Warmly welcome to the Book Launch of ‘the wind whistles’ on November 25th from 17.30-19.00. During the event Marija Repšytė, the artist, 12:15 publisher and initiator/creator of the book, will also briefly present the 12:15 Reading Room. One half of the space is the studio of the 12:15 publishing platform, where ‘the wind whistles’ book was created and printed. The other half is the 12:15 Reading Room bookshop.

In the book ‘the wind whistles’ for blind and sighted, you can find nine poems by the American poet CAConrad in Braille for the first time, alongside embossed drawings of the wind by the Lithuanian jewellery and metal artist Birutė Stulgaitė and drawings of dunes by the Lithuanian artist and sculptor Antanas Gerlikas. Also included are works by the Lithuanian artist Žygimantas Julijus Bėrontas, the latter’s work is harder to describe in a few words, so let’s leave it without words and the American self-taught artist Joseph E. Yoakum, who remembers his journeys in his drawings.

Visual art is primarily created for the eyes; only a small percentage of works can be felt or touched by hand. One of the central questions of the project was how art is presented to the blind and how they are introduced to art. Given that the blind are mostly introduced to art from the past (which is necessary, we have no doubt about that), it is also essential for them to be part of contemporary cultural processes.

Furthermore, cultural projects characterized by a certain aesthetic and simplified content prevail; this shapes not only the cultural relationship of blind people with reality, but also the relationship and contact of sighted people with the blind. Through projects of a low cultural level, blind people are not integrated into mainstream society but are deliberately kept at a distance. We do not attempt to educate or present other works of art to the blind, but we strive to create a contemporary work of art in book format that is accessible and suitable for both the blind and the sighted.

This book project will allow both the blind and the sighted to become acquainted with Louis Braille’s system of reading and writing, which was essentially completed in 1824, when Louis was only fifteen years old. Braille’s goal was for this system to bridge the communication gap between the sighted and the blind. This will be a book first for the hands, and then for the eyes; a tool that extends the senses, creating an equitable relationship with the blind—reading on equal terms; a work tailored to this reading material for the hands, not the other way around. Touch greatly assists the eye in acquiring precise knowledge about the object and the correspondence of the image received from it.

initiated and created by Marija Repšytė
from the blind and sighted book series

2026, published by 12:15

BIO:
MARIJA REPŠYTĖ is an artist who works within the spaces of books and exhibitions. After studying painting at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, she received Fine Art bachelor and master degrees at the Willem de Kooning academy and the Bergen Academy of Art and Design. She recently curated exhibitions at the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art (“in a maze. artists books and publications”, 2024), the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (“Timemaker” with artist Žilvinas Landzbergas, 2020) and created an exhibition architecture for “Then And Now. The History of the Vilnius Benedictine Convent” at the Church Heritage Museum, 2024. She is the art editor of the magazine “Sphairos”, published by the Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, and the founder of the art/artist’s book publishing platform 12:15 and the bookshop 12:15 Reading Room in Vilnius.

About publishing platform 12:15 and bookshop 12:15 Reading Room

12:15 is a publishing platform and a reading room / bookshop based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Aiming to create a space for artists to experiment with their ideas while creating unique art books, share their works with others, respond to the time we are in, initiate dialogue and cultural input within society. 12:15 is not about checking the time constantly or counting the pages of the books. It is for the artists like watchmakers who believe that time doesn’t exist – but clocks do.

The 12:15 Reading Room is an art project located in a house built for monks in the Old Town of Vilnius and the first studio of Marija Repšytė’s (the founder of the reading room / bookshop) grandfather and artist Petras Repšys. The space has always been a place for creation and meetings of artists. One half of the space is the studio of the 12:15 publishing platform, where they work with authors and creators on books. The other half is the 12:15 Reading Room bookshop.

‘the wind whistles’ book and other books published by 12:15 will be available to purchase at the event.

This event is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and The Lithuanian Culture Institute.