Exploring different puddle species and their site-specific behavior, Puddle Watching is a guided tour that makes Kaunas’ puddles visible, visitable and experienceable - even in a dry state. Although puddles are an ephemeral phenomenon, they do not occur randomly. The tour looks into their preferences, needs and logic, asking why they appear where they do, thus offering a new view on puddles and the city. A booklet accompanying the walk offers everything to facilitate a journey into the world of Puddle Watching.
The walk was created in collaboration with Indrė Urbelytė (Ekskursas).
Puddle Watching is presented as part of Grande Saison SanuaK, a programme of artistic guided tours in the frame of Kaunas European Capital of Culture 2022. Grande Saison SanuaK is a collaboration between Ekskursas (Kaunas) and B_Tour (Berlin), organized and curated by Yael Sherill, Lianne Mol and Algimantas Grigas.
Balų stebėjimas (kaunas), 2022, LT
Įvairių tipų vandens telkinių mieste tyrinėjimas ir jų pokyčių išaiškinimas, būdingas konkrečiai miesto vietai – tai ekskursija, kurios metu Kauno balos ir balutės tampa matomos, aplankomos ir patiriamos – net ir būdamos sausos, palikdamos tam tikrus ženklus. Nors lietaus balos yra efemeriškas reiškinys, jos neatsiranda atsitiktinai. Ekskursija nagrinėja jų atsiradimo aplinkybes, sąlygas ir logiką, klausia, kodėl jos atsiranda ten, kur atsiranda, ir taip siūlo netikėtą požiūrio tašką į balas ir miestą. Pasivaikščiojimą lydi knygelė, kurioje rasite viską, kas palengvins kelionę į „Balų stebėjimo“ pasaulį.
Ekskurso gidė: Indrė Urbelytė
Practical Information
- Puddles have two states: they can be present (wet) or absent (dry). Even in their dry state, their locations can be identified and visited. It may take a moment to detect and single out the sediment imprint of a dry puddle on a freshly renovated street. Others are much more present. By careful observation of the qualities of the ground the different types and shapes of puddles can be recognized.
- The ideal time for observing puddles is from one to twelve hours after rainfall with the sun shining.
- Puddles are inseparable from the urban context and can be erased at any time by a variety of factors. The puddles described in this walk are also subject to these dynamics.
Walk
Start point: Šančių Švč. Jėzaus Širdies bažnyčia / Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Šančiai (by the gate), Kaunas
Duration of the walk: 90 to 110 minutes, 4.5 km
Please respect the neighbourhood and its residents. Be aware that watching puddles might cause curiosity, scepticism or even trigger certain anxieties.