"When I create, I strive to satisfy myself first." ___ composer / electronic music producer / audiovisual artist / name: Maximilianas Oprishka / Vilnius / Lithuania
Is endurance important in your work?
When it comes to endurance, it goes hand in hand with getting out of your comfort zone. We create the most interesting pieces when we go beyond the limits of our comfort. How can you create something unheard of when you're repeating your process and doing the same thing you've been doing all along? When I create music, I try to please myself first and foremost. Whether others like is a secondary factor.
How important is the endurance of the viewer?
In the framework of the Endurance project, from my side, it was a game where you try to play the line between monotony and non-monotony. It almost becomes monotonous and not interesting anymore, and then you make a change, thus challenging the listener to keep listening.
Aren't you afraid that it might become boring and not accepted anymore?
It's always a bit of a lottery. In the context of this performance, I wanted to play with stress release, build tension, and create a culmination to make sure everyone gets a dopamine hit.
In the context of the Endurance project, the viewers confront themselves.
We tried to transform the space of the Arts Printing House so that it looks a little different than what everyone is used to. The audience sees a man-sculpture. People are still moving involuntarily because it is just the beginning of the show. Someone's phone rings. In the end, we achieved our goal - ten minutes before the performance, there was almost complete silence in the hall. People understood that what was happening was also part of the performance. It was interesting to watch people's reactions. Arvydas had a good idea to illuminate Konstantin with one bright beam from above so that within half an hour the lighting would shrink to one very thin beam. The space changes and transforms, the sound intensifies, it goes dark for ten seconds, and the performance begins.
Many have encountered what this project examines - inner endurance when you do not fully understand how long it will last.
This is quite relevant, especially in the context of a global pandemic, where we may not know where the finish line is, and how much effort it will take. This was one of the starting points - to illustrate the erasure of time limits when you don't know how much endurance you have to demand from yourself.
What did the other artists bring to the project?
All of us come from different fields. Konstantinas is an acrobat, a circus performer. Experimental arts are a daily ritual for him. Arvydas comes from the perspective of large, sometimes commercial events. He has the ambition to do something interesting, something new that perhaps no one has done. My idea is not to repeat your process but to get out of your comfort zone. For example, I wanted to record a live organ instrument for this performance. Konstantinas brought a human factor, real and tangible life to this project. He never goes down to the ground and it requires a lot of physical and psychological effort. Arvydas has a slogan "more wonder", which he did it.
Have you set yourself the goal of meeting the needs of different audiences?
No, when we started the project, we did not have a specific target audience. We wanted it to be both conceptual and enjoyable to listen to. I always try to find balance in my work, so that it is not too abstract and can be understood on a simple level. Those who want to dig deeper can also do it.
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