Tomas S. Butkus has carried out an urbanistic cultural study while on residency in Doneck (Ukraine)

Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 07:39

Tomas S.Butkus artistic residency in Doneck, that took place in March 2014, is a result of an exchange between the Nida Art Colony of Vilnius Academy of Arts and the platform of cultural initiatives "Izolyatsia". Industrial region of Donbas and its capital are well-known for their mines, the culture of steppes, classical music and monuments for various revolutionists. Lithuanian architect T.S.Butkus while on his residency in the institution whose one of the missions is the popularization of contemporary art, has proposed to systemize all of these points of interest.

The cultural carcass of the city is based upon an idea of an urban complex, constituted of places, objects and phenomena. This concept is presented in greater detail in the study "A city as an event. Urban study of cultural functions" by Tomas S.Butkus, released in 2011. Theorical aspects of cultural functions are discussed through the case studies of Vilnius and Klaipėda cities.

Pilot study of Doneck cultural carcass took the form of an artistic research. The main goal of the study was to define the principal form of the cultural carcass of the city and its preliminary content. Another question the project was directed towards, was the place of "Izolyatsia" in the system of industrial void. Given that most of the objects of cultural infrastructure are placed within the center of the city, more than three kilometers away from "Izolyatsia", the institution was proposed to explore the possibilities of the nearest residential district of Budionovsk. It was determined that integration into already existing network of cultural objects, points of attraction and locations would only be possible in case of a developped public transportation system. But this kind of development is scheduled in the general plan for year 2030.

With the aid of the local volunteers, the models for the expansion of "Izolyatsia" were prepared, drawing the guidelines for territorial visibility and activities expansion. The study was implemented in one month time. Depending on the political circumstances the initiated research is intended to be continued. The idea and the execution of the project: Tomas S. Burkus, curated by Paco de Blas, project partners: Nida Art Colony of VAA and public enterprise "Vario Burnos".

Nida Art Colony of Vilnius Academy of Arts welcomes artists in Nida and while in collaboration with partners in Austria, Armenia, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine, announces annual competition for Lithuanian artists, curators and architects for their residencies in afforementioned countries' art institutions.

IZOLYATSIA is a non-governmental arts foundation located on the territory of a former insulation materials plant in Donetsk, Ukraine. IZOLYATISA is the name inherited from the factory. The name reflects its mission: to preserve the industrial heritage of the region of East Ukraine and simultaneously to construct something new, which would inspire social and cultural development. IZOLYATSIA is a multidisciplinary cultural centre open to various genres of creative expression: site-specific art projects, educational projects and community-oriented projects.

Illustrations taken from the artistic research project by Tomas S. Butkus