Events

<< April 2009 >>

CAPITAL TO CAPITAL

12 / 03 2008 - 04 / 07 2009

One of the European Capitals of Culture in 2008 is a Norwegian city – Stavanger. This project is aimed at organising the cycle of joint concerts of Norwegian and Lithuania performer groups in 2008 in Stavanger and in 2009 – in Vilnius. These concerts would be as passing on the “baton” of the European Capitals of Culture between Stavanger and Vilnius. A special musical composition will be created for the choir and the orchestra of wind instruments on this occasion. In 2008, 3 concerts of the Choir Jauna Muzika and Stavanger Brass Band will be given in Stavanger and 4 concerts in Lithuania – in 2009.

BAUKULTUR SALON

04 / 01 2009 - 04 / 30 2009

One of the themes of the European Café – “Baukultur Salon” – the platform of discussions, presentations and lectures on urban architecture. Professionals working in the area of urban architecture planning and interested in architecture will have the opportunity to share knowledge, thoughts and experiences about architectural life of the capital of culture, the culture of European construction from the past, present and future perspectives.

Virtual Historic Vilnius

04 / 01 2009 - 12 / 31 2009

The purpose of this museum is to create a “visiting card” of Vilnius or an “ABC-book” for getting acquainted with Vilnius. It will comprise the most important objects of history and culture of Vilnius and introduce the following themes: Vilnius – the capital located on the boundary of West and East, Vilnius – the city of communism and anti-communism from mounds to modern and post-modern, Vilnius – the city of 10 confessions, etc. The project does not aim at covering a multifaceted cultural life of Vilnius today – it will introduce the history and heritage of Vilnius emphasising their role in today's life. This virtual museum will introduce the history of Vilnius, historical capital of the Lithuanian State and one of the metropolis in Central and Eastern Europe of exclusive ethno-religious, cultural, social and political value. Incoming tourism will be promoted and an appealing image of Lithuania and Vilnius will be created by presenting the history of Vilnius City to different target groups (Vilnius residents, other residents of Lithuania and foreigners) in interactive format. The virtual museum of history will not only promote knowledge of the past, but also provide inbound tourists with the opportunity to plan their own routes of places to visit.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot

04 / 03 2009 - 04 / 05 2009

The theatre programme of Vilnius - European Capital of Culture 2009 will be symbolically opened with the premiere by Director Eimuntas Nekrosius, who has already become world legend. All authors surrender to Nekrosius. His aesthetics is a melting pot where all that alien becomes homey. No one can explain how they are made, where from and in what dreams the metaphors, which later amaze the audiences from the stage, are born or crystallise. The latest idea of the Director - the transfer of F.Dostoevsky’s novel The Idiot to the stage - makes one expect a unique and innovative performance. The creative style of Nekrosius clearly shows that the Director is producing an independent work of art on stage not only to reveal all spirit and power of the literary source but also to enable the audience to marvel at the expression and emotionality of the unique theatrical language again.

Independent Cinema Theatres: Look at the Future. Conference of the members of the International Confederation of ART Cinemas (CICAE)

04 / 03 2009 - 04 / 05 2009

Annual conference of CICAE (Confederation Internationale Des Cinemas D’Art et D’Essay) members and Council will be held to introduce activities of this organisation and to discuss the European policy of demonstration and distribution of film, and opportunities and disadvantages of the digital cinema. A public demonstration of 5 new European films awarded a special CICAE prize during different film festivals will be organised for the cinema audience. About 50 foreign guests and 30 participants from Lithuania are planning to attend the conference.

On Site

04 / 09 2009 - 12 / 06 2009

The project of Linz artist Anja Westerfrölke distinguishes historic exposures and meeting of different cultures in Vilnius. Textile and audiovisual technologies are used to reveal historic layers of prison, monastery and church and their original architecture in Visiting the Sacred Heart of St. Jesus Church. From the outside the church still looks as imprisoned between the walls of the former prison: stairs inside the church connect several floors on which rooms, closets and public premises are located. The project consists of three parts: 1. Installations, exhibition and performances Installation of textiles, audio and vide projections will symbolically reveal historic layers of the church and monastery. To disclose architectural and cultural specifics of the sacral interior selected fragments of interior will be covered with material used by restaurateurs. In 2008, creative workshops of Austrian and Lithuanian students “Textile and sacral architecture” were organised alongside the seminar “Art and representation” and presentation of installations “Local policy” and “Stories of light”. 2. Visiting and history of the monastery Art events linking the historic place and traditions of social and economic activities of monks. Tracing the monastery garden. Seminar “Herbal plants, pharmacology and nursing”. Lecture “St. Mary visiting St. Elizabeth. Stories of the pictures of saints”. Symposium “Women and spiritualism”. 3. Works and items made in prison As part of this project the exhibition of the works of art created in prison and creative workshops with the convicts’ families will be organised.

ARCHITECTS OF AIR

04 / 17 2009 - 04 / 26 2009

In 2006, the luminary of Architects of Air from the United Kingdom on Cathedral Square attracted many visitors calling them to forget daily stress, relax and dive into the world of unearthly colours and sounds. It became a colourful highlight of the city inscribed in the memory of Vilnius residents. In 2009, the Air of Architects team is coming back to Vilnius! During the first part of the project three tents-luminaries of the Architects of Air will be scattered in peripheral areas of Vilnius including post-industrial areas, non-prestigious and residential districts on the outskirts of the city and social sites, i.e. hospital areas, which normally are isolated from the public. Lithuanian musicians will create music, which will play inside the luminary. To foster cultural awareness of urban communities “storytelling” will be arranged when at specific hours citizens will tell both personal and community stories relating to their life in that district. In the second part of the project all three tents will be moved to the centre and collected in one space – on the ground near the White Bridge.

Children Creativity Festival

04 / 20 2009 - 04 / 26 2009

The festival programme will reflect how children see their city, their country, and their culture. At the end of April, the city of Vilnius will become the capital of children’s art. The programme will include the international children’s folklore festival, children’s contemporary art and creativity workshops, the ecological festival demonstrating the unity of nature and children, the biggest picture of Vilnius where each child will be allowed to leave his creative imprint. The event will also feature non-traditional theatre, costume-making workshop and processions, kite-making workshop and kite competitions, traditional crafts and cuisine, as well as an extraordinary presentation of European languages in which national traditions, customs, languages, music, art and other specific activities will be presented by children from European countries.

Scout-style St. George's Day for Vilnius City

04 / 23 2009 - 04 / 26 2009

Lithuanian scouts will be celebrating Saint George’s Day, the feast of their patron saint, in a special way. A huge city of tents will emerge in Vingis Park, accommodating over 1,500 scouts from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, Poland, France and other countries. The project will include craft-making tents, intercultural knowledge discussions, social, cultural and historical Vilnius sightseeing tours coordinated by scout guides, environment cleaning activities and creativity workshops. The camp will be particularly appealing to pupils from various Lithuanian schools. Schoolchildren will be invited to visit and take part in the various activities of the camp, to live according to a scouting programme and, with the assistance of scout guides, to “discover“ Vilnius through the eyes of a young person. In addition to the jolly scout camp, the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) will hold top-level European event, that is, the international scout symposium attended by approximately 150 organisation leaders from all EU countries.

Dance Project "Second Wind"

04 / 25 2009

This is a socio-cultural stereotype-denying project designed for elderly people (seniors) who are often wantonly underestimated and socially segregated. British choreographer Tammara McLorg and composer/performer Barry Ganberg with considerable experience of work with various social groups will work with a group of 50 to 60 seniors who like to dance, sing and play music to help them liberate their creativity. The improvisations and etudes, created by the participants themselves on the issues important to them, will be professionally fused and tailored for the stage. This is an unexpected music project produced through contemporary art (dance, music and media), which amazes with its potential. As a result, the seniors will rediscover themselves as creative, youthful, interesting and self-confident modern individuals.

Open Lithuanian Dance Championship of the Disabled

04 / 25 2009 - 04 / 26 2009

For the first time Lithuania is organising the open Lithuanian sport dance championship of the disabled in which people with disability will take part. Dancers will participate in competitions of classical and Latin American dances and will seek the title of the winner of this championship. The pair of dancers will consist of a disabled individual moving in a wheelchair and the assistant dancer. Another contest will be organised for pairs consisting of two disabled individuals in wheelchairs. Dancers from seven countries of Europe will participate in the competition. They will be evaluated by judges of the international category appointed by the International Paralympic Wheelchair Sport Dance Committee. The contest will be arranged in rounds, preparatory rounds will take place at the daytime, and finals – in the afternoon concurrently with the show programme of Vilnius Art Festival of the Disabled People. Art professionals, popular singers and groups will participate in the competition and prepare joint concerts with disabled performers.

European Jazz

02 / 01 2009 - 11 / 30 2009

Three concert cycles of European jazz masters will draw together artists of different nationalities and art traditions. The concerts are to reflect the variety of contemporary European jazz, diverse world music cultures and art phenomena. Contemporary European jazz legends and performers from Austria, France, Poland and other European states will participate in the programme.

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.

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.

<< April 2009 >>