The ongoing project of the good neighbour (since 2014, previously The Deep Splash) can be seen as a growing archive of references and stories through video art,  conversations, interviews and studio visits – a channel layering new videos and contexts, questioning the very concept of national identity, migration, exile and globalism, morphing ideas, modes of artistic production and – most importantly – sharing sources of inspiration.

STUDIO VISITS

ECOLOGICAL THOUGHT

ARTISTS ABOUT ARTISTS

DOCUMENTATION OF EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS

CONVERSATIONS AND INTERVIEWS

BODIES AND SPACES

STORIES LONG AND SHORT

HISTORY

POST-HUMAN PERSPECTIVES

TEXT WORKS

SHARING KNOWLEDGE

TRAVELLING AND WEATHER CHANGES

VIDEO ESSAYS

2023

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2014

Upcoming

6 pm, May 24th, 2019 at MO museum, Vilnius

SHIFTING ZONE WITH CHANGING CONTENT. Goodbye, Eastern Europe!

Evening dedicated to short talks, questions and stories focused on the shifting and the northwards moving identity of Eastern Europe.

Eastern Europe and the way it is (mis)understood in the world is becoming a shifting zone with a changing content. Since the regaining of their independence in the 90s’ the Baltic states, traditionally considered as part of Eastern Europe, have increasingly moved towards the North. Although in geographic terms the region have stood still, its value systems as well as the cultural and political content has been in constant transformation. Read more...

Much like the glaciers that leave behind the changing landscape, the deep inner shifts within the region of Eastern Europe marks the transformation of identities. What do we talk about when we talk about Eastern Europe? What is it and are we still a part of it? Is it – and if yes – why is it so important for Lithuania and the Baltic states to escape it? What visions support and how far have we gone in our journey towards the North? How is the cultural identity of Eastern Europe changing and how can we reflect ourselves without stepping on the old patterns of D.I.Y. culture and replaying the images of dysfunctional systems?

Shifting zone with changing content. Goodbye, Eastern Europe! – is an evening dedicated to short talks, questions and stories focused on the shifting and the northwards moving identity of Eastern Europe.

Participants: Dr. Eglė Rindzevičiūtė, Jacob Mikanowski, Ignas Krunglevičius, dr. Viktorija Rusinaitė and Miglė Bareikytė.

The event is curated by Monika Lipšic and Ieva Sriebaliūtė. Graphic design: Gailė Pranckūnaitė

Supported by Lithuanian Culture Council and Nordic Culture Point.

Programme LT .pdf

Programme EN .pdf

the good neighbour is a growing online video platform producing and commissioning videos centered around concepts of migration and exile. It first started as a series of interviews with Lithuanian émigré artists, and soon expanded into conversations, studio visits and a showcase of video works by multinational culture figures, often based in several places at the same time. The ongoing project of the good neighbour (previously The Deep Splash) can be seen as a form of hospitality enabling synthetic thinking – a channel regularly layering new videos, conversations and contexts, questioning the very concept of national identity, migration, exile and globalism, morphing ideas, modes of artistic production and – most importantly – sharing sources of inspiration. Read more...

The origin of a title is inspired by Aby Warburg’s (1866-1929) invented principle – ‘the law of the good neighbour’ – according to which he arranged his wondrous library (currently in Aby Warburg’s Institute London). Born to a wealthy Jewish family in Hamburg, at the age of 13 Aby Warburg passed his birthright to his younger brother Max, in exchange for the promise that he would be able to purchase as many books as he needed for his studies. A magnificent library was created in years. In 1933, the library had to be moved from Hamburg because of the Nazi threat. Two huge ships full of books sailed the sea to reach London and settle the library there. The books in the Aby Warburg library had never been arranged according to an alphabet – the most popular way of arrangement in most libraries, instead they were grouped in subjects and so while looking for one book the reader would inevitably encounter others, that perhaps would lead his or her research to new directions or expand the area of interests.

Similar to the library in exile, evolve the stories of the good neighbour. Similar to the librarian ‘law of the good neighbour’, in our video collection visitor will likely start from one video and it will hopefully lead her to multiple others. Just like in real lives of our presented artists and persons that often travel for certain reasons – looking for one, they find or stay or move for the other that shape the future possibilities. Through artists’ videos this ongoing theme is also reflected in various ways.

There is too the obviously political stance in the project and its title of the good neighbour. There are questions to be given. How to practice hospitality in the migrating world? How to treat identity politics? What is the role of the national identity? How artists are part of societies, how our views and practices penetrate the social layers and communities? How to be a good neighbour, a good person, a good artist on different scales – from your inner self to the global community? These and other questions are being thought and conversed through our project and we hope You will enjoy navigating here. Welcome!

Monika Lipšic

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    the good neighbour was originally founded as The Deep Splash by Justė Kostikovaitė and Johnston Sheard, curated by Monika Lipšic since 2017.

    Programming by Mindaugas Ūba
    Design by Stan de Natris

    © 2019 the good neighbour

    This project is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.