This summer residence in rural Lithuania (hosted by Verpejų – Rural Residence for Artistic Research) allows Kotryna Žilinskaitė (performer/dancer and also director of the cultural organisation Užiateka – LT), Hasan Alp Celikel (sound and visual designer – TK), Paradise Now (sound and intermedia designer – BE/FR) to work together on the Tree stories project. This is conceived as interdisciplinary (dance, video, poetry and sound creation) and multifaceted (performance, audio-visual installation, video) process made from sound, visual and poetic material created during this artistic research residence in a house traditional wooden house in the middle of the forest of southern Lithuania (in the Varéna region).
Inspired by the timeless poetry and mystical power of raw nature embodied by the tree at a time when man continues to destroy the natural environment of the planet as well as himself in a hellish suicidal race. The tree in general is a strong symbol (of the cosmos, of life, of strength…), and each tree in particular is a more specific symbol (the oak symbolizes majesty, the alder humility, etc. ) which can vary according to cultures and mythologies.
How to re/find this vital link between the underground and celestial, visible and invisible worlds?
How could we build a deeper relationship with them and learn valuable lessons? How can we better understand their silent and universal stories?
These are some of the questions that irrigate this creative process, which also refers to a deep reflection on our contemporary condition.
The first planned dissemination phase will take the form of a sonopoetic and choreographic performance in September 2022 in Vilnius (Uzupis Art Incubator) before the production of a video and an audio-visual installation.
Performance/dance – Kotryna Žilinskaitė, Hasan Alp Celikel
Sound creation – Paradise Now
Poetry – Kotryna Žilinskaitė, Philippe Franck
You are lying on the bed
in the house of possibilities
You write for his highness King Tree that looks at you
from the height of its centuries of undisputed reign
You capture the waves of the forest gods
You dance with their shadows
You invite angels and genies
in the flight of your aspirations
to the senses, essences, essential
You are with them, in them, through them
You are the flaming leaf
of this Master Lime
who knows where the wind comes from
You are the edge of the sacred forest
you are fully
Philippe Franck
(Tree Stories project – Margones – 9 August 2022)
Kotryna Žilinskaitė (Lt)
Interdisciplinary artist who combines theatre, contemporary and butoh dance, and sound performances. Kotryna organizes festivals, and concerts, directs films and plays, creates and participates in artistic projects, performances, and happenings, and leads various creative workshops.
She is studying for a Master’s degree in Music Therapy at Vilnius University and working with the cultural organizations “Užiateka” and “Oasis – art therapy”.
Hasan Alp Celikel (Tk)
Interdisciplinary artist who works in visual, performative arts, design, and music. Hasan’s journey in art started at an early age and has endured until now. He started his career as a progressive lead guitarist in his senior years and enrolled in Visual art studies at Nova Scotia College of Arts and Design University, Canada. Later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Ceramics faculty.
His specialty is sound sculptures created using Cymatics and designing melody percussive instruments since 2016. Hasan creates paintings, practices Butoh and Contemporary Dance, and writes songs and instrumental progressive music. The artist aims to illuminate the alchemy through a magical mind through the surreal expressions appearing in his work.
Paradise Now (Fr/Be)
Intermedia producer and creator based in Belgium, Philippe Franck has developed since the 90s the Paradise Now project which favours an actively transversal and collaborative approach. He chooses a sensitive and cinematic approach that embraces different influences and fields (electronics, sound art, post-rock, post-pop, improvised music …). He has worked closely with various international poets, choreographers, visual multimedia artists and other adventurous audio creators. Since 2005, he has also collaborated with holistic performer / masseuse Isa Belle (FR) for a series of installations and “sound” performances shown in numerous festivals, cultural centres and international events. He has also produced and participated in several records on various independent labels (Sub Rosa, Optical Sound, Tiramizu, Transonic…).
Informations
- 07 > 10.08.2022
- Verpejų Art Residence
Production
- Transcultures, European Pepinieres of Creation, Užupis Art Incubator, “Verpejų” Art Residence, Užiateka, Menų Oazė
