Spirit's Guide To The Old City

Route in Your Phone  (Download)

"Shh, shh. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on, just a moment.

Damn allergy… Okay. Let’s agree on some ground rules. I am a Spirit. Yes, a Spirit. Right now, what you are listening to is a recording of my voice, and we both know it. That’s because I am not an idiot spirit who would follow everyone who has decided to take a walk around my city. It has already taken a lot out of me for you to be able to hear my voice because, in the place where I find myself, to attain a material form is the same as being reborn backwards, is that clear?

And there is no mysticism in that. Don’t believe anyone who tries to explain to you that you are just haunted by my voice which makes up stories about secrets or inconceivable phenomena. Even in my time, there were those among the living who doubted such nonsense, and now that we find ourselves in the 21st century… don’t get me started. Everything is less complicated than it sounds. Spirits do not haunt us. They simply are. You’ll understand that when you pass away." (The excerpt from audiovisual route "Spirit's Guide To The Old City", 2018)

Short description

The Spirit's guide to the old city is a video walk. A participant needs to download a video file to a phone or tablet, stand in a particular spot, put the headphones on and press play.
This video walk is a unique city guide which could be called a physical cinema, it involves an audio and video narrative and the physical dimension - surrounding places of the city.
It is an emotional and physical experience, which intertwines historical background and artistic reality, the past of the city and dramas of the people who once lived here and also the actual landscape of contemporary Kaunas.
The voice of so-called spirit tells us the story, which started at the end of the XIXth century. It is the story about two couples - Jewish and Lithuanian - who lived and ended their lives in this once multi-ethnic city.

How does it work?

This audiovisual route requires an electronic device and headphones.
In order to start the route press the link Download (recording format – Mp4).

Route starts near the church of St. Gertrude.

The length of the route - 75 min. 

Creators

Producer: Daiva Citvarienė
Writer: Rytis Zemkauskas
Narrated by Erica Jennings
Camera: Mantvydas Plynius
Music and editing by Mikas Zabulionis
Researchers: Arvydas Pakštalis, Jolita Butkevičienė
Translated by Jurgis Vaitkūnas, Violeta Bružienė
Special thanks to: Augustas Baliulis