How a Song About a Coin Made Jöran Steinhauer Latvia's Favourite German
Musician Jöran Steinhauer's song, "Paldies Latiņam", a paean to Latvia's now-obsolete currency, became an unexpected viral hit.Continue Reading →
"The Capital of Empty Spaces": Dealing with the Shrinking of the Great Baltic City
Since the restoration of Latvia’s independence in 1991, Riga has shrunk by more than 25%.Continue Reading →
Aigars Bikše: The Latvian Sculptor Who is Lord of His Own Manor
Bikše’s irreverent and political sculptures have been seen from Riga to Venice and Tokyo, while his eccentric sense of style perfectly suits his role as head of Fashion at the…Continue Reading →
Landscapes of Communism Revalued: An Interview with Owen Hatherley
In Landscapes of Communism, published earlier this year, Owen Hatherley turned his attention to the architecture of Communism across the former Eastern Bloc, including in the BalticsContinue Reading →
Latvia's Hidden Viking Heritage: the Lost City of Seeburg
If you visit Grobiņa nowadays, you will see almost no signs of the past settlement.Continue Reading →
Final Point of the Russian Empire: Liepāja's Half a Million Emigrants
In the eight years of emigration from Liepāja to New York, over 500,000 people used the Russian-American line to reach the ‘Big Apple’.Continue Reading →
The Baltic Revolution 25 Years On: An Interview with Anatol Lieven
Anatol Lieven was the only Western journalist permanently stationed in the Baltic states during the most dramatic years of their struggle for independence.Continue Reading →
Proof of Existence: Discovering Latvia through Exile Literature
This book was an attempt at a cogito ergo sum for the free Latvian nation: proof to the outside world that there was a country called Latvia, that Russia did…Continue Reading →
"We Are All Aliens To Each Other": An Interview with Uģis Olte
Uģis Olte is a Latvian director and screenwriter whose latest project is Double Aliens, a collaboration with Georgian photographer Daro Sulakauri.Continue Reading →
From East Asia via Great Britain: the Story of Estonia and Latvia's National Game
Novuss is the national game of Latvia; Koroona is the national game of Estonia. But what are these games and where did they come from?Continue Reading →
Foreigners in their Own Homes: on Latvian Documentary "Double Aliens"
Double Aliens is a Latvian-Georgian documentary film shot in Samtskhe-Javakheti, an arid and mountainous region in southern Georgia.Continue Reading →
The Strange Story of Walk – United by the Soviets, Divided by Freedom
It certainly doesn’t look like a national border – a forgotten, slightly gloomy pedestrianised backstreet...Continue Reading →