Intro to Situation – series of projects emerged out of personal practice directing of art centre. Corruption issues.
Artist was involved in establishing art centre in Vilnius, Lithuania, and directing it from 2002 till 2007. Running an art centre as art project was a great challenge and research within cultural, political and social modules. From cultural activities and art initiatives project turned deeper into research on social and political issues concerning bureaucracy and corruption.
Intro to Situation is dedicated project to obtained experience and knowledge around Intro art centre and general situation in East European country Lithuania. Terminology and shortcuts: Intro – Intro to Situation project; Intro art centre – physical Intro art centre and activities there.
The art project Intro (Intro to situation, Intro art project) was executed to alternative and independent structures, to retrieval of art and culture, to investigation into business of shade economies and ceremonial politics (corruption and bureaucracy) of former Soviet Republic. Critical attitude towards mythical institutional status in art world, position of art and art policy in general without having any ordinary art scene and “market” in such country as Lithuania.
This work is carried out through entering the world of business and appropriating its methods, language and strategies, while continuously displacing artist's own subject position. Activism and initiatives for actual and live art projects was the aim to start developing such sovereign structure as Art Centre for a research. 1000 sq. meter space for Intro art centre inclusive music club, 2 art spaces (so called galleries, artist-run strategy), bar area and website, all in Vilnius old town banged the city from its roots, even all Lithuanian economy and clown politicians & jacks-in-office danced together! Intro art centre was active in a period of 2003-2007; coherent projects went before (from 2000) and continue after.
Political and economical rates and conflicts were published online. Curiosity situations with Lithuanian authorities, inspections, and services were extremely frequent. Lithuanian State Tax Inspectorate, Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service, Lithuanian Copyright Protection Association Agency, Vilnius Municipality and other institutions were against cultural activities at the site. The Establishment was trying to close Art Centre down and stop activities immediately. Natural climate for such cultural organisation as Intro was providing bribes for corrupted Lithuanian bureaucrats.
Finally Intro art centre successfully achieved project's goals and was shut down with a great challenge by its founder.
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Artist Blog (online Artist Book) FUCK YOUR GODS NOT A DOGS expressed just by text was shut down for public domain by artist in 2010 december to prevent any income from outside and to preserve a memory in general. The project Dievas.eu (dievas transl. from Lith. - god) was run for several years and became fast growing and popular enough to be shut down by its Father for artistic reason. This limitation does not affect the process and result, data is still there. The last public post was about Memory And Archive. The information is still online and pages are updated anytime. You can reach data if you can, just do not show me.
Dievas.eu: Memory And Archive, 2010, Vygandas Simbelis, online art project.
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Several Google Translator texts, original documents (companies (JSC and non-profit organization) registry files, adjudgments, fine bills, etc.), website (www.intro.lt), documentation in various formats (sound, video, photographs, posters, etc.), etc. Continues project by Vygandas Simbelis, with live act from 2000 till 2007, and after the project has archival aspect and all documents became part of INTRO art project.
Some extracts from my blog about real Eastern European experience (Important! Poetical Lithuanian word was translated with a sense by Google Translate):
How to take care of business and citizens in the State of Lithuania.
Came a clerk from the Municipality of Vilnius, from some kind of Order Department. I have met him before, so did not stress too much and even did not think about calls for a bribe, but later I realized that the bribe proposal would definitely worth it.
He came and checked, said well, all is good here, only one paper here is expired validity, but you will extend it and you will be fine. Well, I think there is nothing he told me serious, and I'll handle it. But it did not appear in any process, because even initiated the process, took up all manner of inspecting instance: hygiene, veterinary, fire, neighborhood representatives, the economic police, tax administration, and many of them, and they went after a few per day, go to the same instance of each day, for example: Monday - charges before noon on Tuesday - hygiene afternoon - the economic police on Wednesday before noon - veterinary, hygiene and again after midnight, Thursday noon - Labour Inspectorate, the afternoon - a simple police, well, and so on.
(...)
This beautiful here that we Lithuania, diligent country. Let's save it for future generations.
I know an article and a story, but I do not understand that Google Translate text either. - says Author. Google translation is used presenting text about corruption and illegal acts of authority members in Lithuania. Incomprehensible and mysterious actions of corrupted officers is compared to hardly understandable approach of the article.
This text will be spammed to Lithuanian and European institutional personas.
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The series of Correct Vice photographs, part of Intro project, 2007. Photographic project is about a quality of the image and the content, the worst and the high, the low and the best. Documented scenes have been produced at Intro art centre's club premises. The photographs represent vitality of the site in its most natural way.
Local authorities have possess just simplified position about art centre's activities - without any commentaries on cultural level. Let's give them back what they want and in their manner! Their non-understandable policies and logics are compared with low intellectual properties with hardly understandable Google Translate featured texts, blurry snapshots, low quality images, etc.
Postcards with Correct Vice photographs and text on other side - Emigrate and start loving Motherland again (Lith. trans. - Emigruok ir pamilk Tėvynę iš naujo) - on inner side of postcards will be send to main Lithuanian Establishment.
