The exhibition ‘Folds: Identities and Contexts’ opens at VAA gallery Artifex (Gaono St. 1, Vilnius) on September 4th at 6 PM. The exhibition will run until September 25th. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, 12-6 PM, and Saturday, 12-4 PM.
The French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s theory of ‘The Fold’ posits that reality, thought, and existence are not linear or binary but composed of continuous layers that overlap and intertwine, creating complex and dynamic relationships. This metaphor, deeply resonant with fashion design, encapsulates the interweaving of inner and outer elements, where the internal folds into the external and vice versa. The Fold symbolizes a process of becoming, where subjectivity and identity are not fixed but are continually shaped through interaction with the world.
The exhibition features works by second-year fashion design students, developed through an original methodology called ‘Prototype Theory’, perfected by lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dainius Bendikas. In shaping their creative identity, these emerging designers explore human categories as structures of knowledge and the prototypes that represent them, reflecting the essential cognitive features of these categories. This process creates a relevant creative context.
Research, accompanied by creative experimentation, leads to a collection, the final fashion object, and the visual communication of a photoshoot. According to Assoc. Prof. Justė Tarvydienė’s methods of archetypes and fundamental style principles, these elements purposefully fulfill the creative project’s outcome.
This creative process becomes a personalized and systematic journey of self-discovery and empowerment as a designer. For the viewer, it provides a comprehensive portrait of the designer, where, through, an in-depth exploration of the process, creative impulses, and the associative elements revealed in the works, the creator’s authentic identity is uncovered.
Participants: Curators: Assoc.prof. Dainius Bendikas, Assoc.prof. Justė Tarvydienė
Participants: Jomilė Balvočiūtė, Gaudrimė Barbora Driskiūtė, Pijus Dulskis, Iveta Gustaitė, Raimedas Latvys, Izidorius Liaučius, Karina Panina, Viltė Savickaitė, Jomilė Kotryna Uksaitė