Opening of the exhibition on Friday, November 4 at 17.30 at the premises of the Nature Protection Administration (in the former Visitor Center) at 3 Baznicas Street, Sigulda. The exhibition is open from 4 to 25 November on working days from 12:00. Until 19:00.
About exhibition:
Nature is a temple where living pillars Sees sometimes be incomprehensible words thick thrive ... (Charles Baudelaire).
Hunting. Man and nature. A fine line between life and death. The old Indians had said that life is a warm bison breath in winter frost, firefly flash in the dark night, only a fine shadow that slides over the grass and disappear at sunset ...
My father was not a hunter, but we spent a lot of time in nature. He liked the weapons – to study the available books, magazines, museum showcases, to make something – even of the wooden parts. One of my father's belongings was a wooden rifle. I think involuntarily it also affected me, because several years ago – during studies in Liepaja, visiting my friend, I saw the hunters, who were preparing for hunting. I applied as a battue hunter and also photographer. It was my first experience, for some years for now I participate in the battue hunting in More district hunters collective and Liezēre district (LV) hunters collective.
Ancient man had to be a hunter to survive. People perceived the world as a whole – the animals were personified by giving them human nature and behavior characteristics, often as a mythical and magical characters – sometimes as deities attendants and messengers. Forest mother of Latvian folk songs penalized hunters who treated wild animals ruthlessly. The rules are clear and understandable – respect for life, reasonableness and proportionality, is fairness demonstrated by the protection of nature, ecology and environmental ethics. Nowadays, people are more distanced from nature, a lot has changed. Society has a rather stereotypical view: many believe that hunting is just a cruel entertainment, philosophers and vegans discuss about animal rights, what sometimes comes to absurdity and mechanical abstraction. Hunting – for and against. Wether values have changed? Where are the boundaries?
While working on this project, it is important for me to invite people think – is the natural and human harmonious co-existence possible, and – if hunters may become messengers of the Forest Mother ethics principles?
So far I have gathered a variety of historical and cultural evidence: photographs, postcards, sound and video recordings, interviews, I continue work on a series of photographs. The exhibition shows analogue photography series; video from animal surveillance cameras in the forest; video interviews with hunters from Sigulda and Līgatne region; archive photographs and hunting trophies.
The project is implemented with Sigulda City Council Culture and Education Department co-financing and association Sigulda Arts Serpentine support.
Thank you to hunters: Guntars Brēmanis, Aivars Jākabsons, Māris Mitrevics, Dainis Paeglītis, Jānis Rupmejs, Gunārs Skriba, Pēteris Vāverītis, Lauris and Sandris Višķeri and zoologist Dzintra Rūtenberga. Special thank you to: Andris Alviķis and Armands Andže.
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