Creative missions

The “Muzika Erdvėje” festival at the Refugee Reception Center and the arts agency “Artscape” invited people to experience sounds

The “Muzika Erdvėje” festival at the Refugee Reception Center and the arts agency “Artscape” invited people to experience sounds

Site-specific Music Festival “Muzika erdvėjė” and the Arts Agency “Artscape” opened the doors to the Refugee Reception Center in Naujininkai with music.

During the event, in collaboration with the arts agency “Artscape,” composer Domantas Pūras presented an experiential installation called “Music for Haven.” The composition encouraged the audience to contemplate not only the meaning of refuge but also the role of music in connecting people and the universal aspects of our human existence. According to the festival directors Agnė Matulevičiūtė and Matas Drukteinis, music became a means not only to discuss sensitive topics but also to foster connections between newcomers to our country and the residents of Vilnius.

Aistė Ulubey, the director of the arts agency “Artscape,” expressed her delight in collaborating with the festival, saying, “This is an opportunity to meet with the communities that have arrived in our country through music, to show solidarity with people living in refugee accommodation centers. Together, it’s an invitation for the cultural community to rethink their creative practices in a new reality – a large and diverse group of people are coming to Lithuania, and their integration becomes the responsibility of all of us.”

‘Music for Haven’ installation

“Music for Haven” is an artistic study in which composer Domantas Pūras raises sensitive questions: what does haven mean in society? What does the sense of security mean to us? What do they both have in common? What causes these feelings? Is it possible for sounds of music to become a haven?

Haven and the search for it, often remains at the margins of our everyday psychology. At the refugee reception center, you will be able to step outside the boundaries of everyday life both literally and figuratively – you will enter a space inaccessible to a large part of society, unfamiliar and surrounded by myths. You will immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the center, discover a new perspective through sound and the environment it creates.

The work encourages to reflect and re-think the meaning of haven, the role of music in connecting people and the universal aspects of our human existence. It is an invitation to reflect on the threads that connect us regardless of our origin or destination.

There are 5 sound stations waiting for you in the experimental sound installation. You are invited to stop – experience the environment and hear an art piece which is based on the experience and sounds recorded during Artscape program ,,Creative missions” in the center.

The Refugee Reception Center in Naujininkai

The Naujininkai Refugee Camp is a division of the Refugee Reception Center in Rukla. It was established in September 2021 during the migration crisis at the Belarusian border. The camp provides shelter for the individuals, including families with young children, single parents, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. At its peak occupancy, the camp’s two buildings housed up to 450 people, but currently around 200 individuals live here. The majority of the residents are war refugees from Ukraine, while the remaining are asylum seekers originating from Iraq, Tajikistan, and various African countries.

Prior to the establishment of the refugee camp in Naujininkai, the site was dedicated to girls’ colony and a temporary hostel. The camp’s infrastructure is under constant improvement and maintenance, with the primary goal of enhancing the living conditions for it residents. Despite being enclosed by a tall fence, the camp actively seeks openness with the public. This is demonstrated through collaborations with numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs), engagement in various activities, and the organization of entertainment for the camp’s residents. The long-term vision for the Naujininkai refugee camp is to become a hub where diverse foreign communities converge.

Sensitive Topics

This year, “Muzika erdvėjė” explores the theme ‘Coordinates Unknown’ – places, communities, or processes that remain on the shores of Vilnius society and public life, or go beyond them, thus concluding a cycle of topics dedicated to the 700th anniversary of the capital.

“Muzika erdvėje” is a creative platform and the only contemporary music festival in Lithuania dedicated to exploring the relationship between humans, the acoustic environment, and space while addressing socially relevant topics.

September 6, 2023