Tylos erdvės / Spaces of Silence
Jolanta Sereikaitė Zen Spirit in a Poetical Performance
Extract translation from “Literature & Art”- Vilnius, Lithuania Oct. 21, 2005
On September 23rd there was a
theatrical performance of Lidija Šimkutė's book ”Spaces of
Silence” in the Gothic Hall at the Vilnius Art Academy. The power of
the word is progressively declining in our visual community, but such
sensitive movements, words and imagery connections become a bridge among
selective readers and viewers.
Theatre director and actor Gediminas
Sederevičius produced the performance e and
played Japanese flute. . .He used Lidija’s reading with dance movement
and transformed the performance into a sacral event. His created persona
at the end of the spectacle embodies a shaman – wanderer who lets sand
fall out of his hands on white sheets of scattered paper - symbolizing our
temporary state. He lets reeds which he carries on his back fall to the
ground reflecting Lidija’s distinctive voice. This is taken up by
complimentary Japanese flute and percussion sounds which blend in with
dance movements and the use of nature elements. Lidija’s poetry harbours
primordial images of the world, those mythical beings in tune with our
inner, individual experience. All this was interpreted in the director’s
own way.
The postmodernism of the performance was lyrical and didn’t steer away from the main source of its material – poetry.
The Vilnius Art Academy Gothic Hall complimented the “wind and bones” of Lidija’s: mythical poetry space, for what is ancient and that which has a history often transforms into her poetical core. In the pale yellow and white hall Goda Laurinavičiutė moved aesthetically with sensitivity and her movements united Lidija and Gediminas’ presence. In the silence, dance and music pulse a fourth person emerged playing percussion – Vytautas Varanka. He complimented the poet’s monotone, deep voice. On occasions his playing emerged from the silence as an independent musical line.
The unity of poetry, music and dance was strengthened by Slava Karmalita’s vision in the use of ticking clocks, scattered paper and reeds.