From now on, virtual reality will also be used to wander along the paths of M.K.Čiurlionis’ “Trail of Angels” in the seaside resorts of Nida and Palanga.
Winner of prestigious international and national competitions, the virtual reality film “Trail of Angels” is a work by Kristina Buožytė and Vitalius Žukas, dedicated to the work of the artist, composer and pioneer of abstract art, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.
Until now, the film has only been available to Vilnius residents – it can be seen at VR SPOT, a virtual reality entertainment space in the capital. From now on, it will also be available in resorts – the film will be screened at the Nida Community House and the Jonas Šliūpas Museum in Palanga. The interactive experience will be available in Nida until 19 August and in Palanga until the end of September.
Emotional feedback from famous people
“What a high quality and respectful approach the creative team has taken to the legacy of M. K. Čiurlionis! The created world simply radiates: not only with Čiurlionis’ colours and brushstrokes, but also with a certain spirit of Čiurlionis,” – Rokas Zubovas, pianist and director of the M. K. Čiurlionis House.
“Oh God… I can’t believe it! To interpret and slip into his world and see it like that! It’s a really wonderful way to experience art,” says Beata Nicholson, a Lithuanian TV presenter and cookbook author.
“When I don’t want to leave… And when it’s good for me, not as a human being, but as a soul… And such a great desire… how I want my daughter to see it…” – actor Leonardas Pabedonoscevas.
The film features 60 paintings by M. K. Čiurlionis and the composer’s most famous works
The virtual reality film invites you to explore 60 paintings by the Lithuanian artist, both well-known and easily recognisable, and less frequently seen, in three dimensions: ‘Ramybe’, ‘Angel’, ‘Aukuras’, ‘Angelis’, ‘Žinia’, ‘Saule’. The film also includes individual fragments of some of the paintings: settings, objects, details, lights, sky, earth. The 25-minute journey along the paths of the Angels is accompanied by the music of M.K. Čiurlionis himself and composer Mindaugas Urbaitis.
“In this interactive experience, it was important not only to bring the paintings into virtual reality, but also to make the viewer experience what the artist wanted to convey through his work. For us, the process of making the film was also not difficult or boring, as spending a lot of time on the artist’s work always gave us a huge amount of positive energy. It is not for nothing that those who have seen the film say that they had a good time and want to come back,” say filmmakers K. Buožytė and V. Žukas.
The film “On the Paths of Angels” opens the door to the magical world created by the artist: the plot, which connects the entirety of Čiurlionis’ oeuvre and the characters of his works, allows for a closer acquaintance with the protagonists of the paintings and their environment. The plot of the virtual reality film takes the viewer through 4 different locations, creating different experiences.
“One of the main places is the coast. Here, the viewer experiences day-night cycles and learns the rules of the world by observing the environment. Later, he finds himself at sea and, surrounded by water and clouds, sails towards a mysterious island. Once on the island, he witnesses a mysterious procession. The viewer’s journey culminates in a flight through the most outstanding painting, REX, which reveals the construction of our Universe, encompassing its physical and spiritual dimensions. Thus, having started this journey as a human being, the viewer realises that he or she is not so distant from an angel exploring the states of life, death and merging with the universe,” says Lukas Verpetinskas, the founder and director of “VR SPOT”.
Throughout the film, the environment responds to the viewer’s gaze: the viewer’s close observation of the environment changes it, enriches it, and brings it closer to the original paintings by M. K. Čiurlionis. The music and sounds in the film also change depending on the viewer’s gaze or the position of the body, creating a specific sound of different objects.
Creators of “Trail of Angels” – participants and laureates of prestigious competitions
The virtual reality film has won numerous international and national awards. In 2018, On the Paths of Angels was presented in the competition programme of the 75th Venice Film Festival, Biennale college cinema – Virtual reality.
In 2019, the film was awarded the Lumen Prize for Art and Technology in the UK. A year later, the filmmakers were recognised in Lithuania – Kristina Buožytė and Vitalijus Žukas, the creators of Trail of Angels, were awarded the 2020 Silver Crane Award for Best Professional Achievement.
