MAR 12-16 | INTERTWINED | Jelena Škulis

– – – – – – – – – >  At 9 am, I follow my usual routine. First, I head to the library, then it’s off to the workshop. It feels like an odd coincidence. Only the number of fishermen on the shores keeps growing. Mashed soup, spicy with ciabatta, followed by trout, broccoli, and a heart-shaped chocolate cake. There are exhibition openings at the University of Bergen, yet my shoulders ache with tension. I delve into another author’s work, noting the number of chapters, publication year, and introduction. As I skim through, catching words and concepts, I find myself immersed in pseudo-scripts and enigmas spanning time. Chapter x has 107 references, chapter 4 has 113, chapter 5 has 110, and chapter 6 has 76. The tension mounts. What’s the significance of the one hundred and third reference? And this one? I’m intrigued by references. What did they write about connection back then? Polynesian rongo-rongo? I eagerly await the evening, anticipating weaving. I run through lines, mark names, gather illustrations, though I sometimes hate tables with diagrams.

The research reveals the evolving connections within professional and personal realms, intertwined with material and community. Drawing from creative practice and personal encounters, I explore their interplay within social, historical, and cultural frameworks. Throughout various creative endeavors, I view manual practices as a means to establish relationships and articulate real-life scenarios. My involvement in material creation (fabric) serves as a performative strategy within the community, transitioning into public space, employing language, acting in the field of possibilities, and engaging in the spectrum of creative processes that foster interpersonal and communal interactions.

– – – – – – – – – > The research process involves engagements with the following communities:

– – – > a community of people with addictions Aš esu (Vilnius, Lithuania); – – – > elderly home (with all the team included inside and outside) Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Guimaraes, Portugal); – – – > a tangible community of jacquard practitioners at the University of Bergen, Norway, and my fictitious yet literature-based circle of artistic research scholars.

Jelena Škulis

– – – – – – – – – >  The defense will be accompanied by the exposition INTERTWINNED at the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center, running from March 12th to March 16th.

– – – – – – – – – >  The defense represents a journey from  – – – >  the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center (Malūnų St. 8, Vilnius) through  – – – >  the VAA Doctoral Department (Malūnų St. 3, Vilnius) to – – – >  the VAA Textile Laboratories (Malūnų St. 5, Vilnius). Meeting points will commence at the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center.

Registration: https://forms.gle/WdYYJ2hKuF3HuCQ9A