MO Museum made most-commented statue “Quay’s Arch” talk

Have you ever thought how many different stories surround the “Quay’s Arch“ statue, which is better known and is often referred to as the “Pipe”? And what could the statue tell itself, if it spoke up? From today, you can find out for yourself, as MO Museum has made it talk and invites you to hear its story.

Besides the “Quay’s Arch“ created by Vladas Urbanavičius, this year MO Museum invites you to get acquainted with two other “residents” of the city: Ksenija Jaroševaitė’s statue “Sitting”, which is comfortably located at the MO Sculpture Garden, and the wall of Literatų Street, which so many tourists and city guests have become fond of.

Getting to know statues better

“Every year we are happy to make increasingly more statues talk and, thus, bring art even closer to people. This time the statues have really seen a lot and have something to say. I think many people are curious to know what and how much the “Quay’s Arch“ can tell. In Vilnius, this is probably the most commented work of contemporary art which has been discussed from various perspectives and, at least initially, not a single person remained indifferent to it,” says Milda Ivanauskienė, Director at MO Museum.

“I am not sure if you want the “Quay’s Arch“ to speak up as it probably has a lot of hard feelings regarding some really categorical opinions about it. However, I am glad that after having been built it has become yet another step for us to learn about the processes of democracy and tolerance,” says the patron of the project, Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius.

All three statues that will speak up this year are unique in their own way. Jaroševaitė’s statue “Sitting”, located at the MO Sculpture Garden, is looking at Vilnius and seems to invite passers-by to sit next to it and dream together while observing the city life.

The wall of Literatų Street, which started its new stage of life a decade ago, is different from the usual walls. It does not separate but rather unites various artists and cultures, it establishes a dialogue both with them as well as with all the tourists and residents of Vilnius who pass it by.

Meanwhile, the “Quay’s Arch“ will tell the most unexpected stories: this piece of art is called not even under its own name and is often classified as a work that exists outside the art zone.

The “Quay’s Arch“, “Sitting” and the wall of Literatų Street complement Vilnius Talking Statues that MO Museum has made talk, with a total of 21 statues complementing the list.

Texts written and voiced by well-known people

Texts for the statues were written and voiced by different authors and well-known people. The author of the text for Urbanavičius’ “Quay’s Arch“ is the cultural historian Tomas Vaiseta, while the statue itself was voiced by Algis Ramanauskas-Greitai.

Writer Vaiva Grainytė has compiled the words for the wall of Literatų Street into a coherent text, and actress Rimantė Valiukaitė voiced it. The words and dreams of Jaroševaitė’s statue “Sitting” in the MO Sculpture Garden were compiled by Evelina Daciūtė and voiced by actress Ilona Balsytė.

New experiences and free events in open MO spaces

Having opened the season of Vilnius Talking Statues, MO Museum invites you to spend time meaningfully in open MO spaces at free summer events.

Here, in the MO Sculpture Garden next to the statues, conversations about plants and landscaping will be organised together with “Geltonas Karutis“.

It will be possible to start the week energetically and reinforce your strength at special sports events on the MO terrace led by coach Jean Claude Edorh from “JC Sport“. Training sessions will be held every Monday at 6 p.m.

Poetry will be read again at MO Museum on Thursday evenings. This will be the chance to dive into the verses together with the new, recently discovered or already loved poets.

Picnics, tours and camps

Cosy gatherings for picnics, so much loved by Vilnius residents, will also return, each time accompanied by a different, new and relevant theme for a modern city resident.

This summer, the museum invites you not only to call the talking statues and hear their stories. You will also be able to learn more and get to know them better on special tours.

Guided tours will be organised with MO guides, and during these tours, it will be possible to learn and hear more stories not only about the statues themselves but also about the famous people and characters they embody.

Tours will take place on 3, 10 and 17 June, at 6 p.m. All tours will start at the MO Sculpture Garden.

In the summer, the museum will also organise special camps for children. Children aged 5-10 and 10-13 are invited to take part in theatre, creativity or sensory camps.

What is Vilnius Talking Statues project about?

Vilnius Talking Statues is an interactive project offering an alternative to active and meaningful leisure for the residents and guests of Vilnius. Passers-by who are interested can receive a call on their smartphones and, thus, get acquainted with important Lithuanian historical figures, representatives of other nations or fictional characters-symbols that all are embodied in statues across the city. The Vilnius Talking Statues project, which began in 2015 and was initiated by MO Museum, successfully runs for the sixth season this year.

In the voices of actors, singers and public figures, the statues tell about themselves, about the times when the personalities they embody had lived, about what they see around them, what they feel in their statue-bodies as well as in that part of Vilnius, where they are destined to be. During the direct call, listeners can not only get to know the personalities or characters that the statues embody but also learn more about the cultural, historical and architectural heritage of Vilnius and remember the history of the city.