26.

MAZĀS ĢILDES AMATU MEISTARU STĀSTI

Name of the project: STORIES OF SMALL GUILD MASTER CRAFTSMEN

Place: Small Guild building (Līvu Square)

On Līvu Square where Meistaru and Amatu Streets are brought together, the Small Guild House has been standing already for 145 years. It is a house of Riga’s craftsmen and masters; it is a house of the historical makers of Riga.

Surrounded by lights, it wakes up to reveal its masters and their ancient stories.

The last presiding burgomaster of Riga Eduard von Hollander loudly proclaims the living and working rules of the ancient craftsmen. Motionless in the eternal immortality of glass, the artisans of the Small Guild displayed in the marvelous stained-glass windows listen to him, one after another appearing and disappearing in the building’s windows, allowing anyone to carefully examine them.

St. John, the religious guardian of the house reminds us of the Christian values that created the foundation of the ancient masters’ lives. With the sounds of sacred music, he invites us to stop for a moment and think about the flow of time: the 810 years of Riga and people who have built it century after century, until it has been transferred in our hands so that we could bring it, forever unfinished yet so beautiful, to our children and grandchildren.

Project creator: Riga Culture and Folk Art Center Small Guild

Project  implementer: SIA Muzikālā Dizaina Grupa and SIA Eiropas skaņa

Project sponsor: Riga City Council Education, Culture and Sports Department

Project partners: SIA Muzikālā Dizaina Grupa and SIA Eiropas skaņa