A QUIET BALTIC COUNTRYSIDE

Photographed by Sarune Zurba who self-isolated with her family in a hard-to-reach Lithuanian village. To escape the city, they stayed at the old house with well water, no sewer, and no common amenities - no one usually lives there. They planted a garden, made a lot of food, kids slowly got rid of the rules and stress from their schools, time was standing still, and she kept documenting it. Transition from cold spring to green summer, old soviet tableware, fresh-baked bagels, honey extracted just an hour ago, and artisanal cheese - all in a very modern way. Cinematic and very tender moments captured by this talented girl who usually trotters around the world with her camera. Simple + sophisticated: for those tired of endless consumption. Today’s media would label it “essential’s world”, we’d say - magic of what matters the most.

By switching points of view Sarune is playing with light, color, and objects to capture time and stillness. She swears she isn’t staging it, just catching emotions. Photography is her breathing exercise and you can see those stills almost become her silent movie. Pandemic made her want to live in this family bubble forever. Her son Agatas has just got an old smartphone after showing interest in making short videos. The aim is to show kids how to construct a life via simple food, slowness, and freedom. A certain sweet boredom that reminds me of my childhood of climbing trees, peeling apples for a tart, and watching the sun go down in a hazy misty horizon.

AND, HAPPY birthday to Upe: she shares the same day with all of us at JUNETHINGS.

more suggestions from JUNETHINGS:

1) Bagels disappeared from Lithuania during the World War II, together with the lively Jewish culture. Each town used to have at least a few bakeries, and each bakery had its own secret recipe. They got transplanted into other countries. Vilnius Bagel Project by Menachem, 2010, talks about the comeback of the bagels - enjoy it.

2) In 2015 driving from the Westside back to Beverly Hills, I was listening to KCRW - and Good Food was on. Evan Kleiman talked to Wendy Waxman, who along with Barbara Mazur discovered this obscure cooking book from 1938 in YIVO Institute for Jewish Research archives in NYC, and republished it. The book is written by Fania Lewando, a Jewish restaurateur from Vilnius, and according to Evan - the vegetarian recipes in the book - were decades ahead of her time as well as of the farm-to-table movement. Get the book here > The Vilna Vegetarian Book, and try the Apple Horseradish salad or Carrot Schnitzel before you receive your parcel.

3) Fania Lewando story & her vegetarian visionary thinking on The Splendid Table.

4) More of Sarune’s work > she truly enjoys taking part in book projects. Like the ones she is doing with the Two Silences publishing where her principle drives are - teamwork & creating content related to nature, people and timeless values. You can also find her documenting production processes, like these beeswax candles handcrafted in Lithuania & their canelé shape candle holders - OVO THINGS. She is the happiest when she succeeds seducing the viewer, making him stop and contemplate.