Participants of the “Kaunas and Kaunas District – European Capital of Culture 2022” project “Contemporary Elderships” celebrate the culmination of the second season. From community-created installations leading to the open museum of ceramics and clay in Rokai to the ecology festival in Lapės: from August to September, elderships of Kaunas district will reveal the unique identity of each of them, uniting communities and attracting guests of Kaunas district.
A journey towards change
Throughout the year the communities of Kačerginė, Kulautuva, Babtai, Domeikava, Samylai, Raudondvaris, Ežerėlis and Lapės elderships, which joined the event of “Modern elderships” at the beginning of 2020, together with the representatives of Kaunas 2022 and Lithuanian artists searched for tools that would bring communities together and reveal the historical memory as well as the modern identity of each town through different forms.
Cooperation with artists and curators of “Kaunas 2022” was continued by old members of the project, namely, Rokai, Vilkija, Karmėlava, Garliava neighborhoods and Ringaudai eldership, which celebrated the finals in 2019 with a laser show, workshops, contemporary circus performances and other creative events.
“This year, we will get acquainted with 15 out of 25 elderships of Kaunas district again and somewhat differently. Local communities, cultural institutions, business partners and creators from various areas unite to reveal the most outstanding features of each town. This year is different from the previous one: we wanted to involve more local artists and craftsmen who know the peculiarities of communities and localities best,” says Augustina Kinderytė, the curator of the project “Modern Eldership”.
Unique individually, strong together
According to the project organisers, the goal of “Modern Eldership” is to encourage communities to be proud of their place of residence and inspire them to look for local uniqueness and give them meaning in various activities, not forgetting to work together and celebrate the end of the project together with other modern elderships.
Thus, the events exhibiting the final of the second season of the project, particularly, a tour in dance rhythm in Raudondvaris, a creative laboratory on wheels in Babtai, a modern circus performance in Linksmakalnis, a train trip on an unusual route in Garliava eldership and others, are an invitation from the elderships and project organisers to celebrate the community’s journey towards changes. From closedness to an open community and networking with other communities and cultural representatives, artists, from passivity to active involvement and creativity and pride in one’s place of residence.
Each participant of the project “Modern Eldership” is preparing a surprise for visitors – the final event of the project, reflecting the unique local and community identity and giving meaning to this year’s move towards modern towns, becoming part of the European Capital of Culture. A list of all the grand events of the project can be found here.
