In the Turbine Hall of the Energy and Technology Museum, the exhibition of photographs by artist Ieva Austinskaitė “Ki |r| timai” opens on September 8th. We invite you to the opening of the exhibition, which includes a sound performance by the artist Audrius Šimkūnas.
For many residents of Vilnius or guests of the city, the Kirtimai microdistrict is an unfamiliar urban space, passed by on the way to the airport or an area surrounded by outdated stereotypes. However, Kirtimai is an extremely rapidly changing part of the capital, containing many contrasts: new business centers, the industrial and residential heritage of Vilnius, and several active cultural oases.
Ieva Austinskaitė, from series “Ki |r| timai”
Photo exhibition “Ki |r| timai” was first presented at the Kirtimai Cultural Center at the beginning of the summer. The aim is that the exhibition will continue to be presented in other spaces in Vilnius and thus actualized in different contexts. In the Energy and Technology Museum, the exhibition will interact with the museum’s industrial artifacts and Vilnius city industry exhibits.
Searches for the identity of the Kirtimai microdistrict
For the organizers, the idea of the project came from the search for a relationship with the Kirtimai microdistrict. The Kirtimai Cultural Center is the only space that has been operating and fostering culture in this area for 65 years without long breaks, and at the beginning of the institution’s existence, both open-air dance evenings and musical improvisations were held here, inviting well-known music creators of the time, such as the famous composer Kęstutis Antanėlis. Vytautas Landsbergis has planted an Independence oak tree in the yard.
“The Kirtimai microdistrict is obviously industrial, full of contrasts, and recently it has been changing rapidly. While observing the changes, we wanted to look at them and capture them, so together with the young generation photographer Austinskaitė, we set off on a photographic journey around this part of the capital”, shared the author of the project idea, Kirtimai Cultural Center cultural activity coordinator Raimonda Tamulevičiūtė.
Photography as a way to explore changes and contrasts in the environment
After a year-long photographic study, the photographer presented her view of the present of the Kirtimai micro-district. The artist’s exhibition “Ki |r| timai” is a documentation of street fragments, architecture and everyday signs, revealing to the viewer the changing and contrasting present of the microdistrict. Austinskaitė’s photo series captures several faces of Kirtimai: the reflection of the new territory of corporations and large logistics centers and its structures, the old, industrial, “factory” face of Kirtimai and the recording of relatively small residential houses, huts, playgrounds and everyday life, more rural than urban.
“Kirtimai microdistrict in Vilnius was an almost unfamiliar city space to me until 2022, which I usually passed by when traveling between Lithuania and the United Kingdom. After countless hours exploring Kirtimai, the various layers of the neighborhood and the overall eclectic dynamic began to unfold. Places that looked rather bleak at first revealed themselves with strange details, belongings of people who once lived here or who still live here, phrases written on various surfaces, architecture, microdistrict planning imprints and signs of everyday life,” said Austinskaitė.
In her work, Austinskaitė explores the structures of public spaces, the urban environment, and the connection between man and the city. The artist currently lives and works in Kaunas. She completed a bachelor’s degree in photography at Middlesex University, a master’s degree at the Royal College of Art in London, and a residency at the School of Visual Arts in New York. The works of the photographer have been published in exhibitions and publications since 2011.
Audrius Šimkūnas. Photo courtesy of Julita Dargytė
The exhibition will be accompanied by a sound performance
On September 8th, at 5.30 PM together with Austinskaitė’s photo exhibition “Ki |r| timai” presentation, sound artist Audrius Šimkūnas will also perform a sound performance specially created for the exhibition, the main motives of which are the sounds of Kirtimai district. The Kirtimai microdistrict audio piece was born during the “Sonic Vilnius” sound walk project implemented by the Kirtimai Cultural Center. The most interesting sounds heard by the participants of the event were recorded with special equipment while walking around the Kirtimai.
Organized by:
Kirtimai Cultural Center
Partly funded by:
Vilnius City Municipality
Partner:
Energy and Technology Museum
◾ The exhibition will be on display from September 8th to October 5th in Turbine Hall.
◾ The presentation of the exhibition and Audrius Šimkūnas performance will take place on October 8th (Friday) at 5.30 PM.
◾ The event is free of admission charge. Visiting the exhibition – after purchasing a museum visitor’s ticket.