On 7 December 2021, at 18:00, the art initiative Verpėjos, together with the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association and cultural centre SODAS 2123 invites to the presentation of the project Lavkė. Slow and sandy expedition at SODAS 2123 (Vitebsko Str. 23, Vilnius). Artists who took part in the expeditions – Andrej Polukord, Dovilė Bagdonaitė, Pojūčių teatras (Karolina Žernytė, Šarūnė Pečiukonytė, Saulė Norkutė), Gabrielė Vetkinaitė, Agota Zdanavičiūtė, and Živilė Lukšytė – will present their projects together with curator and coordinator team – Laura Garbštienė, Danutė Gambickaitė, Lina Rukevičiūtė, Indrė Liškauskaitė.
The village motor-shop, or lavkė, well-known to many, regularly supply the inhabitants of remote villages with essential food products, and the arrival of the lavkė itself is also an opportunity for people to gather and talk. In the Slow and sandy expedition, the idea of the travelling lavkė was applied by the artists through collecting material for their work, for creation process as well as for presentation of work to the residents of remote areas in the vicinity of Šilų Dzūkija, visiting the villages of Kabeliai, Marcinkonys, Musteika, Piesčiai, Daržinėlės, Šklėriai, Grybaulia, Ašašnykai and others. The creators were actively consulted by the local people: gatherers of natural goods, farmers of biodynamic farms, botanists, naturalists, ethnographers, beekeepers, herbalists, craftsmen, and public figures.
The expeditions took place in June–October, and the artists resided and travelled down the Šilų Dzūkija routes for 1–2 months. The material gathered and works created during the expeditions were presented to local residents by travelling on the routes to remote settlements, as well as during the final event in the village of Kabeliai in Varėna district on 30 October 2021.
“Well, it was really a challenging period for me. For the first time I drove across Lithuania in a car and I wasn’t very confident driving. Burning firewood for heating was the first time for me too. Well water, morning shivers were also memorable. But you can get used to practically anything, you learn to make everything you need. The beauty of nature, the kindness of people outweighs it all. The sense of community in the countryside leaves a deep impression. Just a month later, I felt as if I knew everyone and everyone knew me,” remembers artist Gabrielė Vetkinaitė, who participated in the expeditions. Other artists will also share more impressions about their experiences in Šilų Dzūkija during the final presentation of the project in Vilnius.
Date and time of presentation: 7 December 2021, 18:00
Location: cultural centre SODAS 2123, Vitebsko Str. 23, Vilnius (2nd floor event hall)
Proof of vaccination and registration is necessary to attend the event. Link to register: https://forms.gle/MYY2tzW2R8jSqhRf6
Organiser VšĮ Verpėjos in cooperation with the following partners – the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association, Marcinkonys Multifunctional Centre, Varėna Cultural Centre.
The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
Photo by Vitalij Červiakov.