On 25\u201327 of October 2013, VMU art gallery \u201c101\u201d introduced a memory project in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja called \u201cThe Bohemia of Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja: Memory Sites\u201d. Artists who participated in the project, namely Arnas Anskaitis, Dainius Li\u0161kevi\u010dius, Vita Gel\u016bnien\u0117, Ed Carroll, Gintaras \u010cesonis and Inga Lik\u0161ait\u0117, explored memory sites of the bohemian life in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja: material and symbolic places, events, people, and rituals. They also created artistic projects (re)constructing collective and individual stories related to the memory of bohemian life in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja.<\/p>\n
To this very day, the identity of Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja and Kaunas city is shaped by the legends of free bohemian life bustling here in the past, caf\u00e9s at Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja that used to thrive and are now gone, restaurants, eccentric poets, rebellious painters and genial musicians. The never-ending stories about people of the art world, memorable events and signs like gathering places of artists, journalists, professors and those who believed in the free-spirited creativity (Konrado caf\u00e9\/Tulp\u0117 (Tulip), Laum\u0117, Metropolis, Versalis \/ Jaunimo (Youth) caf\u00e9\/ Vakaras, Orbita), creative spaces (theaters, pantomime group and other independent communes of like-minded people) are bright signs of city history and tradition of bohemian life still alive in the collective memory of city residents. The myths about the free bohemian life that buzzed in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja and around it has become one of the most important part of the uniqueness of Kaunas and its identity.<\/p>\n
This entirety of cultural sites and signs that evoke collective associations or as, named by French historian Pierre Nora, memory sites (lieux de m\u00e9moire<\/em>), are not simple signs of recognition of the past. They spring from strong emotional sources and one of the most important conditions for their existence is making communicative and emotional connections: creating stories, sharing memories, listening and making them your own. Being a memory community, we remember, because we are remembered, because we can remember together with others.<\/p>\n The aim of this project is to remember together and tell stories about collective memory sites which are stirred in us by the myth of free, rebellious and carefree bohemian life of Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja. The purpose of this project is to bring the past into focus and stimulate the collective memory, create the dialogue between the memory and history that would allow us to see the history of (sub)cultural life in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja in a different light.<\/p>\n Programme of the project:<\/strong><\/p>\n Art event\u2013walk by Vita Gel\u016bnien\u0117<\/strong> and Ed Carroll<\/strong> called \u201cPaldieninkas: patirk laisv\u0119 naujai\u201d (Paldieninkas: experience freedom in a new way\u201d).* This trip took place on a lunch break (\u201cpaldieninkas\u201d is a word used during the inter war period to describe meetings, the participant of which \u201cprepared themselves for the art work\u201d), thus, it included food for body and soul: its participants started by nourishing their body with Paldieninkas soup and finished by sharing food for soul created for this occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cIstorijos prie kavos: pokalbiai su jaunaisiais menininkais\u201d (Stories with A Cup of Coffee: Conversations with Young Artists) is an initiative by Vaid\u0117 Legotait\u0117<\/strong> and Ana \u010ci\u017eauskien\u0117<\/strong> following the project \u201cThe Bohemia of Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja: Memory Sites\u201d. It is the second season of the project \u201cIstorijos prie kavos\u201d (Stories with A Cup of Coffee) that invited the residents of Kaunas to listen to audio recordings of the young artists of Kaunas musing over the topic of the bohemian life.<\/p>\n Smoke sculpture-performance by Dainius Li\u0161kevi\u010dius<\/strong> \u201cVienos minut\u0117s Jurgio Ma\u010di\u016bno portretas, sakantis CIAO!\u201d (One-minute portrait of George Ma\u010di\u016bnas saying CIAO!) The artist has created a ghost-like instantaneous creation, as a reference to the revolutionary events of the Soviet times as an important collective memory of this place. Together it is also a greeting of Ma\u010di\u016bnas to the bohemians from the times of contemporary capital, soviet occupation, current and existing in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja. It is an emotional connection between the cultural life of the past and contemporary cultural event in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja.<\/p>\n Installation by Arnas Anskaitis<\/strong> \u201cSvaj\u016bnas\u201d introduced in the cinema room of Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum. It is an attempt by the artist to remember partly true, partly imagined young and unknown artist who lived in Kaunas in the 1970s.<\/p>\n Project by Gintaras \u010cesonis<\/strong> \u201cBohemos b\u016bvis, 2013, Kaunas\u201d (The State of Bohemia, 2013, Kaunas) was presented in the former vine caf\u00e9 Ta\u0161kas A. In this project, the artist is looking for the answer what are the bohemians? A legend, phenomenon of the past or reality and the present?<\/p>\n The event also featured a video project by Inga Lik\u0161ait\u0117<\/strong> \u201cDing\u0119\u201d (Lost) based on a poem by Gintaras Patackas \u201cMyriop i\u0161\u0117jusi bohema\u201d (Bohemians that Followed Death) Claudia Rohrmoser\/AU, music: Angela Aux \/DE).<\/p>\n At the end of the day, everyone who loves Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja were invited to an open discussion about the future of cultural life in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On 25\u201327 of October 2013, VMU art gallery \u201c101\u201d introduced a memory project in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja called \u201cThe Bohemia of Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja: Memory Sites\u201d. Artists who participated in the project, namely Arnas Anskaitis, Dainius Li\u0161kevi\u010dius, Vita Gel\u016bnien\u0117, Ed Carroll, Gintaras \u010cesonis and Inga Lik\u0161ait\u0117, explored memory sites of the bohemian life in Laisv\u0117s Al\u0117ja: material […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2459,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"global_cat":[],"projets_cat":[91,89],"class_list":["post-1678","projets","type-projets","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","projets_cat-art-projects","projets_cat-meno-projektai"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n