The most famous paintings in the world or the most played hits were born from feelings and inner experiences, experiences, imagination. Theater artists, photographers, and writers do not hide that their inspiration is determined by nature, people and interpersonal situations, unusual experiences, positive energy when trying something new, exploring unknown cultures. Some artists deny inspiration in principle and claim that discipline is the best foundation for creativity. And the city, its everyday life, dynamics, routine - can it inspire? We discussed the concept of the city as a stimulus for inspiration with the app "Once in Vilnius" and the film "Once in Vilnius" (English "Once upon a time in Vilnius) composer Viktor Diavara.
Viktors, nature or the city?
Nature is necessary for me. I can feel my body calling out to her when it signals the need to recharge. Nothing clears the mind and refreshes the soul as well as a walk on a nature trail, hanging out by a lake or falling into a snowy forest with the kids. But I'm a city person. Movement, action, buzzing of people, colors, a smile when meeting a friend and that feeling when passing by strangers - everyone is in a hurry somewhere, everyone has a goal, everyone moves with their own mission - I need it every day.
You have always been cosmopolitan, you have lived in several different countries, you know many cultures very well, you speak six languages. Why was Vilnius the one that forced you to settle here for a long time?
My biggest passion - music - brought me back to Lithuania. I wanted to do something significant with the group SKAMP. If as a teenager, when I lived in Germany, I felt far from home, on the way to Lithuania I had no doubts that the capital would bring back the feeling of home. I wasn't wrong.
Vilnius is my city. I was born here, I feel like I belong here, and I have lived here continuously for twenty-five years. Vilnius gave me many experiences, discoveries and taught me a lot. Therefore, I always wanted to create here, to give something back to the city, to bring people together. This is how the art factory "Loftas" appeared, and later the first city festival of this format in Lithuania, which became one of the most prominent cultural phenomena in Vilnius - "Loftas fest". By the way, it will take place for the twelfth time this year. I am happy to have contributed to the creation of certain traditions in Vilnius and to be able to continue them.
The city presents some discoveries every day, so I want to respond to that connection as best I can - I am currently creating music for a film that will be released in the fall and is dedicated to a special occasion - the 700th anniversary of Vilnius.
Tell us about this movie.
There is such an app "Once in Vilnius". It is completely free and anyone can download it to their phone. The users of the app film and take pictures of Vilnius in the most diverse situations, record their favorite places, document everyday life in their area, notice comical or strange events and share them in the app. A bit different from other social networks, here you can share not only the events of the moment, but also store the treasure in the phone archive.
Vilnius celebrates its anniversary throughout the year, so this Živile Diavara project is a continuous celebration. Its culmination will be the seven-episode long subway film about Vilnius that will be released at the end of the year, marking the city's 700th anniversary - "Once Upon a Time in Vilnius". The purpose of the film is to show how diverse Vilnius is and how each of us sees it differently.
A very fun and unique part that is relevant for everyone - a team of film professionals will select images from all the material uploaded to the app in October to be used in editing the film. Therefore, I really encourage those who don't have the app yet to download it right now and actively broadcast everything you do, notice and experience there. Maybe your video or photo will be selected for the film. It's not every day that you get the chance to become a co-author of a unique film about the capital of Lithuania.
And your role in this project?
For me, the idea of "Once in Vilnius" is the most beautiful in that the initiative unites city residents, guests, tourists, and art world professionals in a common creative process. The role of professionals is to process the content created by people and put it into one common garment. What matters most is what people capture and upload.
The app has a new feature that allows users to create their own short films about the city, using not only their own material uploaded to the app, but also the content of any other user. When assigning a soundtrack to these short films, it is possible to choose from a wide spectrum of sounds and effects that I was entrusted to create. Vilnius is dense, there is a lot of different action, so in the app you can find the most diverse music tracks for short films: from "ambient" and "chill" - to "dub" and "garage UK" stylistics, from "Latino" music - to hip-hop , reflecting a romantic, positive mood, illustrating the night life of Vilnius or suitable for sports. I am currently in the creative process of the film "Once Upon a Time in Vilnius" - I am creating music for the film.
What does the creative process look like when you create not music for dance, not a hit for radio stations, but sounds and music for the city?
Technically, the process is the same - the same equipment and programs are used. But community projects give much more, so it would be wrong to look only from a technical perspective.
While thinking and creating both the famous apps "Once in Vilnius" for short films about people, as well as the music for the long subway film "Once in Vilnius", I became very attentive to the environment around me every day and I can say - Vilnius is unique in its sound.
The sound portrait of Vilnius is very rich. Pay attention to how the skateboard sounds On the Cathedral Square a teenager flies by, movement on Iron Wolf Street, church bells in the old town, airplanes flying over Vilnius, commotion in the city's construction sites. And if you walk through the green areas of Vilnius, a completely different sound world will open up to you.
People, flora and fauna, city life, natural phenomena of different seasons - Vilnius has so much, everything here is very alive and shapes the way the city sounds. I listened to all this, and the city itself inspired me to create both the sounds of the app and the music for the film.
How does it feel to use your passion and talent – music – to contribute to a historical event – the creation of a film for the 700th anniversary of Vilnius?
Vilnius is full of surprises. And this experience not only enriches me, but it is also something new. That's what makes Vilnius wonderful, that it never stops surprising, changing, progressing, but always remains open and accepts everyone, no matter how different we are.
The free app "Once in Vilnius" can be downloaded to your smartphone from Google Play (https://bit.ly/googleplay_OnceInVilnius) and the App Store (https://apple.co/3N6DtP6) of electronic stores.
