Dy Range, 2002

I read the title. Sometimes you desperately want to find a connection between the work and its title. Or you just hope that the title will explain the work. But the title can be slippery and serpentine, if that is what the artist desires. Or mysterious, (pseudo)intellectual, and profound. Again – if that is what the artist desires. I do not know what was intended in this case, but the title ended up being intellectually-mysteriously-serpentine. Probably because I could only find a single, odd possibility: dysprosium, a chemical element denoted by the symbol Dy. In Greek, disprositós means ‘hard to reach’, a name given to the element because it was very difficult to distinguish from its counterparts.

The relationship between hand and object evokes a very similar impression. There is a strong connection between them. It reminds me of certain objects of a similar type that are also in some way related to hands. I remember how this young woman I know recently showed me two metal balls that you are supposed to spin in your hand. She also demonstrated their sound, because, according to her, every person hears it differently. I also remember those rubber doughnuts some men use to exercise their wrist muscles. Various games for the hands.

Most often, you do not even need any special equipment. You can play with all kinds of objects: keys, jewellery, your mobile phone, the laces of your hoodie, etc. We play when we are bored (almost like in childhood) or when we feel anxiety (as an attempt to redirect it, to distract ourselves). Sometimes you engage in play to give the impression of being carefree and confident. Or sometimes, perhaps, to slightly intimidate the person you are talking to.

– Asta Vaičiulytė ‘Aida Čeponytė, Valdas Ozarinskas. Dy Range’, Šiaurės Atėnai, 4 May 2002.