Romualdas OZOLAS. Cultural Changes: from One-dimensional to Multi-dimensional Thinking. Cultural changes are first and foremost changes in thinking. Thinking enters culture as a way of life through politics. The requirements of one-dimensional thinking hit Lithuania during occupation and attacked the national mind so that it seemed that it experienced a heavy knock-down. After this ban was lifted the national mind felt as if it were tipsy, writes the philosopher and former politician. The essay is based on a paper given at Lithuanian Academy of Sciences during its session "Lithuania since National Accession to the European Union", held in May 2008.

Skaidra TRILUPAITYTE. What Shall We do With the Fluxus Collection? On June 11, the Jonas Mekas Center for Visual Arts has notified that the government of Lithuania has adopted decision to build the multifunctional Jonas Mekas Center for Visual Arts/Hermitage-Guggenheim museum (designed by Zaha Hadid). Shifting from optimistic visions of its supporters towards more complicated and contradictory realities, it is worth analyzing the paradoxical associations of collections of Fluxus and global museums in more detail. The idea of "marriage" between Fluxus and global museum is totally alien to this movement and was coined and inflicted from above. However, it lacks justification thinking both about live character of Fluxus and its unique cultural programs.

About Objects of Fluxus, Research and Historical Contexts. The traveling exhibition "Fluxus-East: Fluxus Nets in Central Eastern Europe" was held at the end of last year and beginning of this year at the Vilnius Contemporary Art Center. It was attended by numerous visitors and is or will be shown in Berlin, Krakow, Budapest and Tallinn. The curator of the exhibition, Petra Stegmann, became acquainted with the Fluxus collection acquired by the Jonas Mekas Center for Visual Arts. Art critic Skaidra Trilupaityte interviewed Stegmann about collecting Fluxus around the world, about the peculiarities of these collections, and about the Lithuanian context of this movement.

Vaidas JAUNISKIS. The Flood of Festivals: Illness, Cure, Everyday Life. During the last two decades, festivals have flooded all Europe like a new kind of faith urging us to become pilgrims to sacred places and performances. A festival intruding into the dullness of everyday life has become an everyday reality itself, something that needs to be reflected on. Sometimes by arranging a festival to reflect upon other festivals. This was offered by the Klaipeda center for cultural communication together with European center for cultural programs and the Klaipeda municipality, writes the theater critic.

Mila MINEVA. The National as an Advertising Repertoire. The paper analyzes advertising as a cultural form through which we can interpret the popular common sense. On one hand, it situates commercials in the research field of consumer culture. On the other, the text focuses on one specific advertising repertoire in Bulgaria: images of the national. The main problem is how to interpret the transformation of the national into commercial images. The paper argues that this de-dramatizes national imaginary and transforms these images from national to local ones.

Romualdas LANKAUSKAS. Two Writers' Letters of (Loss of) Hope. In a letter, entitled the "Barking of Shackals", the renowned prose writer expresses his concern about the fate of the Kuronian Lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which is being aggresively urbanized. The second letter, "Vilnius Will be Decorated with an Arabic Dumpling", is a critical remark regarding the project of Hermitage-Guggenheim, hastily inflicted upon Vilnius by the former mayor and most recently backed by prime minister and his office. No one has bothered to ask residents of Vilnius what they think of it, nor does anybody worry about the fact that the Guggenheim Bilbao no longer attracts the crowds it used to.

Kostas OSTRAUSKAS. Return of the Prodigal Son. Mini-play.

Petras Repsys Opus Magnum in Varniai Cathedral. About the Antependium of the Altar at Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Varniai. Laima Kanopkiene talks with artist Petras Repsys and historian Alfredas Bumblauskas.

Intuition Should Not Let One Down. Composer Bronius Kutavicius talks to musicologist Ruta Gaidamaviciute. Composer just finished working on a cycle according a poem by Kristijonas Donelaitis "Years". This is neither oratory, opera or ballet but a play in which you have a bit of every genre, including parts played by orchestra and choir.

Sarune TRINKUNAITE. Theater While Waiting for Theater. A traditional overview of theater season where three versions of theater are distinguished: urgent, existential, and entertaining. According to the critic, the success of Lithuanian theater fosters longing for a different theater.

Ruta TAUKINAITYTE-NARBUTIENE. Master of Games. Art in the hands of Kestutis Grigaliunas becomes a play. This active and versatile artist does not close himself in traditional techniques of graphic art (that he once studied). Though he creates silk graphic work, he also works with objects and fluxus type of art, arranges educational projects. Maybe without even a goal, he nevertheless faces new forms of the game. He does not care about whom to play with, nor how long, nor what the result will be. Game becomes a therapy, a way of seeing and speaking.

Ausra Marija SLUCKAITE-JURASIENE. Under the Sky of New Mexico. "I went to visit Aleksandra Kasubiene when I learned that private cosmic company Starchaser Industries Inc. got interested in her architectural buildings of peculiar forms and wanted to meet her. The idea of creating cosmic harbour attracted Aleksandra and primary structures of projects, reminding prehistoric plans of Chaco settlement together with feeling for cosmic space became visible in her drawings."

Ona GAIDAMAVICIUTE. Spacing Time. Review of an exhibition of young graphic artist Jurate Kemeklyte-Bagdoniene held in Academy gallery in Vilnius. She is a versatile artist, because she graduated not only graphic but also piano studies and musicology. These experiences have a peculiar configuration in her art.

Ausra VASILIAUSKIENE. From Heavenly Treasure of Madonna. Cycle of illustrations "Madonna of Sapiega" by Ieva Babilaite is discussed in the article.

Audrone ZIURAITYTE. Non-Russian "Russian Seasons" and Influence of Russian Ballet. The notion of "Russian seasons" constantly appears in press sources even when theater or concert life in Lithuania is concerned. Sometimes it is used with irony, reminding us that it formerly did not exist even in Russia. Non-Russian seasons and the notable influence of Russian ballet is a "historical reality" of Lithuanian ballet of recent times. It cannot be called something that exists somewhere in the background, as it is too visible. It could be noted that Lithuanian ballet already became mature for accepting influences of Western ballet (page 59).

Dunja ARNASZUS. Zeppelins. Radio play. Translated from German by Dalia Kizliene.

Rita MIKUCIONYTE. An Overview of Contemporary Lithuanian Art in Poland. About the exhibition "Wspolczesna Sztuka Litwy Od Nowa" held in Bydgosc (Poland) by curator, art critic Krzysztof Stanislawski.

Alma BRASKYTE. Johan Simons: Vilnius' Footprint. Theater critic discusses plays directed by Dutch theater director Johan Simons "Platform" and "Decalogue II" shown in the program of "New Drama Action 08".

Gábor CSORDÁS. Literary Perspectives: Hungary. Mastering History Through Narrative? In the essay in the Eurozine "Literary perspectives" series, Gábor Csordás reads the newest Hungarian novels. All share a concern with narrative, holding out to the reader the hope of mastering history. Translated by Almantas Samalavicius.

Béla EGYED. Nietzsche's anti-democratic liberalism. While Nietzsche was an enemy of populism and egalitarianism, he was also an enthusiastic supporter of the struggle for liberty; his perfunctory endorsement of existing institutions sits alongside a proto-politics of drives and intensities. A Nietzschean politics is less a critique of political events so much as a diagnosis of the forces and tendencies driving them – and therein lies its liberalism, writes Béla Egyed.

Vita GRUODYTE. Music According to Giacinto Scelsi. Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988) was one of the most mysterious, strangest and original composers of the last century. The music of this Western aristocrat was discovered very late – the first commercial LP was released when composer was 76 years old. His collection of texts, published two years ago among other things we find records of mystic experience of sound, writes the musicologist (page 97).

Giacinto SCELSI. Sound and Music. This text is improvised talks of composer with friends (it was impossible to distinguish them) recorded in 1953-1954. Questions did not survive, only the composer's answers remained. The texts appeared for the first time in Rome in 1981 publishing house Le parole gelate.

Mindaugas PELECKIS. Origins and Prospects of the "New Age". In this part of the article, groups such as Sahaja yoga, followers of Saj Baba, Satanists and Scientologists are discussed (page 105).

Viktorija SKIRGAILAITE. About Memory. Armenian Genocide in the Turn of XIX-XX century. Review of a traveling exhibition of documents.

Stanislovas SAJAUSKAS. Mystery of Jogaila's Denars. Dragon in Lithuanian Numismatics and Heraldry. The peculiar feature of early Lithuanian coins – the imagery of heraldic symbols. They are found on averse and reverse. The inscription of symbols is a kind of secret message that is difficult to decipher today. The author provides some hypothesis and clues regarding a dragon that appeared in Jogaila's majestic stamp of 1388.

Nothing Can Replace Books (3). An overview of publishing house Tyto alba.

Krescencija SURKUTE. Political Stroke or Pre-election hysteria. Ironical essay on Lithuania's cultural and political life.

Published 2008-09-01