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The First Beacon. For a Bright Sailing
Klaipėda
Historically, a beacon or guiding light was a navigational marker used to indicate safe passages and warn of dangers.
Wooden structures with flames at their peaks would light up the shores, providing information to passing ships.
Klaipėda's location and its connection to the water have always been tied to waiting, setting sail, and the eternal act of returning. This creation, too, serves as a Dedication of Light—to memory, the present, and the future.
A human cultural beacon has been created, drawing from historical roots—beacons, lighthouses, and guiding lights that extended from the sea gates across the entire Klaipėda lagoon. This system also included temple towers and lighthouses, but the beacon is particularly intriguing as an object and symbol worth remembering and emphasizing. It is perfectly represented in Klaipėda's coat of arms and now, during the New Year, has arrived at the cruise ship terminal plaza as a contemporary artwork—a temporary light object that adorns the city and creates a strong point of attraction.
The structure is built from white-painted steel tubes and a network of tensioned cables, forming kinetic geometric patterns influenced by wind strength. These patterns are rooted in motifs of trees or diamonds, inspired by old Curonian culture and UNESCO-recognized Lithuanian straw gardens. Through this modern artistic creation, the beacon forms a connection between the past, the present, and the potential visions of the future.
The total height of the structure is approximately 27 meters. It stands on a wooden platform (8x8 meters), which serves as a pedestal—an experiential light space or gateway. The surface of the platform is covered with planks painted in gray-white tones, featuring encoded patterns from the most archaic Curonian symbols. The metal structure, along with its tensioned cables, is illuminated with LED strips totaling nearly 1 kilometer in length.
This beacon is not just a striking visual installation but a meaningful link between tradition and innovation, weaving historical narratives with contemporary artistic expression and offering glimpses of future possibilities.
2025
Visual: Agota Maziliauskaitė, Mantas Maziliauskas
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