VALDAS KILPYS: I AM FROM LAUMĖ!

Valdas Kilpys studied philosophy and theology in Vytautas Magnus University. The texts of the author are published in the press (Aš ir Psichologija journal) and online (www.bernardinai.lt).

According to the philosopher, bohemianism is a dead phenomenon and there is no need to raise a corpse from the dead. On the other hand, V. Kilpys admits that the unusual lifestyle has contributed to the city life and its charm. Without this little but critical mass, Kaunas would drown in sadness.

What connects you with the creative life and bohemian lifestyle?

Bohemian lifestyle... It seems that it has been close all the time, since the first days I ended up in Kaunas.

I do a lot of things, but I don't know if it is great work. I write to the press. I have not published a book, but I edited 4 or 5 of them. I am not a writer, but someone close to it. So far, I do not have time for it, but I know all those things in Kaunas a bit.

In your opinion, what is the bohemian lifestyle?

I am not one of those who consider the bohemian lifestyle good in its own right. But I am also not one of those who think that bohemian lifestyle is a bad and sinister thing. It depends on what these people do. But I am not neutral when it comes to this question. I both judge and support it.

I support it because [people] like Gintaras Patackas, who sit in Laisvės Alėja all the time, in one of its cafés, are a very nice and charming edition of the city. Kaunas would be eerie without Patackas. There are at least several more people that Kaunas would be eerier without. The positive side of the bohemians is that cultured people meet and have an opportunity to relax, communicate and then, hopefully, exchange some creative ideas. But I do not consider this situation an ideal place to exchange creative thoughts. It is a myth!

So, we naturally approach the reply why I do not like them. First of all, it is followed by nonsensical myths that are not true. It is a myth that bohemians are some super valuable group of people the world will collapse without. It usually involves a place for drunks, libertines and people who are not peasants but rather idlers, to gather. Without having a talent, they do not do anything else but drink alcohol, coffee, and pester those creators to whom being among bohemians is the greatest torture. Because they are professionals who want to create, write, paint, thus actually create, and their activity is beneficial. In this sense, I think about bohemians like a sinister gathering of idlers. In my opinion, the current situation is that bohemians are getting back to the Soviet domestic alcoholism, and not only in Kaunas.

And if we explain bohemianism like a cultural phenomenon?

Actually, bohemianism is related to another concept of dendism: it is a free and non-committal being together.

If we treat bohemianism as a positive thing, of course, one must speak about the exchange of thoughts, dissemination of ideas (which I do not actually believe in). However, specialised conferences can be such a place: “Poezijos Pavasaris”, a convention of “Baltos Lankos” in Druskininkai, “Santara-Šviesa” congresses, etc. There are better structured and specialised events where people who actually create meet one another. In the meantime, bohemianism is an intangible term.

And the interwar period? Was bohemianism a flawed phenomenon back then as well?

It was a different thing during the interwar period. Herbačiauskas, Kipras Petrauskas, Balys Sruoga, Vaižgantas, even Maironis… They gathered together and partied. However, back then, society was divided into somewhat different categories. Its structure was clearer. So, the people of culture during the interwar period matched the concept of classical bohemianism better.

Why it is impossible to revive such bohemianism like it was during the interwar period?

It is a consequence of globalism, the postmodern world. The nature of current times makes bohemianism in its pure sense impossible. It is like trying to reanimate a corpse. It takes to look for new forms, new communication opportunities starting from the virtual world, ending with some circles which are now happening on the domestic level. And things that become public can appear only in very specialised events. All cafés that existed during the Soviet times as an intermediary space for bohemians basically died. There is one place in Kaunas, where you may find something like that: is it called Skliautas but nowadays it is also frequented by peasants. Well, Kultūra also.

What cafés or other places in Laisvės Alėja during the Soviet times where places of gathering of artists?

Tulpė, Laumė, Metras (Metropolis) a bit. Also, Astra, but after the reconstruction, everyone fled. But this was the late Soviet period.

Menininkų Namai (House of Artists) is basically doomed to be the residency of artists. There was this café as well. We used to drink there a lot, but as I have said, it was more of a gathering place for art professionals...

What places have you visited?

I am from Laumė! Probably mostly the most Laumian one, if we speak about Laisvės Alėja.

If we speak about the Old Town, then Ugnė and Pegasas a bit.

What were the meetings in Laumė?

Laumė was a unique phenomenon in Kaunas, because everyone would go there: from the green atgajistai (Note: Lithuanian ecological and ethnological movement Atgaja established in 1987 that was active at the beginning of Sąjūdis), hippies, goths and whatever you like. It was a serious spot. Many things happened there. It is a pity that it no longer exists.

Did you visit Tulpė?

Not much. Tulpė was for the gatherings of elders, so we did not go there.

How did the bohemians influence the society?

I think that the notion of bohemians that we speak of is not beneficial. It is redundant. However, if we speak about free, independent and creative people, it is necessary a lot. The city must live its life, so there must be the critical mass of people even without money. These people would rather buy bear for 6 litas somewhere at a café, rather than purchase two bottles for 6 litas and drink them somewhere under a bush. These people must exist, and I hope they will! But I would like to repeat: bohemianism is an old and outdated term, too idealised and which does not mean anything today. Its meaning has been devalued.

What would encourage the return of creative communication into the public spaces of the city from the environment of virtual communication?

It is a very serious question. It is not only me who does not know the answer. If we speak about Kaunas, a lot has been done here. In general, I think the mentality should change. But it changes naturally. One does not have to do anything, only not to interfere. Everything happens like this as well: people are becoming freer, they travel around the world, return and understand that it is better to invest into one pint at a café rather than three bottles somewhere under a bush. If you compared the situation with Kaunas two years ago and now, you would see that many things are better right now.

Prepared by Modesta Skinkaitienė.