Curated by Virginija Januškevičiūtė
Radio broadcasts, a series of dance events in the city, and an exhibition at the Contemporary Art Centre: a project by Eglė Budvytytė, Goda Budvytytė and Ieva Misevičiūtė, part of the series of projects by young artists ‘Yellow Line’ organised by the CAC Vilnius
Spontaneous dance floors in the city: between 8pm and 1am September 6-8, 2007
Getting the lowdown: follow information at http://www.vilniusburning.lt and www.cac.lt, tune in to ‘Užupio radijas’ (94,9FM) during the nights of the event and ‘START FM”’ (94,2FM) during the exhibition
Exhibition: September 14—October 28 at the Contemporary Art Centre, Vokiečių str. 2, Vilnius
Exhibition opens at 6pm on September 14
A speculative projection of the missing 80s in a possible Vilnius present: The aim of this project is to revive and remix fragments of hip hop history into a series of hijacked dance events and blended radio frequencies.
Dick Fontaine’s documentary ‘Beat This! A Hip Hop History’ serves as a guide for this sonic fact and fiction. In relation to history, the project is a de and reconstruction held together by cut-and-paste and sampling techniques. Instead of trying to recreate events that could or could not have happened in Vilnius, the artists rely on free-floating imagination. This project/invitation creates an alternate timeline in the present that searches for new roles, new meanings, and new performers.
‘Chronology collapses into mixology.’ (Kodwo Eshun)
Radio, just like a city space and exhibition, is a machine for producing communities. The radio presenter, like the artist, does not know about the existence of listeners or the degree of their attention. But through radio the listener becomes a part of a world—real or imaginary. ‘Radio maker as a soundtrack composer, listener as private cinematographer/projectionist’ (Bart Plantenga).
Dance is another place where the abstract ‘community making machines’ meet individual fantasy. The project brings to Vilnius one of the early forms of hip hop culture—the street dance. The intent is not to be faithful to the original, but to take up this musical moment’s spirit of invention in a new imagined way—fantasy invading the physical space of the city.
During three evenings, a special radio program will be broadcast to dancers and passers-by through car radios and boom-boxes, and spontaneous dance floors will be launched all over the city—in the parks, streets, parking lots, etc. Instead of only being the soundtrack for participants these programs will be an invitation for all to join and become carriers of atmosphere. Radio waves will announce the locations of the events, friendly dance instructions and musical sounds ranging from electro hip hop or no wave to polka or Bollywood disco.
The exhibition that opens on the 14th of September will be a continuation of these events. A key part of the show are portable radio receivers that may be taken by visitors as guides or companions in the city. A catalogue of dance moves and city grooves is presented as printed matter but visitors are invited to add to it outside the boundaries of publication.