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2021-09-29 Back to list

CityTelling Festival 2021 "At Home"

The CityTelling Festival aims to remind the multiethnic memory of Kaunas and its surroundings, to strengthen the dialogue between different communities, to encourage pride in the place we live in, and at the same time – to talk about topics relevant to c

Since the beginning of 2020, our lives have abruptly changed. Life remained at HOME. History happened at home. Home became our sanctuary and the centre of our universe.

In this pandemic universe, memories and history took on new meaning. Memories of "normal" life or stories of PRE-quarantine life have become anchors of hope helping us not to drown in a sea of anxiety. History BEFORE has become the island of our dreams, the romanticised world of the past, untouched by the shackles of the new reality.

At this festival, we invite you to talk about homes that hold the whole world. To talk about homes where History is born.
The stories of life at home will be told in contemporary artworks, performances by actors, and new experiences will be offered in the house-museums and other spaces in Kaunas and Kaunas District.

The CityTelling Festival is a time for coming to terms with oneself and the world around us. That's why already on the first day of the festival, rolling ANGELS will go to the city's main street. They will remind us of what we may have forgotten in our anxious homes – the value of peace, tranquillity, love for our neighbour, empathy and openness to others.

Istoriju festivalis Andrius Aleksandravicius Kaunas 2022Photo A. Aleksandravičius.

Although we have survived the pandemic being alone, within the walls of our homes, this experience has become, as never before in history, a shared experience for all of humanity. We were experiencing the pandemic together with the whole world on social networks. Everyday testimonials on Facebook, Instagram stories, poems, songs, and memes that flooded social networks have become our shared diary. In that virtual reality, we were looking for answers to the anxiousness of the world. We were looking for comfort, reassurance, answers to existential questions, or just confirmation that we are not alone spending days in our pyjamas or with our unwashed hair.

Social networks allowed us to observe each other’s lives between the four walls as if through a keyhole. The anxiety, boredom, fatigue – we survived these common feelings in a digital reality. Together with virtual friends, we have tried new recipes, discussed the first vaccinations, the newly started yoga or language classes. We were united by newly discovered hobbies, shared recipes or pandemic fashion news. In these invisible communities, we were looking for what we were lacking most: live communication. These communities made us feel part of a group and made us feel that WE ARE NOT ALONE.

Istoriju festivalis Andrius Aleksandravicius Kaunas 2022Photo A. Aleksandravičius.

The CityTelling Festival started in October 2019 and it is one of the biggest events of the Kaunas 2022 program "Memory Office". The initiative unites storytellers: museologists, theatre and other artists, individual history enthusiasts, professional storytellers, local community activists, and others.

The CityTelling Festival aims to remind the multiethnic memory of Kaunas and its surroundings, to strengthen the dialogue between different communities, to encourage pride in the place we live in, and at the same time – to talk about topics relevant to contemporary Europe.

Every time we invite the festival organizers and partners to tell unheard, forgotten stories of the city and the district, to try new ways of telling stories and to do it in unexpected, forgotten places.
And we invite the visitors of the festival to embark on a journey that will delight not only with discoveries but also with new experiences. Maybe you’ll discover what you didn’t expect, get an answer to a question you didn’t even know existed ... After all, stories don’t just help us to discover the place we live in. They help us to get to know ourselves, to listen to others, to understand and empathize better.

2021 PROGRAMME

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