Kaunas – the 2022 European Capital of Culture attracts more and more attention and international visits. On July 18-20th the city received important guests – a delegation from the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament. They met with the representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Kaunas City Municipality and organizers of the Kaunas 2022 programme.
A delegation of six MEPs visited Kaunas for three days – they not only participated in the various meetings but also visited a considerable part of the ongoing events and exhibitions. According to S. Verheyen, the chairwoman of the CULT, the most important questions were the legacy of the programme and what awaits the city when the year of the Capital of Culture ends.
“Our goal was not so much to verify the facts, we wanted to see the long-term perspectives. It was clear that while hosting world-famous artists, Kaunas dedicated a lot of attention to the issues of city identity, community building, and inclusion of young artists. It is great to see how local communities, private and public sectors are joining the project. It is very important that local people are involved in the programme, so that the culture develops from the community itself, brings joy, and encourages people to participate,” said S. Verheyen.
In her speech, A. Verneyen emphasized multiple events and initiatives taking place in Kaunas and Kaunas district, the unique dredger boat “Nemuno7”, the modernist architecture of the city, and the involvement of former and current European Capitals of Culture in the programme.
The members of the delegation were also impressed that the city is not afraid to tell stories that often do not reach the public. “Untold stories, painful twists of the city’s history must also be heard,” said N. Kizilyürek.
It is not the first year for Kaunas city and region to host these events – the programme has been developed together with local communities for five years. Kaunas region is holding events for the “Contemporary neighborhoods”, and the suburbs are enjoying festivals and the internationally acknowledged project “Culture to the Courtyards”. The Kaunas 2022 programme also aims to revive and turn various objects and spaces into new places of cultural attraction – the public art route “Emerald road” was opened in the Kaunas district, and the dredger boat “Nemuno 7” was turned into an exhibition space. In the former central palace of Kaunas Post Office, there is a space dedicated to Ukrainian artists and creatives named “CulturEUkraine”. Meetings, exhibitions, and other activities are organized at this center of open cooperation.
The attention of MEPs was also attracted by Mythical Beast of Kaunas
MEPs were very impressed by the Mythical Beast of Kaunas. Created by the community itself and becoming a myth and mascot of the city, the Mythical Beast of Kaunas is inseparable from the Kaunas 2022 programme. It also unites the three main events of the Capital of Culture – the “Confusion”, which opened the programme, the “Confluence” that flooded the city at the end of spring, and the “Contract” that will take place in the autumn. In the city, you can also see the sculpture of the Mythical Beast, the design of which was created by Darius Petreikis, the tooth of a mythical creature made by ceramicist prof. Remigijus Sederevičius, and in the entrances of Kaunas Castle you can hear the snoring of the Beast.
“We have never seen the myth associated with the European Capital of Culture. I think it’s a great way to involve both children and adults,” Ms Verheyen said. “It is also very interesting that in many years’ time people will remember this myth as their own, perhaps without even knowing that it was created in the year of the European Capital of Culture.”
The events will continue beyond the end of the European Year of Culture in Kaunas
According to Mindaugas Reinikis, Head of Marketing and Communication at Kaunas 2022, Kaunas has grown into a contemporary capital of culture, therefore, even after the end of the year of the Capital of Culture, residents will continue to enjoy an active cultural life. Among the events planned for the future are the “Day of Happiness”, the festival “Audra”, the European Capital of Culture Forum, the community programme “Fluxus Labs!”, “Nemuno7” and other initiatives and events.
By the end of the year, Kaunas 2022 will invite you to multiple events and exhibitions. For the remaining months, Kaunas residents and guests of the city will be delighted by the international festival of performing arts “ConTempo”, “CityTelling Festival”, landscape design festival “Magenta”, “Fluxus festival”, Yoko Ono’s retrospective “The Learning Garden of Freedom”, and a conclusion of these events by the last part of the trilogy the “Contract”.
The delegation of the EP’s Committee on Culture and Education consisted of Chairwoman S. Verheyen (European People’s Party, Germany) and MEPs Niyazi Kizilyürek (“Left”, Cyprus), Marcos Ros Sempere (Socialists and Democrats, Spain), Tomasz Frankowski (European People’s Party, Poland), Maria Walsh (European People’s Party, Ireland) and Irena Joveva (“Renew Europe”, Slovenia).
Photos by Gražvydas Jovaiša