U , Light,music, installation-performance, Vilnius University Grand Courtyard, 2025
The conceptual starting point of “U” is the Foucault pendulum located in the bell tower of Vilnius University’s St. John’s Church. Its main components – the fixed point to which the pendulum is attached and the platform beneath it – directly demonstrate the Earth’s rotation. While it is a well-known fact that the Earth rotates, looking at this physical phenomenon from an artistic perspective gives it a broader meaning that may still resonate with people today.
As noted by writer and philosopher Umberto Eco, the beauty of the pendulum lies in its ability to reveal the existence (or possibility) of a single immovable point – a “sanctuary of certainty.” In an ever-changing and unstable reality, such an idea appears almost as an utopian promise.
Following this conceptual trajectory, the artistic team has created the performance/installation “U”, where the pendulum transforms from a copper sphere into moving bodies, lights, and sounds in space. Perhaps, like a forgotten ritual, this reminds us of a constant point in our own reality – something that unites, is universal, and unchanging.
Composer and conductor Ramūnas Motiekaitis. Performers: Vilnius University Wind instruments orchestra, Boardsports skate club skaters. Light engineer: Valdas Latonas
