In the last micro-exhibition form the "Building Narratives" series, we present the "Un-war Space Lab" artistic research “Baltic and Mediterranean Logs: Militarizing Landscapes” (2020). It is an interdisciplinary research that reveals the archives of nature reminiscent of human conflicts, and the memory encoded in natural forms, which in itself is an unstoppable and irreparable process. “Baltic and Mediterranean Logs: Militarizing Landscapes” examines two (de)militarized sites – the Rūdninkai forest in Lithuania and the Brač island in Croatia, observing how their identity and ecology are affected by military bases that have been operating for dozens of years or still are. 

Un-War Space Lab: Armina Pilav, Damir Ugljen, Karla Crnčević, Jonas Langbein in collaboration with Ilona Jurkonytė. Un-war space lab is a cross-media research-based practice on transformations of rivers, woods, land, architecture, interspecies society during and after the wartime lead by Armina, a researcher in ecologies of war transformation. Damir is an independent researcher in fields of archaeology, social anthropology, and spatial inquiry. Karla is a dramaturge and film worker exploring the politics of moving images and the creation of the experimental media space. Jonas is an architect, working on other forms of human cohabitation through architectural projects about inclusion, communication, care, more-than-human relations, and living-together. Within this project Un-war Space Lab team collaborated with Ilona Jurkonytė - a Lithuania born film, and moving image researcher and curator.

Exhibition is open until April 24th at the cultural centre Sodas 2123 and virtually.

About “Building Narratives”

In the micro-exhibition series, we present works developed within Architektūros fondas programme "Building Narratives" in 2019–2020. Creatives of the  “Building Narratives” programme explored the relations between architecture and narrative, when buildings aren’t shaped by mortar and concrete anymore – crucial and sometimes the most important ingredient is narrative. Whether it is purely a PR product or an organic construct it creates perceptions and shapes the way we see and understand our environment. Hearing, reading or assembling a narrative from smaller pieces helps us to determine if something is good, useful and even beautiful. At the same time, changing narrative has the power to change perceptions of our environment. Bad can become good, ugly-beautiful, all without any changes in physical structure.

As a new narrative has the power to transform architecture on its own, it becomes extremely important to understand how different ways of talking about architecture can shape its future. Therefore Architektūros fondas was seeking to discover personal narratives and encourage the creatives to get involved in this affair. Programme merged the ongoing projects of Architektūros fondas and their methods, while looking for common ground among podcasts and publications platform Aikštėje and Future Architecture platform creatives.

Creatives of the Future Architecture platform within the "Building Narratives" programme: Goda Verikaitė, Povilas Jankūnas, Sonja Lakič, Tatiana Letier Pinto, Benas Gerdžiūnas, Un-War Space Lab, Will Jennings. Curators of programme: Andrius Ropolas, Indrė Ruseckaitė, Justinas Dūdėnas, Sandra Šlepikaitė. Curators of micro exhibitions: Indrė Ruseckaitė ir Justinas Dūdėnas

"Building Narratives" is also a part of the Future Architecture platform and European Architecture programme 2020, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Architektūros fondas' strategic partner is Lithuanian Council for Culture. Partner – Kaunas 2022 programmes "Modernism for Future" and "All as One".