790 Years of Šiauliai: “Geometry of Light” Engaged the City and Its People

On the evening of 10 September, the Sundial Square became a living narrative of the 790-year history of Šiauliai. At “Geometry of Light”, an artistic event of the anniversary city festival “Šiauliai Days 790”, live music, choreography, light, historical images of the city and contemporary visual technologies came together. Unfolding around one of the most important symbols of the City of the Sun, this story of rhythm, movement and imagery invited audiences not merely to observe the memory of Šiauliai from the outside, but to step inside it – to a place where the past met the present.

At the beginning of the event, the audience met a young woman named Saulė. Looking through photographs of the city and her family, she told the story of her grandmother Stasė, a railway worker whom she used to visit in Šiauliai during the summers. Told in the voice of actress Saulė Gotbergė, the story gradually transformed into a story about Saulė and light.

“The Sun, the brightest celestial body, was formed billions of years ago through endless movement. Movement, rhythm and light became our creative starting point. Around the axis of the Sundial, we brought together different periods of the city’s history, revealed through historical photographs and video graphics, while light and rhythm unfolded as a layer of the present. Together with the entire team, I am delighted that the people of the city became part of the shared experience – when Saulė stepped onto the stage, hundreds of Šiauliai residents followed her. Their collective movement around the axis of the Sundial was perhaps the most meaningful moment of the entire event,” says concept creator and director Dalius Abaris, who worked together with choreographer Aušra Krasauskaitė and scriptwriter Mindaugas Nastaravičius.

Thousands of spectators gathered at the Sundial Square saw multi-instrumentalist Saulius Petreikis, percussionist Gintautas Gascevičius and a rhythm section, as well as electronic music creators “Happyendless”. The movement dramaturgy was created by the dance troupe of the State Ensemble “Lietuva” and Šiauliai city arts groups. Musicians, dancers, sound, lighting and video graphics artists became part of one continuous performance.

The impressive scale of the event was further enhanced by stage design created specifically for the Sundial Square. Rising around the column topped by the Archer sculpture, an almost 9-metre-high cylindrical structure with 12 three-storey towers symbolising time became a space for light, imagery, music and movement. Historical images of Šiauliai, video graphics and live-captured emotions of the performers merged on a transparent screen, while choreographic and musical action unfolded across different levels of the structure.

The entire Sundial Square became a 360-degree stage. Light followed the directions of movement, historical imagery intertwined with the live performance, while music and choreography surrounded the audience gathered in the square. That evening, the boundary between the stage and the audience seemed to disappear – the story of the city unfolded everywhere around them.

“Geometry of Light” became one of the first major highlights of the anniversary city festival “Šiauliai Days 790”, using the language of light, music and movement to connect what Šiauliai once was, what it is today and what the people who live here will continue to create as part of its story.

Illuminating the story: Saulė Gotbergė, Saulius Petreikis.

The sound and rhythm of the story: Gintautas Gascevičius, Aurimas Povilaitis, Evaldas Sidaras, Domas Urnikas, “Happyendless”.

The movement of the story: Dance Troupe of the State Ensemble “Lietuva”, Šiauliai Cultural Centre Choreography Studio “Aušrelė” (Artistic Directors Mindaugas Kosaitis, Vita Adomėnaitė-Butnorienė).

Groups illuminating the story together: Šiauliai Cultural Centre Folk Dance Ensemble “Kalatinis” (Artistic Directors Evaldas Račkauskas, Indrė Šerpytienė), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Folk Dance Group “Vajaunas” (Artistic Director Romualdas Laugalis), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Folk Dance Group “Šėvulis” (Artistic Director Greta Petrauskė), Senior Folk Dance Group “Šermukšnis” (Artistic Directors Indrė Šerpytienė, Evaldas Račkauskas), Šiauliai Dainai Progymnasium Folk Dance Studio “Šermukšnėlė” (Artistic Directors Indrė Šerpytienė, Evaldas Račkauskas), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Chamber Choir “Atžalynas” (Artistic Director Mindaugas Žalalis), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Chamber Choir “Bičiuliai” (Artistic Director Mindaugas Žalalis), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Choir “Tremtinys” (Artistic Director Ginta Palujanskienė), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Chamber Choir “Vasara” (Artistic Director Kornelijus Luotė), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Folklore Ensemble “Salduvė” (Artistic Director Darius Daknys), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Folklore Ensemble “Vijolė” (Artistic Director Arūnas Stankus), Šiauliai Cultural Centre Folklore Ensemble “Sidabrinė gija” (Artistic Director Vita Taučienė-Rezgienė), Šiauliai Dainai Music School Folklore Ensemble “Vieversėlis” (Director Arūnas Stankus), Julius Janonis Gymnasium Folk Dance Group “Liuoksinis” (Directors Asta Rimkuvienė, Mantas Meškauskas), Šiauliai “Juventa” Progymnasium Folk Dance Group “Liuoksinis” (Directors Asta Rimkuvienė, Mantas Meškauskas), Šiauliai Gegužiai Progymnasium Folk and National Dance Group “Juostinas” (Director Edita Montvilienė), University of the Third Age.

Creators of the story. Concept Creator and Director Dalius Abaris. Scriptwriter Mindaugas Nastaravičius. Choreographer Aušra Krasauskaitė. Music by “Happyendless”, Gintautas Gascevičius. Video Graphics: Lukas Miceika, Domas Verikas. Lighting Designers: Pijus Norušis, Andrius Stasiulis. Stage Design: Dalius Abaris. Sound Director: Simas Žemgulis. Broadcast Director: Aušra Narvydaitė-Jočienė. Assistant Directors: Ausma Sakalauskaitė, Rūta Žiupsnė, Rolandas Vainius, Adomas Kadyrov. Stage and Technical Production: “Saugi scena”, “MEX Pro”, “Videoprojektai”, “VP kadras”, “Lazerių projektai”.

The creators of the story would like to thank the Vytautas the Great War Museum, Šiauliai “Aušra” Museum, Photography Museum, Vilija Ulinskytė-Balzienė and Liudmyla Zhytynska.

Authors of the photographs used in the story: Antanas Puzaras, Balys Buračas, Chaimas Zaksas, Edvardas Tamošiūnas, Gerardas Bagdonavičius, Jonas Dvariškis, Jonas Tamulis, Kazimieras Skerstonas, Mauša Fligelis, Rolandas Parafinavičius, Romualdas Baliutavičius, Romualdas Struoga, Stanislovas Žvirgždas, Stasys Ivanauskas, Vaidotas Kisielis, Vytautas Nistelis.

Hosted by Šiauliai City Municipality. Organised by the Šiauliai Cultural Centre.

The full programme is available on the websites of Šiauliai City Municipality, the Šiauliai Cultural Centre and “Šiauliai Celebrates”.

For further information, please contact Edita Smindriūnaitė, Head of the Exhibitions Department at the Šiauliai Cultural Centre, mobile +370 656 13 886, email edita.smindriunaite@siauliukc.lt.

Photos by E. Aleksandravičienė, G. Daknytė, L. Kurskė, R. Leišė, R. Baranauskas, R. Parafinavičius and Ž. Bytautienė.

More photos can be found in the Facebook group “Šiaulių dienų nuotraukos”.