Student Conference on Creativity in Science and Everyday Life
On 9 May, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) hosted a conference “Freedom to Create” dedicated to the M. K. Čiurlionis Year. More than fifty student and pupil presentations were presented, proving that creativity is necessary not only for artists, but also for scientists. According to Gediminas Kvietkauskas, a VMU graduate and well-known entrepreneur, who presented a paper at the conference, we understand creativity too narrowly.
“For some reason we associate creativity only with art. Business is creativity, any profession is creativity, science is creativity. And only creative thinking makes progress. Even a surgeon can use his imagination,” said the entrepreneur.
Creativity was also emphasised by VMU professor, media artist and painter Rimantas Plungė, who, together with composer Prof. Titas Petrikis, opened the 4th VMU Students’ Conference, this year entitled “Sonata of Science and Culture”.
“I always say to students, have doubts, question what is happening and why you are doing it, don’t just go about your daily life in an automated way. Čiurlionis was a genius because he saw things that others did not see. I encourage everyone to look at everyday life from a different angle, using their creativity, because creativity is the essence of every human being,” said R. Plungė.
According to Petrikis, meaning, not progress, should be the goal of our civilisation. “We are experiencing astonishing progress, but at the same time a deep divide. Climate decline, war and a crisis of meaning. But it is also a time of creative rebirth for those who choose to create rather than just consume. As Čiurlionis reminds us: creation is resistance, art is care, and the most advanced technology is love”, he said.
On the eve of the conference, on 8 May, T. Petrikis and R. Plungė presented their joint creative project “North”, inspired by M.K. Čiurlionis’ interdisciplinarity and the synthesis of media. The project combines an audiovisual music concert by composer T. Petrikis and paintings by artist R. Plungė.
The context of the heritage of the most significant Lithuanian artist, composer, painter and photographer M. K. Čiurlionis was expanded by Greta Katkevičienė, a student of the Faculty of Humanities at VMU, a museum curator of the M. K. Čiurlionis Collections Department at the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, who gave a detailed presentation of the artist’s short, but incredibly creative life.
The conference “Freedom to Create”, which has become a VMU tradition, featured more than fifty presentations by VMU students and students from VMU partner gymnasiums on a wide range of topics: from micro-organisms slowing down to sourdough starter, from cancellation culture to the problem of terrorist groups, from teacher leadership to stress management techniques for teachers, from the effects of caffeine on cells to the analysis of Jo Nesbo’s novel, etc. Students and pupils shared their insights in poster presentations, exhibitions, audiovisual and other creative projects.
Schoolgirls from Kaunas J. Dobkevičius Progymnasium conducted research on the effects of caffeine on cells at the VMU Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences. They were supervised by Neringa Barauskaitė, a PhD student at the Faculty of Natural Sciences
During the conference, VMU Agriculture Academy students who have been awarded Science Scholarships were also honoured: Gabrilevičienė Gabrielė, Ginelevičius Ugnius, Krivickas Matas, Stankaitytė Aiva, Žilytė Gabija.
