Kulautuva l Contemporary Neighborhoods
Kulautuva – is one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Kaunas region, which is situated in the right shore of Nemunas and pines valey. Community joined a project „Šiuolaikinės seniūnijos“ (“Contemporary Neighbourhoods”) in 2020. During this period, Kulautuva elderate not only suggested lots of events but also created 5 permanent art works: street art on the appartement building, interactive guide-game around Kulautuva, an itinerary showing this eldership’s history, an exhibition and an anthem of the Kulautuva neighbors.
In May a community of Kulautuva celebrated neighbors’ day, during which a guide Mykolas Fedaravičius showed around a town. A singer and songwriter Medonas (Donatas Medzevičius) created a song “A neighbor to a neighbor is a neighbor“ („Kaimynas kaimynui kaimynas“) and he even made a live performance to 14 backyards of Kulautuva. You can listen to his song “A neighbor to a neighbor is a neighbor“ („Kaimynas kaimynui kaimynas“) over here. During this project an architect Rasa Chmieliauskaitė together with a community of Kulautuva created an itinerary “Experience Kulautuva in a local’s eyes” („Patirk Kulautuvą vietinių akimis!“). As well, all the elderships’ citizens were involved in creation of unusual path: they were invited to look through a photo camera to their surrounding and share their unique moments with others. In order to accomplish this idea, it was suggested to use a film camera, which makes the whole process more interesting and magical, because it is impossible to get photos right away. All the captured moments community put into a photo journal, where they wrote about booming associations, memories and reasons for choosing certain places but photos were related with a general itinerary and stories, legends, created by citizens. Are you interested in in experiencing a path “Experience Kulautuva through the eyes of a local” („Patirk Kulautuvą vietinių akimis!“) ? Click over here.
Success of this project encouraged creation of two more. Media specialist Gytis Dovydaitis together with a Kulautuva community made interactive game-guide “Koolautuva”, which helps in a different shape to know better elderate. You can try out this game by clicking here. As well, for her homeland, a painter Laura Slavinskaitė created graffiti painting called “Home” („Namai“), which was based on citizen’s from Kulautuva stories. In this graffiti made on an apartment building, there are lots of hidden meanings. In the center of it there’s a Jewish girl, which together with the other kids were watched over secretly by manor landlords Fugalevičiūtės during WW II. In the painting reflect few disappeared town’s places, that are still alive in a citizen’s memories (burned villa during interwar period, a ferry, “Swan Lake” („Gulbių ežeras“). The last but not least and very important accent of this painting is a moving family, which symbolizes that Kulautuva is our home. The more information you can get about a painting over
here.
An art curator of “Kaunas 2022” Justina Petrulionytė-Sabonienė that was working together with the neighbourhood told us that this project gave a huge opportunity to Kulautuva to invite artists that would help to look to their beloved town from a different perspective, would help creating something new in a modern town – new object, process and relation. As well, an art curator was happy that the activities and initiatives of “Contemporary Neighbourhoods” („Šiuolaikinės seniūnijos“) helped to involve new members: young families, professionals, settlers, which never participated in community’s activities. Kulautuva neighbourhood hopes to keep continue activities of the community, events and to radiate its modernity.
Statistics shortly In 2020 Kulautuva activities were involved 13 partners, there was held 3 events and 17 activities. In the events and activities participated more than 110 participants, there were 540 spectators and it was created 6 enduring work of arts and cultural objects. If you want to know more about magical Kulautuva or join its activities you can write us an email: [email protected].
For the preparation of the text, we are thankful to our volunteers of “Kaunas 2022” Emilija Smilinskaitė and Aušrinė Vilimaitė!
The more information about Kulautuva you can find by clicking one of these links below:
Už “Šiuolaikinių seniūnijų” įamžintas akimirkas dėkojame M. Plepiui ir A. A. Aleksandravičiui!
