When I approach a person with a compliment, is it kindness? When I hug a person after hearing about their struggles, is it enough? When I take an unfamiliar person’s hand during a creative workshop, is it a natural act? If two people with different political beliefs have a chat, how kind can the conversation be? When one person openly shares a personal story in a group, what should the listeners do to act kind enough? How many different types of kindness can one show to another?
In a world increasingly shaken by disturbing global politics – where democratic values are under siege and true victims of war are unjustly blamed – it is more important than ever to reaffirm the fundamental kindness that connects us as human beings. In challenging times, individual acts of compassion may seem small, but they hold immense power. By embracing inclusivity, showing empathy, and extending kindness, we cultivate resilience and lay the foundation for a stronger, healthier society.
Magic Carpets residencies in Kaunas in 2025 were conceptualised with belief in the power of kindness through art. The main question was: how can people show kindness in creative and new ways? Highlighting the transformative force of kindness proved that even the smallest gestures can inspire change and restore faith in our shared humanity.
The project took place in Dainava – a residential district in Kaunas, located approximately 20 minutes from the city centre. As the largest and oldest district of block housing in the city, Dainava is characterised by Soviet-era apartment buildings, industrial heritage, private homes, and expansive green parks that bring a sense of openness to the urban setting. Once a thriving hub for factory workers, the district is now home to a diverse community, including many retired industrial workers, young families and others. Although many of the factories that shaped the area’s history are no longer operational, Dainava remains a dynamic and evolving neighbourhood, balancing its past with the changing dynamics of contemporary urban life.
To bring together community members from this area, the project team – for the second year in a row – collaborated with the NGO Family Centre “Let’s Be Together” (Būkime kartu), located next to one of the beautiful parks. The centre plays a vital role in the area, strengthening families and fostering social integration by providing essential social services to the local community. It primarily supports socially vulnerable groups, including single mothers, mothers with disabilities, mothers of children with disabilities, seniors, individuals on probation, and unemployed persons. The collaboration evolved into a beautiful symbiosis between Magic Carpets and “Let’s Be Together”, where the artistic approach encouraged the active community to thrive, engage in deeper conversations and relationships, and foster new ideas.
Four artists in the Magic Carpets residency, over a two-month period and meeting twice a week, invited the Dainava community to explore different ways of showing creative kindness to one another.
Architect Alžběta P. Brůhová from the Czech Republic arrived in Kaunas without a specific artistic idea, remaining fully open to being guided by the collaborative creation process with the community. During the first meetings with Dainava residents, Alžběta raised questions about their environment and their relationship with it. How kind should people be to their surroundings, and how kind should the city be to its people? Community members discussed how to empower people to believe in their ability to shape their surroundings. “In a democratic society, where every individual carries not only responsibility but also a voice, people and communities can take part in creating space. Even if this participation comes ‘from below’, as a temporary test or experiment, it still opens up possibilities. Residents hold great potential and power to reshape the environment they live in, especially when they come together,” shared Alžběta. “What kind of Dainava would you like to see – and what steps could you take to make it real?” she also asked.
The final outcome of the residency – the installation “Daydreaming Pavilion” – was created with this in mind. It was a place where individuals could reconnect with their visions and dreams – to imagine what once seemed unimaginable. It was a setting for focus and for generating ideas towards a fairer society, one that may even extend beyond the human sphere. The pavilion’s compact, lightweight and easily transportable form allows it to be placed both indoors and outdoors, offering different atmospheres and configurations that inspire new perspectives each time. Its visual design was co-created with community members, who were invited to spray paint natural linen fabrics using various techniques inspired by Dainava’s surroundings. Later, Alžběta installed the fabrics into wooden frames, which became both the installation itself and practical, transportable furniture to be used in the social centre’s premises, as people had wished even before the project began. The installation was accompanied by a beautifully designed booklet, presenting the community’s ideas following the prompt “I want Dainava to be…”.
Every city begins with a dream.
What feels permanent was once imagined.
Interdisciplinary artist Gudrita Lapė – born in Lithuania and living between Iceland and Spain – usually investigates the relationship between art and the natural world. With the Dainava community, she developed this theme through multisensory rituals and participatory food art. Gudrita examined the power of kindness by asking: what are the flavour memories of Kaunas? In Dainava’s concrete landscape, the artist worked with what was available – plants, roots, sugar and salt – to evoke care and transformation. Guided by gastrophysics, Gudrita invited participants to taste without seeing, to sense through memory and imagination, and to rediscover beauty and empathy through the simplest acts of plant alchemy.
In her meetings with the community, Gudrita introduced the ancient drink kombucha, which is slowly gaining attention as a source of health and vitality. It is a fermented, effervescent tea made from a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) with sugar and tea. Gudrita invited the community to go deeper into the kombucha brewing process, step by step, ritualistically co-creating the process together. They tasted natural kombucha flavours – such as cumin, thyme, lime, cucumber, quince, currant jam, ginger and wormwood – combined them, created a sugar mandala, and shared kind thoughts before adding the sugar to the tea jars. The artist later shared her recipe and brewing method in a creative brochure distributed among the Dainava participants.
Another part of the project invited people to try the flower-smashing technique on sheets of fabric which, after discussions with the community, became tablecloths for future gatherings. It resonated with participants’ interest in trying out unexpected vegan recipes and undiscovered ingredients. Homemade guacamole, hummus, vegan apple pie and vegetables baked in salt dough were among the discoveries. Gudrita’s time in Dainava invited reflection, intimacy and a sense of wonder in nature – even within urban, concrete surroundings. It was beautiful to witness how small food rituals could bring cosiness to a space and encourage kindness, attentiveness and shared care among people from different backgrounds.
One more residency was implemented by the contemporary clowning and movement theatre duo – Barbora Türkmen Šoganová (Slovakia/Czech Republic) and Orkun Türkmen (Turkey/Czech Republic). Their aim was to take a step towards spreading kindness and contributing to collective care. Throughout the residency, the notion of acceptance became central for the duo – they explored how kindness can unfold through accepting ourselves and others, life and failure, differences and dreams. “A powerful community is not one that erases differences (as would a crowd) but one that embraces them with openness and empathy”, shared the artists.
The Dainava community had expressed great interest in clowning while selecting artists for this residency from the short list proposed by the curator, so Barbora and Orkun felt compelled to share their philosophy and methods of contemporary clowning. During their meetings, they witnessed adults allowing themselves to be silly, to laugh, to be naive, to imagine, to step into an imaginary world and play games without filters and with full involvement. They deeply appreciated the moments when people opened up – when they shared their hearts, showed trust, and were willing to share memories.
During and after the residency, the final result – a collaborative clowning performance with artists and community members using red noses they made themselves – raised several questions. Can kindness start from small actions? How can we reduce our egos and still allow ourselves to be fully seen? Can we feed ourselves through a “community-ego” – a collective identity that nurtures rather than limits us? How do we navigate the tension between being individuals and being part of a community?
These reflections continue to guide the artists and the whole project team – how do kindness and acceptance lead us in shaping communities?
About the “Power of Kindness” closing event, 2025
After the continued friendship between the Dainava community and the Magic Carpets artists, one collaborative idea for the final event was put together by all four artists and the project curator. The concept for the one-day event emerged from a shared wish to create a cosy and uniting atmosphere. What easily connects and warms both body and mind is food – therefore, a performative dinner format was chosen. The dinner took place in a small grassy courtyard near the NGO “Let’s Be Together”, surrounded by trees, strings of warm lights and photo garlands documenting the project.
Even though the readers of this text cannot attend the dinner served live by the Magic Carpets artists, they are invited to experience it by exploring the event MENU – to feel kindness and the taste of togetherness through the images.
MENU
Starter
Clowning performance with the community of Dainava titled “Notes of Dainava”, facilitated by the artistic duo Barbora Türkmen Šoganová & Orkun Türkmen.
Ingredients: laughter, openness, kindness, homemade clown noses, rhythm, acceptance, playfulness, failure, presence.
Allergens: traces of absurdity.
Serving suggestion: best enjoyed together.
Takeaway option
Main course
Gastronomic performance “HeartWarmer” by artist Gudrita Lapė.
Ingredients: kombucha drink, hot plant-based dish, cosy lights, conversations, playfulness, glass bottles, spoons, new tastes, pictures, ideas, recipe booklets*.
Allergens: ask Gudrita.
Serving suggestion: best enjoyed while eating with special spoons created by Alžběta P. Brůhová, making the process creative; drink kombucha only after carefully reading the label.
Takeaway option
Dessert
Installation by architect Alžběta P. Brůhová – “Daydreaming Pavilion”.
Location: NGO “Let’s Be Together” premises.
Ingredients: wood, linen, paint, cosy lights, dreams, imagination, wishes, paper booklets
Allergens: too many people at once may wake you from daydreaming.
Serving suggestion: best enjoyed individually or in pairs – pausing, dreaming of new spatial possibilities, imagining a fairer world.
Takeaway option
Digestif
“The Ritual of Letting Go” by Alžběta P. Brůhová and Gudrita Lapė.
Ingredients: bay leaves, pencils, metal bowl, matches, key words, fire.
Serving suggestion: best enjoyed individually and in a large circle, reflecting on what experiences brought you here and what you want to release.
Enjoy!
Thank you to everyone who contributed:
Community facilitator – Austėja Bliumkytė-Padgurskienė
Artist buddy – Arnis Aleinikovas
Community facilitation mentor, psychologist – Sigita Stabinskė
Technical support – Jomantas Padgurskas, Austėja Jančoraitė, Benjaminas Ančeris
Communication – Agnė Tuskevičiūtė, Tiesiog Studija
Dainava community leader – Inga Bradūnienė
Design – Roberta Grigaliūnaitė, Deimantas Mackevičius
Editor – Martynas Gedvila
Pictures and video – Martynas Plepys, Marius Paplauskas
Coordinator – Ana Tamulytė
Volunteers – Simonas Mikalauskis, Viltė Kiaupaitė, Patricija Markevičiūtė
Organised by Kaunas Biennial
Partner organisations – NGO Family Centre “Let’s Be Together”, Kaunas Artists’ House, Eglė Straleckaitė Dance Group, Budweis – European Capital of Culture 2028, Kaunas University of Applied Sciences
Funded by Creative Europe and the Lithuanian Culture Institute
The curatorial text was written by curator Brigita Bareikytė in collaboration with artists Alžběta P. Brůhová, Gudrita Lapė, Barbora Türkmen Šoganová and Orkun Türkmen