française Theatre from Paris will familiarise the audience with performances of the oldest and the only state theatre of France as well as with deep theatrical traditions of this country pursued by this theatre from the times of Moliere. The Lithuanian audience will have the opportunity to see two plays of Comédie-Française – Jean Baptiste Moliere “Les précieues ridicules” and Spiro Scimone “La Festa”. These performances will reveal how a modern and dynamic director Dan Jemmett interprets the classical work of literature within the framework of strict rules of theatrical history and traditions “Les précieues ridicules” and hour actors of this group using the means of acting transferred from one generation to another since Moliere’s times perform a modern play (“La Festa”, director Galin Stoev). After the plays the group will meet with audience and members of the Lithuanian theatrical community. Their discussions should be of use in deliberating the existing models of the Lithuanian theatres and give the necessary stimulus for the initiation and implementation of changes in the theatrical environment of Lithuania.

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