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Cloth & Culture NOW
the artists - Auste Jurgelionyte, Lithuania
- The importance of Lithuanian
culture in your work.
- How is that culture expressed in your
work
- How you see influences from other cultures in your
work, or not.
- Do you think it is good or bad to have/not have influences
from other cultures in your work?
- Do you see influences from Lithuanian
textiles in the textiles of other countries?
1. I am Lithuanian
and I love my country and appreciate all of the cultural values
here. I am especially keen on Lithuanian folk traditions as well
as modern Lithuanian culture and the new tendencies in art. The
future of Lithuania is of utmost importance to me. The Lithuanian
character is reflected in my work in one way or another –– both by association and intuition.
There is an abundance of different art forms here in Lithuania.
I have always admired old tapestries, but more references to modern
art can be found in my work. I want to be mobile, to utilise modern
communication technology. I want pieces of art to be never-ending –– created
in such a way that they can have multiple variations depending
on place, time, and the people around them.
2. Sometimes cultural traditions are reflected
in my work in an intuitive way and sometimes based on recollections
from my childhood either consciously or unconsciously. I was
very interested in the fairy tales my grandmother told me –– her stories and
her songs. It is impossible to remove oneself from the impact of
childhood –– its memories. My works are full of the
joy of childhood recollections; it is an energizing, playful, festive
ritual where the elements of the game have become video animations
of pieces of wool. These elements are funny, simple, slow and warm-hearted,
kind and decorative, moving on in a rush-to-nowhere pace, and the
story has a bittersweet ending (just like in my grandmother's fairytales
or the games she invented).
3. The creativity and artistic expression
of other nations can also be found in my work. I spent part of
my childhood in Cuba, and in some of my works this is also reflected.
One work I did is called “As I Lay in the White Room” (1999).
It contains a white tapestry that I made myself and colour slides
taken by my father of my childhood in Cuba.
I have also studied and lived in Paris. There
I created a cycle of black-and-white photos called “Reflections of Dreams” (2000).
This work was inspired by my experiences in Paris, the dreams I
dreamt, various interiors I saw and the Paris subway.
4.
I think that getting to know other cultures is always good. I mean
to leave for another country, to become acquainted with its cultural
life, to share information, creative ideas, problems with others,
compare your work with that of others, or even create a work in
a different environment –– this is true spiritual food
for a creative person.
5. Our country is a very small one. At present, I believe that
our textile school is a unique and interesting one. We do not have
the latest technology nor modern materials and that is why we have
to be more enthusiastic, more ingenious, more creative. Considering
that quite a lot of Lithuanians have received awards at prestigious
international textile art exhibitions, I believe that Lithuanian
textile art is known and should be influential.
LITHUANIA
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