Pedvale, Latvia

2022.8
Residency at Pedvāle Art Park, Abava River Valley, Latvia

I. Curiosity Cabinet

I took a lot of walks during my time in the countryside of west Latvia. During the walks, I would take pictures, sing, take a seat on a rock, read books, pick up and study objects that I find interesting on the way. The objects that I collected include:

-leftover wood pieces with worm holes
-animal (deer?) bone in the woods
-horse bone on the window sill of the owner’s work hut
-charcoal from the wood that we burned for the stone planting ceremony
-shoe sole from supposedly German troops who occupied the area
-gas can which used to be a Chinese almond milk can, painted over with black paint
-roof material from old manor house
-wreath on Japanese wood Jizo sculpture in the kitchen
-branch with fancy mosses
-feathers from local birds
-brick for grinding stones

II. Sleigh Talk

I found an abandoned sleigh in a barn, fixed it, sat in it, read in it, talked with myself and made a video.

Script:

K: I had a dream last night. It was my grandpa’s place. My dad was there. He was very careful. But the room was old.
G: So you saw something from 60 years ago.
K: Yeah.

Pause.

K: Where are we going?
G: To the other side.
K: Where are the horses?
G: They are dead.
K: Then how are we gonna get going?
G: By ourselves.
K: How?
G: You’ll see.

Pause.

K: What’s in there?
G: Raindrops.
K: Raindrops. How does it taste?
G: Raindrops.

Pause.

K: What are you sending?
G: Wishes.
K: Wishes. Where to?
G: To the bottom of the ocean.

Pause.

K: What time is it?

III. Stone Feast

During my time at the residency, the founder of Pedvale Art Park Ojars Feldbergs and his helpers worked daily on stone sculptures in the yard. I picked out pieces from the piles of chiseled stones on the ground and prepared a feast for the opening of the residency exhibition.