Europos Parkas. The article about a sculpture made of TV sets

Giant Sculpture Symbolizes the Absurdity of Communism

By Rokas M. Tracevskis - The Baltic Times, November 2-8, 2000

VILNIUS - A unique sculpture is almost finished at Europos Parkas (Park of Europe ), an open-air sculpture museum near Vilnius. Gintaras Karosas, director of the museum, has created the largest sculpture in Lithuania.

This monumental sculpture is composed of more than 3,000 old television sets. They are mostly Lithuanian, of the brands Tauras and Silelis, along with some Russian televisions and some Philips sets as well. People from various Lithuanian towns donated them after an appeal from Europos Parkas was broadcast on national television. Europos Parkas is 19 kilometers from the center of Vilnius on Verkiai Road.

"We started building the sculpture in summer. Nine workers assist me. It is sort of a symbolic burial of communism. During Soviet times, these TV sets were receiving the Kremlin's absurd propaganda," Karosas said.

The composition, which Karosas calls simply "sculpture," occupies one hectare. It is in the form of a labyrinth. The total weight of the composition is 150 metric tons. It has the shape of a tree when viewed from a plane. A statue of Lenin lies in the middle of the labyrinth.

"This sculpture stood in the town of Jurbarkas in Soviet times. It is typical of Soviet sculptures of Lenin," said Karosas. He added that the giant sculpture is almost finished. The official unveiling will be held, this November.

"Finishing touches are being made. We are allowing adult visitors to enter the labyrinth. Its total length is 700 meters. It is even possible to get lost in it. We don't allow children in yet because work is still going on - we need to fix a couple hundred more TV sets in the sculpture. It's a unique sculpture. I did some research - nothing like this exists in any other country," Karosas said.

"I think, this sculpture might be registered in the Book of Lithuanian Records," said Vytautas Navaitis, head of agency Factum' which registers various strange records.

Only groups of school children are banned to come in the labyrinth at the moment while some work is still going on, Children can come in with their parents. One father pointed to a sculpture of the communist idol that read, "Lenin."

"Daddy, who is Lenin? " asked a six-or-eight-year-old boy.