Presentation by Julijonas Urbonas at CERN
On 19 October Lithuanian artist and Vice-Rector for Art at Vilnius Academy of Arts Julijonas Urbonas presented his work as part of the Accelerate @ CERN residency project at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The presentation was organized in close cooperation between the artist, CERN and the Lithuanian Permanent Mission in Geneva.
The event opened with welcome speeches by the Permanent Representative of Lithuania in Geneva Ambassador Andrius Krivas and the Director of the Arts at CERN Programme Monica Bello. The presentation was attended by the Permanent Representative of Poland, diplomates from the Ukrainian Permanent Mission, numerous staff members of the multinational CERN as well as members of Switzerland's Lithuanian community.
The winner of Accelerate@CERN Lithuania Competition Julijonas Urbonas is currently involved in a one-month artistic residency project at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which is famous for its 27-kilometer Hadron Collider. The artist seeks to accomplish an art research project in collaboration with scientists from the center.
Accelerate@CERN residency is part of the art and science program ARTS AT CERN, which promotes dialogue between artists and researchers in fundamental sciences.
Julijonas Urbonas is an artist, designer, researcher, engineer, lecturer, Vice-Rector for Art at Vilnius Academy of Arts and PhD student in Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art, London. In his work J. Urbonas combines various disciplines, conducts scientific and art research, explores the interaction between the technology and arts. J. Urbonas spent most of his childhood in Klaipeda amusement park, which was managed by his farther. In 2004 J. Urbonas became the head of the Klaipeda amusement park and ran it for three years. He became fascinated by “gravitational aesthetics” experienced in the amusement parks. Thereby J. Urbonas’ recent projects are based on the research related to gravitational sensory experiences, present in amusement parks, high maneuverability airplanes and acrobatics area. His works have been awarded with numerous prizes, among them one of the most prestigious awards in the field of interdisciplinary arts – the Prix Ars Electronica (2010). In 2016 Julijonas Urbonas received the honorable Lithuanian Culture Award "Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis REX Cup”. His projects can be found in private and museum collections, such as the permanent collection of the Centre for Art and Media Karlsruhe (ZKM) in Germany.
Julijonas Urbonas residency is supported by the Lithuanian Centre for Art and Education RUPERT, the Lithuanian Council for Culture and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva.
The illustrating images are courtesy by CERN.
More information about the artist and his work can be found at:
