Patris Židelevičius. Photo by M. Plepys, 2020.

“Stories of Field Recordings: Kaunas Modernism” is an authorial experimental music project by composer, sound artist and performer Patris Židelevičius. The main inspiration and the object of the project is Kaunas interwar heritage – modernist architecture, buildings, their interior and urban-natural landscape. The sound basis consists of man-made, digital, analog and mechanical sounds, recorded in the urban, architectural and natural spaces of Kaunas modernism. They are complemented by the melodies of a cello, digital sounds, passages of analog synthesizers. In the project musical compositions with instrumental improvisations (ambient, drone, musique concrète and other features of contemporary and experimental music) were created in order to reveal the soundscapes of Kaunas modernism. 

Field recordings. Photo by M. Plepys, 2020.

The main inspiration was the legacy of interwar period, when Kaunas was a temporary capital and a significant epicenter of Lithuanian and European historical events, and the new buildings in the growing city were designed in the spirit of modernism and art deco. In this project, the author seeks to explore and expand the boundaries of understanding outdoor recordings by performing sound interventions in unique spaces and using them to extract various sound effects (e.g. echo, atypical room / space sensation), to record audio recordings and explore auditory experiences in different spaces. The author wants to draw attention to the urban environment and its soundscapes. The titles of the pieces will be dedicated to different spaces and / or buildings in order to draw attention to modernist heritage, arouse sense of responsibility and contribute to the preservation of it. 

Field recordings. Photo by M. Plepys, 2020.

This project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture. Information partner: “Kaunas 2022 – European Capital of Culture”.

Central Post Office, Žaliakalnis Water Station, The Ministry of Justice and the Parliament building, The Vytautas the Great War Museum and belfry tower, Brick and tile production company “Palemonas”, Apartment building of Elijošius Šneideris, Žaliakalnis funikular, The Research Laboratory, The Chamber of Labor Building, House of Miliauskai family, Apartment building and museum of Galaunės family.