On May 9, Europe Day was celebrated at Vilnius University (VU) – the International Student Photo Exhibition "Inspired by Europe" was opened, there was a flashmob "Ode to Joy" and the premiere of VU Kinetic Theatre's dance performance "Hommo in Maxima" dedicated to 20 years of Lithuania's accession to the European Union (EU). The events were organized by the VU Culture Centre in the context of the project "CAMINO" funded by the EU.
The day's program started with a CAMINO project flash mob. Members of the VU Improvisation Studio gathered on Pilies Street, near the VU Atributika store, and invited the VU community, random passers-by, residents of the city of Vilnius, and guests to celebrate Europe Day and watch various interpretations of the European anthem "Ode to Joy". The main focus of the collaboration was a telebridge with seven other European universities participating in the project. Representatives of each of the seven participating countries – various student ensembles and youth organizations – created their video interpretation of the European anthem and presented it during the telebridge. Vilnius University was represented by the VU Song and Dance Ensemble, the musicians of the wind orchestra „Oktava“, the video was directed by Indrė Alaburdienė, the head of the ensemble's dance group, and filmed and edited by video artist Jokūbas Savodnikas.
The joint video of 7 European universities can be viewed HERE.
Vilniaus universiteto Liudviko van Bethoveno „Odės džiaugsmui“ interpretacija: ČIA
On the occasion of the Europe Day celebration, the international exhibition of student photographs "Inspired by Europe" was opened in the hall gallery of the VU Rectorate. The exhibition reveals unique insights into the identity, lifestyle, values, hopes, and dreams of modern Europe from the student's perspective. At the beginning of the exhibition's opening ceremony, VU Rector Professor Rimvydas Petrauskas also gave a welcome speech.
Among the photographs on display, you can also find the picture "Nymph of the Folklore Mountain" by Gabija Matkutė, a student of the Faculty of Communication at VU.
The exhibition includes 11 works from each of the countries that joined Europe in 2004 and Ukraine. The exhibition "Inspired by Europe" was already shown in April at the European Parliament, Brussels, and will be exhibited at Vilnius University until May 26th.
You can read more about each photo in the exhibition HERE.
The program of the day was closed by the VU Kinetic Theatre dance performance "Hommo in Maxima". The performance, intended to mark Lithuania's 20-year membership in the EU in a theatrical form and to review the development of Lithuanian society during these two decades, became the main focus of Europe Day. According to Andrius Pulkauninkas, the director of the performance and artistic director of the group, "This dance performance is an experiment that tries to review the development of four values after Lithuania joined the EU and to understand the perception of the world by young people who grew up and matured in Europe."
The dance performance "Hommo in Maxima" can be seen again on June 7, 19:00, in the VU Theater hall, during Culture Night.
On Europe Day, more than 250 people visited the events of the VU Culture Centre, and not only representatives from Lithuania, but also students and guests from abroad: Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Georgia, Belarus, Latvia, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, Spain and the USA. attended the flash mob, the opening of the exhibition and the premiere of the performance.
Arminas Varanauskas ("Knowledge Economy Forum"), Ema Tamaškovičová (Bratislava Comenius University, Slovakia), Lijana Savickienė (VU Student Representation), President of the Association of Hungarian Amateur Theaters and Actors János Regős. Representatives from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilnius municipality and the State Study Fund visited the exhibition and watched its opening ceremony. The ceremony was also attended by representatives from other Lithuanian educational and cultural institutions: Lithuanian National Culture Centre, Vilnius TECH, Kaunas University of Technology, Klaipėda University, Vytautas the Great University, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius University and European Humanitarian University.
The Europe Day celebration at Vilnius University was implemented within the framework of the EU-funded project "CAMINO: Twenty years of cultural enrichment in reunified Europe".
More moments from the Europe Day events
Project is funded by European Union
