Rėda Brandišauskienė

White Darkness (Balta tamsa)

Short Film

White Darkness is a poetic cinematic reflection on public space, memory, and the fragility of heritage in contemporary cities. Based on a real intervention—a one-night fog installation enveloping the controversial apartment complex inserted into Vilnius Old Town’s baroque Missionaries’ Ensemble—the film examines how ephemeral artistic gestures can confront irreversible urban transformations. The film invites viewers to reassess their relationship with place, loss, and historical awareness.

The short film was created from the documentation of the 27 March 2025 fog installation and accompanied by an original musical composition. The piece was performed and recorded on 15 May 2025 in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, part of Vilnius’ Missionaries’ Ensemble, blending with the ambient sounds of the city that echo through the sacred space.

Public Art Installation

White Darkness is a case-study-based artistic protest gesture addressing the transformation of Vilnius Old Town’s (UNESCO) cultural landscape in favour of short-term private gain.

On the evening of 27 March 2025, buildings alien to the historical context of the Old Town were engulfed in fog—a temporary artistic intervention that momentarily obscured the supposedly “purchased” panoramic views of apartment dwellers, while offering the city a breath of relief from the disruptive new structures imposed upon its historic landscape. This ephemeral installation named and disrupted the metaphorical fog that enabled such dissonant changes, poetically holding up a mirror to power. The work invites a revival of urban memory, a conscious reflection on the city’s development, and a return to trustworthy landmarks.