Rural Matters. Culture in Place

Akee’s public programme “Rural Matters” continues its series of gatherings on the changing natural and human-made landscapes beyond the city and the knowledge and practices that take shape within them. The programme invites us to see the countryside not as a space separate or distant from the city, but as one connected to it, where agriculture, industry, services, culture and everyday life intertwine.

On 18 September, “Rural Matters” returns to the Pakruojis district with “Culture in Place”, a programme about the conditions for creating culture and working in the cultural field outside major cities. This time, the programme will take place at two venues – Pakruojis Manor and Akee – and will bring together conversations about the relationship between culture and politics, local cultural initiatives, and the sauna as a space for community gatherings and cultural practice.

Programme

12:00 — Paulius Gritėnas, Pakruojis Manor, Post Office Hall
“The Person of Culture and Their Mission in a Hyperpoliticised World”

In his talk, Paulius Gritėnas will discuss how culture is understood around the world and in Lithuania, the functions politicians assign to cultural institutions and organisations, and how the public sees their role. Who has the final say where culture and politics meet – who shapes whom? Is there such a thing as a “person of culture” and, if so, what is their mission in today’s world? Does being a person of culture mean something different in the regions and in cities, and does the way people relate to culture differ too? Why do we need to talk about culture at all, rather than simply create and share it?

The hour-long gathering will take the form of a reflection and discussion, starting from the relationship between culture and politics and between the person of culture and the world.

Paulius Gritėnas is an adviser to the Rector of Vilnius University, a philosopher, a columnist for LRT.lt, host of the LRT Klasika programme “Paribio pokalbiai” and the 2020 Person of Tolerance.

14:30 — Vilius Vaitiekūnas, Akee, Aleknaičiai
Akee: How It Works, Where It Stands and What Lies Ahead

Akee’s founder and curator Vilius Vaitiekūnas will introduce the cultural and educational space in Aleknaičiai, how it came into being and how it operates. Housed in a former school built during the interwar period, Akee now hosts residencies for artists and researchers, education, art and research programmes, gatherings and collaborations with cultural organisations in Lithuania and abroad.

The gathering will explore how an initiative like Akee works in practice: what takes place at Akee today, what the space aims to do in the near future and what opportunities it can offer for collaboration with people working in culture, education and other fields in the Pakruojis district.

15:30 — Prof. Dr Vytautas Michelkevičius, Akee, Aleknaičiai
“The Sauna as a Medium and a Forum in Contemporary Culture and Art Communities”

Vytautas Michelkevičius fired up his first sauna with artists on the Baltic coast in the spring of 2011. On that occasion, firefighters arrived and put it out. In 2023, he received his first diploma in sauna practice from the Lithuanian Sauna Academy. Between these two events, he wrote and published several academic and art books and became a professor at the Vilnius Academy of Arts.

The gathering will begin with a creative approach to firing up the sauna. As the logs crackle, Vytautas will take participants on a visual and sensory journey through the ways artists and cultural workers use the sauna, water and bathing in their events and practices. How do somatic practices bring communities together and help them “let off steam”? Is it sometimes more fun to work up a sweat in the sauna than to get “steamed up” in the bureaucratic swamps of culture?

The gathering will be accompanied by authentic “Sauna Tea” from Širdažolė pharmacy and an invitation to stoke the fires of culture together.

After the talk — a sauna with Vytautas Michelkevičius

After the gathering, up to 12 participants will be invited to join Vytautas Michelkevičius for a sauna session lasting about two hours. Please register in advance if you would like to take part. Bring a towel and, if you have them, sauna clothes. Otherwise, regular swimwear will do.

Vytautas Michelkevičius is a researcher in culture and media, a curator, a professor at the Vilnius Academy of Arts and a sauna practitioner. His work spans contemporary art, photography, media culture, curating and artistic research. He has curated numerous exhibitions, art and research projects, and has written and edited books. In 2023, he completed his training at the Lithuanian Sauna Academy. In his practice, he also explores the sauna as a somatic, communal and cultural space.

Practical information

18 September
12:00 — Pakruojis Manor
14:30 — the programme continues at Akee

Participants planning to attend the full programme are invited to make their own way to Aleknaičiai. If you plan to join the sauna session, we recommend arranging your return journey in advance.

Event documentation:

Programme curator: Vilius Vaitiekūnas
Graphic design: Kornelija Žalpytė
Communications: Aistė Marija Stankevičiūtė

The project is supported by UAB “Medicus LT”.

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