Design Documentary – Short Stories on Contemporary Lithuanian Design
How many design categories are there and what is the “composition” of contemporary Lithuanian design? Does the Lithuanian design identity exist and if so, what is it like? What is the best form of design education in Lithuania?
Representatives of the Lithuanian Design Forum and the design sector raise and try to answer such and even more complicated questions in the latest project “Design Documentary – Short Stories on Contemporary Lithuanian Design”.
According to the Lithuanian Design Forum team, this project is designed to document contemporary design, using the normally closed doors of designers’ creative kitchens. In the documentary, representatives of Lithuanian design and various studios share their creative processes, experiences, thoughts on the Lithuanian design sector, key challenges, and inspiration for the younger generation. The main aim is that the totality of these videos would reveal the culture of contemporary Lithuanian design and become valuable documentation of the creative heritage of the time and a rich source for the formation of the concept of national design identity and further research in this field.
The design documentary, about the distinguished designers, consists of 10 short episodes that are complemented by a separate, introductory, video. In the latter, the representatives of the design sector talk about the identity of Lithuanian design, the necessary changes in order to unite the design sector and at the same time develop a common design policy.
Gabija Vanagė, Executive Director of the Lithuanian Design Forum“Such an initiative aims to present the ideas of Lithuanian designers, their maturity, as well as to expand the understanding of design. Today’s concept of design has expanded considerably: from the product, fashion, and interior design to the design of social services, moving graphics, user experience (UX) design, which is more visible to the modern generation.The speed of innovation forces us to adapt in a variety of areas, and it is designers who are at the forefront of creating and promoting the latest solutions. They are the first to contribute to the ideology and practice of sustainability that is needed today, and their ideas, in the daily life of society and in business, enable them to choose greener and more sustainable solutions to problems. Lithuania can be truly proud of the works of Lithuanian design creators, their ideas, which are interesting in the context of new European and world design trends and thus glorify the name of Lithuania. Therefore, in this documentary cycle, we try to contribute to the glorification of the name of Lithuanian design creators”.138 – this is the amount of questions that were asked during the filming of the documentary. “Coordinating the entire documentary project was one huge challenge! How to fit contemporary Lithuanian design and the whole universe of its fields into the documentary of 11 short (up to 10 min.) episodes? Imagine how hot discussions arise when you start considering what and how to film, what (enduring) questions to ask …, – says the project coordinator, documentary director and art critic Aistė M. Grajauskaitė. – I am glad that even such a complex and difficult-to-cover topic as the identity of Lithuanian design has managed to be considered extremely organically. And while we still can’t find a common answer – who or what our identity is – this documentary reveals fantastically possible synonyms and not only raises this rather professional question to the public, but also breaks the long-standing silence about design identity and self-awareness.”
In the ideas of the Lithuanian Design Forum team, which has implemented the project “Design Documentaries – Short Stories on Contemporary Lithuanian Design”, many more notions are dedicated to the presentation of Lithuanian design creators and their concepts. An even wider circle of design representatives, art critics, and critics is expected to cover even more topics.
The creative team of the project hopes that this, the first cycle of documentaries on Lithuanian design, will become a popular and high-quality tool for the dissemination of Lithuanian design in Lithuania and abroad, revealing the most important creative processes of designers from different fields.
Watch Design Documentary – Short Stories on Contemporary Lithuanian Design with English subtitles here:https://www.youtube.com/user/dizainoforumas/videosFind out more here:http://www.dizainovacija.lt/en/lithuanian-design-forum-presents-documentary-on-contemporary-lithuanian-design/
Project initiator and implementer Lithuanian Design Forum. Project funded by Lithuanian Culture Council.