TOWERS OF MELANCHOLY, 2016

This dance performance is a repeated successful collaboration between choreographer and director Aira Naginevičiūtė, poet and playwright Gabriele Labanauskaite, composer Vladas Dieninis and scenographer Arūnas Adomaitis. These artists managed to unite dance, text, poetry and music into one mesmerizing performance.

TOWERS OF MELANCHOLY sets off to experiment with the poetic language, metaphors and it develops a new movement and music lexicon to paint the darkness and light of the human existence, divinity, world and existential void. This interdisciplinary project researches that state of mind, where everybody experiences the marginalised parts of themselves – solitude and new understanding of spacetime. This particular state allows us to meditate on the fog, to die and reborn in different bodies, unfamiliar forms, to be able to introspect and reflect on the reality.

“Melancholy is treated as an unconscious state which happens to us unplanned and unexpectedly. Melancholy is like a fog, which covers the thoughts. It’s like a field, in which we deeply navigate in our repeated experiences. It’s like an oasis, where we can meet ourselves,” – says A. Naginevičiūtė.

Photography: tiketa.lt

Performance does explore melancholy, but is not dramatic. Sweet sorrow and anguish go hand in hand with the irony and tenderness, a true human emotion turns into the aesthetic reality of a scary and beautiful light of our inner selves.

“TOWERS OF MELANCHOLY analyzes different forms of melancholy and seeks to break the stereotype of melancholy as something very obscure and depressive. Actually, it is important to recognize and accept this kind of state; it hides in the fog, a teardrop, a relationship, togetherness or even the drizzle” – comments A. Naginevičiūtė.

The name of performance was inspired by the poem written by Gabriele Labanauskaite. Choreographer A. Naginevičiūtė used it as a means of inspiration. During the dance performance G. Labanauskaite herself recites this and other of her poems.

Photography: tiketa.lt

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Yesterday I saw the towers of melancholy tumble down

Yesterday I saw how to demolish means to build

Yesterday I saw how bleary are the eyelids of a dream

And how the morning fights the legions of the night

Yesterday I saw how butterflies choke

Recover and grow wings of tempered steel

Under their bellies. Then take off easily

And fly the past-tense words into the day

Yesterday I saw how our wishes kill us

Yesterday I saw how fog withstands

Yesterday I saw how charms dissolve

The die is cast, the choice is made: to be.
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Photography: Laura Vansevičienė

CREATIVE TEAM

Choreographer: Aira Naginevičiūtė
Playwright: Gabrielė Labanauskaitė
Composer: Vladas Dieninis
Scenographer: Arūnas Adomaitis
Lighting designer: Vladimiras Šerstabojevas
Performers: Goda Laurinavičiūtė, Greta Grinevičiūtė, Gabrielė Labanauskaitė
Initiators: Kaunas Artists’ House, dance theatre “AIROS”, audio-visual poetry band “AVASPO”

INTERDISCIPLINARY FESTIVAL “TARP”

TARP (en. “In-Between”) was an international festival of audiovisual and experimental poetry combining interdisciplinary arts with poetry as we know it. It was thriving from 2006 to 2015. Back in 2006 it was just an underground event, which expanded and became familiar to Lithuanian and foreign audiences. It took place at the most unconventional sites in various Lithuanian cities. Until now in Lithuanian cultural scene there are no festivals equal to this one.

Firstly, it appeared to Gabrielė Labanauskaitė as an idea, following the magic formula of audiovisual poetry: poetry + video + audio. This festival had grown and improved with the help of great Lithuanian artists: Vladas Dieninis, Žygimantas Kudirka, Darius Jurevičius, Aistė Jūrė, Gerda Jo, Jurga Tumasonytė, Edvinas Grin, Milda Januševičiūtė, Tadas Karpavičius, Dovilė Butnoriūtė, Rūta Mur, Austėja Tavoraitė, Vaidas Vai, Vaidotas Ambrozaitis, Benas Šarka, Eglė Sirvydytė, Agnė Jokše and others. Always fueled by the voluntary principles festival TARP was oriented to the search of authentic poetic forms, their expression and the representation in Lithuania of innovative foreign artists, creating in the fields of poetry, music, performance and visual arts.

OBJECTIVES:

1. - to create, establish and popularize the tradition of audiovisual poetry in Lithuania;
  - to introduce arts & poetry enthusiasts with the concept of audiovisual poetry;
  - to raise the interest in poetry through non-traditional art forms and their interfusions;
  - to encourage the cooperation between artists of different fields.

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAMME:

1. - exhibitions of visual poetry (in a form of photograph, graphics, painting and etc.)
  - poem screening contest & review of submitted poems;
  - live performances of local and international audio + visual + poetry collectives (performances, happenings, concerts, poetical & musical improvisations; poetry slams and poetry jams);
  - Educational part (lectures, seminars, workshops).

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📺 Watch more alternative videos from → TARP festival

❓ More information about TARP festival → www.tarpfest.en

Tag: arts