The exhibition Urban Clones: from Emotion to Reality, curated by Austėja Mackelaitė and Ernestas Parulskis, will take place in the gallery of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square London, WC2N 5, on May 10 -23, 2010.
The exhibition Urban Clones: from Emotion to Reality, curated by Austėja Mackelaitė and Ernestas Parulskis, will take place in the gallery of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square London, WC2N 5, on May 10 -23, 2010. We would like to invite you to send us your work following the description and guidelines below.
How many times have I complained about being a truly bad photographer while walking through the streets of an unfamiliar city? A photographer without a sense of composition, a photographer often without a camera? Actually, I would only complain every so often – without an intuitive feel for a snapshot, both your own and foreign cities become an adventure, an experience or even a source for an article – everything but a subject for a photograph.
Yet, sometimes I would be deeply disappointed. In Krakow, on the way to Wawel Castle, there is a street corner turning at which I had expected to step into the Vilnius City Hall Square. In Glasgow, walking to a museum on a rainy morning, I once found a street intangibly identical to a section of Kalvarijai Street where three-storey houses built for Soviet officials back in the 1950s stand. Or, I remember an apartment block in East London; two old ladies chatting at the entrance, a bench, trampled grass - it was a perfect emotional equivalent to my childhood past. It is during moments like these that I wished I was at least a bit of a photographer...
Although I remember a success story too – an actual captured urban clone of Vilnius in London – the Battersea Bridge. With the Battersea Power Plant on its left and recently built shapeless glass apartment buildings on its right, it was just like the landscape that opens in front of one‘s eyes when standing on Mindaugas‘ Bridge in Vilnius. I took a picture of this locale – it was not difficult.
And if my work – the shots of both landscapes arranged in a single sheet – will be selected, it will be seen in an exhibition Urban Clones: From Emotion to Reality. By the way – this exhibition will include your artworks too.
The Lithuanian community in the United Kingdom offers the best environment for creating such an exhibition, as it consists of people that are closely connected to both countries. They see both of them and can capture them both and especially because the simple device needed for taking a snapshot usually lies in one‘s pocket or bag at all times.
The title of the exhibition is focused on the word ‘urban’ because I believe that it is in cities that you will find the most picture-worthy situations. While all fields are somewhat similar, cities can offer one more space for observation. It is in a city that one may find a window, a street section, a pavement tile, a feeling or even a paradoxical Lithuanian element somehow perceptible in Britain.
Imagining the exhibition, I see two juxtaposed images – a situation, an impression or a fragment original to Lithuania, and its British clone. As I virtually approach the photos, I realise that the second image is not always by the same author. Sometimes it is made by a relative or a friend, at other times a well-known image by a professional Lithuanian photographer is used – because it was exactly that picture that reminded the author of a scene that he saw in London. It can even be an image taken from some Lithuanian blog – our participant was simply granted a permission to quote it.
As I come even closer I realise that these photos are followed by rather detailed descriptions, explaining what kind of objects are seen and why, telling the viewers their stories.
Having seen all of this, I realise – what a great show! Now it only needs to be done.
Ernestas Parulskis
Invitation to send you works – terms and conditions:
1. The exhibition will take place in the gallery of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square London, WC2N 5, on May 10 -23, 2010. Although this is not a site-specific exhibition, do visit the gallery if you have some time. It is a beautiful basement space which can offer ideas and inspirations.
2. Please send your photos (or, to be more precise, their pairs) to urbanistiniaiklonai@gmail.com by March 1, 2010.
3. These images do not need to be retouched or included into word (.doc) files. Simply forward the pictures in .jpg form, clearly indicating the intended pairs.
4. Please include a short (up to 100 words) description of the artwork, its story of origin or simply a laconic observation which will be integrated into the overall display and will reveal the context and intentions of its creation.
5. Also, do not forget to include your name, surname, e-mail address, phone number and the place of residence.
6. All received artworks together with accompanying stories will be published on www.stebetojas.lt
7. Artworks participating in the final exhibition will be selected by 14 March, 2010. Soon after the curators will get in touch with the participants to let them know whether their pieces have been selected. The selected authors may be asked to further retouch their works or to clarify the conception behind them. Selected artworks may be used in flyers, posters and postcards promoting the exhibition.
8. ‘Urban Clones’ is a community project with limited funding, hence the selected authors will be asked to contribute £20 to the exhibition budget. This will go towards covering the organizational and promotional costs.
9. Framing of the works will have to be taken care of by the artists themselves.