The final chords in the cycle of events of 15 years of KCCC activities “Supernova”

The closing events of the anniversary cycle of events of 15 years of KCCC activities “Supernova” are going to start at the Exhibition Hall of Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre (KCCC) (Didžioji Vandens str. 2, Klaipėda) on Friday, the 9th of October, 2020, at 7 PM, which later will be relocated to the open spaces of the Art Yard. 

The year of 2020 is exceptional for Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre, as this year the institution celebrates its 15th anniversary. The presentation of the installation “Island” of Marius Ščerbinskas, which took place in July in the yard of the History Museum of Lithuania Minor, was the introduction to the anniversary cycle of events “Supernova” dedicated to the birthday. August was dedicated to graphics – open graphic art workshop “Now Art. Reborn” was held in the Art Yard of KCCC and lasted five days, which in turn was led by six professional graphic artists of various generations from all over Lithuania, attracting about 500 art fans. One August evening was dedicated to the acquaintance with polyphonic Corsican folk songs – they were performed at the concert “La Campagna” by the GŠ ensemble from Vilnius.

September at the KCCC Exhibition Hall started with the most important event of the cycle “Supernova” – the presentation of the international art project “We can be heroes”. The exposition of the exhibition consists of the works of the participants of the 15-year-long creative process symbolically identifying the KCCC projects implemented during those years, which had an impact on the ideas or future visions developed by the centre. At the opening of the exhibition, the artists of Vilnius Laima Kreivytė, Inga Galinytė and Denisas Kolomyckis presented the performance “Fluqus Marriage. The Birth of a Centaur”. Later on the action was moved to the Art Yard, where the painting action-happening “Freedom” took place until late hours – the artists Audrius Gražys, Rodionas Petrovas and Daiva Dašenkovienė interpreted the theme of the New York Statue of Liberty on large format canvasses against the background of music and with a group of curious observers watching the process. The next day after the presentation of the exhibition, Klaipėda residents and guests had the opportunity to take part in a tour through the exhibition halls of “We can be heroes” together with the project initiator art historian Ignas Kazakevičius and artists who overcame the challenges posed by the coronavirus and arrived to the presentation of the exhibition.

Another three-day marathon of the cycle of events “Supernova” took place at the end of September – on the last Thursday of the month three sound artists: Donatas Bielkauskas-Donis, Kristijonas Lučinskas-Driezhas and Audrius Šimkūnas-Sala invited to a trip through the “Maze of Sound” – during the project of such name at the KCCC Exhibition Hall the creators of experimental music offered the listeners to wander from one performer to another and listen to the sounds they create, or to join the creative process of the musical material themselves.

Friday at the Exhibition Hall was dedicated not only to the image but also to the word. Writers Ernestas Parulskis and Herkus Kunčius as well as the art historian Ignas Kazakevičius, who moderated the discussion, analysed the relationship between art and reality in the introductory event of Klaipėda Book Fair – the discussion “Images and Words”. The discussion related to the book took place on Saturday as well. The artist Žygimantas Augustinas presenting his newly published album “To Žygimantas Augustas” invited the community to talk about scholarship and uncertainty together with the philosopher Vilius Dranseika.

KCCC invites to the final events of the cycle “Supernova” on the 9th of October, at 7 PM, which will begin at the Exhibition Hall in the context of the exhibition “We can be heroes”.

Halfway through the exhibition, the work that complemented the exposition – the installation of Audronė Andrulevičienė “Ecce homo” – will be presented. A. Andrulevičienė, one of the first authors who organised KCCC exhibitions and arranged creative seminars, has recently been experimenting with medical silicone, combining it with other materials: glass, metal, plastic, and environmental objects. She equates these organic and inorganic materials with the relationship between culture and nature: glass –emotional vulnerability of a person, metal – structure, inner frame, Cézanne aspect of visualisation; hair – nature; silicone – spiritual inertia, ersatz, hypocrisy, possible model of the relationships of a new hybrid culture. Science argues that what matters is not so much the structure of the gene itself as its regulation. In the human genome, genes can be “turned off” and “turned on”. Mutations can be good and harmful. We benefit from “variability” – the ability of organisms to develop individually and acquire new characteristics. Only because of variability can we talk about identification, which in turn determines the abovementioned concept of the renewal of “culture-nature”.

With this laboratory project the author transfers a template of a biological or genetic field to the exhibition halls. If we say that what is not transmitted genetically is called culture, art itself in this context seems like a genetic mutation that changes culture.

The work “Supernova” of Patricija Gilytė displayed in the exhibition “We can be heroes”, which was created specifically for this exhibition, continues the theme of her exhibition “Equinox” exhibited at the KCCC Exhibition Hall exactly one year ago during the autumn equinox. During her residency in Klaipėda the artist living in Germany observed the city as a whole and at the same time analysed individual levels (colours, sounds, flows, moods, emotions) as well as stable, slowly changing forms, i.e. architecture, and repetitive forms – the port elements. She transferred those observations into images in a stop motion animation, using 7392 candles. By lighting up or putting out individual candles, a visual narration of the city as a changing constellation was created at “Vakarų laivų gamykla”, AB. The soundtrack for the installation “Equinox K-7392” of P. Gilytė was created by composer and performer, sound artist Donatas Bielkauskas-Donis.

P. Gilytė transformed the work “Equinox K-7392” for the exhibition “We can be heroes” using new expressions and adapted it to another space. The artist hoped to meet the residents of Klaipėda at this work during the autumn equinox and together supplement it with the missing accents. However, the artist could not overcome the coronavirus barriers. Therefore, in the closing event, visitors are invited to return to the autumn equinox in their thoughts, to get involved in a joint creative action and to complete Patricija Gilytė’s artwork together with the KCCC staff in the rhythm of “Supernova”.

The creative action of “Supernova” will be transferred to the Art Yard (Bažnyčių str. 4) shrouded in darkness of night and lit by fire at 7.30 PM. A live painting action and a philosophical discussion about the night and art “Nocturne” will take place in the yard of the Puppet Theatre. The participants of the action will draw inspiration from the works of James Whistler. Painters: Irma Leščinskaitė, Tomas Kiauka and Virgis Ruseckas will participate there, and anyone who wishes will be able to join the artists.

J. Whistler (1834–1903) became famous not only for his mother’s portrait in a comedy with Mr. Bean, but he was also one of the few prominent promoters of the nocturne genre in the 19th century, famous for the strange names of the works by which he named the colour relations. He even renamed many of his early works using musical terms such as nocturne, symphony, harmony, etude or arrangement in order to emphasise tonal qualities and composition as well as neutralise the plot of the works. J. Whistler’s nocturnes became his most innovative works.

The picturesque nocturnes, which embodied the darkness of the autumn night, the light of fire and the inspiration of the artist, the realism of dreams and the abstraction of hope, will become the final chord in the cycle of anniversary events of 15 years of KCCC activities “Supernova”.

The project partner “10 Tiltų” will take care of the inner warmth of the participants and guests of the action.

The project is partially financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Klaipėda city municipality.

The exhibition “We can be heroes” will run until the 8th of November, 2020.

Opening hours of the KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens str. 2, Klaipėda): Wednesday-Sunday 11 AM – 7 PM (closed on public holidays).

We would like to inform the visitors that photos and videos will be taken during the event, so they can be featured on photos or videos of the event posted on social networks or in the media.

Visitors without protective masks will not be allowed.