Unseen Lithuania from above
Marius Jovaisa’s exhibition pictures the beauty of his homeland Lithuania from the air
Mention the Republic of Lithuania to most Thais and we’ll probably draw a blank. The Baltic state, located in Northern Europe, isn’t usually on our travel radar, though it very well should be. As a country rich in history, culture and pristine nature, it has so much to offer, and Lithuanian photographer Marius Jovaisa wants to show us just that. For the first time in Thailand, Jovaisa, who is a celebrated aerial photographer, has brought his “Unseen Lithuania” exhibition to Bangkok’s very own House of Lucie at Ekkamai 8.
Taking bird’s-eye-view photographs of the most stunning locations in his homeland before drones were commonplace, Jovaisa shows off Lithuania’s diverse natural and cultural sites. Photos on display include the charming medieval capital city of Vilnius, the Trakai Historical National Park and the Trakai Island Castle against a splendid blueand-purple sky.
“The process took place 10 years ago in 2007,” Jovaisa explained. “Back then there were no drones. I had to find some real aircraft. In Lithuania, we have a lot of people interested in aviation, so we have a lot of planes, helicopters and ultralights, so it wasn’t a big problem to find ways to get airborne.”
With a passion in adrenaline sports and photography since a young age, his two hobbies somehow combined to make him one of Lithuania’s top photographers today.
“I found that when you’re flying on those small little planes, which are really shaking, it gives you an adrenaline rush. You also reach places and angles which you’ve never seen before. Now, of course, with the drones it’s much easier. It gives you more opportunities. But back then it was quite complicated.”
Working with aircraft, and hot-air balloons, Jovaisa’s process was quite a slow one — taking photos only early in the morning and late in the afternoon for the best lighting.
“I wanted to show all the most important places of significant value from the point of view of history and geography,” he said. “So I had a big list of the places I needed to go to and photograph. But also, a lot of pictures were taken spontaneously. When you go looking for certain places and compositions and patterns, walking on land you can’t imagine how the place looks like from above. Once you’re there, then suddenly you see — wow, the shape of this little lake is so beautiful and it reminds you of some interesting things.”
The “interesting things” Jovaisa talks about, are similar landscapes from different countries. Hanging on the walls of House of Lucie are some comparison images between Lithuania and other landscapes from Hawaii, Polynesia and even Namibia in Africa. It’s uncanny how alike the landscapes are, showing that the world isn’t so different after all.
Ten years after the original Unseen Lithuania project, Jovaisa is now working on a new book on Lithuania in order to celebrate the country’s 100 years of independence. And he hopes others will go to his home country and experience all that he’s seen and done.
“Lithuanians as people have been living in the same spot for the last 5,000 years,” he explained. “We are one of the oldest surviving European languages. We have a lot of history that we’re proud of. We have one of the oldest universities in Europe, we have a town on the Unesco World Heritage List. It’s really huge and very well preserved. We have so many things to offer that I don’t want to talk too much about it. It’s easier if you go to a ticket office tomorrow and see us yourselves.”
“Unseen Lithuania” by Marius Jovaisa is on view until Saturday at House of Lucie, Ekamai 8. Visit facebook.com/HouseofLucie.
You reach places and angles which you’ve never seen before