While his search for a permanent space continues the exhibition he curated – Intermediate Glooms – became a striking highlight of early 2025 Exhibited throughout January at the Meno Parkas Gallery should probably be described as a member of the younger generation of artists he completed a bachelor’s degree in painting at the Vilnius Academy of Arts Kaunas Faculty His first solo exhibition took place in 2024 at Drifts Gallery in Vilnius and he ended the year by installing a video game in the Sapieha Palace these days I spend many nights at the computer I’m making an animation for the Audra festival I take on commissions like this because it’s interesting to solve visual problems I need to know Photoshop and other image editing programs It’s all connected and if it comes together You told me that you graduated from John Paul II gymnasium and then enrolled in business management studies so I also went to study business management in England It was convenient because my parents had emigrated there I lived with them and went to that university but I only managed to do it for four months I took a couple of years of preparatory courses I had one choice written down – painting in Kaunas Did you ever doubt if you should have applied to Vilnius instead?  Of those four years of undergraduate studies I probably only felt good for about half a year But I applied because I was drawn to that former psychiatric hospital with its painterly atmosphere; those motifs just captivated me and I thought about painting in a completely different way But then they moved us out because the building was falling apart I never really felt free there – it was intimidating to try and shape the space and we weren’t allowed to drill into the walls or do much of anything you can feel the cultural pot boiling – there are so many galleries There has to be support and proper conditions – if those were in place when there’s basically only one gallery in town… I don’t know After the JCDecaux exhibition (In the 9th exhibition organized by the Contemporary Art Centre together with JCDecaux Lithuania Mantas presented a virtual reality simulation titled Quagmire which functioned as an extension of sensory experience and created a favorable space for ambiguities to coexist – editor’s note) I stopped painting because I don’t know what to paint anymore which is a completely different medium than painting And then the natural question arises – why paint at all but so much has already been done in painting What I want is to strive for something new then I usually get a sense of what I want to say what character should be chosen for the painting what symbol should speak about the whole situation Then I create a digital sketch and start planning We met at the Intermediate Glooms exhibition you curated which was just a wonderful introduction to the year 2025 Why was it important for you to bring together artists from different generations working in different media I wonder what you had in mind when planning it there are a lot of static and dynamic images here we often thought about the idea of a moving painting – something that exists in space as an object but also moves while also exploring painting in the context of today’s screen-filled life I think painting does a great job of representing and introducing a new layer of perceiving or capturing reality This contrast is beautifully revealed in Andrius Kviliūnas’ work where he places himself – his very human presence – within the world of digital characters That’s what I was looking for – a middle ground between digitality and spirituality I try to navigate between these two spaces myself so I wanted to reflect that perspective in the exhibition as well It seems to me that by admitting that you are in a liminal state you elevate yourself above the younger generation because the younger generation is already very comfortable in the digital space and is no longer nostalgic for the texture or the humanity you mentioned the older generation has no idea how it is possible to be without smelling Sometimes I think they’ve put another processor in him so that I wouldn’t sit so much in front of the computer That means there was a conflict between digital and real but I also like to take a computer with me [laughs] I still hear the stereotype that artists are digitally illiterate and you’re telling me how you made a video game for an exhibition You do everything yourself; do you know how to write code but ChatGPT is a great help – it’s my companion so I don’t have to write 40 lines of code myself And do you find the code itself visually pleasing there is a piece by Sandra Golubjevaitė – she wrote poetry by hand and created a device that captures the poetry with a camera and the program interprets the text and tries to replicate it so it generates complete abstractions.  How do you rate your experience as a curator To what extent does Mantas the artist tries to influence the curator and to what extent does Mantas the curator try to control the artist in you I don’t know what it would be like to curate exhibitions on other topics and in curating an exhibition like this I am working through my own internal creative questions and this exhibition is partly another one of my creations I tried to look at painting in it as a pause between moving images because people love paintings and screens are universal and anonymous Do you have favorite artworks by colleagues at home who doesn’t paint anymore.  I exchanged with Andrius Zakarauskas And I have a piece by Giedrė Mačiulaitytė from her summer practice: just a little man sitting in a tree It is so memorable to me because it is not digital at all I also sometimes would like to just paint without much thought about those media because the screen does not allow me to paint so freely Just applying it with a brush doesn’t look good to me unless I treat the paint with additional means Maybe I’m just used to a perfect image on the screen It has to do with the mental state – we see spaces somewhere there It seems that I must fix every little line to make it speak for itself You sound like a programmer: instead of letting go Does the desire not to leave things as they are push you forward or constrain you It seems like you’re always trying to improve yourself and you don’t paint because it is constraining but I try to fight with myself and lower the bar and at the same time have more confidence in myself Because you can’t make art if you don’t trust yourself What will your generation be called in 30 years I don’t know yet if we’re really making an impact or if we’ll just evaporate I don’t know how it will be; I’m just trying to be honest.  A bit later I also interviewed the architect and artist Džiugas Karalius whose sculptures made of garbage still greet you when you approach one of the most vibrant elements of the Kaunas fortress The tsar probably never dreamed of such a creative and sustainable use of the fort Šilainiai Gardens is an initiative that has entered its fifth season and is gaining a new layer every year Just like that soil that keeps renewing itself to delight us with nature’s gifts Nature in the City is the name of the initiative started by Evelina and Sandra Galdikaitė who mention the creation of a creative environment among their goals inviting you to take a closer look at the environment and not be afraid to be a part of it We sat down on the raised garden beds with Sandra and Evelina on Friday evening as the sun gently painted the apartment buildings and the city was already resting before this year’s first truly warm weekend and now look how we’ve expanded,” a painter named Reiu with whom we correspond about university matters during working hours You need to collect the sprouts at a special exchange event which will have already happened by the time you read this article Evelina: We felt the need to preserve the existing community of gardeners The idea of an educational garden bed came from the seniors themselves back in 2018 and those who do not know how to grow a plant from a seed We held the first workshop here with our colleagues from Tallinn and in 2019 a new phase in our history began Sandra: I was simply writing an article about Evelina and Šilainiai Gardens and that’s how we met I packed my backpack and went on a solo trip to America for a month I got a sense of what a metropolis and overconsumption looked like I also realized that my whole world fits in one backpack and that was a very good feeling I began to delve in it and into what affects it it’s easy to feel inadequate – you graduate from university move up the career ladder… I started learning awareness I thought I’d just start sharing my knowledge Then there were camps for young people and businesswomen and what we do with our colleagues is called 9 zuikiai (9 bunnies) Did any younger people join the Šilainiai Gardens community There are those who started gardening from a 1 square meter raised garden bed who then got acquainted with the existing community and moved to a larger patch They replace gardeners who leave this world or who decide not to continue this activity by taking over their patches but there is also room for the gardens to expand Sandra: And there are probably more people from other districts than Šilainiai I can reach Šilainiai Gardens in about 40 minutes by bike I heard that there are 300 people waiting in line for a bed in a community garden somewhere abroad Evelina: People even wait for several years; it’s normal in London If someone comes to the seedling exchange at the beginning of June they will be able to plant the catch immediately [laughs] the newly created community gardens in Vilnius Maybe people who are thirsty for gardening will start moving to Kaunas from London because you can easily get a small patch of land here Sandra: I can tell you what I notice in my environment And I notice that we still have a very strong sense of independence I am asked: how do you make sure that others do not pick from your bed What difference does it make if a human or a bunny eats the plant The person then says that there is a difference and others are even afraid that if they get that little patch Evelina: These are not collective gardens in a traditional sense The women who were the first to start gardening here – one gardener mentioned it was 35 years ago – had a very open mind There were probably several reasons for this But there is also a financial aspect: it was not easy to feed large families and not everyone had a village home or a car seniors are gardening in the micro-districts How much food can you grow in a one-square-meter raised bed side dishes or enough produce to make a full meal Sandra: I pick leafy vegetables throughout the season Last year tomatoes also lasted until winter I picked up a couple of bags of walnuts and ate them during the winter but it’s obviously cheaper than buying tomatoes at the store Evelina: We collect about 120 liters of slugs per week Perhaps the meaning of these gardens should not be measured in money Evelina: I drove here this afternoon and I thought that gardens in general are happiness You don’t have to swing a shovel fiercely to feel the meaning It is very important for psychological and physical health A visit to a psychotherapist costs about 50 EUR food supplements and a sports club also cost so in the end that would reach a solid sum And here you meet people you would never meet in a normal life Such acquaintances enrich both personal and professional life How do gardens influence your artistic practice Evelina: I’m not sure how to interpret that artistic practice… She says that while Evelina is doing Facebook Lives or working in the garden she is making a performance that has been going on for several years Evelina: the representatives of Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association have been here several times; we keep in touch Vytautas Michelkevičius considers these gardens and the processes that take place in them as an artistic practice It does not take place in a gallery or in a closed space but it happens chaotically and unpredictably We have a lot of fun on the day of the seedling exchange when the founding of Lakūnai Gardens took place and the women who came planted the seeds the way they thought best and this is a miracle when the artist-coordinator leaves and the action continues The pink wild strawberries brought by the neighbours have already taken root and are blooming I consider this the success of gardens that are not owned by one person You can make mistakes and experiment – this is the place for that.  Sandra: I can tell you about my experiment I started with very poor-quality soil which I aim to make fertile Maybe it doesn’t look very attractive from a distance Tell us about summer Tuesdays in Šilainiai Gardens people who don’t have a garden bed there are equally welcome we started talking about the need to achieve financial sustainability which are all about putting humans back into the ecosystem I have experience working with young people Last year we planted the idea that we should somehow bring in the local teenagers here We thought about a camp for younger people but this summer we will focus on a more general education Austė Juozapaitytė teaches about biomimicry about the fact that human decisions are modeled according to the laws of nature We wanted to set the tone with this more general look Then there is a meeting with Mantas Adomaitis After that biologist Laurynas Kaučikas will talk about soil his colleague Tomas Pocius on July 25 will talk about insects and then everyone will be able to observe insects at night Evelina: That Tuesday will coincide with the National Moth Week It will be wonderful if there won’t be any rain but if there will be then we will study invertebrates Sandra: There will also be an event about finance We will have a talk with Viktorija Vegelytė about the food chain and its behind-the-scenes what is the difference between store-bought vegetables and our own We will study the cost of a store-bought tomato And we plan to end the season with a landscape designer the classes will take place in any weather But you haven’t buried the idea of camps for children Sandra: This year we will look at which topics are more interesting and relevant the mentors themselves will check the environment and next year we plan to gather the young people as well so that they have something to do and also learn that everything begins in the soil and not at the counter; that what we leave in nature comes back to us through health Evelina: Our vision for the next five years includes an outdoor school Non-formal education after school or kindergarten But we will continue to offer activities for adults and families the observation of moths can be interesting to all age groups Let’s talk about the purpose of beauty in gardens the raised beds have a really nice combination of daffodils different insects are attracted to different flowers and a larger harvest is produced and that is beneficial for humans Another thing is that you never know what the summer will be like Evelina: Aesthetics is also important because these gardens are a public place You want to see beauty and order in the city And it is desired not only by the visitors but also by the individuals who may or may not allow such a place to exist the design of our beds was created by Rūta Lukošiūnaitė with whom we work in the non-governmental organization Kultūros dirbtuvė I will just note that in addition to tulips It was precisely parsley that I discovered last year in a city park in Sweden There are wild strawberries growing in London and people don’t even pick them Perhaps because they also don’t really go mushroom hunting or fishing; there is no such habit I saw blackberry bushes heavy with berries but the passers-by didn’t even pay attention We have yellow wild strawberries that people don’t recognize and don’t touch they are very resistant to drought and survive in extreme conditions What other curious and tasty things grow here and artichokes (which we will have to check on to make sure they didn’t freeze when we replanted them last year) we started a new tradition of cooking on the fire We have already prepared stew a couple of times from what grows here and what survives in Lithuania during the winter pumpkins can even be used to make sweets and many other things to investigate whether we really need avocados that have travelled half the world but I also want to show new members that we can make really tasty dishes out of our harvest what is needed to have more of such gardens These gardens are aided by the fact that the 8th fort of the Kaunas Fortress is a complicated place it is both a heritage site and a Natura 2000 area There cannot be any privatization or construction here Urban gardeners are fine with such complicated but they need to know that they can stay there for a long time I am very strongly against the concept of temporary use because it is not sustainable but let’s not do this with vegetable gardens and orchards they settled in their territory temporarily It complicates the organizational process and does not motivate We can only now appreciate what we have achieved in four seasons Sandra: Animals would help with the recovery of the soil and speed up the processes One of the mentors leading the education said that he can give us chickens and their manure promotes the renewal of the soil’s surface chickens are much smarter than many people think They are able to adapt to the wild environment and they even sleep in trees maybe the time will come when in addition to urban gardens we will also have urban pastures gamtamieste.lt Virgis receives an anonymous call to his new conspirational phone number with an information on what number to call and what is the alleged purpose for finding out the address the chief officer acts and gets on the road he calls to find out the final destination of the trip.  “(Gets almost confused for a second) Yes.” we will get those briquettes for you today And you should know that the storeman deceived me a bit Because we still haven’t shipped several tons I think that we can put some of it aside until Monday and deliver to you as much as you need now The author of the script is Simonas Mieliauskas who delights internet users under the pseudonym Tanoka777 (777 is just for coolness but the name that pays tribute to Tanoka Beard from the US was earned on a basketball court in Šilainiai received his maturity certificate issued by Santara Gymnasium then managed to live for some time in a country that had just left the EU and now again spends his days on the seemingly insanely gray outskirts of Kaunas the sentiments and the images of childhood and adolescence And their charm doesn’t lie in the apartment blocks,” Simonas assures while walking through a recently established park the access to which is marked by a gate similar to the ones found in Chinatowns Soon we are caught in the rain and the interview continues under the stairwell roof If he manages to notice at least one thing in Kaunas bars was born out of frustration with Lithuanian TV series This script is constructed according to the best US TV show traditions and the main character reminds us of a character from the first season of True Detective you can find such people and the networks of interest around them everywhere Any similarity with actual events is purely coincidental The crowd of fans of the script that was posted online a few years ago was considerable at the time with people even stopping Simonas on the street to get to know him The screenwriter does not hide that the creative process was collective It is a story exploring the nature of his generation currently levitating between the ages of thirty and forty The text that is written in the first person reveals many of Tanoka’s own experiences and the issue of millennial duality typical of our region Has West-inspired views and hobbies but speaks in Slavic slang You can follow the diary of post-Soviet kids by supporting Simonas on Patreon It is important to mention here that Simonas’ talent for writing did not appear yesterday he published a book of poetry and participated as an adult in the Poetry Spring although more often he chooses non-fiction Our hero claims to know the least about photography from his group of friends and perhaps this is why he weaves his texts in such a detailed and picturesque way His writing is abundant and draws you in immediately three seasons of Chief Virgis and the accompanying film script can be read in a couple of days There is a lot of irony in Simonas’ texts (not only in the aforementioned long works but also in the posts of his previous account on Facebook He mocks everything and exaggerates nightlife experiences although he has sincerely tried to like both it and “conventional” comedians and agrees that the quality of the genre in Lithuania is quite good He finds that today’s content could be more natural and less pretentious “I can only single out one person who never bores me and whom I’ve seen live I like to participate but only to a certain extent I become a spectator,” Simonas describes his hobby and burns with impatience to sit down in front of a keyboard describe it and write everything down and pass it on to followers on Facebook or Instagram (on the latter you can get a glimpse of his singing talent) If in the past such days/celebrations happened almost daily “It has become harder to get inspired over the years or your age and declining endurance play a part in this as well.” One of the strangest phenomena of Tanoka is that despite having given up all nerve-wracking subscriptions on social media – so dutifully that he only receives fake Ray-Ban ads – he is still absolutely aware of the most important things going on in the world and has a strong opinion on them you don’t need to scroll up and down your phone all day to collect your arguments You will not get into a pointless discussion and will avoid a ban and will have plenty of time for screenwriting We end the tour of the metaphysical layer of Šilainiai in the same stadium where Tanoka’s pseudonym was born it was simply an open sports field for two schools when Kaunas was burdened by the consequences of the wild capitalism of the 90s the jungle of the district became an unattractive ghetto Now the little fences that have just been washed by the rain are glistening in the sun Perhaps the children of newcomers or maybe third generation Šilainiai residents are energetically chasing the ball Tanoka calls such solutions – when green fences restrict the passages and spaces – SAPARDIC based on the well-known European Commission’s Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development patreon.com/tanoka777 when eight years have passed since Rio and twelve years since the golden London Rūta is one of fifty members of the Lithuanian Olympic team heading to Paris By the time you hold this magazine in your hands there’s no shortage of ‘sofa swimming coaches’ in Lithuania But what exactly is the path that this young woman is taking Why do you choose to live in Kaunas when you could be living anywhere in the world and what you pay attention to in your living environment without planning it but perhaps subconsciously wanting it (that’s a whole other story) I missed my third doping test in 12 months (as an athlete I am regularly tested for banned substances) it’s been six years now that I’ve been back in Kaunas This is my home; that feeling won’t be the same anywhere else And it feels great when everything you need is here I haven’t fully discovered Kaunas yet; I’m still in the process of exploring it what inspires and calms you down in the city It’s always fun to find a roof or a slope with a beautiful view of the city But perhaps the coziest is where I usually hang out: around the city center the modernist beauties of Kaunas and I keep discovering new ones all the time I also like the wooden houses of Žaliakalnis What do your days consist of when you’re not at camps and you don’t have to prepare for competitions Do you enjoy spending your free time by the water What kind of music is playing in your headphones when you are getting ready for the day Is there a place for music during training music can be used as a tool to help get yourself moving or to add a bit more passion to what you’re doing it’s more of a spiritual support throughout the day I rely on Spotify or YouTube suggestions and dig into them Is it a visual diary or a way to collect memories Sometimes it’s about precious moments or people close to me the time spent together that I want to solidify I probably take photos of whatever beauty catches my eye and meditation – an expression of a feeling or impulse together with like-minded individuals Berta Tilmantaitė you shook not only the art world but also the political sphere with the performance Swimming Through near the Russian Embassy How would you assess the success of this work today considering that the video was acquired by the National Gallery of Art It was important for us to create it for ourselves to somehow express and process the overwhelming feelings that accumulated at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine I received many thanks from Ukrainians for this message I liked your point about life being about more than achievements There was a time when I thought differently; it seemed obvious: you do things and if you win – great (even if you didn’t enjoy the process or the journey to get there) Everything seemed to be measured by success not by what brought pleasure or what the process taught you After spending some time in that mindset and realizing that there’s no real life in it I understood that I couldn’t continue to chase achievements to be happy I had to let go of the result and focus on the process the pleasure and challenges that strengthen me spiritually and physically How do you find beauty in the bumpy periods Or is it better not to deceive yourself and go through those potholes with all the resulting pains instead Sometimes I realize that it’s tough right now and I can step back a bit to understand what’s happening and then navigate through those bumps But sometimes they seem like bottomless pits and it’s hard to maintain the bigger picture and the knowledge that this too shall pass when I can understand that I’m going through a rough patch acceptance helps a lot: fully accepting the situation You shouldn’t change it or run away from it I found this practical advice in Tara Brach’s book Radical Acceptance It contains many practices related to mindfulness during intense emotional experiences.  I tell myself it’s really bad right now.” And the pressure eases It seems to me that this is not self-deception Sometimes all it takes is acceptance to soften that bumpy road and regain control I believe that you have to really love yourself to see beauty Your achievements have inspired many younger and maybe even older people to just learn how to swim but perhaps also to choose the desired path in life with more courage I’m not trying to convey any specific message but if I feel that I can share something useful And it’s just fun and interesting to interact with young people because they are full of enthusiasm and ambition The feedback is immense and gives a sense of purpose I was a bit surprised to realize that you’re already 27 I like feeling the maturity and the strengthening sense of self over time but still not fully understanding everything and living with the knowledge that I’ll never fully understand everything Perhaps it was determined by my Suduvite blood was going from the block of flats to the garage each night then sort them and look for ways to apply them somehow Such curiosity about the environment and the desire to explore nature since both of my parents are representatives of this field the art of the relationship between humans and space I have been working as an architect for 14 years This profession allowed me to get acquainted not only with the design of buildings but also with landscape design today I can freely combine these areas and play around with them I am intrigued that through creativity it is possible to combine different objects and use them for a new purpose I was already creating compositions and making sculptures so I always try to supplement the tasks of making drafts or preparing projects that are based on intellectual work with creative work that requires physical labour making light sculptures from trash or wood Why did you choose to create sculptures from used and discarded household items And how did your first large-scale works made out of trash emerged in the territory of the Eighth Fort I started constructing compositions from garbage quite recently and other products’ containers – trash that have their own shape are durable and which we use plenty of every day I started to combine them into small sketches who told me that people leave a lot of rubbish in the territory of the Eighth Fort This is how the idea of creating something new and functional from the mountains of waste came about at the same time cleaning up the environment creating from rubbish is interesting and practical – secondary raw materials are everywhere and they are free People are happy to give them away and are even grateful to you for taking it and all you need to get from the store is screws and paint What did this creative process look like and what was your approach to garbage during it Working in nature with trash freed my hands I have been prone to perfectionism since childhood I think there is strength in that because this feature forces you to demand maximum results from yourself The art of architecture requires extreme precision and the process of implementing an idea is usually long working with trash allows you to create more freely and implement your own idea from start to finish There is basically a lot of uncertainty in creative work it takes a few or a dozen steps before the idea can be refined and the rubbish enters this process with its own properties whether it’s a colourful plastic that doesn’t break down for a long time or an elastic tire that isn’t afraid of either winter or rain or wooden windows that are still solid and come with their own wooden screws but what unites them is the fact that garbage is imperfect – broken They are like objects that appear at the margins of our lives but I think we need to look at garbage in a positive way The difference and individuality of each piece of trash allowed me to escape the box of perfectionism; to use the skills acquired during my work as an architect and combine them with creativity which is much freer I’ve never used a ruler to make these sculptures but a lot of effort is still put into the construction of imperfect shapes It is important to find the balance between making something imperfect and the importance of preserving precision The creative process itself was quite long – I worked here constantly for three months Garbage had to be removed from grass and bushes then cleaned Even after pre-selecting the pieces of rubbish that I would be working with and deciding where to place the sculptures I had to experiment a lot before I managed to find a way to reinforce different materials: plastic cylindrical greenhouse frames These are very different materials – spherical so finding the right construction was an inspiring challenge Why was this specific place chosen for sculptures – the junction of Žaibo and Debesų streets The environment of the fort is very interesting because it is not a natural relief but a militaristic terrene body or army fortifications The sculptures stand in the place of the former firing field I chose this spot because it is open and can be seen from both the fort and the block of flats on Žaibo Street These sculptures signal from afar that this is the fort it is planned to make a path between the sculptures and restore a shooting nest nearby Can you tell us briefly why you chose this form for your sculptures I created two sculptures here – a dynamic and good energy-generating cylinder rolling down the hill I want the sculptures to provide people with positive emotions and become a colourful place to relax Another visual metaphor is based on the relationship between the two sculptures – the cylinder in the firing field represents a cannon tube that fires off the prickly one the latter receives various interpretations There was even an idea to decorate the sculpture with a garland and turn it into a Christmas tree Classical sculptures are often associated with longevity but the environmentally friendly land artworks are usually destined to disappear relatively quickly I have created both long-lived objects in the field of architecture When creating temporary objects from rubbish it is fun that you can have more freedom to play I also like the fact that such sculptures will naturally change over time or materials of sculptural objects at any time because they stand in the public space Short-term sculptural works also reflect the fragility of life; we do not know what the future holds We met Irma and Gintautas Brokas in our “native” (I use quotation marks because none of us were born here) Šilainiai The former 49th high school that Irma attended and Gintas taught at can be found nearby you can find Dinamika’s detailed history online so let’s talk about – quoting one of their most popular songs – desires Irma believes that the success of the band’s comeback was due to longing by both fans and for each other “I cried after I got back home from the concert at 4 a.m I sat down and looked at all those flowers and cried The most important thing is to find a balance between these things,” the woman explains and adds that currently so I keep repeating to myself: just breathe breathe,” Irma recalls the night at the biggest arena in Lithuania on March 16 that after getting the anxiety under control she is overcome with joy means endless freedom and a flow of energy Gintas is proud that they managed to successfully renew the repertoire that thousands know by heart and that technically both agree that there are no limits to perfection And who was the first to realize that it was time to meet “We have been talking about it for some time,” Gintas who is ten years older than his former student Why did Irma become the one who will always be most associated with Dinamika “The nation chose her,” the musician smiles who provided the space for the duo at the M.A.M.A but Irma predicted a comeback long before that “I felt like the time would come when I called on Gintas and we would return to where we both feel great.” “Irma and I went our separate ways but didn’t remain enemies and although we did not have some common business we were always interested in how the other’s life was going we both harbored the idea that sooner or later we would join forces again,” Gintas turns back time several decades back that he was waiting for his favorite singer to “go crazy and then put herself back together.” He admits that he has the gift of writing simply and evocatively “Physics and poetry go together,” he laughs He wrote his first song in his 30s – let this fact be an inspiration to those who think they have difficulty finding themselves And why does Irma still enjoy singing songs written three decades ago Let’s clarify the question first.    “Are Ginta’s songs the best for me to sing when I sang “Liepų medu” (Linden Honey) on Saturday I suddenly felt as if my heart was splitting in two I wish for everyone who gets on the stage to actually feel what they are singing about But maybe that is what makes it beautiful – the fact that Dinamika is so childish I think we met in the 49th high school for a reason And the subsequent suffering and joys were brought to me by fate so that I would mature Irma and Gintas argue a lot – but jokingly – correct each other the other cracks a joke to maintain the pace The two just go together well and it is obvious that they are stronger together than individually It’s fascinating that they don’t seem star-struck or chasing the former glory Irma gave me four fan club albums that contained detailed collages from articles and photographs Music and lifestyle reporters chronicled the band’s every move and other bold decisions that female fans were left to copy the articles of that time contain many confessions as well “Irma admits that she is very sensitive and loves to be the center of attention – this is the nature of a Leo,” reads the text published in 1997 on the occasion of the group’s 5th birthday that string that may have turned callous and rusty… It is not enough to listen with your ears too.” It seems to me that journalists and their interviewees were more open a few decades ago a question emerges: where are all those costumes It turns out that Irma has been diligently safeguarding it all The fact that her image was always important to her is visible from the interview found in one of the binders with Živilė She describes how she watched Irma looking out the window and when she asked her where her mind went “I am thinking about a sleeve.” I would gladly visit Dinamika’s room or a hall in the future Lithuanian pop music hall of fame Maybe we should establish one for the 50th anniversary of this phenomenon but many witnesses of that time remember their idols well and I am very happy about that,” Gintas replies when asked about the increased attention on the street which is probably hard to avoid after the campaign advertising the tour of Lithuanian arenas has started He recalls that 30 years ago there was much more of that attention Back then the artists felt like they were under a magnifying glass a pleasant attention is always nice,” Irma adds Dinamika’s 30th-anniversary concerts are attended by many young people who grew up hearing their parents listen to this band This shows us how universal Gintautas Brokas’ work is the band’s music is on par with modern compositions This type of generational test is a great recognition for a band with a fragmented history you’re right,” the band members respond succinctly to my observation Irma talks about a video in which her songs are performed by a girl of Lithuanian origin growing up in Mexico the whole world would be able to understand each other through it This is not the case now since people want to write the history of the world at any cost we could live in peace,” Irma is convinced Both members notice that Dinamika’s music attracts positive people “Our listener is not someone who would fight or lay on the ground drunk during a concert.” They don’t want to talk about haters much We agree that there will always be sad and attention-seeking people As a representative of a magazine published in Kaunas I can’t help but wonder how the band would like to be immortalized in their hometown They say that Dinamika would be happy to give its name to the new arena if someone were to build a bigger one than Žalgiris but the band would really like to perform there this could be Kaunas’ thanks to one of its symbols: an invitation to fill a stadium and other world-class artists could perform here and I would gladly attend such a concert in my native city,” Irma smiles I am beginning to think that these people themselves are gifts to Kaunas remained loyal to this never-completed district full of blocks of flats “The highway to the seaside is closer from here it is on the hill,” the vocalist lists all the advantages as usual talking a bit more than her former teacher But he did mention putting it all into the lyrics of their songs will you sing “Ačiū tau” (Thank You) at my coffin?” Gintas suddenly takes the conversation wheel and Irma starts to tear up: “I wonder what that would look like.” When the conversation turns to future plans the people of Šilainiai don’t even try to look serious One thing is clear – Dinamika wants to be on stage and feels the best there and the United States of America – after all emigrant Lithuanians took their beloved music with them The answer is hidden in Irma and Gintas’ Mona Lisa-like smiles.  We have already written about Brazilka and Argentinka in one of our first issues The quarters of the poorest Kaunas residents emerged in the 1920s on the eastern slopes of the Neris valley and became the Lithuanian interpretations of the favelas of the distant Latin lands Hints of them or even complete fragments can still be found today much smaller ones than the Kaunas standard The plots are curved and strangely shaped along with a spontaneously arranged network of chaotic streets We talked to the person who had a mission to record the sound of these north-western hills of Žaliakalnis and to perform a peculiar soundtrack of these exotically named places in Kaunas That person is sound artist Martynas Timinskas who is creating The Stories of the Northern Slope in the context of the Kaunas 2022 program Modernism for the Future We met Martynas at the spot where Brazilka began – a triangular square which was recently given the name of Antanas Samuolis The artist says that the future result of the project will consist of three parts: visual “One of the parts of our project – musical visual installation – will appear here Cretu Alexandru Constantin is taking care of the UV light-sensitive decorations in A My colleague Arūnas Periokas and photographer Justinas Stonkus are helping with advice who is currently researching the wooden architecture of Kaunas and finds for future visualizations,” Martynas says We are heading towards the slope that descends to Nuokalnės Street most of the Kaunas’ Brazil was once demolished Today the street is responsible for a lot of background noise felt at the once quiet part of the city All of this is meant for hearing the district and making it speak We are listening to the story about the audible part of the project “The sounds that make up a musical piece should be threefold First goes the general background: animal or bird noises their juxtaposition with large traffic flows surrounding the area and heard at any time of the day the objects in the district will be used as instruments [the interviewee points at the metal fence] for composing a piece Martynas will not be able to record everything that existed in the district a few years ago One of such things is the communal hydrant located at the end of P who lived here without running water at home “The locals said that the hydrant would freeze and they would try to make it work by banging it violently with a hammer and you could hear the sound in the whole district,” the interviewee laughed “Maybe that’s why no one really cared when Arūnas and I were banging on every metal object with a hammer at the children’s playground on the last day of winter.” The artist promises to pay attention to these important highlights of the district in his work albeit the sources that will provide sound will have to be found elsewhere We are looking for another sound-related highlight of the district – a trip of goats that lived somewhere between Brazilka and Argentinka a few years ago Martynas points to the place overgrown with bushes and trees I see many different birds gathered here and they look like they are having a serious discussion.” On Puntuko Street but they are also part of the district,” Martynas smiles where we will soon climb back up to Argentinka The panorama of Šilainiai opens up from the site of a former high-voltage pole you can see composer Juozas Gruodis’ house surrounded by leafless trees It is intended to record both of the objects it might be interesting to record the sound of the traffic from that site the audio representation of which will have to be found elsewhere when the creative process requires him to leave the studio I also have a live electronic music project And outdoor recordings are a new and really interesting thing for me not in terms of creative work but also psychologically not only for a conversation but to bang on a post box and record it.” The visual accompaniment of the future work which the interlocutor will create both from the old paintings and from the images captured by the photographer “I have created visuals for rock and electronic music shows but this is an entirely different thing It is no longer an illustration for an illustration’s sake that simply looks good It must reflect what lies in the music and in that part of the city so that the connection between them would tell everything and there would be no need of adding a verbal narrative where music would simply remain as a background.” We return to the square where we started the walk “Arūnas was standing with the recorder at the intersection I banged at all those pipes like crazy,” the artist points to the playground “When you put together the material from remote installations That’s an interesting effect.” According to Martynas it is too early to answer the question of how many of the natural recordings versus manipulations we will be able to hear in the compilation “In this whole musique concrète phenomenon it is important to decide how much you will allow yourself to manipulate the sound whether you slow the tape down or speed it up the question remains as to how much of that sound will be a hundred per cent true and how much will I want to add the results that come from playing with the sound.” Before saying goodbye but some parts of it will remain captured forever kaunas2022.eu