Today, on the 1st of July at 18:00, the second part of the “Riga 2014” sound art exhibition “SKAN II” will open its doors at the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia (Kandavas Street 2). The opening of the exhibition will feature a DJ set by Tommi Grönlund of ”Sähkö Recordings” and the performance version of Heimo Lattner and Judtih Laub’s installation „Silbadores: Stuck”, which will feature Kico Correa – a master whistler from the Canary Islands, who speaks the nearly forgotten whistling language called el silbo. The exhibition itself will consist of works by C.M. von Hausswolff & Leif Elggren, Anke Eckardt, Max Eastley and others. Tommi Grönlund in collaboration with Petteri Nisunen is also participating in the exhibition yet is also well known as a DJ and manager of the Finnish label ”Sähkö Recordings”, that has published records by, among others, Pan Sonic and Jimi Tenor.
Anke Eckardt – Ground
The DJ set will be followed by the performance version of Heimo Lattner and Judith Laub’s work “Silbadores: Stuck” that is also featured in the exhibition as a sound installation. Heimo Lattner and Judith Laub focus their attention on studying the mythological, phenomenological, aesthetic and political connotations of the voice. In 2012, they travelled around the island of La Gomera to study the whistled speech of el silbo. El silbo is a means of communication that transforms verbal speech into whistles. Originally, it served to ensure communication across great distances. A whistle can deliver a message across a distance of five kilometres, thus transmitting the human voice as far as possible without the use of any technical aids. In the 1970s, the language of el silbo had almost died out, but then scientists began to research it. Since el silbo can transform any language into whistles, the installation at “SKAN II” will result in the first ever whistled text in Latvian and Russian. Latvia’s history will serve as a background for questions about the formation of cultural identities in a European context. “A whistle means something evanescent, which cannot be unequivocally localised,” the artists comment. “And ultimately becomes a demonic figure.”
„SKAN II”, organized by the Skanu Mezs association for adventurous music and related arts, focuses on presenting latest developments in sound art as well as directly and indirectly linking this form of art to the neglected historical wooden architecture of the area where the exhibiton takes place. The second part of this exhibition will run from July, the 1st, until July, the 20th, and its main location is the the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia, therefore presenting an exciting synthesis of sound art, architecture, urban environment and nature – works will be exhibited throughout the whole territory of the garden.
Here is the full list of artists, represented in this second part of “SKAN II”: David Helbich, RIXC with Voldemars Johansons, Anke Eckardt, Tommi Gronlund & Petteri Nisunen, Heimo Lattner, Carl Michael von Hauswolff & Leif Elggren, Evelīna Deičmane, Max Eastley.
This, however, is only the second part of “SKAN II” with one more month-long part to follow, lasting from July, 25th, until the 24th of August. Artists, such as Michael J. Schumacher, Eli Keszler, Christian Skjodt, Voldemārs Johansons and others will be featured in the third installment of the exhibition.
The exhibition’s main supporters are: the Foundation Riga 2014, EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) Global, the British Council, the Danish Cultural Institute, the French Institute, the Goethe Institute in Riga and the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Riga, Latvian State Endowment for Culture and EU programme “Culture”.
The exhibition at the Botanical garden is open to visitors from Wednesday to Sunday between the hours of 13.00 and 18.00 (entrance for adults – 3 EUR).
