Concept and Implementation Plan for the Latvian Exhibition
In today’s fast-paced world, technology has been invented to simplify tasks and save time. However, paradoxically, it seems that time is becoming scarcer. Many processes that once required deep involvement and patient work are now replaced, accelerated, or even skipped altogether – the improvement of our surroundings is one such example. By rejecting these processes, do we, at some point, lose ourselves and relinquish our identity? Recently, these questions and various contradictions to the fast-paced way of life have become increasingly relevant in our society.
With the exhibition “Slow Down,” we invite visitors to slow down the rapid pace of life, to pause for a moment, and to experience architecture as a part of the world around us. We want them to feel how it coexists with us, how every small change transforms this world. We encourage them to immerse themselves in the building – its rhythm of life, its lifespan, its story, and to find their role within it.
The goal of our exhibition is to allow visitors of the Latvian Pavilion to find answers to the question: “How will we live together?” in the context of humans and their homes.
One of our tasks is to engage society by offering participation in a time-consuming, yet meditative process of restoration. We aim to observe and document this process, and to follow the life of the building and its architectural details throughout time. This provides an opportunity for people to identify themselves with the buildings and their stories.
Slow food, slow fashion, slow travel: wherever the term “slow” is used, it signifies a rebellion against short-term economic gain that outweighs sustainability. Slow architecture has evolved from these movements, with its core idea being a thoughtful consideration of what is needed for both the homeowner and the environment. One aspect of the Slow movement in architecture is not to discard, but to repair, restore, or reuse.
For instance, according to the Chicago City Planning Agency, demolition and construction account for 25% of the waste that ends up in U.S. landfills every year.1 By demolishing, we lose everything – almost all resources (both material and human) that were invested in the creation of these buildings. This approach contradicts resource conservation and long-term stewardship.
In Latvia, in recent decades, there has been a tendency to demolish, deliberately neglect, or even burn down buildings, without considering modern standards of living and economic aspects. Understandably, in the case of architectural (especially wooden) heritage, the social aspect often dominates. However, there are often alternative solutions that can avoid extreme measures. In many cases, lack of information and indifference lead to these undesirable outcomes.
Currently, Riga has 1303 environmentally degrading buildings registered.2 Occasionally, there are cases where there are suspicions of deliberate burning of culturally significant buildings, such as the recent Jugendstil building on Kalnciema Street. What is disheartening is that some of the owners of these buildings are the so-called “ruin millionaires” who have all the financial means to preserve these buildings. How can we change the mindset of these property owners so that we do not lose the quality of our urban environment when legislation and regulations fail to do so?
The goal of the “Slow Down” exhibition is to address residents on a personal level by asking the question: “How will you coexist with the building in the long run?” We want to draw attention to the careful management of one’s home – to be aware of the building’s history, its architectural nuances, its specificity, and not to succumb to simplistic solutions, but rather to opt for more sustainable ones, and to recognize the importance of preserving cultural and historical heritage. The exhibition focuses on building restoration, emphasizing the evaluation of resources – is new always better, or is the existing irreparable? Adapting to the building, rather than to the range of modern materials, by introducing modern and non-typical corrections. Thoughtful architecture and the qualitative development of the existing urban environment start with us. If there is a demand from society for buildings restored according to sustainability principles, it can change the real estate developer’s perspective on currently financially unattractive properties in their portfolio.
The exhibition will feature stories about Latvian buildings and the various people who inhabit them. All exhibitions are based on research, during which society will be invited to submit their stories, and approximately 15 different stories of experiences and inspirations will be selected and included as an element of the building in the exhibition. The aim of these stories is to show how diverse we are and how varied our attitudes towards buildings can be. Often, behind architecturally valuable buildings, even cultural monuments, there is no specific face, but rather an organization or a company that has no personal or sentimental connection to the building. One of the stories we want to create is about the burning of culturally significant buildings in Jurmala, Riga, and other cities. Examples of objects could include the Jugendstil apartment building built in 1914 at Kalnciema Street 2B, Riga, the “Sun Brothers” house in Jurmala, and others. In contrast to these events, we want to offer the story of the successful urban development preservation program in Kuldiga, the ensemble of the fishermen’s village on Kipsala. Successful restoration stories include the Abgunste Manor, Oleru Manor, where owners seek solutions by attracting fund resources and investing their personal time and effort. And there are other examples – buildings where a family or an individual takes care of the restoration, studies, and experiences life together with their home.
For example, the “Agenskalns Neighborhood Association” operates within the limits of its possibilities to protect valuable buildings in the neighborhood, which are on the brink of change. One of the association’s concerns is the wooden building on Balozu Street, which the owners are trying to neglect in order to demolish it and replace it with a more economically viable new building. One of our team’s tasks would be to obtain a valuable architectural element from this building, restore it within the framework of the biennale, and place it back. This process would draw public attention to this building and the preservation of the characteristic urban development of Agenskalns, serving as one of the stories in the overall exhibition.
These stories are examples and a starting point for an action in which, preparing for the biennale, we will seek new inspiring and/or unsuccessful stories about the lives of cultural heritage buildings (examining architecture built before World War II) through social, digital, and print media. Cases will be selected and with the help of our public relations specialist, turned into small, witty, and insightful stories that describe situations. They will be available digitally and in print in the exhibition and on the specially created website.
As consultants and knowledgeable about various building stories, organizations that have successfully consulted and provided information on building restoration and conservation to amateurs and enthusiasts in Latvia for several years will be engaged, such as “Wood Riga”, “Wood Architecture Center” on Kalnciema Street, Kuldiga Restoration Center, etc. By involving these organizations in the creation of the exhibition, the goal is to reach a wider audience, draw their attention to ongoing processes in the urban environment, and respond to them.
Layout and Exhibition Content.
The exhibition features a construction waste container filled with selected architectural elements such as doors, handles, and window frames. This serves as a reflection of a common sight on the streets and construction sites. Deeper into the space, there is a worktable where real restoration work takes place. The goal is to draw attention to things we can accomplish ourselves with minimal financial investment. It emphasizes the human touch and craftsmanship. Encouraging visitors to “Slow Down” and take a seat, they are invited to observe this process and, if interested, to participate and gain information. The restoration process will be carried out by invited exhibition guides, including restoration and construction students, and enthusiasts of wooden architecture restoration who have acquired techniques and methods through courses. On one wall, a video is projected featuring a specifically selected building (based on information gathering) which serves as a symbol of the building’s slow and enduring lifespan, as compared to a human life. The other wall is designated to display gradually restored architectural elements over a period of 6 months, gradually filling the entire wall. The elements are to be exhibited against a dark background and illuminated to accentuate their significance and beauty. All elements are marked with a QR code, which, when scanned on a mobile device, leads to the story of the specific building associated with that element. At the opening of the exhibition, several previously prepared and restored elements representing various previously registered architectural processes would be placed by the wall. After the exhibition ends, all restored elements will be returned to their owners.
Expected Results.
The Latvian Pavilion will be presented with a contemporary theme both in Latvia and around the world. Increased public understanding of sustainable architecture, generating a desire for individuals to acquire knowledge in restoration, thereby changing perceptions of financial barriers and disproportionate required investments. Exhibition, building, and human stories popularized both in Latvia (through media communication and campaigns) and during the exhibition in Venice and elsewhere around the world. Promotion of Latvia’s unique wooden architecture recognition globally. Latvia’s image will be presented globally, not concealing mistakes and imperfections, but emphasizing the increasing individual participation in environmental and social processes, civic activity. Buildings and the city are reflections of socio-economic processes that we, as individuals, use temporarily. Cities continue to exist after us. Therefore, we preserve our roots and pass them on.
1 Holly TUPPEN, SLOW ARCHITECTURE: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW, https://suitcasemag.com/travel/explore/slow-sustainable-architecture/
2 Environmentally degrading buildings in Riga, https://grausti.riga.lv
Project team: Evija Šaitere, Jolanta Šaitere
in cooperation with Ieva Niedri, “Initium” foundation and Guna Akon “Brand eleven”.
Visualizations: Ēriks Valdmanis, Regger.
Competition: Latvian exposition idea concept at the 17th international architecture exhibition of the Venice Biennale.
Year: 2019.