Leftovers

Abstract

In this text, I revisit a vivid childhood memory of building a “fort” in Kaunas, which unexpectedly intersected with the hidden remains of the city’s fortress. By tracing these overlaps between personal experience, archival research, and urban exploration, I investigate how ruins, fences, and other military leftovers continue to shape both collective and individual memory. From a phenomenological perspective, I reflect on how landscapes marked by trauma generate haunting presences that blur the boundaries between past and present. My contribution combines personal experience with artistic research to question how Kaunas’ militarised spaces persist in everyday life and the subconscious.