KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE
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2019 Illustration by Martynas Auz.
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This is how Kaunas looks like today from ANBO II. Read more about the historical aircraft in this issue. Photo by Dainius Ščiuka.
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It is difficult to call the history of Lithuanian aviation of the last couple of decades a successful one. But, one way or another, it is almost unique – there are only a few countries that lack national airlines. Whether it is necessary to have it and what is the cost of that, is another issue. Maybe it is enough that the sky above us would stay busy? After all, it can’t close its eyes, or go on vacation – there are even talks that maybe there is a need for one more, a more extensive and city-independent airport.
Greetings from the city of aviators! The July issue is not about these earthly things. This issue is about dreamers for whom nothing is impossible. About people who started the history of Lithuanian aviation a hundred years ago in Kaunas. About people who, without having precise drawings, revived the aviation masterpiece of Antanas Gustaitis, today. About people who photographed so many planes and their fans that it led them to the director’s position at the Aviation Museum. About people who see the analogy between aviation and Fluxus and want the whole world to learn about it. About people whose achievements are not limited by the scale of model aircraft.
We truly live in the city of aviators! And if in the previous issue we learned how to overcome the fear of flying with the participants of Cirkuliacija, then after reading this, you will wish to have a parachute jump and feel the sensation that overcomes you when you make smoke drawings above Kaunas with an ultra-light plane. Of course, seeing it is also very good, but... The centenary celebration of Lithuanian aviation will take place on August 10 at S. Darius and S. Girėnas aerodrome. Let’s start warming up.
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One or more A-spots can be found in every country in the world. Anywhere where planes take off and land. And various people come to observe, photograph and contemplate them. After all, some like football, others go fishing, and yet others simply like to watch planes.
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A-spot Gunars Bakšejevs Photos by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas
The author of these insights and A-spot series is a photographer Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, the long-standing head of the international photography festival Kaunas Photo and an unofficial but very busy ambassador of Lithuanian photography abroad who tends to travel very often. Although the word ‘tends’ is not the most fitting because Mindaugas loves to fly. He also loves planes.
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That is why he was recently appointed as the head of Lithuanian Aviation Museum in Aleksotas. In this issue, you will learn about his first experiences as a museum director and ideas that are not always earthly but always welcome. In this specific story, you will find aircraft spotting examples from the most summerish airports around the world. Is Kaunas next?
Los Angeles (LAX), USA
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Antanas wants to be in the air
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The interviewees of that hot and sunny morning emphasized that Kaunas is the cradle of Lithuanian aviation, were aviation, airfields, factories, and pilots were developing. We could make a documentary about Arvydas Šabrinskas and Rolandas Kalinauskas, the nurturers of this almost lost identity. They are convinced that the most important plane for Lithuania is not Lituanica, but ANBO, the aircraft created by Antanas Gustaitis. It is a pity that from the whole series manufactured then, only one plane remained. However, two friends, without using any original drawings, were able to recreate and fly one more only based on the photographs.
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Algirdas Šapoka Photos by Dainius Ščiuka
How did it all start? Arvydas: A friend brought a magazine Plieno sparnai (Wings of Steel) and said, “Look, there’s a plane ANBO II. It is really simple.” So, I agreed let’s try and make it if it’s that simple. Rolandas: I was sceptical about the idea and old planes. It’s like an old car, beautiful, but not for everyday use. It is difficult and expensive to 1 2
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operate. More so, people usually don’t make originals, but planes that are similar to the old ones, therefore the result is questionable. Arvydas was persuading me for a long time until I finally gave in. Rolandas: It was relatively easy to recreate because we still use many of the engineering solutions of that time, almost 100 years later. Antanas Gustaitis’ constructions were simple and very well thought out.
How long did the research of the aircraft engineering and the production itself take? Arvydas: Everything was done in parallel. It started with my enthusiastic purchase of Smart car because I thought that its engine would be suitable for this plane. After that, we were discussing and constructing the aircraft itself for almost 3 years. Rolandas does something, and then we sit down and talk again. Rolandas: There were about 150 pages of discussion in the forum manosparnai.lt alone. I suggest or ask something and receive criticism. It would concern any little problem whatsoever, for example, it’s unclear how a particular detail should be, and then aviators start discussing on the internet. In the beginning, a museum also helped. Arvydas’ son prepared the first drawings. Did you mostly work together in re-creating ANBO II? Arvydas: Yes, mostly. I was a manager, and Rolandas worked on engineering and manufacturing. Rolandas: There were a few other people too. Skirmantas Liutkus contributed significantly – he made everything wooden in the plane. He is a highly qualified artisan who makes wings. The propeller was made by Rimantas Plonis from Mažeikiai. How many ANBO models were created? Arvydas: It was planned to make 8 models, but only 7 were made. The 7th ANBO was never realized, it was just an idea. Several models have been heavily modified over time. ANBO VIII was built, raised but never tested completely – the ‘liberators’ came.
Are there ANBO originals left in the world? Rolandas: Only one remains. Even I could put it up in the air after some maintenance. It’s the ANBO I located at Vytautas the Great War Museum. But I want to say this: people who work there are irresponsible. They simply hid the plane, hung it 8 meters high and don’t allow anyone to approach it. It looks like a model. We needed to find out a lot of technical things, but it is hidden from the public. I was told that it’s for future generations. But I am also a part of the future generation, and I need that to commemorate A. Gustaitis, and the plane simply hangs there. It’s simply criminal. I had visited foreign museums. You ask people there, they open things up, allow you to photograph if you’re interested in technical solutions, and there they hung it up high, and that’s that. The only achievement is that one of our enthusiasts who is re-creating ANBO I semi-illegally took many photographs and is trying to carry on working based on them. Why must you do things that are sacred illegally? Arvydas: It’s a culture that you cannot touch. Something sterile has been put on and is not even shown to aviation professionals who want to restore history. What’s the point? How were ANBO aeroplanes rated by professionals at the time in Europe and in the world? Rolandas: People were talking about ANBO, and it was a world-class aircraft. These were very complicated products that would not have disgraced us in an international context. Some say that perhaps A. Gustaitis made the best aeroplanes of that time in the world. I am not so sure about that, but ANBO was an
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excellent plane, equal to German or British production.
Arvydas: ANBO II was the first Lithuanian-made air force training plane. Antanas Gustaitis first started making training planes. And only later in 1931, the repaired ANBO II plane was released for civilian use, to prepare pilots in Lithuanian aeroclub. Rolandas: There was no money and no trend for civil aviation. Only large companies in big countries started manufacturing civil aircraft. A. Gustaitis himself was a military officer, and funding also came from the military industry. All of the planes he created were military.
Rolandas: It started but only for local needs. Those were constantly improved prototypes. With each model, they were testing and looking for things to change, and unreliable engineering solutions were replaced with new ones. Arvydas: Serial production started
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The planes received a positive response. Was their serial production launched?
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with ANBO III. These were the first series of aircraft created for the Lithuanian army. They were commissioned by the Lithuanian state for military purposes. However, the attempts to sell them to Latvians or Estonians were unsuccessful. Rolandas: There was not enough time. Antanas Gustaitis started making planes when he was only 27 years old, and he was shot by the Soviets when he was 43. This is too short of a period to set off such a massive industry. Such things are only possible in a free country. People have a taste of freedom and start making miracles. If we were crushed and occupied, we would lose everything again. Arvydas: We should not forget that he was not driven by commercial success. He was an officer, a brigadier general, a commander of the air force and he wasn’t able to cover everything. He was constructing the planes but never had strong business motives. What are the fundamental differences between the original and the restored ANBO plane? Arvydas: I really wanted to make the so-called flaps. This allows you to land at a lower speed. It could have been possible, but Rolandas wouldn’t yield. However, he succumbed to another gamble: we made breaks for the plane. Rolandas: It was a necessity. We tried to deviate from the original as little as possible. We have received a lot of criticism because we have put in a Russian engine and there was a Czech one in the original. Ours is similar, only bigger and more powerful. We searched for a long time but finally decided to install the one
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Is the history of Lithuanian aviation and Antanas Gustaitis well recorded? Arvydas: Not enough, really. Everyone knows about Darius and Girėnas flight, which was inscribed in our minds during Soviet times. The memory of Antanas Gustaitis is unknown. Even now, people come up to us and ask whether it is the same plane that flew across the Atlantic. Getting into a copy of Lituanica would draw thousands of curious people. How to do it? That is where the Lithuanian Aviation Museum should step in. It is a part of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture but has little cooperation with the city. There is definitely a lack of promotion. The museum is like... well something in itself: come and see. But its mission should be to broadcast some kind of message to the outside. If the city wants to have a sign that there was aviation once here in Kaunas, where it developed, where Antanas Gustaitis worked, the city would have to come closer and start cooperating with the Lithuanian Aviation Museum working on joint projects. As far as culture is concerned, it is created by people, but it needs some foundation. The performance needs a theatre building, aviation heritage needs a museum and planes need an airport. The state needs to prepare conditions, but it can’t make culture, it can only destroy it. Those who fund culture, on whom it depends, often don’t realize that
an iron object is necessary for actions to adhere to it. They say that the plane is not culture. It is not a performance, but history and culture would not be exciting without a physical object. We can read books online, but we often choose paper. Here, your colleague flew, and now he knows, he felt how people were flying in the interwar period. Only one ANBO II was ever produced, and it suffered an accident. Is it known why? Rolandas: There is an official version of the time, and there is my version. The plane was given to the civilians. At the time, there were still a lot of biplanes that are capable of acrobatic flights, upside down because they were designed that way. Pilots had recorded that you can turn your plane over any way you like, especially if it’s more advanced. According to the description, it appears that the aircraft turned on its back and its constructions broke along with a wing. A strut holding the wings broke and then the two of them closed. The passenger managed to jump out, and the pilot died. His seat was under the wing – a difficult place to escape from. Is it known where A. Gustaitis is buried? Arvydas: The invaders came, and after he disagreed to cooperate, they shot him as a person disloyal to the Soviet government in Moscow the Butyrka prison. There are a specific date and a photo. Russians never show and will probably never allow looking for the burial sites. They will never disclose the people who were taken there and shot.
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we got. Maybe in the future, someone will make a better ANBO II, but now we will have at least one, we will be able to fly. We could have argued until now, having no engine, and no plane. Otherwise, we tried to stay on the original design based on photographs.
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At the beginning of this issue, and many times before, you were able to meet Mindaugas Kavaliauskas as a photographer, as well as the initiator and director of Kaunas Photo Festival. The ones who follow this Kaunas resident’s biography and creative work closer would not be surprised when hearing that he is a big fan of aviation. In fact, so big that at the beginning of this year he participated in the competition announced by the Ministry of Culture and became the new head of the Lithuanian Aviation Museum. I hope it isn’t news to anyone that such a museum exists (indeed, it might seem surprising that branches of the museum are located in the birthplace of Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas – on the other side of Lithuania). But the truth is that after visiting it several times up until now there were not that many reasons to go back, even if you collect boarding cards or are a person who knows everything about Lituanica. While sitting in the main hall of the museum that used to serve as a waiting hall for passengers, directly under the wings of planes, and talking to M. Kavaliauskas, I get the feeling that after making some changes things could be different. Remaining in this context, Kaunas could be known in the world as something other than the city of the Devils’ Museum.
Museum of Feeling Kotryna Lingienė Photos by Donatas Stankevičius
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How long have you been running the museum? I have already received many questions – how long I have worked here, whether I have received my first salary... I wave my hand and answer that I neither count money nor time. A lot of work done here is invisible to the public for now. First of all, the works are connected to the future reconstruction of the museum – a lot of bureaucracy. Also, there are all kinds of optimizations – not in terms of job cuts, but searching for solutions to how the museum could work better. Maybe sometimes it would be enough to climb to the second floor and talk to the colleagues? One of my goals as a leader is to improve the teamwork of our team of about 25 people; not to turn it into a self-serving process, but into something that will be visible not only to physical visitors of the museum, but the whole of the public. We are finally starting to share our riches with the internet audience. We want to share the work behind the scenes, thus demonstrating that we are not arrogant and closed. Not only do we want to be proud of our exhibits and their value, but also invite the people to come and discuss aviation.
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The most significant calculation today is about how many hours, people, and funds are required to empty this hall before reconstruction and where will we store it all. There are also small things coming up every day – we will soon have plane-shaped candy, together with the cookies we’ve had for a while. You can also pay by card now. I haven’t told many about bigger plans. We talk about everything, for example, that we need to get rid of the old van that doesn’t even use modern gasoline. Instead, we would like to buy a modern and functional vehicle that we could use to visit our colleagues and their events. We are hoping to find a plane with the owner or maybe even
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acquire and keep one ourselves. Wouldn’t it be charming to fly to the museum’s branch – the birthplace of Steponas Darius? We are delighted that this museum is very popular. First of all, among students but also among various fans of flights and travels. Some of them even teach us how rare and exciting our exhibits are. As the only museum in Aleksotas, are you a gathering place for the local community? Yes. Perhaps not every day, but several times a year – absolutely. When we organize a traditional 1st Sunday after Easter with aeroplanes, during the long night of museums when there is a concert. On those days, we turn into a kind of common yard for Aleksotas residents. By the way, not all Aleksotas residents as well as Kaunas residents in general, know where precisely the museum ends and aerodrome begins. “You probably fly, don’t you?” they ask. We don’t ourselves, but sometimes someone flies over to us. During a Long night of museums, we welcomed an ANBO II. We would like to make such events more frequent and turn the symbolic fence between the museum and the aerodrome into a gate. Historical aircraft can become excellent temporary exhibits. After all, ephemerality is probably the most beautiful thing in life. Whatever stands there permanently, stops being intriguing. A sports analogy would be that we mostly remember goals rather than matches. The same thing with flights – take off, landing, arrival. These things are the most memorable. I guess it’s unique that the museum is located in the former passenger waiting room of the main Kaunas airport. Perhaps it is known whether the building it-
self was unique at the time, or is it a typical project? During the Soviet occupation, it was a third category airport, typical in such sense that Rostov-on-Don’s building is almost identical. When I was wondering if I could work here, I was thrilled by the fact that this place really has an aeronautical aura. Here, where we are sitting right now, people were waiting for aeroplanes and arriving relatives. Even on a small scale, it was a gateway to the world. I remember that my father flew to Moscow from here once. I followed it with my eyes until the plane disappeared in the sky of Aleksotas. Probably such episodes could be found in the lives of many of my generation, as well as flights to Palanga. More recently, the museum hosted a meeting of a group of flying attendants who used to fly out from here. Pilots who used to fly out of this airport also visit. So, I would like to present the history of the building in the forthcoming exhibition. However, it shouldn’t be forgotten that although it was a civilian airport during the occupation, it was also a strategic object and therefore, very little information remained. In terms of uniqueness, my old desire is to go to Le Bourget Airport in the north of Paris that works as an aviation and aeronautical museum. It hosts one of the largest fairs in this field, so it is essential to us both in terms of making contacts and forming an exhibition. By the way, our S. Darius and S. Girėnas Aerodrome, which celebrated its centenary in 2015, is almost a contemporary of Le Bourget. Commercial flights from the latter began in 1919. It was visited by ANBO during its journey around Europe! Antanas Gustaitias was awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honor there.
It is possible that Kaunas and Paris are the only places that have aviation museums next to aerodromes. We have already established a relationship with the management there, and we’ll see where it leads us. By the way, it was one of my first questions as the head of the institution, “What museums of aviation are we in cooperation with?” I cannot say that there was no cooperation, we have purchased exhibits, and so on, however, I didn’t find a unified network. There is a wide range of typology of aviation museums – some serve only as aeroplane parks. One of my greatest inspirations was an exhibition dedicated to Air New Zealand’s 75th anniversary. There were no planes there only flight simulators and other interactive ways to learn about the evolution of aviation, engineering, comfort, meals, and anything else you like. I think that we have room for such things in Kaunas. I would not wish us to be only an engineering museum because people are interested in everything. So now we are talking to various institutions, including Lithuanian airports – yes, we also need functionally outdated safety check devices that inspire feelings and create an atmosphere. Not necessarily everything in the museum must be untouchable valuables. For example, we allow people to use the Lituanica swings. In addition to being a place of knowledge and facts, we want to be a museum of experiences, sentiments, and feelings. Perhaps the museum of feeling will have a souvenir shop not necessarily directly related to itself but to flights? A cafe which you would like to return to even after visiting the museum ten times? After all, a cafe is essential both as an attribute of a modern museum and as a place one wants to visit before a flight.
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The role of the museum as a place where one likes to be is part of our daily debate. We have already confirmed the order pertaining to photo sessions or filming in the museum, what the tariff will be, why, and how to deal with applications and organize plane festivities. The museum had them before I started my job here, and the number keeps increasing. We only need to define what we tolerate. Those who fit into our set standards are always welcome. These are not necessarily events connected directly or otherwise to aviation. Although who among us, spending most of the time on earth, is not emotionally involved with aviation?
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It’s a fun part of my job! We are already thinking about visitor tickets that people wouldn’t want to throw away. There are so many opportunities to use the world-famous aviation folklore. T-shirts, pendants, a symbolic sponsor status – we would like the visitors not only to enjoy them but also be proud of them. Reconstruction will take place in phases, so these things, including the new visual language of the museum, will gradually come to fruition, and you will be able to see the whole in a couple of years, hopefully. Of course, there is a place for a cafe in our plans. And your link with rituals before the flight is spot on. We would also like to introduce some, perhaps playful routes that the visitors would like to take.
Kaunas airport arrivals and departures hall, c. 1980. Archive of Lithuanian Aviation Museum
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A sport with a goal
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Model aviation is a technical branch of aviation sport with deep traditions in Lithuania. The Lithuanian Aeroclub was established in 1927, and the first Lithuanian aviation model saw the light of day in 1933. Its author was L. Kinaitis, a student from Kaunas Aušra Gymnasium. In the spring of the same year, the first record of flight duration was recorded. The first official competition took place in Kaunas in 1935, and this sport branch was included in the program of National Olympics. The first Lithuanian championship and Baltic States competition took place in Kaunas in 1939.
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Julija Račiūnaitė Photos by Teodoras Biliūnas
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About a century after the creation of the first Lithuanian aviation model, we had a chat with a pastor and model aviation enthusiast Artūras Narbutas, who has just returned from the city of Schärding in Austria, where the F3A World Championship for Aerobatic Model Aircraft took place June 7-8. A. Narbutas came to meet us with his latest and most favourite biplane by the name of Mriya, meaning ‘Dream’ in Ukrainian.
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Artūras Narbutas, just like L. Kinaitis, who assembled the first Lithuanian model aircraft, got interested in model aviation at school. “I became involved in model aviation when I was in the 7th grade at the model aviation club in Kaunas. There I started to create my first models and participate in competitions. Later, after I graduated from school, this activity somehow stopped. After a long break, we went to stay in the US
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with family and children. There, we were hosted by people who were also into model aviation. They gave a radio-controlled model to our children. When we returned to Kaunas, we decided to try it out, but we didn’t really know how to. Then, here in Aleksotas aerodrome, we discovered an active model aviation club. Its members taught my children and me to fly radio-controlled model aeroplanes and also how to make them. Just like me back in the day, my children grew up and moved away from this hobby, so I had to continue [smiles]. So that is how I got involved in sports competitions.”
of the flight’s success [shows a console safely kept in a silver briefcase]. As you can hear, the console signals that it is turned on, because if you have forgotten to turn it off, the aeroplane may not survive.”
It is not surprising that after a long pause, one has to learn the peculiarities of this sport anew. Model aviation technologies are rapidly changing and improving. “Computer control hardware and aeroplane manufacturing technologies have advanced a lot since my childhood. Previously, aircraft models were made from an extremely lightweight wood called corkwood, but despite the lightness of it, the models were still heavy – the desired 5 kg weight was challenging and practically impossible to achieve. But when the glass fabric, carbon fibre, and other materials appeared, the planes got much lighter, firmer, and straighter. Of course, this occupation is still very precise and requires a lot of time – models are made in certain moulds, they are cast and then assembled. It is equally important to know the programming of such an aeroplane, as it is controlled by radio. Each flight stage or figure has flight phases that are switched during flight. Upon switching, the control wheels bend differently, and this influences the flight. It is difficult to achieve a good result with a non-programmed plane. So, the aeroplane console makes up half
The hobby and a long-standing practice finally brought Artūras to the championship in Austria where people from all over Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand, were competing. However, he did not compete with Marija (his latest aircraft model), “It takes time to get used to a new plane. In the World Cup, I flew another plane because I only brought this one back from Ukraine a few months ago. I had to order the engine in another part of the world as well, where the production is limited. By the time they sent it, inserted it, then we programmed it, carried out a required number of pilot flights, and properly adjusted the corners of the wings, so much time passed that I simply didn’t have enough of it to prepare for the competition.
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When asked if he had a plane that suffered a similar fate, A. Narbutas laughed and said, “Of course, I had experienced an aeroplane crash. Everybody, even the most famous pilots in the world, had experienced it. I once heard that an aircraft model of the glider category had hit someone’s back. I guess it must have been a windy day.”
We competed in the so-called F3A category, piloted flight competitions. But there are other categories too. For example, F3P the so-called indoor aeroplanes. We fly indoors in various gyms in winter; competitions also take place there. And F3A competitions take place in a specific zone, where the distance between the pilot and the plane is about 150 meters (the allowed error can be 10-15 me-
ters), the length of the base is about half a kilometre, and the height is 200 meters. In this base, the so-called window, one has to perform a complex of figures as precisely as possible. The points are given according to the figures performed. It is a sort of acrobatics. Although we did not get the prizewinning places (A. Narbutas was 42nd and P. Raupys 33rd), the competition and preparations for it were still the most impressive from all others that I had participated in. I am glad that we, two Lithuanians, managed, to get in. We have learned many new things, gained knowledge and experience. Of course, I would occasionally ask my friends if the time hasn’t come for me to quit the sport and keep it as a hobby only. But it was during this competition that one Ukrainian pilot suggested, “Go and talk to that person.” The person I talked to was a 72-year-old pilot, and you wouldn’t believe the results he achieved! However, two people from Finland – Lassi Nurila and Jane Lape – were the best. Interestingly, a decade ago, I had met them in Denmark when they were teenagers. Nobody noticed them then, and here, after a decade, they took the first places. Their aircraft were of exceptionally high quality, and they participate in many competitions – this certainly helps when you want to win.” One of the model aviation world cup stages regularly takes place in Klaipėda, Lithuania. A. Narbutas remembers that back in the day, when more pilots participated, Lithuanian championship and various cities’ cups were being organized (Kaunas, Klaipėda, Alytus, etc.) The competitions would take place every month, and now it only happens once a year.
In my opinion, this sport and modelling skills are beneficial for children. At least it was for me.
“It’s a pity, but the number of young sportsmen in Lithuania is decreasing. There is only one club in Kaunas (Technical crafts centre for students) where children can meet and learn about model aviation. However, in my opinion, this sport and modelling skills are beneficial for children. At least it was for me.” Model aviation, according to A. Narbutas, provides not only technical skills but also new perspectives on life, so he would not exchange this hobby even for a new plane. “Model aviation is not only a sport but also relaxation. It is an opportunity to meet different people, look at the world and life differently. Everybody has a dream to pilot a real plane, but that requires a slightly different flight and interest. And in the end, you fly around the city, and that’s it. It is more interesting here. Model aviation is a sport with a goal.”
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St. Louis has Louis Armstrong, Rome has Leonardo Da Vinci, Lyon has SaintExupéry, Belgrade has Tesla, Salzburg has Mozart, Liverpool has John Lennon, Krakow has John Paul II, and Warsaw has Chopin. The cities don’t just have these personalities as heroes of collective memory, but they have immortalized them in the airports that receive foreign guests. And Kaunas, just like Vilnius and Palanga, has only an international airport.
Welcome to George Maciunas Airport Kotryna Lingienė Illustration by Gie Vilkė
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We close our eyes, let our thoughts take us to January 2022 and hear, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Kaunas George Maciunas International Airport.” In fact, a real Fluxus-like move would be to welcome the first guests of the European Capital of Culture upon their arrival not merely to Kaunas, but to the city of George Maciunas (1931–1978), one of the most famous Kaunas-born artists whose family lived at the foot of Parodos Hill. Rytis Zemkauskas, the sorcerer of Kaunas 2022 myth department, is one of the advocates of this idea. And he really knows how to choose his arguments. “If we had to choose the most modern Kaunas resident of all time, Jurgis Mačiūnas has a fair chance of becoming one. He was a real urbanite, a child of Kaunas centre, who grew up with culture and slowly developing modern Lithuania. Kaunas of the time was not only the city of artists who studied in Paris or Berlin. It is also one of the most modern aviation centres in the world. At that time, Lithuania was among the few countries with wide-ranging aviation. Lithuania was designing, producing, testing and piloting aircraft! The progress of aviation was interrupted by the Soviets, and Jurgis Mačiūnas emigrated to the free world where he became George Maciunas, and together with Jonas Mekas, Yoko Ono and others sparked a revolution. He created Fluxus, a movement that radically changed the approach to contemporary art. Landing in Kaunas, to George Maciunas airport, equals landing to the revitalizing centre of culture and technology! It’d also be a tribute to courage.” The author of the idea of George Maciunas airport is the artist, curator and a very active person Tomas Ivanauskas, who is currently taking up the post of Lithuanian Cultural Attaché in China and South
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Korea. According to him, one has to be proud of the fact that Fluxus, the art branch created by Jurgis Mačiūnas and included in art history textbooks worldwide, has influenced several generations of artists and continues to do so. “Since Mačiūnas is coming from Kaunas, and people from all over the world arrive through the airport, there is no better symbol for guests to start their acquaintance with the city,” T. Ivanauskas is convinced. “But giving the name is not enough, a Fluxus museum should also be set up at the airport. After all, Lithuania has one of the largest Fluxus collections, only it is hidden in the archives, and the museum at the airport would be a very Fluxus-like decision.” Rytis Zemkauskas adds that this kind of experience, in general, should help look at life as well as the flight in a more relaxed way. T. Ivanauskas also emphasizes that exhibition is a necessary part of the concept. “People would be taking in the culture while waiting for their flight and upon arrival would enter the museum first. It would be possible to organize happenings, concerts, circus, and dance performances, readings. Kaunas would be the most famous Fluxus city in the world.” And now, an unexpected, symphonically painterly turn. Maybe instead of Jurgis Mačiūnas, the airport should carry the name of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis? Ina Pukelytė, the head of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum, of Art said that she first heard the idea of giving the airport the name of the artist and composer, who passed away over a hundred years ago, during... a presidential debate. And that’s true. If a couple of years ago this idea was publicly spread by journalist Andrius Tapinas, then this spring it was revi-
ved by the now elected president Gitanas Nausėda. However, it seems to the museum’s representatives that Vilnius airport is too small for the personality of such high calibre, and whether we will ever have a new airport located between the two cities is yet unknown. So why not in Kaunas then? According to I. Pukelytė, the renaming of the airport would be one of the ways to promote Čiurlionis in the world, like Austrians promote Mozart (or vice versa) and Poles promote Chopin. The director believes that, in this case, Čiurlionis would be a historically more significant choice than Mačiūnas who flashed only in the second half of the 20th century. We could also find more personalities that are important to Lithuania as well as relevant to the whole world now and in the future, whose names could grace airports or other objects of national importance. “I believe that aviation proponents would offer an aviation-related personality – maybe Antanas Gustaitis, however, I think that the nearby Warsaw Chopin Airport is a great example of how a country can be presented through its most famous people of culture,” T. Ivanauskas says and essentially agrees with I. Pukelytė. However, Kaunas was of little importance to Čiurlionis himself. Only two cases of the artist visiting Kaunas were recorded. In that sense, he is a person of Vilnius, and Kaunas is already home to the biggest Čiurlionis collection. So perhaps we should stick to Tapinas’ idea? In this case, it made sense to ask the opinion of M. K. Čiurlionis’ great-grandson Rokas Zubovas. He spoke in favour of naming Vilnius airport on behalf of Čiurlionis as the main air gateway for the country. “It would be nice if people landed in Čiurlionis’ country”. The pianist emphasizes that more
objects having the name of Čiurlionis in Kaunas would devalue the museum itself, the unique collection of which was determined by historical circumstances. And the commemoration of Mačiūnas, as one of the most groundbreaking 20th-century artists, in his native Kaunas, would be a great choice, according to R. Zubovas. It is time to land on the ground and think what’s real and what will remain in the realm of ideas. Inga Pažereckaitė-Kalėdienė, head of tourism division of Kaunas IN, responsible for international marketing of Kaunas, foreign investment and attraction of tourists, shared her opinion about the airport name change. According to her, when thinking about the change of the airport’s name or giving it a new one, we should remember that it is not only aimed at Lithuanians but perhaps most of all, at the visiting foreign guests, “Raising awareness about Kaunas is one of the main challenges in marketing tourism and communication in foreign countries. The name of Kaunas in the full title of the airport makes it easier for travellers to recognize the city and to associate it with the country. Before taking this longterm strategic decision, it would be very interesting and useful to look at the causes and outcomes of similar solutions in other cities around the world – airport name changes, linking with personality – and finding out what do travelers think of this decision and how much attention is actually being paid to the name of the airport with which foreigners actually associate Kaunas, and, most importantly, what Lithuanian personalities or the story of world Kaunas resident would be the most interesting.”
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“Merely giving it a name, although it would be a significant symbol and a beautiful gesture, would not bring added value to the awareness about the city. The changing of the airport name and giving a sense to it through a personality should be a part of the city’s lasting line of communication. The layout of the airport is critical as well – a clear message, inseparable from the personality, welcoming the quests. A perfect example would be Turku (Finland) airport where passengers are met at the baggage claim, not by a personality, but by a famous character-symbol in the country – Moomin,” says tourism expert. I. Pažereckaitė-Kalėdienė and also notes that if it was decided to change or rename the airport altogether, the name of the city should still remain first – ‘Kaunas International Airport’ and then the chosen name, surname or initials.
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We have a choice of names and arguments behind it, we also have expert opinions, but what does a baby who is about to get baptized think? Karolis Matulaitis, the head of Kaunas Airport, agrees that 2022 is an important year for Kaunas, which will become the European Capital of Culture. “Kaunas Airport is an important part of the city and will welcome most of the culture and art event lovers arriving in Lithuania in 2022, so we want to become the full-fledged participants of this huge celebration.” The director also says that the possibilities of integrating our city airport into the events of the European Capital of Culture have already been discussed with the representatives of Kaunas City Municipality. “We have repeatedly mentioned that we are not only ready to become a space for exclusive events, but perhaps initiate some of them as well.”
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“As far as the possible name of the airport is concerned, we must understand that it is a long, complex and expensive process involving all airlines, reservation systems, and partners. Therefore, such a decision must bring undoubted benefits to the airport and the region it serves,” the director thinks and proposes to integrate Kaunas airport more like an “art gate to the city of culture” and there are many ideas and suggestions how it can be implemented. “From unconventional musical performances when welcoming guests, to modern dance spaces, art galleries, and sculptures. All that can serve as a starting point of the impressive journey to the European Capital of Culture which begins at the airport,” K. Matulaitis says and encourages conversations and a search for solutions. So, when do we call the roundtable discussion?
kaunas2022.eu
Last July, during the one of the Kaunas 2022 events, Kaunasians put up banners proving we are actually a Fluxus capital. Photo by Martynas Plepys.
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Thousands of Kaunas residents stood in the open air on a warm but drizzly night in July. The crowd consisted of many high officials, city guests, and foreign ambassadors. Space was full of people, the number of which was increasing. Lietuvos Aidas wrote that “all Kaunas was coming there by all means of possible transportation.” Many, after spending all night there, started to leave only around 7am. That night Darius and Girėnas didn’t show up in the fog of Kaunas airport. It was one of the many important moments of Lithuanian history that took place across Nemunas: in the hills of Aleksotas and Freda, the country’s aviation was born.
Where Lithuanian aviation was born Paulius Tautvydas Laurinaitis
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Today, while walking on the street named after the pilots of transatlantic flight, only a few would know that that is where the ‘pilot city’ – as it was called in the press of the time – was located. There are only fragments of buildings left here after World War II. We can still see a concrete fence, as one of the reminders, that was surrounding the approach of the main airport building from both sides. The aerodrome in Aleksotas was set up by Germans in 1915 for military use. The aerodrome itself and its infrastructure were taken over by the Lithuanian army in 1919, and that’s where Lithuanian military aviation – the country’s air force – was being built up. Being the most important airport of the state, it saw not only the evolution of the country’s military power but also witnessed the takeoff of A. Gustaitis and J. Dobkevičius’ aeroplanes, and
also saw the origins of civil aviation. Although pilot passenger flights took place a little earlier, one evening in May 1922, a regular passenger plane was welcomed here – an 8-passenger German and USSR aircraft, to which, Kaunas was an intermediate stop on the way from Moscow to Berlin. In 1927 in Aleksotas, the Lithuanian Aero Club (LAK) was established, which played an essential role in the country’s golden age of aviation. Among the functions of the club were the training of pilots, the promotion of aviation, and the organization of aviation festivals throughout the country. Besides, the emergence of regular local air services and strategies for the future of the country’s aviation were encouraged. It was from LAK that Lithuanian sports aviation was born and the country’s rich gliding tradition. Before moving the gliding
The gyroplane of Lithuanian Aero Club. Archive of Lithuanian Aviation Museum.
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Planes in the former airship hangar. 1920s. Archive of Lithuanian Aviation Museum.
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school to the much more suitable Nida, in 1932-1933 it operated in the sands located near Pažaislis. In 1935, the latest LAK purchase appeared in the sky of Aleksotas – the first English gyroplane in the Baltic countries. Along with ANBO-VII aerobatics courses were launched. The LAK plans included the installation of new workshops, which would not only repair but also build new aeroplanes. In 1929 the airship hangar from the German times, which, as one of the largest buildings of the city of all times, was demolished. At first, its constructions were to be used for covering the railway station platforms, but when it emerged that it is not possible to implement, and the cost of building demolition would be extremely high, the bidding war was announced for foreign firms to dismantle it. Today we are reminded of it by remaining tile fragments. The 1931 aviation season was welcomed by the new so-called aero-station mansion – the only brick building of its kind in Lithuania at the time. Until then, the passengers had to wait outside. The area of the airport has been redesigned, leaving the part of the airport closer to the city for civilian needs: indeed, the development of the airport has partly prevented the development of the already established VMU student campus. At that time, another Deraluft destination linking Leningrad and Königsberg through Riga started stopping at the airport. After the company was dissolved in the second half of the decade, the former routes were serviced by Lufthansa and Aeroflot, and after the diplomatic ties with Poland were re-established, LOT aircrafts flying from Warsaw to Helsinki and back would also stop here. However, one of the most important events concerning the development
of the country’s passenger aviation happened here on September 5, 1939: in the afternoon, the first regular Lithuanian airline flight to Palanga took off. The first airline purchases were named after the transatlantic pilots– Percival Q6 would fly people to the resort for 38 Litas.
In addition to the impressive aviation days organized by LAK, Aleksotas saw a number of events and celebrations marking the history of the country. Several days after the death of Darius and Girėnas, tens of thousands of people surrounded the runway, where Deraluft aeroplane with pilots’ remains landed, accompanied by nine Lithuanian planes from the German border in Kybartai. Some years later the crowd of a similar size met Feliksas Vaitkus there whose Lituanica II was forced to land in Ireland. In 1934, the squadron of three ANBO planes was seen off here. It flew around twelve European capitals, and in 1938, one of the most memorable events took place – the first Baltic (including Finland) aviation competition.
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Aero-station in the 1930s. Archive of Lithuanian Aviation Museum.
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A place as necessary for the country’s aviation – even though much better preserved, but still forgotten – is located a few kilometres away from the core of the former airport. In the former military town of Freda, with the use of old fortress buildings, a Military Aviation Workshop was set up. This is where the new ANBO emerged from, and the most important air force processes in the country took place. Although many buildings were damaged during the war, today we have a reasonably large collection of buildings remaining, including a modernist administrative building built in the 1930s and a hangar of reinforced concrete structures designed by Anatolijus Rozenbliumas. A bit further away stands an Air Force officers’ club building, rebuilt from a former fortress railway station, a lonesome former barracks building standing by Europos Avenue and on the other side of the territory – a house on Lakūnų Road 44 were two of
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the most prominent country’s aviators – Steponas Darius and Antanas Gustaitis – lived. During World War II, Aleksotas Airport became the most heavily affected area of the city: most infrastructure that would speak of a former glory did not survive. However, it remained the city’s main air gateway up until 1988, when Karmėlava airport was opened in the former military territory. Interestingly, the new airport in the north of the city was in the plans of urban planners in 1937-1939. An army helicopter repair factory was set up in the former Lithuanian air force territory during the Soviet period: some of the old buildings were adapted for its needs.
Lufthansa‘s Junkers G.38 in Kaunas. Archive of Lithuanian Aviation Museum.
LOT schedule for Spring 1939.
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One of the two Percival Q6s, the start of Lithuanian airlines. Archive of Lithuanian Aviation Museum.
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Aviation festival in Kaunas in 1939.
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Calendar STAGE Thursday, 07 04, 6 pm / 7:30 pm
Theatre festival “House No. 2”. Interactive dance performance “Corridor”
Kaunas Castle field, Pilies g. 17
Free of charge, the region’s sole operetta festival is held annually at the valley of the Kaunas castle. This year, the highlight of the first night is a show of opera ballet company from Nursultan (Kazakhstan). The second night, which is the State Day in Lithuania, will be started with a magnificent performance of our national anthem, followed by a classical Lithuanian rock opera.
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07 05 – 07 06
Festival “Kaunas Castle Operetta 2019”
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MUSIC Photo by the organizers Niels, Billy and the Corridor – the trio got together in June 2016 at the Žďár Castle. They became friends through the FILLIMIT choreographic platform. They made a promise to remember each other just the way they were when they met, they agreed to remain the same. What do you see after a year? Billy and Niels are taller, or could it be that the corridor ceiling has dropped down? The corridor is longer, or Billy and Niels may be older and can’t run so far. The corridor got darker and more blurred, or they only remember it lighter and brighter. Or perhaps the castle corridor appears to be more patient than a man… Created and performed by Niels Weijer and Billy Mullaney The performance was created for the KoresponDance festival. Gyvūnams draugiškos vietos
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Tuesday, 07 02, 6 pm
24th Pažaislis music festival. “A Journey Through the Art World: Music, Poetry, Fashion” Kaunas State Philharmonic, L. Sapiegos g. 5
The programme of the concert includes masterpieces of vocal art by soprano Irena Milkevičiūtė and actress Birutė Mar, as well as mobile photography exhibition of the costumes from „Barborytės“ and „The Hearts“ by Jolanta Talaikytė.
JULY Wednesday, 07 03, 7 pm
Tuesday, 07 09, 7 pm
Pažaislis monastery, T. Masiulio g. 31
Kaunas State Philharmonic, L.Sapiegos g. 5
Live: Andrius Kaniava
Photo by the organizers The renowned actor, Andrius Kaniava, is also loved for his magnificent voice and singing talent. The artist has prepared a new programme of original songs, but he’ll surely perform his best ones, too.
Live: Suliko
Worshipped in Lithuania, male vocal ensemble Suliko, a promulgator of the national identity, an advocate of cultural exchange, the gem of subtle and vibrant Georgian singing, are back in Kaunas. The ensemble Suliko was established in Zacharia Paliashvili State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tbilisi in 2007. The group unites the Theatre’s leading soloists performing opera, choral and Georgian folk music as well as sacral polyphonic music and city folklore.
Wednesday, 07 10, 7 pm
Saturday, 07 06, 9 pm
Live: The ROOP
AdForm courtyard, Rotušės a. 19 The band members are four guys from Lithuania, performing rock / pop rock / soft rock/ dance rock / indie. THE ROOP indeed take their work seriously. This fresh-sounding pop-rock band is far from being inexperienced. All members of the group have been previously active in other music-related projects, and the lead singer is also known as a TV host and an actor.
Live: DAUJOTAS and Whalewave Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56
Both of the artists are named Mantas; they first met as members of bands Garbanotas and Candee Train. Whalewave is from the first collective and, with his solo project, is paying homage to western folk classics. DAUJOTAS, who performs with fellow musicians on stage, tries to fit his ambitions into the limited possibilities of his clumsy fingers. Sometimes dirty, sometimes romantic – just like they did it in the 90s.
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Calendar Thursday, 07 11, 6 pm
24th Pažaislis music festival. “Commemorating 20 Years of Edgaras Montvidas’ Artistic Activity”
Kaunas State Philharmonic, L. Sapiegos g. 5
07 12 – 07 20
Kaunas Piano Fest Various locations
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Pieces by Franz Liszt, Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy, Reynaldo Hahn, Manuel de Falla etc. will be performed by tenor Edgaras Motvidas accompanied by Simon Lepper (piano, UK).
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Kaunas Piano Fest is an international piano festival and masterclasses aiming to bring young, emerging pianists from all over the world to improve their performing skills, mental toughness, stage presence, body awareness skills. The organizing team believes that there is a need for performers to not only master their instrumental technique but also improve their communication skills, self-management, performance psychology and career planning. Therefore, in addition to piano coaching with renowned teachers, the project offers group lectures and seminars touching on relevant topics. A unique aspect of this festival is in providing young performers with a significant opportunity to give a solo recital which requires an enormous amount of physical and psychological work from the pianist. Participants of the festival benefit immensely from such an opportunity. The free concerts are held in
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different venues around Lithuania. Organizers look for authentic, unusual performance venues to attract listeners to lesser-known undiscovered sites. The gala concert takes place in Kaunas St. Michael the Archangel Church, also known as Soboras. Saturday, 07 13, 16:00
24th Pažaislis music festival. “The Musical Baltic Shores” National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art, V. Putvinskio g. 55
Janne Thomsen (flute, Denmark), Christoffer Sundqvist (clarinet, Finland), Hugo Ticciati (violin, Sweden), Jamie Walton (cello, UK) and Heini Kärkkäinen (piano, Finland) will perform music by Raminta Šerkšnytė, Sebastian Fagerlund, Pēterio Vasks, Tõnu Kõrvits, Arvo Pärt and Arnold Schönberg. The evening is a co-production with the festival “O/Modernt” (Sweden). Wednesday, 07 17, 7 pm
Live: Saulius Petreikis
Pažaislis monastery, T. Masiulio g. 31
Photo by Rytis Šeškaitis
JULY Saulius Petreikis is one of the few people in Europe who has a unique collection of musical instruments from all over the world and is using them to create and perform his own music. Although Saulius studied classical trumpet, for the last ten years, he is genuinely exploring the concept of world music. While playing music, he connects light-playfulness and deep sincerity, spontaneous expression, and inclination to a synthesis of different styles. This time with a band! Friday, 07 19, 6 pm
24th Pažaislis music festival. Mengla Huang Kaunas State Philharmonic, L. Sapiegos g. 5
Photo by the organizers
As one of the most active violinists in the world stage, Mengla Huang occupies a unique position in his native land brimming with astonishing talents. Huang came to international attention after taking first prize at the prestigious Premio Paganini International Violin Competition in Italy in 2002, where he was also awarded the Renato De Barbieri Memorial Award for the best interpretation of Paganini‘s Caprices, and the Mario Ruminelli Memorial Award. Together with Čiurlionis quartet, Huang will open the doors to the baroque world of J. S. Bach. Wednesday, 07 24, 6 pm
24th Pažaislis music festival. “redisCOVERed” Kaunas State Philharmonic, L. Sapiegos g. 5
For most artists, an album of cover songs is an idea of last resort, a Hail Mary pass when one’s creativity has stalled out, or there’s a contract to be fulfilled…. But most artists aren’t Judith Owen. “Over the years, so many people have always had the question, “Why don’t you make a collection of these things because they’re so unique and unusual?,” Owen says. “And I had to really ask myself why I do these covers and why they bring me so much pleasure,” says the firebrand singer-songwriter and pianist. Her newest album and concert programme includes songs by Drake, Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake and many more, interpreted in unexpected ways.
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Calendar Sunday, 07 28, 6 pm
24th Pažaislis music festival. “Exploring the Treasures of Lithuanian Music” Kaunas Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muitinės g. 8
Lithuania more than once, and he is one of the most prominent saxophonists who can entertain anyone. He develops American R&B saxophone traditions, the artist has become a significant player in the world, thanks to his aggressive and emotional style. Thursday, 08 01, 7 pm
Photo by the organizers Celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Juozas Naujalis and the 100th birth anniversary of Eduardas Balsys, the Kaunas String Quartet will perform music by Juozas Naujalis, Eduardas Balsys, Vidmantas Bartulis and Giedrius Kuprevičius.
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24th Pažaislis music festival. “Stamps from Bulgaria: Folk Elements in Jazz”
Wednesday, 07 31, 7 pm
Live: Leon Beal and Sax Gordon “Sakramentas” courtyard, Vilniaus g. 31
It is difficult to find pure and authentic R&B and soul music authors on the scene of contemporary festivals. However, they exist, and they are coming over. Leon Beal is an American musician who fascinates listeners from all over the world, he was born in the scene of gospel music, grew up with traditions of blues and soul, and nowadays actively strengthens the power of classic soul and R&B. Sax Gordon is from Detroit, he has visited
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Arts Incubator of Raudondvaris Manor, Pilies takas 1, Raudondvaris, Kauno raj.
Born in the Bulgarian port city of Varna, Miroslav Petkov started playing the trumpet at the age of eleven. Barely a month later, he was accepted to the Dobri Hristov National Academy of the Arts. In addition to the classical repertoire, Petkov enjoys playing folk music, which he likes to flavour with jazz elements. He’s coming to Lithuania with Bodurov Trio, a modern, dynamic jazz group, founded by Amsterdam based pianist and composer Dimitar Bodurov. Bodurov’s fascination with Bulgarian folklore evolved in a unique and distinctive style characterised by connecting folklore elements with contemporary jazz. “Stamps from Bulgaria”, the band’s most successful project, is a remarkable example compiling a series of compositions based on traditional Bulgarian folk songs and dances.
JULY EXHIBITIONS 06 13 – 09 29
Kaunas biennial. Screening of “Revisiting Solaris”
06 20 – 07 21
Photography exhibition “Urgent Arts of Living” Kaunas Gallery, Vilniaus g. 2
National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art, V. Putvinskio g. 55
Film still
Photo by Ana Zibelnik
In the short film Donatas Banionis, a leading actor in Andrei Tarkovsky’s famous film Solaris (1972), appears once more in his role as the astronaut Kris Kelvin more than 40 years after Tarkovsky‘s Solaris was made. Tarkovsky’s film was based on Stanisław Lem’s futuristic novel of the same name, excluding its last chapter. Revisiting Solaris is based on that final chapter of the book, and it tells how Kris Kelvin reflects on his visit to Solaris shortly before his return from the space mission. Deimantas Narkevičius combines the shots of the protagonist with the photographs by Lithuanian symbolist painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis taken on the coast of the Black Sea in 1905, visualising the cosmic landscapes of the Solaris. Tarkovsky also filmed the surface of the Black Sea to represent the ocean of the mysterious planet.
This exhibition is a part of the European Photo Based Platform PARALLEL. Curated by Cale Garrido, the show presents works by Fábio Cunha, Marie Lukasiewicz and Ana Zibelnik. The exhibition explores how the arts can foster behaviour change and engagement, moving us on a visceral, more human level in a way that facts simply cannot. “Urgent Arts of Living” aims to create a space where both artists and audience can imaginatively and critically engage in constructive debate about the ecological and social crisis that surrounds us today; to begin a dialogue that contributes to profound and urgently needed change.
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Calendar 06 20 – 09 08
Osvaldas Jablonskis exhibition “My Lithuania”
Osvaldas Jablonskis is considered to be a virtuoso of Kaunas watercolour school. The creative work of the painter is denoted by his own individual and peculiar Jablonskis-style colour world, sensitive compositions, lyricism, all-permeating realism and empathy. The exhibition presents paintings perpetuating – as if in a revolving kaleidoscope – the Lithuania of Osvaldas Jablonskis, including church towers, birthplaces of famous people and their favourite places. The most appropriate definition characterizing the spirit of the exhibition is Spiritual Landscapes.
07 04 – 07 27
Alvīne Bautra exhibition “Random existence” Gallery “Meno parkas”
Gallery “Meno parkas”, Rotušės a. 27
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A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations And Collections Museum, V. Putvinskio g. 64
Vincas Kisarauskas’ creative range is extensive: painting, graphics, scenography, mosaics, medals, book illustrations. At the same time, he was very significant and original in the field of ex-libris, which is treated as a smaller genre of graphics. Kisarauskas became interested in this genre in the 1960s and created several hundred bookplates. In the exhibition, dedicated to Vincas Kisarauskas’ 85th Birth Anniversary, 30 ex-libris, publications and letters to P. Galaunė are exhibited. It is a small part of Kisarauskas creative legacy, kept in A. and P. Galaunė House.
06 20 – 08 28
Exhibition “Identity Signs. Ex-libris By Vincas Kisarauskas From Paulius Galaunė Collection”
A and P. Galaunė house Vydūno al. 2
Alvīne Bautra. „Between the presence and absence“ The paintings by Alvīne Bautra (Latvia, b. 1990) portray human beings in the
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JULY process of dissolving into an empty space. The multiple, overlapping faces and body parts seem to slip away; however, the characters’ presence appears to be rooted in the moment with their look directed straight to the viewer. Their expressions are those of indifference, boredom and sometimes a slight or grotesque smile. In this way, the artist reflects upon human existence.
07 04 – 08 02
Raimundas Majauskas exhibition “Retrospective”
Gallery “Meno parkas”, Rotušės a. 27
Raimundas Majauskas. “Anxiety” The author’s jubilee exhibition is dedicated to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the author and his 40th anniversary years of creative life. The show retrospectively reviews the author’s artworks, from the selected works that best reflect the author’s artistic style, from drawings to the latest paintings. Oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, pastels will be exhibited. The artist’s artwork is distinguished by its colouring, impressive gesture in painting, and vividness. The author’s motives often become a landscape space,
recognizable as images seen somewhere, figurative compositions, as well as still-lifes. 07 04 – 08 02
Eugenijus Lukas Kolmogorcevas exhibition “Nervous System“
Gallery “Meno parkas”, Rotušės a. 27 The exhibition features objects, video art, and paintings. It is a personal atlas of several years of daily stories and events associated with people. The arrow of time doesn’t stop moving forward, wiping away and levelling the complexity of interactions between humans, objects and phenomena. I would like to accept the present not as an arrow of time with the past, present, and future, but as a tangled web of ‘here and now’. Dialogues with people inspire creativity and provoke reflection of subjective experiences. This exhibition is the actualization of past events through artworks. The chain of art objects, paintings, and video artworks tell a single uninterrupted story which is hard to disentangle (just like the nervous system).
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Calendar 07 14 – 10 06
Antanas Sutkus photography exhibition “Pro Memoria” M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Nepriklausomybės a. 12
CINEMA Tuesday, 07 16, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Florida Project”
Dmitrijus Gelpernas (b. 1914). Photo by Antanas Sutkus.
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Nemunas island (near “Žalgirio” arena)
The exhibition by Antanas Sutkus, one of the greatest Lithuanian photographers, is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the liquidation of the Kaunas Ghetto. Sutkus began photographing the survivors of the ghetto back in 1988; it all became a unique portrait series witnessing the tragic events of the XX century.
Film still Warm, winning, and gloriously alive, Sean Baker’s film is a deeply moving and unforgettably poignant look at childhood. Set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, The Florida Project follows six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince in a stunning breakout turn) and her rebellious mother Halley (the Lithuanian-born Bria Vinaitė) throughout a single summer. In English, subtitled in Lithuanian.
Wednesday, 07 17, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Virgin & Extra: Jaén, the Land of the Olive Oil”
Nemunas island (near “Žalgirio” arena)
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Film still Olive oil is not just a superfood; in the region of Jaen, it also represents a way of life. In the 21st century a revolution broke out there: Picual, the most emblematic, but historically somewhat underrated olive, may well produce the best extra virgin olive oil in the world. The film introduces us to olive growers and the challenges they face as well as to renowned chefs who see the changes from gastronomy and consumerism perspectives. The movie is full of the hidden beauty of one of Spain’s least-known provinces. In Spanish, subtitled in Lithuanian.
debuts with a powerful feature film that has already been named Best Baltic film at the Tallinn film festival. An ambitious young psychologist Indre accepts to transport two patients to a seaside psychiatric unit. Outgoing Paulius is a young man whose manic stage of his bipolar disorder stands in high contrast to the introvert Juste whose wounds are hidden from sight. While all three characters are fighting their own inner battles, they are slowly getting closer to each other. This is a powerful yet bittersweet story that – just like summer — is full of hopes, surprises and the promise that anything is possible. In Lithuanian, subtitled in English.
Saturday, 07 20, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Loro” Nemuno sala (prie „Žalgirio“ arenos“)
Friday, 07 19, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Summer Survivors”
Nemunas island (near “Žalgirio” arena)
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Film still Not for everyone, only for quality cinema lovers. A promising young Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradzė
The Italian film is directed by Paolo Sorrentino, starring Toni Servillo. The film talks about the group of businessmen and politicians – the Loro (Them) from the title – who live and act near to media tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi in the years between 2006 and 2009. In Italian, subtitled in Lithuanian. 2019
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Calendar Tuesday, 07 23, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Mid90s”
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Panemunė pinewood
Paris 1967. Jean-Luc Godard, the leading filmmaker of his generation, is shooting La Chinoise with the woman he loves, Anne Wiazemsky, 20 years his junior. They are happy, attractive, in love. They marry. But the film’s reception unleashes a profound self-examination in Jean-Luc. The events of May ‘68 will amplify this process and the crisis that shakes the filmmaker. Deep-rooted conflicts and misunderstandings will change him irrevocably. Revolutionary, off-the-wall, destructive, brilliant, he will pursue his choices and his beliefs to the breaking point… In French and Italian, subtitled in Lithuanian.
Film still It’s a 2018 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Jonah Hill, in his feature directorial debut. It stars Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges and Katherine Waterston, and follows a 13-year-old boy who begins spending time with a mostly older group of skateboarders while living in 1990s Los Angeles.
Thursday, 07 25, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” Panemunė pinewood
Wednesday, 07 24, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Le Redoutable”
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Filmo stop kadras
After nearly dying in a car accident, the last thing Oregon slacker John Callahan intends to do is give up alcohol. Encouraged by his girlfriend and a charismatic sponsor, Callahan reluctantly enters a treatment program and discovers that he has a knack for drawing. The budding artist soon finds himself with a new lease on life when his edgy and irreverent newspaper cartoons gain a national and devoted
Panemunė pinewood
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following. Directed by Gus Van Sant. In English, subtitled in Lithuanian.
Friday, 07 26, 22:15
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Midsommar” Panemunė pinewood
Dani and Christian are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. The carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that are increasingly disturbing. In English and Swedish, subtitled in Lithuanian
Wednesday, 07 31, 22:00
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “La loi de la jungle” Kalniečiai park
Filmo stop kadras Marc Châtaigne (Vincent Macaigne), a trainee of the Ministry of the Standard, is entrusted with a delicate mission by the minister’s cabinet director: to go to Guyana to monitor the upgrade of Guyaneige, the first in-
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door ski track in Amazonia. This must boost tourism. On-site, he embarks on a visit to site sites to check that everything is in order. To get there, he is accompanied by Tarzan (Vimala Pons), a pretty trainee at the National Forest Office who serves as a driver. After a road accident, they get lost in the forest. Quickly, the two young people are confronted with many dangers. In French, subtitled in Lithuanian.
Thursday, 08 01, 22:00
“Romuva” open-air cinema. “Najlepszy” Kalniečiai park
The 2017 Polish biographical film directed by Łukasz Palkowski is about the life of Jerzy Górski. The film stars Jakub Gierszał as Górski. The movie shows how Gorski manages to win the double Iron Man triathlon after years of being a drug addict. In this inspirational film, we get to know Gorski from the very beginning – so when he just started doing drugs. But along with rising action, the main character becomes more and more addicted and lose his best friend and soon, a lover. It’s during the second half of the movie when he decides to change and fight his demons. For his mother, himself, new lover and most important his daughter which was left without mother after his girlfriend died from an overdose. However, leaving your addiction is much harder than winning the biggest triathlon… In Polish, subtitled in Lithuanian.
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Calendar SPORTS
Friday, 07 26, 7 pm
Critical Mass
“Miesto sodas”, Laisvės al. 93 06 02 – 08 29, 6:30 am
Free morning exercise with “Judėk sveikai” Kalniečiai park
Critical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month; its purpose is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and travelling as a group through the streets of Kaunas on bikes.
OTHER EVENTS
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Monday, 07 08, 7 pm
Photo by the organizers The city-wide initiative offers various sports activities – free and open for all. On early Tuesday and Thursday mornings, you’re welcome to join the energetic exercises in the park.
Sunday, 07 07 / 07 14 / 07 21 / 07 28, 14:00
Pétanque classes
Kaunas castle field, Pilies g. 17 Pétanque is a sport that’s very democratic in terms of age, sex and capabilities. Your body and your mind both work out, which is a great thing. Come meet the Kaunas pétanque club and learn something new. Every Sunday!
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Kaunas Biennial tour with Galerie Uberall
Kaunas Railway Station underground passage Throughout 12th Kaunas Biennial, the office of the ambitious gallery temporarily relocates to the underground passage in Kaunas Train Station. Here it serves as the starting point for the monthly tours of the biennial led by art dealer and businessman Andrej Polukord. During the trips, the director of the gallery will reveal the hidden processes behind the biennial, and will attempt to answer the most intriguing question: what exactly does “After Leaving Before Arriving” mean?
07 19, 5 pm – 07 20, 10 pm
“Night of the Smells” VMU Botanical Garden, Ž. E. Žilibero g. 6
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Tuesday, 07 30, 6 pm
“Šilainiai Bees”: Roundtable discussion “Rights to Bees? Rights for Bees?”
Kaunas Vincas Kudirka public library, Šilainiai department, Baltų pr. 81 After touring Šilainiai and thinking about bees, the organisers are inviting everyone for a roundtable discussion about the bee rights. Everyone who has something to say is welcome to say it. There’ll be some keynotes, too. In English. Photo by the organizers The smell and aroma night at the historical botanical garden has become so popular over the years it’s actually two nights now. Installations and pop-up spaces of science, smells, tastes, traditional crafts and homoeopathy will invite you to learn and discover; there’ll also be dozens of reasons for a great picture, music in the air etc.
Tuesday, 07 30, 7 pm
Slemas #24
Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56
Monday, 07 22 / 07 29 / 08 05, 6:30 pm
“Šilainiai Bees”: “Walk & Talk in the Garden” Baltijos g. 43
A bee-themed take-over of Šilainiai Project’s regular local walk programme. Each Monday, residents and invited experts will explore Šilainiai, discussing all things bee in the area and watching the behaviour of the district’s existing insect inhabitants.
Photo by the organizers The 24th poetry slam at the Kaunas Artists’ House might become a starting point in your slamming career. You can slam in English (or any other language). Register at menas@kmn.lt
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„I am calling Wash. State Department regarding the permission. I find out the permission has been granted, it is hoped the others will be received soon, too. Flying and checking the newly regulated inductor compass. The weather is still bad.“ July 13, 1933. Diary of Steponas Darius. In two days, the pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas took off from New York for the first-ever flight over the Atlantic. Their plane, Lituanaica, crashed on July 17 in a forest near Soldin (currently Poland). They never reached Kaunas, where thousands of people awaited them in an airfield later renamed to S. Darius And S. Girėnas Aerodrome.
KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE Monthly magazine about personalities and events in Kaunas (free of charge)
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Laisvės alėja 59, third floor
Editorial office:
Authors: Algirdas Šapoka, Artūras Bulota, Austėja Banytė, Bernadeta Buzaitė, Dainius Ščiuka, Donatas Stankevičius, Eglė Šertvyčūtė, Emilija Visockaitė, Gie Vilkė, Julija Račiūnaitė, Kamilė Kaminskaitė, Kotryna Lingienė, Kęstutis Lingys, Martynas Auz., Paulius Tautvydas Laurinaitis, Teodoras Biliūnas.
Patrons:
KAUNO MIESTO SAVIVALDYBĖ
TIRAŽAS 10 000 EGZ.
K AU N A S F U L L O F CU LT U R E
2424-4465 ISSN 2424-4481
Leidžia: Publisher
2019 2017 Nr. 7 2 (47) (18)