9-10 April, Vilnius, Lithuania, deadline for submission of proposals is 23rd February.

We warmly invite theorists and practitioners interested in art, museums, heritage research, interpretation, etc. to the Winter Symposium. It will be focusing on object-oriented art and creative practices related to the Nordic-Baltic regions’ heritage. This may include exhibitions, public art, installations and other types of artworks, interpretation of the archives or artifacts, curatorial practices, museum expositions, etc. The programme consists of theoretical part (formed of participants’ proposals) and practical workshops (prepared and conducted by the coordinators).

Participants are invited to propose theoretical reports, case studies, presentations about one’s own practice, analysis of artists’ works, critical notes, food for thoughts, etc. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Creation of a new art object inspired by heritage, reflecting it, etc.
  • Historical object/document in art space and creative practice.
  • General questions of the intersection of creative practices and heritage studies.

Feel free to propose your own topics and ideas. It is important for your proposal to be related to the Nordic-Baltic heritage and focus on art practices and physical objects: created, exhibited, interpreted, etc.

We also plan to organize several site-specific workshops dedicated to the place where we are going to meet. It is a historical site in the very heart of Vilnius – the 18 ct. former Augustinian monastery, it had also been used as a huge warehouse during the Soviet times. We will explore the space, its history and preserved documents. Thereafter through the practice we will try to refer to the similar questions that we have been asked during the theoretical part. The workshops can result in creative ideas related to the place. For instance, the concept of an art object, the interpretation of an archive, the idea of an exhibition etc. The exact result depends on the participants, their interests, specializations and requests.

More details about the programme, application and organizational issues could be found on the website.

Symposium is affiliated with the Nordic Summer University, an NGO with a long history and huge research experience, and the venue for the event will be European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithuania.