mes taip nesitarėm

On the 23rd and 24th of November 2024, three experiential audiovisual performances of NOT WHAT WE AGREED took place, bringing together the Deaf community and professional performers from the hearing world.

NOT WHAT WE AGREED is an experiential audiovisual performance that unites the Deaf community and professional performers from the hearing world. It is a meeting point for music, video art, Deaf creative expression in sign language, and a unique sonic experience.

For the first time on the stage of the Arts Printing House (Menų spaustuvė), audiences were presented with original works created during the project: sign language poetry texts and songs written both in Lithuanian Sign Language and International Sign, as well as in spoken Lithuanian and English. These pieces were accompanied by original live music performed by a live band. In addition, the audience was offered the opportunity to experience the performances while standing on a low-frequency platform designed to enhance sensory perception of sound.

This performance invites a reconsideration of what language truly is and asks: do we really only listen with our ears?

The artistic director and initiator of the project, Dominykas Vaitiekūnas, who began researching the Deaf community and music in 2020 and became acquainted with the tradition of Deaf song imitation, invited community members not merely to imitate songs created by hearing people, but to dive into the endlessly fascinating world of original creation — a world that unites, at first glance, two seemingly opposite realms: sound and silence, Deaf and hearing, perfection and authenticity, self and other.

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Authors and performers of texts in sign languages:

Arnoldas Matulis, Paulius Jurjonas, Rūta Mingailaitė, Justina Čiplytė, Erika Slabadienė, Aldona Kvaselytė, Adas Aužbikavičius, Gabija Varenkevičiūtė, Nina Šamakova, Vilius Glušokas, Arūnas Brazas, Lea Milašauskė, Šaras Zdankas, Arnas Dambrauskas

Music producer:

Jokūbas Tulaba

Co-author of music, pianist and band leader:

Kazimieras Krulikovskis

Guitar:

Matas Ričkus

Drums:

Martynas Stoškus

Assistant director:

Agnė Šlivinskaitė

Author of video projections:

Kristijonas Dirsė

Projection engineer-operator:

Tomas Brazys

Lecturers in sign language literature:

Debbie Z. Rennie, Erwan Cifra

Lecturer for sung texts in sign language:

Marko Vuoriheimo

Curator of sign language literature:

Anželika Teresė

Sign language editors:

Nijolė Pivorienė, Kęstutis Vaišnora

Choreographers:

Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Mantas Stabačinskas

Costume designer:

Rūta Kyguolytė

Sound engineer:

Mantas Tamulionis

Translators:

Julija Pugačiauskaitė, Anželika Teresė, Jussi Wainio

Dramaturgy consultant:

Monika Baranauskaitė

Head of communications:

Živilė Maldeikytė

Communications coordinator:

Fausta Junelytė

Project visual identity:

Pencil & Lion

Creative partners:

Teklė Kavtaradzė, Augustas Baronas, Raminta Naujanytė Bjelle, Laurynas Kamarauskas, Dovydas Šulskis

Executive producer of the performance:

Giedrius Petkevičius

Coordinator of project activities and head of administration, author of the project’s website:

Domantė Tirylytė

Workshop coordinators:

Justina Vertelkaitė, Miglė Jaskūnienė, Viktorija Rutkauskaitė, Tomas Martynas Pupalaigis

Video editing:

Kipras Štreimikis, Dalius Kalinauskas

The project activities are funded by:

Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania (Nordic Culture Point), Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality, Kaunas Municipality, Swedish-Lithuanian Cooperation Fund, LATGA Association, Swedbank Lithuania, Culture Moves Europe.

Sponsors:

Ego Spa, Green Vilnius Hotel, Hermis Druskininkai, Andrius Mamontovas, Artūras Vyšniauskas, Jolanta Vaitiekūnienė, Greta Sutkevičiūtė, Lina Plieniūtė, Lijana Čiplienė

Media partner:

LRT

Project partners:

Lithuanian Association of the Deaf, Kaunas Deaf Centre, DELFI initiative (UN)SEEN, @Video projektai, Kaunas Cultural Centre, Kaunas Artists’ House, National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Vilnius County Adomas Mickevičius Public Library, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), Arts Printing House (Menų spaustuvė), Lithuanian Diversity Charter, and others.

contacts

Communication: mestaipnesitarem@gmail.com

Business enquiries for events, workshops, trainings, support, other questions: info@dominykasvaitiekunas.lt