Clap & Slap explores the tense and paralysing relationship between Lithuania and Belarus that emerged following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Drawing on personal experiences — Igor’s participation in protests in Belarus and Agnietė’s involvement in demonstrations in Vilnius — Agniete Lisičkinaite & Igor Shugaleev seem to establish a dialogue between fear and the need to act, between personal tragedy and geopolitical catastrophe.

Without the naïve ambition of finding solutions, the piece invites us to reflect on our ability to distinguish between responsibility and blame, nationalism and patriotism, self-defence and aggression, trust and protection. How can we maintain a balance between the need to defend ourselves and the risk of reproducing the very aggression we are fighting against? Can we respect differences, preserve individual convictions, and protect everyone’s freedoms without infringing upon the rights of others?