Annja Krautgasser
My stay in Vilnius under the international residency program was characterized by intensive creative work, a few inspiring encounters, but also by structural challenges. The studio is located in a wooded area directly on the banks of the river Neris and offers a special atmosphere: There is a small beach by the river and every day hundreds of joggers and bikers come by – in this regard, Lithuania is an extremely sporty country.
The studio space itself was generous and light – ideal for focused work. At the same time, everyday life was strongly marked by self-organization, also because the social and curatorial environment provided inputs only sporadically.
Artistic work on site: My stay mainly focused on further developing my project The Archive of Absence: I wrote texts, gathered research materials, developed new video sketches and worked on the structure of a future performative format.
Over time, however, I missed critical exchanges with other artists. Even though the Rupert building houses three residency studios, I only met the other residents seldom. In most cases their stay was limited to one month so that there was constant fluctuation. It would be desirable to arrange for more structured exchanges in future – for example, common presentations or studio talks at the beginning of the stay.
In addition to the residencies, Rupert also organizes an "Alternative Education Programme" under which international artists and curators work on workshops and collective processes over a period of six months. I gained insights into this exciting structure occasionally.
Excursions & environs:
I want to highlight two short trips:
- Nida & Curonian Spit: The dunes were impressive.
- Riga, Lithuania: I was particularly impressed by the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia and the numerous Art Nouveau buildings in the city center. On the way back, we also stopped at the Hill of Crosses, a symbolically charged place.
Everyday life & infrastructure:
Vilnius is excellently organized with regard to technology: Many areas of everyday life use digital systems. The location of the studio was charming with a view to the scenery, but isolated in infrastructural terms. A personal anecdote: The shared kitchen only had very basic equipment –it took some time before I realized that the cooker had an induction hob and many of my pots were not compatible.
My stay in Vilnius was invaluable in many respects: The reclusiveness allowed for in-depth artistic concentration, the city provided important content-related impulses and individual encounters opened up new perspectives. Nonetheless, structured communication formats and openness within the building itself would be very important – especially for international guests. Being the only Austrian resident this year, I would have wished for more integration into the Rupert network.
The planned move of the studios to the city center could make many things easier in future: access, visibility, social and curatorial contacts.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| Fair to middling – in the best sense and literally. Highs and lows, sun and rain – and sometimes both at the same time. | |
| 2. | Dos & Don’ts in this place: |
| Dos: A friendly “hello” may be well intended, but does not get a response in most cases – so there is nothing wrong with not greeting people here; this is not impolite, but simply normal. Don’ts: – |
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| 3. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| The studio room was fantastic – spacious, quiet, ideal for working. Unfortunately, they plan to move so this may change. And, of course, pink soup! | |
| 4. | Where to shop great supplies: |
| Regrettably, I did not find great suppliers. When it comes to special materials, the choice is rather limited here. If you need specific things, you should better come well prepared. In larger shopping malls, you can get electronic or technical equipment from Topos – roughly corresponding to MediaMarkt and Saturn in Austria. | |
| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| Everything you need for working! | |
| 6. | Concerning art at this destination and where I visited the best exhibitions: |
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| 7. | Around the studio – where I shop, drink my coffee and get the best lunch deal in walking distance: |
| The studio is in a forest – really in the middle of it. There is hardly any infrastructure in the vicinity. Sometimes a café is open, but only in fair weather. To go shopping or dine out, you have to go to the city, which takes around 40 to 50 minutes. However, this should change soon: The studios are to move directly to the center. | |
| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks, best sound and networking opportunity): |
| Occasionally, there are business-techno parties in the building – roughly once or twice a week. If the noise continues too long, you are accommodated in a hotel in the city, which is nice. In the city center, there are many great bars, cafés and restaurants – it only makes sense if you go out together with one or more people. Sometimes drinks are served at exhibition openings – but rather on the moderate side. Whether good social relations develop among the residents depends strongly on the people themselves. | |
| 9. | What would have been useful to know before coming here and starting my residency: |
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Website resident: annjakrautgasser.net