On Wednesday, 25 September at 7pm, the OVEN PAVILION, located in the cultural complex SODAS 2123, invites everyone to the performative lecture ‘Periphery x Cor’ by Mantas Lesauskas. The lecture will be accompanied by a dinner hosted by the bakery Druska Miltai Vanduo 🥨
Do resources simply submit to the whims of their extractors and users? Are objects merely a backdrop to human existence – human-made and waiting to be filled with the will to move, act, and be deemed valuable or unnecessary?
Centres of power have drawn resources into themselves, inscribing once-distant peripheries, like the amber-rich shores of the Baltic Sea and our ancestors’ tribes, into written history. The scarcity and territorial specificity of amber increased its value, inspiring ritual practices, drawing historical and cultural vectors, and fuelling the machinery of totalitarian ideologies.
Geologically defined as plain fossilised resin, amber is not limited solely to the attraction of scientific curiosity. Historical narratives, the appeal of being akin to a gemstone, colonial practices, and quests for national identity have long since revolved around this unique material. Given this dense semantic load, Mantas Lesauskas aptly describes amber as an ‘active material,’ aligning with the concept of ‘agency of things.’ Engaging in a dialogue with amber, the artist employs the method of ‘interrogation’ in dealing with this material. In the field of design, this technique facilitates breaking away from stereotypes, offering new perspectives on materials, and finding a basis for deeper creative reflection and artistic exploration that transcends superficial attitudes. Through his scientific-artistic study of amber, the artist invites the public to reconsider the dynamic between the periphery and the centre through the lens of contemporary humanity.
Mantas Lesauskas (b. 1984) is a designer and researcher known for his limited-edition furniture and sculptural design pieces that blur the lines between art and design. Renowned for his tactile approach, Lesauskas experiments with techniques and enduring natural materials to explore archetypes and rituals. His work is driven by a fascination with the narratives evoked by objects, aiming to create pieces that challenge and engage, much like art. His commitment to combining artisanal craftsmanship with innovative industrial processes is reflected in his design pieces.
About Druska Miltai Vanduo:
‘In the oven, we’ll bake flatbreads, sauté mushrooms, roast and glaze vegetables with honey, smoke apples, and make caramel.’
Druska Miltai Vanduo is a bakery that takes pride in its handmade, 48-hour fermented, flourless sourdough bread. Baked fresh daily with just three ingredients – salt, flour, and natural leaven – this bread acquires its exceptional taste and texture from the lactobacilli naturally occurring in the sourdough starter. Druska Miltai Vanduo builds close relationships with independent farmers and producers of natural, high-quality, and organic products. The bakery continuously searches for the best ingredients, not only for their own baked goods and dishes but also for the products sold to their customers’ cafés and restaurants.
➡️ The event is free of charge and open to all visitors.
Oven Pavilion, Cultural Complex SODAS 2123, Vitebsko Str. 21, Vilnius
The Oven Pavilion is an interactive architectural sculpture, serving as a public space for community gatherings, education, events, and other activities. This work is a collaboration between interdisciplinary artist Kamilė Krasauskaitė and architects Ona Lozuraitytė and Petras Išora. The structure harmoniously combines the ideas of the three creators, functionality, and the surrounding environment – integrating the oven, the architects’ pavilion around it, and the space it occupies. This project, part of the Vilnius City Municipality’s Create Vilnius (Kuriu Vilnių) programme, reflects the needs of the local communities, creating a new focal point in the city that activates and enhances public space.
Creators of the Oven Pavilion: by Kamilė Krasauskaitė, Ona Lozuraitytė, Petras Išora
Architects: Ona Lozuraitytė-Išorė, Petras Išora-Lozuraitis
Author of the Oven and Programme Curator: Kamilė Krasauskaitė
Oven Builder: Vytautas Kazimieras Narbutas
Project Manager: Vitalija Jasaitė
Producers: Vitalija Jasaitė, Danutė Gambickaitė
Production Coordinator: Eglė Kliučinskaitė
Assisting Architect: Gabrielius Dovydėnas
Event Programme Coordinators: Neda Rimaitė, Gabrielė Voidė
Music Programme Coordinator: Benas Trakimas
Communication Coordinator: Gustė Grigaliūtė
Graphic Designer: Tauras Stalnionis
Vertėja ir kalbos redaktorė: Alexandra Bondarev
Special thanks to: Ieva Bagdonaitė, Jurgis Paškevičius, Virginijus Šakalis, Martynas Mockevičius, Agnė Kučerenkaitė, UAB Emadas
Organiser: Cultural Complex SODAS 2123
Sponsors: Vilnius City Municipality, Lithuanian Council for Culture, Ballooning.lt
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The event will be filmed and photographed. Videos and/or photographs taken during the event may be published and broadcast live on the Organiser’s social networks (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), website, as well as other advertising or information dissemination media.