LT
On Sunday, October 12, at 1:00 p.m., the Oven Pavillion invites everyone to gather for a bread-baking ritual led by artist Mateusz Pitala. Together, participants will knead dough made from local grains and the artist’s long-cultivated sourdough, shaping bread talismans – small symbolic sculptures imbued with personal intentions, memories, or offerings 
In ancient times, people attributed deep symbolic power to bread. Loaves were shaped into figures and forms, often resembling intricate sculptures. A key inspiration for this ritual comes from Slavic bread figurines called Nowe Latka (“New Years”), traditionally baked in parts of Poland. These small, animal-shaped breads were believed to bring life, protect against misfortune, and ensure abundance.
As the breads rise and rest, we will gather around the fire to reflect, share stories, and explore the enduring relationship between humans, bread, food, and grain. For Mateusz, sourdough is more than a medium – it is a collaboration with living agents of transformation. Microorganisms become quiet co-authors, shaping both the bread and the community that forms around it.
This ritual is part of the artist’s ongoing Bread Archive project, a living artistic practice exploring bread not only as sustenance, but as a medium of memory, transformation, connection, and healing.
The experience culminates in a shared meal: tasting the breads together, breaking the symbolic forms, and inhabiting a moment where fire, fermentation, and community come together.
The event is free of charge and open to all.
The event is part of the OVEN PAVILION’s public programme, curated through an open call.
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Mateusz Pitala (b. 1994) is an artist, baker based in Trondheim, Norway. He holds an MA in Fine Arts. His practice revolves around the material, symbolic, and social power of bread. He works with a range of media – including sourdough microorganisms, sourdough fermentation, bread sculptures, ancient grains, analog photography, and fermentation-based rituals.
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The Oven Pavilion is an interactive architectural sculpture that functions as a localised public space for community gatherings, education, cultural events, and more. The work is a collaboration between interdisciplinary artist Kamilė Krasauskaitė and architects Ona Lozuraitytė and Petras Išora. The structure brings together the ideas of all three creators, blending functionality with sensitivity to the surrounding environment. It unites the oven itself, the architectural pavilion built around it, and the shared space it generates – forming a dynamic and inviting social hub.
Curator: KamilÄ— KrasauskaitÄ—
Coordinator: Gabija Stašinskaitė
Text Editing and Translation: Rosana LukauskaitÄ—
Graphic Designer: Tauras Stalnionis
The activities of SODAS 2123 are financed by the Lithuanian Council of Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The event will be filmed and photographed. Videos and/or photo material captured during the event may be published and live-streamed on the organiser’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), website, and other promotional or informational platforms.