White Darkness (fog installiation & short film), 2025

Ephemeral medium: artificial fog in situ, interacting with historical landscape and light

White Darkness – an Artistic Response to Heritage Damage On the evening of 27 March 2025, the usual rhythm of Vilnius Old Town was disrupted by a public site-specific art intervention — the fog installation White Darkness, staged on Savior’s Hill near the Missionaries’ Ensemble. The thick fog temporarily enveloped the apartment buildings controversially inserted into the baroque complex a few years prior. This poetic act of protest art responded to the ongoing erosion of Vilnius’ cultural landscape (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) for short-term private gain. “Vilnius is many cities, layered on top of each other… it’s a border where Russian expansion and the European spirit clashed. Here, everything collided and merged. Vilnius is a giant cocktail, shaken by mad fog gods.” — Ričardas Gavelis, Vilnius Poker, 1989 The fog, symbolising the loss of reference points in heritage and public space protection — a state of being in “white darkness” — also alluded to the “whitening” and normalisation of an investor-driven construction project from the East. The intervention obscured the intrusive apartment complex and the “Old Town view in the palm of your hand” promised to buyers. Once the fog lifted, it revealed the uncomfortable reality of what had been allowed to emerge — a new layer imposed on a centuries-old, once-complete landscape. Ironically, the baroque Missionaries’ Ensemble — long considered the “crown” of Vilnius Old Town and a survivor of wars, occupations, and fires — has been most harmed by the indifference and short-sightedness of the current generation living in freedom. The artist’s gesture invites reflection on what it means to “build” in the Old Town today. “The damage caused by this highly controversial case of construction is neither local nor finite — it is a permanent presence, a monument on a hill in the city centre, showing how public interest protection can be reduced to zero,” the artist stated. “Through this artistic project, I sought to name the mistakes made in the development of Vilnius Old Town and to foster the ability to navigate complex situations — especially among those responsible for the common good.” According to art critic Dr Skaidra Trilupaitytė, White Darkness is not only a work of art, but also “an original case of real cultural policy in action.” The project identifies and seeks to dismantle the “fog” that conceals and enables harmful decisions. White Darkness calls on us to dismantle both the intrusive buildings and the “square-metre thinking” in our minds. It urges us to heal our damaged relationship with the past, revive urban memory, reflect consciously on development, and re-anchor ourselves in trustworthy cultural reference points. Who owns heritage, and who bears the loss? Is it the fault of a “flawed” legal system — or us? What happens when every link in the public interest protection chain gives in, humanly? Why, even after decades of regained independence, do we remain (post-)Sovietly tolerant of irreversible losses in the name of narrow, short-term gain? White Darkness was a one-night, ephemeral, but impactful artistic intervention in urban life — a symbolic imprint of protest. As art historian Dr Laima Kreivytė notes, the project “held up a mirror to power — and did so through subtle, poetic means.” The work was based on an in-depth artistic research process partially funded by the Research Council of Lithuania. The fog installation continues its afterlife in new spaces through documentation. The photographic record (by Vidmantas Balkūnas) and video footage formed the basis for a short film of the same name, publicly premiered in June 2025. Directed and produced by Rėda Brandišauskienė, shot by Eitvydas Doškus, and featuring original music by composer Dominykas Digimas, the film carries the work into the spheres of media, cinema, galleries, archives — and public memory. White Darkness affirms that even the most ephemeral gesture in public space can become a powerful political and aesthetic intervention. Film White Darkness (not made publicly available): GoogelDrive link; https://drive.google.com/file/d/12oX_h1Ja6PKHBLMKQQV0ShMLpnM_exah/view?usp=sharing; trailer (publicly available).: Youtube Link; https://youtu.be/uuz_3SfbDoU?si=V0b6rOefKFP-G6Uh. The film White Darkness premiered on 2nd of June 2025 at the “Pasaka” cinema in Vilnius (followed by a discussion moderated by philosopher Dr V. Bachmetjevas). On 3rd of June 2025 the film was screened during a training seminar for administrative court judges of Lithuania. The film was exhibited at the “Titanikas” gallery (Vilnius) space on June 2025.