Home, ground getting steady under my feet. Working with visuals…
Now is the last few days in Riga. The city almost contains half of the population of Lithuania.
Contemplating this trip will take some time. It is a mix of impressions of four countries in different ways affected by the former Soviet Union, the sailing as a way of transportation, sharing life on the boat and trying to consider the continuation of the Approach at sea project. I also compare visting Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with my recent trip to Armenia and then these Baltic States is very much alike Sweden or any other European country.
I was hoping for a more ongoing conversation on the environment and the involvement of art in these questions that the speed of this project has been providing this time. It is a of practical work that has to be carried out!
We had such a nice sailing trip from Ruhnu to Riga.
Quite different ways to get to know about Ventspils. From the green movement and local artists or by vistiting one of the restaurants that were serving food as late as we arrived.
Here follows some photos from enchanting Karousta north of Liepaja.
We met with Matinus who is a priest telling us about Liepaja in a very interesting way, he showed us his church where they had gathered information on how that particular church was involved in the resitance movement (as many churhes were). Later in the evening we met his wife Aija at the University of Liepaja where she is the dean for the humanistic part, especially working with a art media education.
Thursday June the 30 we’re in Liepaja already having spent a few days in Klaipeda. We get a lot of impressions and meet nice people. Looking and trying to get a breif idea about how the Baltic Sea is linked to each country and adding to that my own curiosity of whatever since this is the first time visiting all the countries in this trip. Just now it’s a struggle to pass my biased view that easily gets out of knowing to little in advance of going on this journey.
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In Gdansk one question that were raised by people active at WYSPA was to make the sea side of Gdansk accessible to the population of Gdansk. Large parts of the area facing the sea are former or still active ship yards and closed as industrial private proparty. I found this solar cell driven tourist boat at the same marina as our sailing boat, but I never saw it in practise. The other picture is from a reuse of a former bridge as a way of making some remains into something (what it now can be used for).
My trip started leaving my relatives behind in Kivik going on the ferry from Karlskrona to Gdynia. Joining the ferry got me thinking about who is actually travelling across the Baltic Sea and for what reason. This journey was w mix of truck drives and tourist with or without a cart for buying cheap alcohol. I have to check the statistics on transportations and on private boats used mostly for pleasure…
Karlskrona Gdynia
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June 2009:
I will be joining the boat at Gdansk and follow the journey to Riga.
In the beginning of June I visited a distant part of Europe: Armenia. Armenia was also a part of former Sovietunion as the three Baltic states but Armenia doesn’t have a border to a bigger sea or ocean. In Armenia Lake Sevan is of great importance for watersupply. Lake Sevan is 2000 meters above sea level.
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