ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE PRESENT

2026 AUGUST

Participatory art project, unfired clay installation and performance

Contemporary Art Festival “Aritmija”, Merkinė

“Archaeology of the Present” is an installation created from impressions made by residents of Merkinė, who pressed wet clay directly onto streets, tree bark, building façades, and other surfaces throughout the town. The imprinted clay was shaped into unfired tiles and arranged on the floor in a herringbone pattern. The installation explores the present as an archaeological phenomenon—a moment that, as soon as it is perceived, has already become the past. The use of unfired clay emphasizes the fragility and transience of existence.

The installation was accompanied by a performance in which the dried clay tiles were reworked into wet clay and used to cover the artist’s hands and feet. This act evokes sensory and emotional memory, suggesting how traces of experience can be carried and re-embodied through the body.