Abstract
Cooperative Cities extends Romas Zabarauskas’ (LMTA) doctoral research in film, which explores personal mythopoeia through writing a fictional mini-series about filmmaker Jonas Mekas. The project focuses on developing an episode centered on Mekas’ collaboration with FLUXUS founder George Maciunas in shaping artist-led urban communities in 1960s New York. Through screenwriting, reflective practice, and analysis, it examines the potential of these artistic cooperatives to inform sustainable urban futures. Developed at Tallinn University’s BFM Production Lab in consultation with screenwriter and researcher Dirk Hoyer, the project culminates in a filmed reading of a script excerpt to be presented at the Artistic Research Exhibition during the WIRE Summit in Bratislava in April 2027.
BIO
Picture caption: Footbridge across Lake Širvėna in Biržai, the city closest to Jonas Mekas’ native village of Semeniškiai. ©️ Romas Zabarauskas.
