THE PECULIARITY OF KLAIPĖDA IN EVERYDAY ILLUSTRATIONS

JOSÉPHINE VEJRICH WATANABE IR TOSHIHITO WATANABE

From the 3rd of June, 2019, illustrator Joséphine Vejrich Watanabe of Finnish origin and copywriter Toshihito Watanabe of Japanese origin stayed at the KCCC Art Residency. This is the second visit in Klaipėda of these artists working in the duo and experimenting with image and text. In 2017, the creators conducted an origami workshop for the city community in KCCC Art Yard Studio and Joséphine created a book of illustrations.

The creators at this year’s Art Residency analyzed the peculiarity of Klaipėda city and its identity with the help of everyday environmental illustrations and analogue photos, combining city and personal stories, local folklore elements, stories and imagination. Later these visuals and texts, pressed by the table top etching press, will be combined into the book of illustrations.

Joséphine and Toshihito have also engaged in community processes – in the exhibition space the results of the creative workshop “A day in Klaipėda”, which took place on the 14th of June for pupils of Klaipėda „Vaivorykštės tako“ gymnasium, were additionally displayed.

The works of foreign artists and the results of the creative workshop with the community can be seen in the exposition spaces of the KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens str. 2) on June 14-16.

KCCC Art Residency project is partly funded by Lithuanian Council for Culture.