Presentation of the South End of Andrejsala

On 4 May, following thorough preparation works, visitors were given access to the South End of Andrejsala. Since that day, life on Andrejsala has been vibrating with activities of artists’ and other cultural workers, thus making a big difference from the usual cargo transshipping noises and rattle of railway cars.

The Project Sense In Place

On 4 May, the exhibition Borders as Windows was opened at the Heating Power Plant and in the former Carpenter’s Shop of Andrejsala, which attracted internationally recognized artists from five European countries: Britain, Ireland, Poland, Spain and Iceland. Some of the exhibits were located in the city itself: in Riga’s parks, squares, where large-scale stands with artists’ photoworks were placed.

The works created within the project Sense in Place were created on site, and were made to fit a specific place, in accordance with the surrounding context. The exhibition Borders as Windows reflected the social, historical and environment problems of Andrejsala and Riga and heralded the “place sensing” and “sense locating” as influenced by unifying European cultural trends.

At the Heating Power Plant on Andrejsala, which for the first time served as an art gallery, the artists created installations and video works making use of spacious premises of the buildings and presenting their vision about the communication of the past and the future, about the search for intercultural dialogue and identity. The artists had their first exhibition in Latvia and were fascinated by the future plans in the granted territories and the richness of the history of the area.

Sense in Place was the last important project at the heating power plant, where upon the completion of the exhibition, there was started a careful study of the building as well as preparation for the needs of the Contemporary Art Museum. The projects like Sense in Place provide a great opportunity to immortalize the transformation of the building from the industrial building into the temple of art, which is an important acquisition for the whole society.

Along with the exhibition within the project, international exhibitions were organized in all the member countries of the project: Britain, Ireland, Poland, Spain and Iceland. Latvia was represented there by artists of various generation.

The project was organized in Latvia by the Art Management and Information Centre – MMIC. The project was implemented thanks to the support of EU programme Culture 2000, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Cultural Capital Foundation, the Department of Culture of the Riga City Council and LLC Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums. 

Skaņu mežs: Alternative to Hockey

On 12 May, Andrejsala offered an alternative to those who do not keep up with the hockey cup tournament: an event of the international untamed music forum Skaņu mežs (Forest of Sounds) took place, thanks to co-operation with the club Pulkvedim neviens neraksta (Nobody Writes to the Colonel).

It was the first music event at the place, where the “branch” of the club Pulkvedim neviens neraksta was organized in the following few months, and where the next series of concerts of Skaņu mežs called 1-2 cauri! have been held.

Museum Night and Opening of Naive Art Museum on Andrejsala

On 20 May throughout Europe, including in Latvia, there took place the international museum festival Museum Night, which took place on Andrejsala within the framework of the event Muzeo Zone, an event organized by the State Agency Jaunie „Trīs brāļi” (The New Three Brothers), during which each guest was able to find an entertainment for him/herself. A venue for the event had been found by SIA Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums, which was in charge of the territory of Andrejsala, that is, of the territory, where MUZEO ZONE was held.

On that day, the objects on Andresala such as the Old Customs Building, the Power Shop, the Welding Shops and the Customs Warehouse started their lives anew. The Old Customs Building opened its doors as the artists’ residence – a place, where guest artists were able to stay and work; the Power Shop now roofs the creative group Orbit (Orbīta), which offered prose and poetry presentations on the Museum Night; the Welding Workshop was open as an outdoor café, where festival guests were able to have a drink or a meal.

The Customs Warehouse has experienced most of the changes compared with other buildings. LLC Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums has transformed this object from the former storage facility into an art gallery. The company has provided all the required equipment and conditions to have exhibitions held there. During the Museum Night, the display of the Naïve Art Museum was opened in the Customs Warehouse, which became an event worthy of attention in the cultural life of this country. The gallery houses works by naïve art masters from all over Latvia, written stories and comments on work authors, their CV’s as well as naïve artworks creation descriptions. The exhibition also includes photo and video materials.

The opening of the naive art exhibition was the culmination of the evening. Following the musical performance by Valdis Muktupāvels, festive speeches were presented by the Minister of Culture Ms. Helēna Demakova, the artist Mr. Dzintars Zilgalvis, the art researchers Mr. Aivars Leitis and Ms. Inese Baranovska. “In our fast-running age, there are very few things or living beings which or who make us stop and wonder, but the naïvists with their works undoubtedly are able to make us stop and remember those small and big lifelong dreams that we have wanted to fulfil”, Helēna Demakova, the Minister of Culture, pointed out at the opening of the event. Mr. Valters Māziņš,  Head of the Board of SIA Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums, congratulated the audience on the opening of the exhibition and acknowledged that those original works had found their true place and harbor at the former customs warehouse thanks to some accidents or just the opposite – thanks to certain regularities. “A few weeks ago, it was hard to believe that today we would be experiencing the opening of this museum exhibition. Incredibly much has been done in a brief period, and all of us can be satisfied: both artists and art lovers”, V. Māziņš said. The artists – authors of the naïve art works on display – honored the event by their presence there. The audience feted those with applause and flowers. Those who wanted to learn more of this art style had a chance to purchase the book published by the publishing house Neputns –  Tīrradņi. Naivā māksla Latvijā (The Gifted Ones. Naive Art In Latvia).

Throughout the south end of the island and for the whole night, various installations were on display as well as videos, photographs and performances that were related to the history of the island of Andrejsala and the future vision of it.

In celebration of today, Viktors Jansons’s theatre troupe improvised the final ritual and lighted a large festive bonfire, which was kept alive all night by the Museum Night guests inspired by the general atmosphere or influenced by the wet weather. Not far away, on the Welding Shop’s stage, there were performing a number of young music bands and DJ’s as well as Ieva Sara Breikša with the performance Jesus Christ Superstar.

Liveliness could be noticed on most sites of the event area – in the Machine (now cultural) Shop, there was presented the video dance DVD TEC 1 and the improvisation of the video dance, performed by Laboratory of Stage Arts. In the Power Shop, guests were being entertained by the creative group Orbit, who performed their interactive video installation – winning works of the festival „Ūdensgabali”, the poetess A. Aizpuriete was solving poetry archetypes in the creative workshop, and the group Orbita gave interdisciplinary prose and poetry presentations.

In a positive sense, the funkiest event was the hospitable adventure of the hostel Singalong. Those who still remember the former interior of the customs administrative building could make sure that nothing was eternal and that life only moved forward. The idea of the hostel Singalong is to provide accommodation and working space for various guest artists, and visitors enjoyed a unique opportunity to see how the guest artists felt themselves here. Anyone who felt like doing so could experience the magic of metamorphosis of the premises and the spirit of creativity, which was arising from everywhere and from nowhere at the same time.

This is how in the whirlpool of music, art, poetry, prose, performances, laughter, colours, sounds and dances the Museum Night on Andrejsala progressed. Residents of the neighboring houses were likely to remember the event as a night of disturbance, but for the island of Andrejsala, where the Contemporary Art Museum is expected to open its doors, that was a genuine festivity.

The lights of the festival were reflected in the waters of the Daugava, too, which were sure to take along a piece of evidence of the Museum Night, but the joy that diffused on that colorful night, shook a little the yachts and boats anchored at the Andrejosta port, and then the lights went further trying to catch up with seagulls, which by their skirls announced the start of a new day.