From August 31 through September 18, LAB in Vilnius (10 Skroblų St.) will host “Forma Sentitur”, an exhibition of works by jewelry artist Milda Palivonaitė, inviting visitors to experience what jewelry means without the visual element.
Those who wish not only to visit the exhibition but also to chat with the artist will have the opportunity to do so:
- September 3, 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- September 10, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- September 14, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- September 18, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The author of the exhibition:
In Latin, “Forma Sentitur” means “form is experienced through the senses”.
As a jeweler and designer, I enjoy exploring the meanings of existing objects for people and their environment, viewing them through different mental lenses. When creating jewelry, I reflect on the purpose of jewelry itself. Why do people adorn themselves in the first place? I’ve come to the conclusion that jewelry, as a visual accent, can be imbued with various meanings and strongly communicate to those around us about things such as family or financial status, religious beliefs, belonging to a certain subculture, and so on. This makes me reflect on the experience of jewelry and the significance of different senses in this process. So I arrive at the question around which this entire exhibition revolves—what is jewelry without the visual?
While a blind person experiences the world on a daily basis without the visual dimension, I realize, upon reflection, that I cannot separate my perception of the world and my creative process from the way I relate it to sight. At this crossroads of thought, I turned to blind and visually impaired people, who opened their doors wide to me (thank you). The works in this exhibition were created based on my conversations with blind and visually impaired people, as I attempted to shift my own way of thinking from seeing to touching. This is how the group of works on display, “Forma Sentitur”, came to be, in which I present my interpretation of the question: what is jewelry without the visual?
Everything we can touch is already tactile, but I hope that the works on display today will allow us to set visual perception aside. For me, this exhibition is not a display of a finished result—I see it more as a stop along the way, a continuation of my exploration driven by curiosity. The exhibition is an encounter with the community and another part of the dialogue. I invite you to touch, experience, and share the thoughts that arise when encountering these objects.
The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.