19 VOICES OF GRAND TREES

Latvia’s old grand trees bear witness to the country’s beginnings. They are celebrated in folk songs, legends and fairy tales and they served as sacred places for our ancestors and form an important part of national identity.

An old tree is also a generous habitat, providing a home for many living creatures. Birds may nest in the large branches and in the hollows of an old tree, forest animals can rest in its shade and various insects can search for food there. The tree attracts a great diversity of plant and animal life.

This light installation draws attention to the importance of preserving natural values. Visitors will be able to enter a video installation as if stepping inside a hollow of a real old tree, connecting the past and the present through the perspective of nature’s grandeur and fragility.

From 15 to 17 November, “Voices of Grand Trees” will be part of the “Staro Rīga” light festival, inviting visitors to enter it as if stepping into the hollow of a real grand tree and experience a video installation about the grandeur and fragility of nature and the connection between the past and the present.

On 18 November, the installation will become a festive stage for the concert “Brīvības ainavas” (“Landscapes of Freedom”) at 7:00 p.m. Its visual structure will remain unchanged. After the concert celebrating Latvia’s birthday, visitors can enjoy a light performance from 8:10 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., repeated every five minutes.