The Birth of ‘Baublys’

More than two hundred years ago, the writer Dionizas Poška cut down a thousand-year-old dead oak in his backyard and turned it into Lithuania’s first museum, the Baublys. Within its hollow trunk, the Baublys held national memory, knowledge and dreams.

Today, a similar way of seeing lives on in the yards of Lithuanian farmhouses. Old tyres turn into white swans, crooked branches into mysterious snakes, and a sculpture made from car parts proudly strikes the pose of a Transformer. From what is left over, something precious takes shape. Yards become small worlds full of hidden stories, warmth and imagination.

On Sunday afternoon, 15 June, people gathered at Akee to celebrate the birth of a new Baublys in Akee Park. The afternoon began with a tour of the renovated Akee building led by Vilius Vaitiekūnas. Artist Vladas Suncovas then presented his research into the origins of the Baublys phenomenon and shared stories from the film he was making with artist Laurynas Skeisgiela. After the talk, the Sodas Chorus welcomed the new Baublys with a concert in the courtyard, performing a piece composed especially for the occasion.

The project is ongoing. Vladas Suncovas and Laurynas Skeisgiela are continuing to make the film, drawing on the research Suncovas carried out during the project.

Programme

16:00 — Guided tour of the renovated Akee building with Vilius Vaitiekūnas
16:45 — Talk by artist Vladas Suncovas
17:10 — Concert by the Sodas Chorus, including a piece composed especially for the event
18:00–20:00 — Dinner and conversation around the campfire, with food prepared by Lukas Klimkevičius

Project manager and curator: Martynas Germanavičius

Event documentation: Laurynas Skeisgiela, Ugnius Tuleikis and Vilius Vaitiekūnas

The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Pakruojis District Municipality.