Venipak, a Lithuanian-owned international parcel company, has decorated its parcel lockers in Vilnius with artists’ works to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Vilnius and help spread festive cheer throughout the city.
Throughout the year, the most visited Venipak parcel lockers in Vilnius Antakalnis, Šnipiškės, and Naujamiestis will delight passers-by with colorful drawings created specifically for this occasion by artists Artur Širin-Ettoja, Aistė Papartytė-Šidlauskienė, and Marius Žvirblis.
“We are the only Lithuanian-owned parcel company in Lithuania, our head office is also located in Vilnius, so it seemed very natural for us to contribute to the celebrations. We were looking for solutions to bring some joy into the everyday life of Vilnius residents and remind them that this year is the year of celebrations. As parcel lockers have become a regular part of our daily routine, we decorated them with drawings created specifically for this occasion. We selected parcel lockers that would be highly visible, close to popular locations, and would have the highest customer traffic,” says Asta Raudonienė, Head of Marketing at Venipak.
The team at the Vilnius city tourism and business development agency Go Vilnius is happy to see businesses bring joy to the people in the city by spreading the festive spirit. Working with the artists, they wanted their works to be used in different formats and spread around Vilnius, so the parcel lockers became a great and quite unconventional means of dissemination, reminding the citizens of Vilnius and the city guests of the celebration and decorating the city every day.
“Developed and introduced over a year ago, the key message of the capital’s anniversary, Vilnius: 700 years young, combines the entire anniversary programme and its communication; it has spread and caught on very organically. Vilnius anniversary is a celebration for everyone who loves Vilnius. The anniversary programme itself is co-created, so we invite everyone to mark the Vilnius anniversary by using our slogan. It’s great to see the visuals of the anniversary on the walls and windows of various buildings not only in Lithuania but also abroad. Vilnius residents and guests can buy various souvenirs bearing the symbols of the anniversary, and from now on, drawings dedicated to the 700th anniversary will decorate the capital’s parcel lockers and will be available to even more people,” says Lina Šetikienė, Head of Strategic Projects at Go Vilnius.
The parcel locker in Antakalnis was decorated with Artur Širin-Ettoja’s work The City Sounds (Lith. Miestas Skamba). In the center of the composition, you can see Vilnius TV Tower surrounded by scenes from travels around the world. The drawing is left open, as if unfinished – symbolizing Vilnius’s freedom, youth, and openness to innovation.
Marius Žvirblis’s composition Vilnius Shoefiti was moved to the Venipak parcel locker in Šnipiškės. It’s an homage to the youth and youthfulness of Vilnius. The artist says he associates the White Bridge with youth, as this place now belongs to the young generation, armed with skateboards and roller skates. They swarm around like a gang, as if asserting their territory and loudly shouting they are young.
Meanwhile, the people living in or visiting Naujamiestis are greeted by the cheerful Gediminas by Aistė Papartytė-Šidlauskienė. The illustration combines the old – the Gediminas’s Castle Tower, the Columns of the Gediminids, and St. Anne’s Church – with the new – the tower is depicted as a hipster drinking coffee from a reusable cup. The author of the work says she likes to convey elements of comedy in her work at the same time appreciating the cultural and historical heritage of the city.
