Meeting with June residents – Jurgita Žvinklytė and Matti Palonen

June 28, 3 – 7 p.m. we invite you to meet the duo from Canada “Honeypaw“ – Jurgita Žvinklyte and Matti Palonen, the artist residents of “Verpejos” for the months of May and June.
Jurgita met Matti in Canada in 2019.  Since that time they have been playing Finno-Baltic neofolk that explores the interconnection of ancient Lithuanian and Finnish Kalevala traditions, and fusing them with modern soundscapes and rhythms. Their current project is centred around wax cylinder recordings collected by Finnish folklorist A.R. Niemi in Biržai, Valkininkai, and Marcinkonys in 1912. 

Their music is deeply rooted in the forest, and trees are often an essential part of their recording and performing process.  The ancient stringed instruments they play were traditionally thought to define the boundary between the human and forest realms, and this concept has led them to develop the tree harp, an interactive art installation built into or attached to trees. The tree harp is the culmination of their backgrounds in music, environmental science, lutherie, and sculpture, as they seek to recast traditional music with a contemporary focus on sustainability and aesthetics.

At the beginning of this event, the artists will present their installation of tree harps in the residency garden and in the forest near the village, as well as clay whistles they have made using archaic techniques. Following the tour we will talk and enjoy coffee, tea, and snacks, and at 5 p.m., we will invite you to a Honeypaw concert in the residency barn. At the concert, you will hear how their current repertoire has been shaped by their experience in Kabeliai.

“Verpėjos’ creative pastures” intended to focus on the slow process of artistic research and the long-term value for the creators and audience participating in it. In close communion with animals and nature, we invite the creators to rethink the relationship between contemporary humans and the environment in the epoch of the Anthropocene.

Venue: Kabelių st. 7, Kabeliai village, Varėna district.
Date: 28.06.2025
Time: 3 – 7 p.m.
Organized by: VšĮ “Verpėjos”
Supported by: Lithuanian Cultural Council