For architecture enthusiasts in the UK, the ‘Open House’ concept is a familiar and beloved fixture of the cultural calendar. However, as Open House Vilnius prepares for its milestone 10th anniversary this May, the Lithuanian capital is moving beyond the visual to explore a more ephemeral dimension of urban living: sound. This year, the festival invites visitors to experience how the ‘feeling of home’ is constructed not just through bricks and mortar, but through the auditory layers that define our daily lives.
From May 16-17, the festival will introduce a series of bespoke sound installations across three key locations. Developed in collaboration with the creative platform ‘Teleduetas,’ these installations feature the debut of the track ‘Pasaulis Tavo’ (The World is Yours). The piece is a deliberate sonic experiment, blending contemporary pop with a full symphonic arrangement to mirror the juxtaposition of modern life within historic architectural shells.
Architecture Meets the Symphony of the Everyday
The central philosophy behind this year’s sensory addition is the recognition that a building is never truly silent. The echoes in a hallway, the hum of a record player, and the muffled sounds of a city through a window all contribute to our sense of belonging. By integrating music into the architectural tours, organizers aim to bridge the gap between a ‘monument’ and a ‘home.’
Jurgita Talačkienė, representing the project partner Tele2, notes that the chosen music acts as an emotional layer that connects the visitor to the space. The intention is to move away from the clinical observation of design and toward a lived experience where the atmosphere—shaped by sound and connection—takes center stage.
Three Spaces, Three Soundscapes
The sound installations are strategically placed in three locations that represent different facets of Vilnius’s architectural identity, each offering a unique interpretation of the ‘home’ theme.
At the Composers’ House (Kompozitorių namai), located in the leafy Žvėrynas district, the installation takes root in a masterpiece of 1960s Lithuanian Modernism. Known for its wooden interiors and specialized acoustics, the building will host a vinyl-based installation. Visitors will experience the music through the warm, tactile medium of a record player, emphasizing the building’s heritage as a sanctuary for creation.
In the Piromontas district, the festival opens the doors to a newly revived apartment. Piromontas is one of Vilnius’s hidden gems—a late 19th-century ‘colony’ of brick houses that feels like a village within the city. Here, the sound installation is designed to feel domestic and incidental. The music will drift through the rooms as if a resident had just stepped out, offering a voyeuristic but intimate glimpse into contemporary urban life.
Finally, the Lojoteka educational media center provides a modern contrast. Situated within a complex with deep Jesuit roots, this space focuses on the future of sound. The installation here is set within a recording studio environment, allowing visitors to see the ‘machinery’ of sound production and understand home as a place of digital connection and modern ritual.
A Decade of Opening the City
Since its inception, Open House Vilnius has played a crucial role in demystifying the city’s complex history. From the baroque splendors of the Old Town to the stark lines of Soviet-era Brutalism and the glass towers of the new business district, the festival has made private history public.
This 10th-anniversary edition marks an evolution in how we consume architectural history. By adding a curated soundtrack to these spaces, the festival acknowledges that our experience of the city is multi-sensory. For the international visitor, it offers a chance to see Vilnius not just as a collection of facades, but as a living, breathing environment where technology and tradition harmonize.
While the physical tours take place over the weekend of May 16-17, the cultural impact extends digitally. The music video for ‘Pasaulis Tavo,’ which captures the aesthetic of these installations, is set for release on May 18, providing a lasting record of this intersection between sound and space.
Source: ELTA
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