Being a Wanderer: Vilius Dringelis
Vilius Dringelis, a well-known contemporary Lithuanian designer, is recognised for his boundary-pushing creativity and innovative, experimental approach to design. Merging professional expertise with a passion for integrating modern technologies, unconventional tools, and diverse materials, Dringelis transforms everyday urban experiences into unique design elements.
Blurring the lines between functionality and art, design and sculpture, his creations take viewers into an independent world of creative fantasy. Yet, as he humbly shares, this rebellious spirit wasn’t intentional. Instead, his designs emerge from the pursuit of authenticity and an intuitive reflection of the environment. The sincere connection his creations forge with viewers is what makes the artist grateful.
For Dringelis, the streets of various cities serve as both a studio and a source of inspiration. The artist wanders through various cities, drawing inspiration from the shapes he finds on the streets and stamping them with foil. Using modern 3D tools, he digitizes foil stamps into his virtual archive, experiments with traditional crafts, and creates objects of sculptural design from metal, ceramics, glass, and more. As he explains, it’s like exploring a city, collecting details, and then weaving different spaces, times, and experiences together, much like creating electronic music by manipulating recorded sounds. In this way, the design objects become more than just material interior pieces; they embody unique narratives and experiences.
Exhibited internationally, Vilius Dringelis creates extraordinary objects using his out-of-the-box approach. The Dinner in Brussels candlestick was born from an unexpected piece of foil that fell from the trash while the artist was dining with friends at a restaurant in Brussels. It was later pressed into various shapes near the European Parliament, ransforming into a new design object. Another piece, Vilnius Wastewater, symbolizes the contemporary city of Vilnius, united by various urban foil stamp details, such as the handle of a rental scooter, the wheel of a shopping trolley at a Lidl store, or architectural elements from the last century. These creative processes invite viewers to engage with the artist’s work and explore the stories within each piece.
The artist is currently preparing a collaboration with a major Lithuanian cultural event and has recently received an invitation from curators to participate in one of the leading international design fairs. He hopes everything will go smoothly, allowing him to showcase the products he has created over the past few years.
Portrait photographer: N. Kuzmickas