“The parallels are striking. Not only do ‘čiurlys’ and ‘Čiurlionis’ sound similar—if we were to compare the flight of a lark to creativity, we could confidently say that Čiurlionis was, in fact, a lark,” said the author of the texts, poet, and playwright Mindaugas Valiukas, during the presentation of the book “The Creation of the Worlds. My Lark. The Resonant Worlds of M. K. Čiurlionis,” said the author, poet, and playwright Mindaugas Valiukas.
The book *My Čiurlionis: The Resonant Worlds of M. K. Čiurlionis* is based on the virtual reality experience *Creation of the Worlds*, developed by the *Trail of Angels* team. The book’s creators emphasize that it encourages readers to explore the connections between sound, color, and imagination. It offers both an introduction to a prominent Lithuanian artist and an opportunity to discover one’s own creativity, to learn to listen, observe, and dream.
As they follow a lonely boy clutching a frog in his arms, readers can listen to excerpts from M. K. Čiurlionis’s symphonic poems “The Sea” and “In the Forest.” A brief biography of the artist is included at the end of the book.
“In publishing this book, we wanted not only to pay tribute to one of Lithuania’s greatest artists, but also to invite readers to take a fresh look at his work. Čiurlionis’s world is extraordinarily rich—it brings together music, painting, literature, and imagination. This book allows readers to seek out new meanings in his works, discover the stories hidden within them, and experience art the way a child might—with an open heart and boundless imagination,” said Edita Valintėlienė, publishing director at Alma littera.
The book was presented at the “Pasaka” movie theater in Vilnius. Representatives of the “Alma littera” publishing house and the virtual experience “Trail of Angels” introduced the new publication to children, parents, members of the cultural and artistic communities to the new publication and invited them on an immersive journey through the worlds of Čiurlionis’s art.
M. Valiukas, who wrote the text for the book, said that the book’s main character had knocked on his window all by itself: “Well, okay, maybe it wasn’t a wren—most likely a swallow. One day, my wife Valda called me into the kitchen and pointed to a little bird fluttering against the window; it had gotten tangled in a string and couldn’t fly. We freed the bird, and for me, that became a sign that the lark should be the main character of this story.”
He is convinced that the connection between Čiurlionis and the lark—considered one of the fastest birds—goes beyond just the similarity in the sounds of their names. “The swift is considered one of the fastest birds; some species fly at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour. This bird feeds, drinks, mates, and even sleeps while in flight. Swifts never land on the ground; their legs are unsuited for walking, and if one accidentally falls, it cannot push off and take flight again. And if we compare Čiurlionis’s work to the flight of a swift, the parallel is clear—Čiurlionis worked tirelessly; over the course of a decade, he created about one and a half thousand works. These included visual art, musical compositions, and literature. Čiurlionis was so active in so many areas that he inevitably suffered from exhaustion and burnout. “Like that lark, he came down to earth, and no one lifted him up,” said M. Valiukas at the book presentation.
He openly admitted that the decade he had spent delving into the work of M. K. Čiurlionis had not revealed the great artist’s secret. “Maybe that’s for the best,” he added, “because it just makes it more interesting; it makes me want to delve even deeper, to understand and get to know the depths of Čiurlionis.”
Event host Richardas Jonaitis also spoke to the audience about this exceptional talent, in whose paintings children discover mysterious castles, flying mountains, seas, and a sky full of stars—images straight out of dreams or fairy tales. It seems as though the artist has traveled to a land of wonders and brought its images back onto the canvas.
It is precisely these images that made their way into the book. At the book launch, they were brought to life by the creators of the virtual reality experience “Creation of the Worlds.” One of them, Vilius Petrauskas, head of the creative studio “Muona Studio,” revealed how the idea was born to convey Čiurlionis’s work to children in an understandable and engaging way, while preserving the depth and mystery of the artist’s worldview.
“For eight years, as we’ve been creating virtual reality experiences, we’ve also been trying to unravel the mystery of Čiurlionis, but the depth of this artist’s work is boundless. The longer I work on this, the more his art reminds me of 3D. His multi-layered work is fascinating, and we strive to interpret it with respect,” said V. Petrauskas at the book launch.
The educational component of the presentation received special attention. Livija Krivickaitė, a researcher of Čiurlionis’s work and an educator, introduced the young participants to the artist’s life, his works, and their symbolism. The children actively participated in the discussion, answered questions, and were presented with books.
The screen also featured greetings and interactive activities from the project partners and members of the creative team—Kristina Buožytė, director of the virtual reality experience “Creation of the Worlds,” producer Vitalijus Žukas, and Jurga Želvytė, head of the creative team at the publishing house “Alma littera”—as well as interactive tasks.
