Augmented sound reality
KOSMOS APP
SINCE 2019 | Four audio works in the public spaces of Kaunas
KOSMOS APP is a platform for broadcasting audio works into real places. Following the listener’s position by GPS, it lets them walk physically through sites charged with sound, music and stories — an augmented sound reality that builds empathy for historical and cultural places.
The idea was developed from 2019 in collaboration with the Kaunas 2022 European Capital of Culture programme „Memory Office“ (Atminties biuras). After three years of development the app was presented on 15 July 2022 at the Festival of Stories, one of the programme’s major events. The works were made by professional artists of literature, theatre, music and visual art together with scholars, programmers and researchers of history and culture.
Empathy for historical and cultural memory through augmented reality
How it works
The place is the stage; the phone only knows where you stand
Each work is a map of zones. Entering a zone starts its sound; a marked place inside it starts the story recorded for it. Nothing is screened and nothing is watched — the listener walks with headphones, and the composition follows the route rather than a timeline. Since 2026 the works also run in a browser, on site or from anywhere.
4 WORKS | 2019–2023 | KAUNAS AND KAUNAS DISTRICT
Works
The Crossroads of Four Denominations
Ramybės Park, Kaunas · 60 min · 2019
An audio collage built from dozens of authentic documentary recordings and park stories recorded by professional actors.
Reconciliation
The Ninth Fort, Kaunas · 35 min · 2021
A musical memory trail connecting the Museum, the Fort and the Monument.
Absolute World
H. and O. Minkowski St. – Vytautas the Great Bridge – Santaka, Kaunas · 40 min · 2022
A poetic sound composition on the intellectual world of Hermann Minkowski.
Pilgrims
Karmėlava, Kaunas district · 30 min · 2022
An audio route following the film „Pilgrims“ by Laurynas Bareiša, scene by scene.
Related pages
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<h6>Funded by</h6><p>Kaunas 2022 – European Capital of Culture</p><p>Kaunas City Municipality</p><p>Lithuanian Council for Culture</p>