With my colleagues in Marijampole, Lithuania, we have built a large outdoor boulder installation at Varnupiai Sacred Mound (piliakalnis). On the Fall Equinox, September 21, 2022, this installation was completed and the final 230th boulder was put into place.
The distribution of the stones is according to archeological digging results of a 5th century Lithuanian cemetery that Marija Gimbutas excavated in the 1930’s. Each of the stones is numbered and belongs to a person, family or organization. A photograph of this installation underlies the neuronal pattern in this silk wrap.
With the Varnupiai Sacred Mound being over 3,000 years old, this installation bridges the gap between ancient Lithuanian history, Lithuanian rituals of the 5th century and the current, living owners of the stones. Given that the owners have children, and that these stones are legacy items, this installation also bridges far into the future.
Please walk with me through this installation of boulders in my YouTube VIDEO.
Modeled by Lutece Beavers and Ieva Heninga.
Ancestral Ties
These are large-scale, 100% pure silk scarves, 140 x 140 cm (55 x 55 in). Given their size, they are more properly called wraps (skraistės in Lithuanian). Most designer scarves, at their largest, are only 90 x 90 cm (35 x 35 in). These are two and a half times that size.
The mulberry silk used is of the highest quality with twill weaving. The printing techniques are state of the art. All materials used in the production process are environmentally friendly, non-toxic with OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certification. STANDARD 100 is the strictest environmental certification in the world. The company that does my printing has 14 years of experience working with silk. These scarves are heavy, durable and warm.
These scarves should only be dry cleaned. Ironing is best done dry, non-steam.