Archives and Practices of the Experimental Design Bureau in Vilnius 1960s–1980s
“Tara” was the nickname given by artists working in the graphic design field for their place of employment – the Experimental Package Design Bureau, established in the early 1960s in Soviet-occupied Lithuania. It was related to the modernisation processes, the increasing range of goods, the Soviet “Art for Everyday Life” programme, and the objectives of the Cold War. During its most productive period, from 1964 to 1984, the bureau employed over fifty designers, including a particularly large number of women, who shaped the aesthetics of everyday products. While many of the designers’ names, events, and works sank into obscurity, the editors’ extensive research has initiated an ongoing exploration, compiled and showcased in this comprehensive publication. With around 350 illustrations, the book introduces a playful way of exploring the Tara bureau’s projects through thematic ABC chapters and Glossary navigation that contextualize Tara’s narratives, stories, and identities.
Editors:
Karolina Jakaitė, Deimantė Jasiulevičiūtė
Texts: Karolina Jakaitė
Reviewed by:
Prof. dr. Lolita Jablonskienė (Vilnius Academy of Arts)
Prof. dr. (hp) Giedrė Jankevičiūtė (Lithuanian Institute for Culture Research)
Additional essay:
Paul Gangloff
Graphic design:
Zuzana Kostelanská with Oriol Cabarrocas
Editorial design:
Deimantė Jasiulevičiūtė
Translations from Lithuanian:
Laima Bezginaitė
English language editing:
Tania Theodorou
Proofreading:
Laima Bezginaitė, Anne König
Image correction: ScanColor Reprostudio GmbH Leipzig
Printing and binding: Druckhaus Sportflieger Berlin
Financed by:
Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
Lithuanian Council for Culture
„Grafobal Vilnius" Lithuanian and Slovak Public LLC
Translation was financed by:
Lithuanian Culture Institute
Institutional partners:
Design Foundation (www.dizainofondas.lt)
Vilnius Academy of Arts
SODAS 2123
LAPAS Publishing House
Published by:
Spector Books
Harkortstraße 10
04107 Leipzig
HYPERLINK "http://www.spectorbooks.com/"www.spectorbooks.com
Distribution:
Germany, Austria: GVA, Gemeinsame Verlagsauslieferung Göttingen GmbH&Co. KG,
www.gva-verlage.de
Switzerland: AVA Verlagsauslieferung AG, www.ava.ch
France, Belgium: Interart Paris, www.interart.fr
UK: Central Books Ltd, www.centralbooks.com
USA, Canada, Central and South America, Africa: ARTBOOK/ D.A.P., www.artbook.com
Japan: twelvebooks, HYPERLINK "http://www.twelve-books.com/"www.twelve-books.com
South Korea: The Book Society, HYPERLINK "http://www.thebooksociety.org/"www.thebooksociety.org
Australia, New Zealand: Perimeter Distribution, www.perimeterdistribution.com
Baltic distribution: Lithuanian publisher LAPAS ( HYPERLINK "http://www.leidyklalapas.lt" www.leidyklalapas.lt)
© 2025, authors, editors and Spector Books, Leipzig
First edition: 2025
Printed in the EU
ISBN 978-3-95905-860-5