Caprise
Beatričė Bukantytė, Rastko Novaković | 2019 | Lithuanian Writer's Union and The Venclova house-museum
"How could I ever have been happy with her, when her favorite color is crushed strawberry?" - Roland Firbank
Artists Beatričė Bukantytė and Rastko Novaković’s workshops are based on Roland Firbank’s writing, in particular on “The Flower Beneath the Feet” (1923). They share some visual ideas and approaches to bringing the text from the page to the screen.Firbank (1886-1926) was a flamboyant, gay, modernist writer. He was an experimenter in writing style and a quintessentially English artist who was nevertheless highly critical of England and the British Empire from the position of a cosmopolitan bohemian.He was an important early gay voice and a master of subtle and strange comedy.In the workshop, artists with participants explore some non-verbal performance skills (various movements and voice exercises) and perform short excerpts of texts, construct and perform various situations which are set in a nightclub called Café Cleopatra and inspired by the bohemian venues from the 1920s.
Beatričė Bukantytė is a performer, artist, and photographer whose practice spans across the fields of experimental performance and dance. Her work is informed by the philosophy and practice of Butoh, voice and dance improvisation, as well as traditional singing techniques.Rastko Novaković is a London-based artist and filmmaker. Over the past 18 years, he has authored over 50 moving image works, ranging from 1-minute lyrical films to feature-length documentaries, experimental docu-fiction, campaigning films, installations, music videos, and multi-platform videos. Rastko is exhibited widely at well-regarded organizations such as BFI, CCA Glasgow, and Nottingham Contemporary.
The project's mentor: Alan Hollinghurst - Booker Prize-winning novelist who has extensive knowledge of Ronald Firbank’s workWith contributions and support from: Vilnius City Council
Participants after the workshop“It was a good space for collaboration and creativity. I enjoyed meeting like-minded people and exploring a few unique ideas." - Samuelis
“It was a wonderful atmosphere which made me feel freer and more present in my body. Interesting, playful exercises. Beautiful stories born using your body, chairs and everything that is around you." - Sonata
“You created a safe place to experiment and just to be here and now and just react to impulses." - Toma
“It was a wonderful atmosphere which made me feel freer and more present in my body. Interesting, playful exercises. Beautiful stories born using your body, chairs and everything that is around you." - Sonata
“You created a safe place to experiment and just to be here and now and just react to impulses." - Toma