In Vilnius

MENASGEROVEI

“Sing me to Sleep” is a journey through a fairy-tale forest, a homeless life. It is a conversation between diverse people, from different countries, cultures and experiences. It is work of many hands. This project draws attention to the importance of the creative arts in the lives of people who are on the margins of society.
The exhibition of the project “Sing me to Sleep“ was opened in the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius on September, 2016. Some of the elements of the exhibition are going to be brought to the Bury Art Museum in Greater Manchester. In a place far away it will continue sharing things regardless of distance – the fairy-tales, of artistic creation and of homelessness.
Here, on our website we seek to tell the Vilnius exhibition story for those, who didn’t have a chance to see it.

“Sing me to Sleep” – is an invitation to put on the shoes of a homeless person, open one‘s ears to the stories that are experienced, dreamt or imagined, and...take a walk.
The walk is a time and place to discover another person. If you wish to take a walk together – you will not surpass and lag behind your fellow. The “walkers” share the rhythm, the path, the time, the weather and the movement in space. It gives a moment to talk, to listen and to hear. The connection is built. “Sing me to sleep” offers us a closer look and connection with another person, into the life of someone who is homeless, which most of us are not aware of.
This connection is fragile and one needs patience to build it.

Organiser – NGO “Socialiniai meno projektai”.
Artists: Eglė Gudonytė, Ieva Petkutė, Lois Blackburn, Philip Davenport (arthur+martha) ir kt.
Main partners: The British Council, National Gallery of Art / Lithuanian Art Museum, arthur+martha, „The Tiltas Trust“.
Media Partner – 15 min.
Partners: Vilniaus arkivyskupijos „Caritas“, „The Booth Center“, „Skalvija“ cinema centre, Manchester Metropolitan University (Arts for Health), UAB “Petro ofsetas“, UAB “Media Traffic“, Vilnius city tourism information centre, bernardinai.lt, kur.lt.
Project in Lithuania supported by: The Lithuanian Council for Culture, The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.

As we walk and live, we meet people.
Most often we meet them just for a minute. But some people stay on our path a little longer and we walk a little further together.
The journey leads through the forest, to the next day, towards home.

We are accompanied in the uncertainty by a little bird. “It rests before the departure. There is a soft cloth and some food. The bird is “small and tender. The Pharaoh and Pharaohness are guarding him. Bird’s eyes are closed as he listens to what we say...“
The text and the drawing by Tamara.

The journey through reality sends us on experiences which, just like a dust, cover the windows of one’s lives. Some experiences reveal traces on those dusty windows and then the light can come in. Yet the colours stay in fairy-tales, it is safe there.

Drawing by Žana.

Fairy-tale – not-a-fairy-tale

Storytellings by Aleksas, Anastasija Kielaitė, Andrejus Kibisovas, Liuda, Petras Ribačiauskas, Rimgaudas, Sigitas, Veronika Gražina.

As there was nothing to eat at home, the parents of Hans and Gretel, took their children to the forest and left them there. They thought “rather two of us survive than all four starve to death.” The children were looking for the way out of the forest… and they approached the candy house of the witch.
As we talked about the fairy-tale, Edvardas said. “I am drawing a church. I am sorry. I am drawing a church. This is my home.“

“The fairy-tale is a fairy-tale. It is a dark wood.
A stone – is a gift of the nature. It is alive. It grows, it lives and exists.”
“The stone that wished to become soft.”

Drawing by Vasilijus Šipulinas. The texts by Veronika Gražina and Vasilijus Šipulinas.

A leaf Drižius, as he saw an elephant grazing in the field. And he started to dream of growing big… as tall as an Oak.

A drawing by Petras Trautmonis.

Liuda, as she was getting to the end of her re-telling of the fairy-tale “Puss in Boots”: “... and the patron regained his name, and of how he will have his name restored. He will afford to take care of his family, his and his children’s health.“

Handwriting by Nerijus Viržintas. The story by Liuda.

As you get lost in the forest, it surrounds you from all the sides. It’s eyes are everywhere. One cannot know what is lurking a little further ahead. Maybe this is how Hans and Gretel have felt when they were left alone?

Drawing by Žana.

“If my life is a fairy-tale, the dark forest in my life is the alcohol, the absence of a place to live, of a family and close people. The dragon in my life is all the evil that is chasing me in life. In my life the reward is my faith in all the good. The most important – in the Almighty and the Guardian Angel.”

Handwriting and text by ЧЦК.

As you walk through the forest, you can see a little house and a light inside. Who is there? “... I would open the door and stay there. Whatever is there, it would be good for me.“

Text by ЧЦК. Handwriting by Olgirdas.

In his or her fairy-tale a storyteller turns into something or somebody, often not recognisable. And this somebody will eventually arrive at a little hut. To settle in.

"Portraits" by Andrejus Kibisovas, Liuda, Rimgaudas, S. Dorofejeva, Tatjana and Teresa Vrublevskaja.

Fairy-tale – not-a-fairy-tale.

Storytellings by Liuda, Sigitas and Veronika Gražina. Singing by Veronika Gražina. Readings by Jack and Phil Barraclough. Readings by Jack, Phil Barraclough. The birdsongs are recorded at the children of St Luke's Primary School, Bury.

The light in the little hut is a sign of hope. Many homeless people in Vilnius lit candles in their shelters.

Candle installation by Teresa Vrublevskaja.

This quilt has many stories stitched into it. Like friendship, it becomes deeper as you get closer. When seen from a distance, it is a snapshot of a woodland. But come closer, and you'll see birds and flowers, even snowflakes. Come closer still, and you see that there are people, their words echoing the shapes of the branches and dancing in mid-air. And when you're near enough to touch it, you can see the marks that people have made, individual stitches from quiet afternoons in a homeless centre in Manchester. A few hours of respite from chaotic lives. A safe place to dream, a fairy tale.

The forest is full of sounds… and every, even the smallest creatures or the dwellers, adds a distinctive sound. There are no two identical voices.

During the opening of the exhibition the participants of the project along with the sound artists performed a unique performance. Unique things happen just once. 

For a story to be heard, we need silence. A quiet room, or the white space on a written page. Silence allows for quiet words, the subtle signs of life. It is in the songs of birds, it gifts us with the pleasure of sleep, a time for stories to be told, while noise is left outside.

Homelessness feed on the noise.

We walked many miles on the preparation of this exhibition. Some of this distance was made simply by taking walks together with.

... Liuda.

... Nerijus Viržintas.

… Andrejus Kibisovas and the visitors of the exhibition.

Some of this distance, was made by taking visits to the gallery – to see exhibitions and to get acquainted with the venue that would host our exhibition. All the participants of the project visited the gallery for the first time.

The contributors to the exhibition:

Aduil Čivodnas
Alex73
Anastasija
Andy Crossley
Andy Donavon
Andrejus Kibisovas
Andres Lauva
Andrew
Annette Macquire
Arvydas Lukocevičius
Asad
Barry Lundy
Brian
Brian Brislow
Chrissy Cross
Clive Parkinson
Colin (Elvis)
Colin McMahon
Dalia Permanienė
Danny Colins
Deividas Sereičikas
Edvardas
Eglė Gudonytė
Eglė Nedzinskaitė
Emanuel Akpan
Emma Troughton
Eric Moreland
Geoff Wilkinson
Gill Malouf
Gintarė Žekaitė
Greg Harvey
Huseyin Ovuc
Ieva Petkutė

Isabel Valence
Jack Quarshie
James Raynor
Jason
Joan Campbell (Sarah)
Jonas Aliukas
Justė Vazgytė
Katy Rhodes
Kelly Clark
Kirpėja
Lawerence McGill
Liutauras
Lois Blackburn
Malcolm Wilson
Mark
Michael Kane
Michailas
Mikalojus Smulskis
Mike
Nerijus Viržintas
Olgirdas
Paddy Reilly
Pam Harding
Paulius Burakas
Pawel Adamkiewicz
Peter Twigg
Petras Ribačiauskas
Petras Trautmonis
Phil Barraclough
Phil Howarth
Phil Wilkes
Philip Davenport
Pijus Burakas

Rachel Newing
Raimundas Vaselka
Richard
Richard Fryatt
Rimga
Rytis Daunaravičius
Roy Carr
S. Dorofejeva
Sergej Jakubovskij
Sigulskis
Simon Waters
Simona Karpavičiūtė
Simonas Nekrošius
Stephen Collins
Steve Elliot
Steve Scallon
Tamara
Tatjana
Teodoras Malinauskas
Teresa Vrublevskaja
Tim Wells
Tom Carr
Tony
Vacys
Vasilijus Šipulinas
Veronika Gražina
Vilija Biekšaitė
Vygantas
Vytautas
Vytautas Stakutis
Vladimiras
Žana
ЧЦК