tik tak tok | Playground Opening

2026-05-25

This series of seasonal playgrounds and accompanying educational programmes invites us to rethink the standardised playgrounds we typically encounter today, where materials and shapes predetermine the possibilities of children’s play. The programme, curated by LIAA member and arts educator Vilius Vaitiekūnas, shifts attention to local materials and their properties, focusing on how children relate to their environment through open-ended exploration.

This year, the educational playgrounds programme is joined by creators Beatričė Mockevičiūtė and Justinas Dūdėnas who will continue along the same path: after exploring clay and soil last year, we will now take a look at light as material. The shifting properties of light will draw us into play and allow for new ways of experiencing space and time.

ABOUT THE PLAYGROUND

𝐭𝐢𝐤 𝐭𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐤 is an adaptation of the game tic tac toe utilising sunlight, conceived by artist Beatričė Mockevičiūtė and implemented in collaboration with architect Justinas Dūdėnas.

The game’s roots reach back to ancient civilisations where grids carved in stone were used for games with pebbles. Later on, tic tac toe was played with pencil and paper, and at the turn of the millennium, it became one of the earliest computer games.

Today, when most of our attention seems to be guided by glowing screens, tik tak tok urges us to return to the cyclical rhythm of the sun and the earth. During sunny hours, players can use reflective stainless-steel forms and a grid drawn on the facade of the building to not only make logical moves but also explore how light changes and time flows together.

This playground will also feature an educational programme. In addition to the opening events, we will invite children to explore creativity through light, colour, rhythm, sound and play alongside photographers, designers, graphic artists and composers three more times this summer.

OPENING PROGRAMME

 6:00 pm Creative team introduction
 6:30 pm Educational workshop “Reflections and Projections” with Jonas Balsevičius
 7:30 pm Educational workshop with Beatričė Mockevičiūtė

 Jonas Balsevičius’s workshop “Reflections and Projections” invites children to playfully explore light, colours, and their surroundings. Using coloured filters of various shapes and sizes, participants will create unique, colourful stained-glass-like windows into the world around them. When held up to a light source, these filters will create colourful projections, shadows, and constantly shifting images that will allow participants to transform and ‘recolour’ spaces.

 In Beatričė Mockevičiūtė’s educational workshop, children will explore the world of reflections and light by experimenting with various reflective surfaces. During these creative sessions, the young ones will discover their own authentic tools for observing time and light, develop their curiosity and imagination, and learn about their surroundings through playing with light.

 The opening programme’s educational activities are intended for children aged 7 to 10. Younger children are welcome to participate accompanied with parents or guardians.

→ The events are free and open to everyone. No registration is required for the workshops.

The presentation on 4 June is part of a broader OPEN SODAS evening programme at the cultural centre.

Address: SODAS 2123 Cultural Centre (23 Vitebsko St., Vilnius)

Artist: Beatričė Mockevičiūtė
Architect: Justinas Dūdėnas
Curator: Vilius Vaitiekūnas
Project Lead: Lina Rukevičiūtė
Coordinator: Gabija Stašinskaitė
Communication Coordinator: Gustė Grigaliūtė
Translator: Paulius Balčytis
Graphic Design: Nerijus Rimkus

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About the workshop educators:

Jonas Balsevičius is an interdisciplinary artist working in the fields of performance, installation, and photography. One of the main areas of his creative research is how cultural institutions and public infrastructure relate to human beings. In his practice, documentation of exhibitions and artworks serves as an important research tool, allowing him to analyse the works of other artists and gain insight into the internal structures of cultural institutions. Jonas explores not only cultural institutions themselves but also the cities in which they operate, reflecting on the contemporary human experience in social systems and the ability of these institutions to perceive and represent their environment.

Beatričė Mockevičiūtė is an artist who explores optical light phenomena and the possibility of experiencing that which often remains ephemeral in everyday life. Since 2013, she has participated in exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad, presenting her works at institutions such as the Contemporary Art Centre and MO Museum in Vilnius, Fondation Fiminco in France, and Vejle Kunstmuseum in Denmark.

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The activities of SODAS 2123 Cultural Centre are funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.