Modernizmas Ateičiai or "Modernism for the future",
a proposal for a public event set during the European Capital of Culture 2022 event in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The project celebrates the 6000+ unique pieces of modernist architecture present in the city, inviting participants to (re-)approach facades of buildings in a way that merges past and present philosophies of modernist architecture.
After facilitating workshops, I found that this project resonanted much more with the youth. Remarks regarding no “legal” space within the city to create graffiti artwork in, juxtaposed with a city-wide call for established artists to suggest facade designs revealed a bias and a shortcoming of the city management. Consequently, this established the tone of this project.
The project became an invitation for the younger generations to participate in finally shaping the voice of the city.
The method and design philosophies echoed those of graffiti.
The deliverables encompassed large scale posters of empty facades, motion design as promotional material,
a stencil as both a design object and the invitation to the undertaking, themed disposable cameras and packaging designs.
An adaptable and reproducible typographic style guide for the replication of the event elsewhere opened up the audience beyond the city of Kaunas.
The results showcased a willingness by various age groups to contribute in establishing a collective voice and presence in the city. Above all, it proposed both a potential city-wide canvas to work on, and a crowdsourced approach toward various decision-making processes. A radically different, open, finally post-Soviet sentiment.
Modernizmas Ateičiai
STYLE GUIDE, PARTICIPATORY DESIGN, EVENT CONCEPTUALIZATION
