After fatigueness from media, screens and virtuality, we invite you to join us present in your bodies and by attending performative and discursive programme re-think and re-sense the world around us. Being off-grid means being able to disconnect from various flows and concentrate on what is physically and mentally here now and with whom.
The festival will unfold in 4 stages in different spatial and conceptual settings:
SODAS / Garden:
The garden is the place where human beings are confronted with other forms of life. In the context of the festival, this space will combine the observation of nature, cognition and a critical look at human-made ecological problems. The Garden Stage in an artistic format will invite us to rethink the problems of human’s relationship with nature and will offer potential strategies for creating a different kind of relationship. From the communication of tree roots through the all-encompassing mycelium to the thousands of nerve endings in barefoot human feet.
Krūsnis* (krosnis ir pirtis (Stove and Sauna):
Krūsnis (LT) is a pyre of stones (cf. heap), in the ancient tradition of the inhabitants of North-eastern Europe, is a stacked pile of stones used either for cooking or to provide heat and steam for a bath. The stack will bring together theorists and storytellers who will spread knowledge and energy through the exchange of food and conversation. The open cooking stove and the sauna in the courtyard of SODAS 2123 will become important discursive and embodied scenes where the festival participants will interact and collaborate with each other and with the visiting audience. What could be more fun than a cosy fire and meaningful conversations on a cold autumn evening?
Laboratory:
The laboratory reflects the concept of work as “labour”, emphasising the importance of creative work, research and experimentation. It is an environment that encourages curiosity-based research as a method for the artistic process of creation. It considers art and science as a continuous continuum and presents the development of new art forms and artistic languages. The interdisciplinary focus of this laboratory crosses the existing fields of music, visual arts, media arts and other artistic disciplines, the humanities and the natural sciences.
Ether:
Ether is a stage dedicated to media art, where the space itself becomes a tool for digital communication. The concept of the ether used to refer to radio or television broadcasts, but now also includes the internet and other computer networks as mediums for digital communication. It thus becomes a platform where artists fill the ether with light, sound and image, creating immersive experiences. It hosts presentations of the latest digital art, interactive installations and virtual reality works, allowing the audience to experience how time and space are transformed.
It is no coincidence that the word chosen for this stage also refers to the uppermost transparent layer of air in Greek mythology, the abode of the gods. What are the possible fusions of technology and metaphysics in an artistic format? Could it be that, with the help of senses, imagination and art that have not yet been identified by science, we can push the boundaries of technology in unexpected trajectories and thus change the map of our reality?