Vilnius Academy of Arts at Class of 2024 during Dutch Design Week

This year, among all the art and design schools at Dutch Design Week, you can also find Vilnius Academy of Arts. As a part of Class of 2024 (Strijp-S area, Klokgebouw | Hall 2, Klokgebouw 50, Eindhoven, Netherlands), VAA is presenting a selection of graduation projects created by seven upcoming designers.

Materiality plays a central role across the works exhibited, with the designers emphasising the transformation of specific materials, such as clay, glass, bronze, or textile, into new forms that convey meaning beyond their functional roles. The material exploration is often combined with a narrative, where the physical objects serve as vessels for personal or cultural stories, honouring the individuals, traditions, or memories associated with them. The objects underscore a commitment to both preserving and reimagining cultural and personal stories through thoughtful and innovative design.

List of participants: Arnoldas Šliuževičius, Vesta Rugilė Nausėdaitė, Eglė Kulbytė, Lidija Ziepaltaitė, Milda Palivonaitė, Elena Laurinavičiūtė, Vilma Mackevičienė 

Table Reverences 

Arnoldas Šliuževičius        

Reverences embody the designer's pursuit of personal design practice, expressed in a side table and two light fixtures. This collection stems from a rational yet intimate and non-linear exploration of found waste materials, transforming them through modern design language into new functional roles. A trio of materials – ceramics, glass, and bronze – becomes a silent homage (révérence), framing the multilayered narratives of the individuals who shaped them, honouring their lives and work. Ceramic tubes, encased in glass and bronze, form a solid basis for the structures of the side table and light fixtures. 

Lamp Epiphanies 

Vesta Rugilė Nausėdaitė                  

Epiphanies is a collection of light fixtures that express the experiences, people, and memories that have shaped me, created through the application of the autoethnographic research method. Guided by this deeply personal exploration of the past, I delve into my own and my family’s collective memory, using the epiphanies experienced through heard stories, artefacts, and visits to places of memory (fr. Lieu de mémoire). Sand from my childhood beaches becomes a medium for expressing these revelations, turning sand-cast glass and aluminium into modern fossils, illuminated within the fixtures structures.

Neriscope Vases 

Eglė Kulbytė

Neriscope is a title that combines the name of a traditional Japanese coloured clay layering and mixing technique, Nerikomi, and the English word Scope. The word Neri refers to the process of kneading and mixing, while Scope reflects the essence of observation and visual exploration. The word Scope has many other meanings, such as possibility, purpose, intention, extent, or range of activity.

This synthesis of concepts reflects the essence of the designer's work. Can the interaction of coloured clay, optical patterns and sculptural forms enrich the field of ceramic art, not only from a functional point of view but also as means of artistic expression?

The work invites us to take a fresh look at the possibilities of coloured clay techniques, incorporating not only traditional but also op art elements.


Integration of myth and ritual in creating three-dimensional textile objects 

Lidija Ziepaltaitė

This project aims to reveal the importance of myth in the history of human formation, emphasising mythology as a source of education. In parallel with the analysis of myths, an object - a screen - is being created. The work explores the interaction of myth as a phenomenon with ritual and textile creation. The three-dimensional textile (woven with copper wire) in the screen has the property of retaining the shape impressed upon it, thereby narrowing the boundary between two worlds: the mythical and the real. The narrative emphasises the symbiotic relationship between myth, ritual, and materiality, uncovering their impact on human psychology and the development of societal structures.

                                        

Lamp Lit Things 

Milda Palivonaitė    

Sunlight accidentally caught the thin sheet of wood veneer I was holding; the light played in the wood's grain. This single moment served as inspiration for the creation of Lit Things. These are atmospheric light fixtures crafted with a delicate approach to the material, involving experimentation and close observation. Lots of handwork and many small as well as large processes have brought to life objects of minimalist aesthetics, allowing us to bring the last rays of sunlight back home. 

Installation Air Scalpels 

Elena Laurinavičiūtė                                                    

An interactive sound installation creating a dialogue between the physicality of clay and the intangibility of sound. The artist explores the relationship between sound and space, bringing to life the sonic heritage of clay whistles. Mechanically produced long, continuous sounds are controlled by the viewer, changing the intensity and frequency of the sound and creating distinctive landscapes of spatial air vibrations.


     

New Death Garment Design Concept: Passing

Vilma Mackevičienė 

The goal of this project is to develop and explore a new burial garment design concept. The research examines ancient Lithuanian pagan and 19th-21st century Catholic funeral traditions and attire, alongside modern burial garment design trends and the Lithuanian market. It considers how burial garments reflect cultural, religious and ideological beliefs about death and the afterlife. The study discusses how technological advances and evolving values are changing burial traditions. A key objective is to harmonise traditions with contemporary and individual needs. The result is a new burial garment design concept, Passing, inviting fresh perspectives in funeral attire design.