Architecture Exhibition for Children

Basic information

Project Title

Full project title

Architecture Exhibition for Children "Moder...What? Kaunas and Šiauliai modernism architecture!"

Project Description

Architecture exhibitions are designed for children to learn about the modernism of Siauliai and Kaunas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, children can experience live by climbing, touching, exploring, opening windows, and doors to see fragments of history. And to play, play, play!- build roads, manage the funicular wagons, plant trees, play in little modern houses. And most important, to regain a sense of belonging and restore the connection with the local historical heritage by playing.

Geographical Scope

Local

Project Region

Kaunas and Siauliai cities, Lithuania

Urban or rural issues

Mainly urban

Physical or other transformations

It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

EU Programme or fund

Description of the project

Summary

The project includes three parts: an exhibition of Kaunas city modernism and the architect's profession for children "Moder...What? Kaunas Modernism", exhibition for children of Šiauliai city modernism "Modernism architecture in Siauliai: learn, build, play" and electronic book for children about Kaunas modernism "Unfold modernism!". The target group for the exhibitions is children aged 4-12 years. These exhibitions present the architecture of modernism buildings in the cities of Kaunas and Siauliai, highlight their values by combining playful experience and practical education. Each exhibition is equipped with five spatial objects with accompanying material. Real modernism-style buildings are reduced to the size where children can play and explore. Children are invited to perceive modernism, for example, by playing in the ice cream theatre at the Pienocentras Palace, driving the fire car from the Fire House, baking bread in the bakery Banga, or creating their dream class at the Ausra elementary school. They can get to know not only the buildings but also the processes that took place in the interwar era while building roads or water supply networks. The scope of the project also included a free e-book from which models of 24 modernism buildings layouts in Kaunas can be made. The book also contains the most interesting facts about these buildings, the most famous architects of the 1919-1939 era, and instructions on how to construct spatial models of buildings. The goals of this project are to create architectural exhibitions based on local culture and exclusively for children, to help them understand the uniqueness of the modernism architecture of Kaunas and Siauliai and thus to instil in them love for their native land. The cultural memory of the objects is actualized by recreating modernism buildings in models, and presenting it to children. These exhibitions regained a sense of belonging for children and restored the connection with the local historical heritage.

Key objectives for sustainability

The main objectives of the project related to sustainability are based on the goals of sustainable architecture, such as an architecture that is inclusive, socially conscious and takes into account the demands of every member of society, leaving no one behind in efforts to reduce age inequality and ensuring quality education that is based on learning spaces that are an essential investment in the future. Quality education is the basis of sustainable development. Exhibitions are supervised in addition to children's education by introducing architecture and its principles of heritage values, and the unique interwar buildings of the cities of Kaunas and Siauliai to children. Cultural heritage and preservation of cultural heritage are also understood as important factors contributing to the sustainable development of the city of Kaunas and are integrated into the city's development policy and planning documents. The project also aims to reduce the inequality due to age. Architectural exhibitions for children have not yet been held in Lithuania, so this is the first exhibition where children can learn about architecture and the interwar period. It is said that "we can reach sustainable development and make the planet better for everyone, if people are excluded from opportunities, services, and the possibility of having a better life", so it is possible for children to learn, to get to know their country and its values has an impact on sustainability. Architectural artistic education also has a great influence on children's emotional, spiritual and intellectual maturity (Jankauskaite - Jureviciene, 2018).

Key objectives for aesthetics and quality

The aims of the project are:
- to represent connections with the local historical heritage such as the unique modern architecture of the cities of Kaunas and Šiauliai;
- to regain a sense of belonging with local historical heritage for children;
- to foster a sense of belonging between cities, between generations, between children, and architects through a playful experience. Children can feel like architects at the exhibitions by creating, building, and participating in the creative process. The earlier children touch architecture, the more they will love and appreciate this area, and when they grow up, they will contribute to the creation of a quality environment;
- to include long-term cultural values in order to introduce the profession of architect to as many children as possible, and to develop children's creativity and critical thinking, which is becoming increasingly important in the labour market and observes a better personal and civic life (Vincent-Lancrin et al., 2019). Creativity is said to be integral to the ongoing reconstruction and interpretation of cities. This means that "people can be creative not only in creating, but also in perceiving what surrounds them" (Zaleckis, Balvo Chiene, 2021).

Key objectives for inclusion

The exhibitions were prepared based on the principles of universal and integral design, which provides that the environment can be used by children without special adaptations, and identity determines our choices in terms of the environment. One of the goals of this project was to involve children, introduce them architecture, modernism, show that they can also be active creators of the environment, not just observers. The exhibitions and the book support the most vulnerable members of the community - children, and increase the opportunity for all people to interact, because both in the exhibition and with the book, families are encouraged to get involved together with children, so that everyone can spend time together.

Results in relation to category

In "Architecture: Kaunas 2023" exhibition held in the city of Kaunas, the authors of the first exhibition were awarded a diploma for the dissemination and education of architecture. The results of the entire project and their impact are long-lasting. During the games, by making model buildings, children explore the characteristics and principles of modern architecture, get to know the history of Kaunas and Siauliai, and deepen their knowledge about the importance of heritage. Both the book and the exhibitions contribute to the education and nurturing of children's nationalism, help children realise their identity and allow them to be proud of their native land, and allow them to understand what architecture is and what architects do. It allows the possibility to regain a sense of belonging, gives spirit and meaning to modern architecture, cities, and their culture in the eyes of children. The project is connected with local historical heritage and traditions, is continuous, and covers two cities. The Kaunas is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the question “What is the value of our modernism and what is its place in the whole context’ is still being asked in the city of Siauliai. Therefore, the installations in this exhibition helps people to realize the value of the modernism of the city of Siauliai and encourage them to be proud. The project provides a sense of community on a local scale, both by realising the uniqueness of each city separately and by connecting two cities into a community.

How Citizens benefit

Children are also involved in the project with an advisory voice. During the exhibitions they can send letters to the architects, dropping them in the mailbox next to the lining of the Central Post Office building, and leave feedback about the exhibition. They can also vote for their favourite game at the Municipal Buildings of the interwar era and thus influence the expositions of the exhibition. These votes allow us to understand children's perceptions and choices. The third aspect is this, that in both exhibitions, children can create their own projects, draw their dream houses and hang them in the exhibition. This makes the exhibitions interactive and changing depending on the children.

Physical or other transformations

It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Innovative character

Lithuania hosts many different exhibitions, but there has never been an architectural exhibition dedicated exclusively to children, where they could play, study, learn about modernism architecture and the profession of an architect, herewith regain a sense of belonging and thus restore connection with local historical heritage. The exhibition in Kaunas is the first architecture exhibition in Lithuania where children are the most important participants, with a unique opportunity for them to get to know architecture and local historical heritage in a playful and original way and to understand its importance in the environment around us. It is also a new and innovative format of nontraditional education, which introduces the modernism heritage of Kaunas and Siauliai cities and their values.

Disciplines/knowledge reflected

The disciplines involved in the creation of the exhibition were architecture, civil engineering, pedagogy, and interdisciplinary art. Three architects (Egle Januskiene, Vika Pranaityte-Barecke, Ieva Stulpinaite) contributed to the creation of the first exhibition; a primary school teacher and representative of interdisciplinary art, consulted during the design. This made it possible to create a space that became valuable not only in an architectural sense but also became attractive to visitors, and especially to children. The advices of Evelina Sakaviciene, a representative of the field of pedagogy, made it possible to look at architecture playfully, through children's eyes, and to create games suitable for them. The master Eugenijus Sakavicius’ knowledge of construction engineering helped to construct the structures of the houses. Thanks to this, children can safely climb to school on the Zaliakalnis mountain, take the cable car, or climb with the first elevator in the Mordel apartment building. During the design of the exhibition, there was both a horizontal exchange, with the cooperation of architects, and a vertical exchange, with the cooperation of representatives of other fields. An interdisciplinary approach, including pedagogical, psychological, and social knowledge in the architectural field, made it possible to create an architectural exhibition where children can learn, experience, and get to know modernism architecture and its values while playing. The first exhibition allowed the acquired knowledge to be applied in the creation of the second exhibition in Siauliai. This is how modernism houses travel throughout the cities and can also give children the joy of learning.

Methodology used

Quantitative and qualitative literature analysis was used to prepare the exhibition project. During the quantitative analysis, the situation of past and present children's exhibitions in Lithuania and foreign countries was evaluated, their exposition and presentation were analysed. During the qualitative analysis, a literature analysis was carried out on the topic of modernism architecture, and archival sources were analysed, especially in order to find out how children lived in the interwar period, what they did and how they spent their time, for example, they liked to eat the ice cream they bought on Laisves awenue: "In addition to private traders, you can also see Milk centre ice cream carts. The ice cream consisted of 24% fat cream, condensed milk, milk powder, and flavour extracts imported from abroad. A total of 12 types of ice cream were sold." Such a discovery inspired the creation of the Milk Center Palace House -theater where children can sell ice cream themselves. Stories about tree planting festivals inspired the creation of a map of the city of Kaunas and Siauliai, on which children can "plant" wooden magnetic trees.
The installation of the exhibition was carried out after selecting the main and most representative buildings of modernism architecture, preparing their floor plans, cutting out the facades, and then installing the houses. Each house creates an opportunity to play with the historical motif of that building, for example, as in the Siauliai city hospital, where a child can have his eyesight tested with the word "Modernism".

How stakeholders are engaged

The greatest contribution was made by the contribution of A. and P. Galauniu House Museum, Venclauskiu House-Museum, the Lithuanian Council of Culture, and the Union of Lithuanian Architects. During the preparation of the first exhibition in Kaunas, the house-museum of A. and P. Galauniai agreed to accept the exposition of the exhibition in its building, which is also a modernism style building, helped with the preparation of the exhibition‘ installations, always supported morally and spread the word about the exhibition. The Venclauskiau House Museum contacted after some time and asked if the exhibition could move to their museum, but when it was suggested to create a Siauliai city version, they gladly agreed and accepted the proposed idea. The Lithuanian Council of Culture and the Union of Lithuanian Architects supported the installation of the first exhibition in Kaunas and the preparation of the electronic book. The Union of Lithuanian Architects also contributed to the publicity of the work. The installations of the Siauliai exhibition was financed by the Siauliai City Municipality and the Lithuanian Culture Council. The fact that museums have adopted individual initiatives and provided facilities shows a close relationship of cooperation, their openness, as well as the fact that museums are open to all good initiatives. The most important thing is not to be afraid and approach with an idea. The participation of all parties gave to the creators of the exhibition confidence and belief that they are going in the right direction.

Global challenges

The project exhibits local solutions - hand-made expositions that represent the modernism style and interwar architecture of Lithuanian cities. The Kaunas modernism architecture entered the UNESCO world heritage list in 2023, so introducing children to the style of this architecture at the exhibition becomes even more relevant. It is very important to educate and teach children about architecture. By getting to know it, children not only learn a new science, but also learn about life, understand the environment around them and later become active citizens who create and love their environment: "Cases realised with children show that encountering architecture at an early age, when their brains are not formed, has great potential both for the architectural environment and for the formation of children's consciousness in relation to the environment around them. Awareness at an early age can provide an opportunity to shape a more meaningful environment.“ This awareness contributes to responsible behaviour with one's environment, solves ecological problems, sustainability, and traffic problems (Cavdar, 2012). Architecture is not just about designing. It includes the creation of a safe environment, the creation of socially responsible spaces, it helps to shape the artistic taste of society, to understand the historical heritage, and to reduce social exclusion. It is argued that if every person had the opportunity to receive an architectural education as a child, he could easily make decisions related to his environment (Cavdar, 2012). Therefore, in the long term, architecture education will be able to solve problems such as suburbanisation and poor aesthetic value of the environment (Borucka, J., Macikowski, B., 2016).

Learning transferred to other parties

The exhibition can be replicated in all historical cities by conquering their buildings and transferring them with play elements to small houses of a suitable size for children. The same was done with this project: the first exhibition was created in the city of Kaunas, the second in the city of Siauliai, where the modernism architectural buildings of this city are also presented. The e-book that accompany the exhibition can also be replicated across towns or villages, creating layouts of important buildings in that area. This project can be adapted and replicated as a methodology in other countries as well, emphasising the unique experiences of that area, especially in areas where modernism style buildings are also found - this style of architecture is easy for children to grasp and understand, especially for those who are learning geometric shapes.