On December 2nd 9 p.m. at ‘Rasu radijas’ you will hear Milda Laužikaitė’s and Pranas Gudaitis’ premiere of the piece ‘Microsuccession’.
Grazing in forests is forbidden by the laws of Republic of Lithuania. In an attempt to preserve and count every cubic metre of timber, livestock farms and forest farms are separated, the participation of wild herbivores in the life of the forest is also viewed negatively, while the laws of nature, which are older than man, on the contrary do not criminalise grazing, but are instead closely linked to it.
Ecological succession – the regular change in the biotope of a natural system, when some species prevail, while others are displaced and disappear – is an important condition for biodiversity to flourish. Succession is determined by a range of phenomena that creates by disrupting and destructing.
Microsuccession – a play on words – micro/small success. A short break from the strict human control of nature, where winds, fires, landslides, torrential rains, windfalls and blizzards are forbidden.
Field recordings were made in a human-controlled forest area, where visiting is forbidden – Grobstas Nature Reserve, bordered by the Lithuanian-Russian border, lagoon and sea, as sheep are herded from one meadow to another. The stretch of forest between the legally regulated pastures ends up in the sheep’s mouths and stomachs, thus returning to the familiar coexistence of sheep and forest.
Milda and Pranas took part in the Shepherds’ Residency at the Nida Art Colony in 2021.
‘Microsuccession’ is a piece within an artistic expression of Laura Garbstiene to bring sheep on holidays by the sea.
The Shepherd Residency project was implemented as part of the ongoing Neringa Forest Architecture (NFA) programme, developed within the framework of NERINGA – Lithuanian Capital of Culture 2021. In cooperation with the Curonian Spit National Park and Verpėjos, the artist-run residency and project space in the Dzūkija, NAC has brought a flock of 30 Skudde sheep, owned by artist Laura Garbštiene (Verpėjos), from Dzūkija to Nida.