FLAKKANDI
/ˈflahka(:)ndi/ – present participle wandering, roaming
THE SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES RESIDENCY
Why Flakkandi?
Flakkandi is the Icelandic term to describe an aimless roving around. In times of uncertainty, we embrace this idea of change and process to create a sustainable residency project that wanders and connects hidden places.
As a starting point, we want to offer the opportunity to international artists to carry out their work in two locations, Rainiai (Lithuania) and Peñafiel (Spain), creating a dialogue between cultures and perspectives, as well as decentralizing the contemporary creation from capitals, large cities or coasts.
Based on the values of circularity and rotation, we propose a one-week residency in Lithuania for textile artists during spring 2023, followed by a one-month mentored residency in Peñafiel from September 30th to October 28th. A list of activities related to textile arts and community experience will be proposed by the organizers, such as foraging, batik, or food storytelling. Regional artists will open their studios and present their sustainable practices integral to their creative pursuits, while locals, as well as museum guides, will take us on tours to learn the history of the place and the nature around it.
Rainiai
Residency in May 2024
OPEN CALL COMING IN FEBRUARY
Rainiai is a quiet village just 5 km southeast of Telšiai in northwestern Lithuania. With basic amenities like a school and kindergarten, Rainiai also features the modest Rainiai Chapel, built in 1991. Nearby Stulpinai boasts the Veidrodžių Chapel, a historical gem from 1786.
Dating back to 1597, Rainiai grew to ten homesteads in 1665, later reducing to two in 1738. Throughout the 19th century, it was both a village and a manor. However, World War II brought a tragic event—the Rainiai Massacre in 1941, leaving a somber mark on the village.
In the Soviet era, Rainiai supported neighboring communities. Today, it quietly encapsulates its historical past, offering a glimpse into a simpler, everyday life. As we introduce a residency concept in Rainiai, artists are invited to explore this serene village's unique blend of history and charm.
WORKSPACE
A family home and stable built in the 1970s.
The studio grounds are:
Two garages, a stable, an apple cherry, and plum orchard, a well, a cellar, with 3 small rooms, and a smoke chamber.
Peñafiel
Residency in September-October 2024
OPEN CALL COMING IN MARCH
Peñafiel, nestled in the heart of Valladolid, Spain, is a town steeped in history and cultural charm. Surrounded by a diverse landscape of fertile plains and rolling hills, Peñafiel boasts an iconic medieval fortress, the Castillo de Peñafiel, perched atop a hill.
The town's picturesque streets showcase traditional Spanish architecture, creating a captivating atmosphere. The Plaza del Coso serves as a vibrant hub for community events and celebrations.
Peñafiel is also renowned for its viticultural heritage, producing world-class Ribera del Duero wines from the surrounding vineyards. With a strong connection to its roots, Peñafiel offers a genuine experience of Spanish life through festivals, traditional cuisine, and warm hospitality.
WORKSPACE
The studio house features a big table with chairs, a sofa, a kitchen with a gas stove and fridge, a toilet with a shower, a washing machine, and a chimney with firewood. On the second floor, a mansard roof and beds are available in case artists need a rest. Additionally, the space offers natural lighting, artistic decor, a dedicated workspace, Wi-Fi connectivity, storage space, and outdoor areas if available.
MORE INFORMATION
Why these locations?
Despite the globality of our concerns (climate change, depopulation of rural areas, or artistic creation in times of precariousness), we believe the action must start from the local. Just as we consider the old an inseparable part of the new, we don't understand the part without the whole. Therefore, we both mentors start this wandering project from our roots, trying to make use of spaces that we know are empty in our places of origin: Rainiai, a less than 1000 habitant village in the Samogitia area of Lithuania, and Peñafiel, a 5000 habitant town in the middle of Castile and Leon.
Why textile art?
Textile art is commonly perceived more as a craft than an art, usually related to the feminine free time. Without understanding this description as something minor, we would like to vindicate the other meanings of this art field, for we conceive it also as a cultural heritage fundamental for human communication. Textiles interweave links between those present and those who are no longer here and with those who are yet to come.
We want to honor this knowledge from the past to create new material and innovate, for we believe in cycles as a fundamental concept of development. Seasons, rituals, time, compost...from waste, a new opportunity appears, and from tradition emerges the wisdom that will allow us to adapt to the future.
ABOUT MENTORS
Elisa Rodríguez studied Fine Arts in Madrid with an Erasmus in Paris. Between 2012 and 2014 she attended a Painting MA Program at the Vilnius Academy of Arts (Lithuania) and consecutively moved to Yogyakarta with to learn batik at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts. A constant regard for nature, the reappropriation of the public space, and the search for the remote spectator are common concerns in her work. Following the idea of detail as a fundamental piece, her practice has led her to develop a deep interest in art as a tool for social change. Her latest movements revolve around art education, working on the development of didactic content for the Museo Nacional de Escultura and the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Art Patio Herreriano (Valladolid, Spain) as well as batik wax-dye teacher.
Gudrita Lapė is a visual artist focusing on biodegradable matters. Born in Lithuania, raised in Iceland, and is currently based between Iceland and Spain. Since the time in her mother’s womb, she has been a fatalistic nomad and it inevitably plays a major role in her creative process. Upcycled, foraged, tactile objects with a sense of nostalgia are her intuitive comrades in the art world where she creates mobile installations and ritualistic performances. She has lived on different continents and studied in Iceland, Germany, Lithuania, and Spain, from fine arts, sociolinguistics & multilingualism to digital fabrication. She has participated in various group and solo shows in these countries as well as organized her mini-performance festival in a community space in Sabadell, Spain. She is currently organizing sensorial food and innovative material workshops.