The design competition for the creation of environmental art objects in Old Riga has ended

The design competition for the creation of environmental art objects in Old Riga, organized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of Riga municipality, has ended, as a result of which the designs and technical solutions of two environmental art objects were obtained.

In the design contest organized by the department, a total of 21 designs were applied for four places in Old Riga – 11 November embankment, Dome Square, Livu Square and Reformation Square. The winners of the competition, the winners of the first prize, were determined in two of the four parts of the competition – on the 11th of November embankment and in Dom Square.

Until the beginning of July, the works will be implemented on the 11 November embankment, and until the end of July – in Doma Square, creating a new presence of contemporary art and interactive design objects in Old Riga. Objects of environmental art will be visible to Riga residents and guests in Old Riga from July to the end of September. The facilities are planned to be placed in other locations of the neighborhood in the coming years as well.

The 1st prize went to SIA “Savvaļa” and the work “Witnesses of the River of Time” by the artist Andras Eglīš for the application to place the object on the waterfront on November 11. The idea is to create an environmental art object, the physical form of which would be an ensemble of seven large-format practically “inhabitable” sculptures, which would simultaneously fulfill the function of a place of rest.

The sculptures of the ensemble will be made of special aeroconcrete, mixing it with various pigments of Latvian earth, thus obtaining a material that visually resembles sandstone cliffs. The location of the environmental art objects – the waterfront – and the material used lead to the idea that the sculptures can be seen as archaeological finds or objects washed up from the river.

On the other hand, the 2nd prize went to the association of SIA “Sampling” and SIA “BONUSS W” ​​with the project “Three Pavilions”. The 3rd prize was awarded to the work of artist Reinas Dzudzillo.

All three possible awards have also been awarded in the Dome Square competition. The first place in the competition was won by the supplier association “Lightfoot” with the project “Together at the Dom”.

The proposal envisages revitalizing the heart of the historical center of Riga using an exciting urban art object – “Together at the Dome”. The location idea solves the situation of the urban environment, where seven Riga streets meet in one place, as a single central meeting point. This is not only an art installation, but also a community-oriented initiative, inviting people from all walks of life to enjoy and interact in the revitalized public space, thus becoming an integral part of the project and collectively filling the vacant space in the square, as well as strengthening social cohesion.

The proposed solution includes a commitment to sustainable and socially responsible design, as well as economic thinking. The installation itself will produce energy for lighting.

“Together at the Dome” is a sensory journey deeply inspired by the city’s architecture.

The 2nd prize was awarded to the project “Round Table” by Artura Analta and SIA “AD production”, while the 3rd prize was awarded to the authors’ association, which developed an object called “Time Capsule”.

The Jury of the competition decided to award only the 2nd and 3rd prizes in the Livui area part. The 2nd prize was awarded to SIA “Pareizā kēmiţa” environmental art object “Rotaļrīga”. The 3rd prize was awarded to the “Journey of Light” object of the “Aktsiaselts Adamlights” branch “Adam Decolight Latvia”.

On the other hand, only the 2nd prize was awarded in the Reformation Square part. The award was given to the artist Erik Božis for the work “Oxytocin Portal”.

The municipality already reported that the purpose of the competition was to obtain four high-quality ideas for the design and technical solution of environmental art objects, as well as to choose the winners of the design competition in each of the four parts of the competition, who will make environmental objects and perform author supervision during the installation and exhibition of the environmental object.

The total prize pool of the Met competition for four parts is 16,000 euros. In each of the parts, the municipality will award 2,000 euros to the winner of the first place, or the winner of the competition, 1,500 euros to the second place winner, and 500 euros to the third place winner. The winner of the competition or the winner of the first place will receive an invitation to participate in the negotiation procedure for the production of an environmental object.

The works were evaluated by the invited jury, the heads of the commission were Baiba Šmite, the head of the Department of Culture and the Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Jānis Krievkalns, the head of the Department of Urban Art and Design of the Department of Culture. Jury commission – Evelīna Ozola, chief designer of the Riga City Architect Service of the Department of Urban Development, executive director of the Contemporary Art Center, curator and journalist Evita Goze, director of the Latvian Contemporary Art Center, art curator and critic Solvita Krese, art scholar and critic, Baltic contemporary art internet magazine ” Echo Gone Wrong” editor Santa Hirsch.

The information was prepared by: Aira Ancāne, project coordinator of the External Communication Department of the Riga Municipality Communications Department, e-mail: [email protected]