Through the Cracks: Dismantling Dreams, Disrupting Seams

Abandoned buildings of various shapes and sizes — witnesses to the silent decay of capitalism — can be found across the world, whether they are deteriorating in the less-travelled areas of a city, standing weathered and forgotten in the quiet landscapes of the country, or situated off the highway shoulders. These places are seldom observed, often seen only through the windows of our cars as we swiftly pass by. Their presence is scarcely acknowledged, let alone appreciated. But on a chilly day in late 2023, a disused building in Vilnius, Lithuania emerged from the shadows of neglect to host Dismantling Dreams, Disrupting Seams, a three-week group exhibition using its forgotten rooms and crumbling walls as both canvas and commentary.

Dismantling Dreams, Disrupting Seams represents the culmination of a six-month-long exploration into the intersection of art, education, and societal narratives. Showcasing a range of eight artists who have participated in the Alternative Education Programme (AEP), the exhibition took place in an old Lelija textile administration building, the first and last time the building was open to the public before its inevitable demolition. When I sat down with the Curator of the programme, Tautvydas Ureblis, they spoke about reclaiming individuality in the backdrop of ideas of collectivity. The show offered a unique exploration of the theme of transgressions and traversability through eight compelling site-specific installations, seamlessly weaving through spaces that transcended their former purposes. Here, decrepit, crumbling corridors, boarded up rooms and abandoned personal items serve as frame and material. Set against this scenery, Dismantling Dreams, Disrupting Seams rendered a closer look at these abandoned places, unveiling the poignant narratives embedded within their crumbling walls and peeling wallpapers.

For the opening night, the iconic hall of Lelija played host to a convergence of artistic expression, merging the creations of AEP participants with the talents of invited musical guests Rieko Whitfield, Laīna (Kerolaina Linkeviča), exmantera, Angelware and Matilda. This melding of disciplines was a fitting tribute to the culmination of a transformative learning process. The ruins served not only as an historical artefact, but also as a potent poetic symbol – of the transience of life, the impermanence of experience, the inevitability of change, and the relentless passage of time.

Rather than just viewing these interiors as static artefacts that contain purely nostalgic or romantic associations with the past, each artist staged playful interventions that boldly took control of entire rooms, and at times were uncontained to these spaces – spilling out before and beyond walls that once enclosed offices, washrooms and meeting rooms for the Lelija employees. Positioned throughout the building’s vacant offices across three floors, the works symbolically detach themselves from the space’s previous functionality and hierarchical structures. Each crevice and enclave, once defined by labour hierarchy, now beckons visitors to explore and experience an intricate patchwork of mutual detachments, atmospheres, dialects, and shared sensoriums. In one space, beige blinds leftover from the buildings administrative days sit in disorderly piles placed alongside bricks, rubble and objects that cast an abstract narrative of transformation. In another hazy room, a trail of blood creates a path to a white resin bust hanging from the ceiling resembling an angel or sacrifice, with candles burning on the floor setting a ritualistic stage. A metronome clicks at regular intervals in a room with multiple projections, its pulse reverberating through the vertebrae of this once utilitarian edifice. The intricate interplay of these forgotten artefacts and intentionally placed installations give life to this dilapidated dwelling.

The deliberate demolition of sections of walls to forge interconnected passageways – a strong metaphor and symbolic gesture to explore the fluid intricacies of processes and fleeting moments – leaves the building’s continuing state of decomposition imbued with a sense of perpetual transmutation, as if the architecture itself were engaged in an ongoing dialogue with each artist. Full of side quests and entry points, passageways between walls, floors and ceilings, this tangled web of seams and threads symbolises the breaking down of artistic boundaries and the emergence of a shared moment.

In a series of interconnected spaces that lead to an eery washroom outfitted with a shower, the sound of rushing water trickles through the tiled room where a line of long brown hair hangs as if out to dry. A bouquet of the same hair tied with a ribbon hangs on a wall – a gentle scene amidst a cacophony of architectural interventions. As visitors navigate through this amalgamation of remnants and deliberate artistic mediations, they are invited to contemplate the evolution of the space and the nuanced stories embedded within each discarded item. The beige blinds, once mere functional elements, now coexist with the chaotic arrangement of bricks, rubble, and assorted objects, creating a kind of chaotic temporal tapestry between past(s) and present(s). Dismantling Dreams, Disrupting Seams encourages a curious journey through ascending and descending structures, prompting imaginative musings on the interdependencies within. It’s an old tale of destruction, twisted to rebirth anew, a weaving together of narratives of resilience, reinvention, and the enduring spirit of transformation.

Dismantling Dreams, Disrupting Seams took place from 24th November to 17th December 2023.