Saga about Lithuania
The traveling exhibition "Saga about Lithuania" explores one of the most relevant problems of today's Lithuania – the mass emigration of its population. The humble button became the main means of communication in this artistic project, and through it we sought to establish a universal narrative. The purpose of the project is to actualise the issue of the mass emigration of Lithuanian citizens, to inform, and through public participation in the project’s exhibitions - to analyse the problem through various means of artistic expression; to encourage public involvement through participation and open, honest discussion.
To implement this creative idea, through social networks, we announced a button collection campaign. Thousands of people from various Lithuanian cities, towns, villages and farms joined in this action. They collected, transported, carried and sent buttons so becoming active participants of this project. Lithuanians from Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Germany, Australia, USA, England, Scotland and Canada also responded, sending thousands of different buttons. Among these were rare finds - historically important buttons associated with famous XIX and early XX century Lithuanian personalities. These buttons were sent with historical annotations and supporting documentation. Recognizing the cultural importance of these buttons, they were then re-donated to become valued museum artifacts.
Overall, we collected more than 1 million 500 thousand buttons, from which the artistic installation "Button - man" was created. Artistically transformed work clothes, symbolizing hard-working Lithuania, and the clothes of babies born in emigrant families - also embroidered with buttons - gave meaning not only to the dialogue, or conflict between public and private spaces, but also to the historical, cultural and social legacy that ensues from the discourse on mass emigration.
There are no trivial details in this project. Everyone who touches this story is allowed to feel part of the subjective and personal experience enshrined in the story. Over a million sagas (saga, as a concept, directly equates to that of a long story), that's how many Lithuanians left their country during the period of Lithuanian independence post 1990.
An important part of this project was the embroidery of work clothes with the buttons collected. These work clothes were patiently sewn, over a persistently long period, by the disabled people of the Trakai district. These were those who remained in their homeland, because fate decided so, restrained by their disability thus preventing them from emigrating. They sewed buttons as if they were making rosaries, as if they were saying a prayer for each emigrated person. Here the concept, the prayer, the quiet inner Humm of “saga - man, saga – man, saga – man” took shape, providing visual body and context to the project... Schoolchildren also contributed to the creation of artistic objects.
From the mass of buttons collected, in each of the halls where we exhibit, we form an "island of emigration". The installations provide substance, enable participants to feel, to visually imagine, count and tangibly engage with the vastness of the scale in the numbers who have emigrated. Figures as such are just meaningless. But, after taking a handful of buttons and counting how many in each scoop, the magnitude of the numbers becomes apparent and more easily understood. After this action, and the discussions that follow, it no longer looks or feels like it’s just mere statistics. The magnitude, the scale of the issues, become raw, personal and ever so easily understood. Emigration is not just about those who, for one reason or another choose – or have - to leave, but is equally about the tragedy that is lived through the loss and longing of those who remain. Emigration is not about winners; the dark side needs to be comprehended.
The installation is accompanied by an emigration map created from buttons, and completed by a unique portrait, created from buttons, of the distinguished Lithuanian classic and writer Žemaitė. The portrait was created by the artist and author of this project, Lilija Valatkienė. Finally, the project discusses the literal environmental impacts arising from the scale of emigration. Through a series of photographs and paintings titled “Non-pristine Lithuania” Lilija shows the decay of abandoned homes and farms, of once thriving residential districts.
Overarchingly encompassing the project is a topical educational element - "Lithuanian born are we” - which is jointly presented by the 2019 laureate of the Global Lithuania Awards - journalist, culturologist Vytautas Jonas Juška and artist Lilija Valatkienė."
In 2020, the project, and its co-authors, Lilija Valatkienė and Vytautas Jonas Juška, were awarded the prestigious Antanas Macijauskas journalism prize, inaugurated by the Lithuanian Journalists Association, the National Association of Journalist Creators and the Biržai Municipality Council.
We encourage you to consider inviting the "Saga about Lithuania" to your city.