SOIL Retreat in Latvia AUGUST 2024

From August 23 to 27 2024, the second creative camp for “The Big Green” took place in Līgatne Parish, Cēsis Municipality, bringing together project partners, artists, and experts on this year’s theme, SOIL. Ieva Briede, Latvian project manager of “The Big Green,” writes about her experiences at the camp.

Inspired by this theme, NTIL put together a program of events that introduced guests to the unique features of Latvia’s nature, the characteristics of various bogs and plants, as well as Latvian folklore and culinary traditions. In total, the creative camp was attended by 33 participants from various European countries—Portugal, Serbia, Hungary, Germany, Finland, Poland, Romania, Italy, the Netherlands, and Latvia.

The Latvian delegation included not only representatives of the NTIL, but also this year’s nominated artists—Linda Boļšakova and Evarts Melnalksnis.

On the morning of August 23, we went on a short exploratory walk through downtown Riga so that, later that afternoon, after meeting up with the remaining participants, we could take a bus to the “Ratnieki” recreation complex, where the main part of the project’s creative camp took place. During the evening, we were entertained by the folklore group “Delve,” which introduced us to various folklore traditions, folk songs, beliefs, and pagan rituals.

On the afternoon of August 24, fermentation expert Maruta Rampāne introduced participants to the fermentation process and offered tips on how to ferment natural ingredients at home, followed by a lecture by Philipp Thapa and Evi Kallo on the physical and philosophical aspects of fermentation.

August 25 was dedicated to nature walks with scientists Jānis Šlūke, Inga Sīle, and Ilze Ozola. Each of these scientists offered a completely different way of immersing oneself in Latvia’s nature. Jānis Šlūke, a nature guide at Ķemeri National Park, led the participants on a physically challenging hike through the swamp forest, explaining not only the unique features of the swamp forest and the history of forests in Latvia as a whole, but also the different types of mushrooms, how bats catch mosquitoes, and the current state of hunting in Latvia. Marsh researcher Ilze Ozola led the participants on a walk through the marsh, wearing special marsh boots. During the walk, we learned more about the different types of marshes, their unique role in the global ecosystem, and the plants that inhabit them. Meanwhile, medicinal plant expert Inga Sīle shared more about the medicinal plants found in Latvia and their uses. The participants worked together to create special herbal tea blends and discussed the specific characteristics of other countries regarding the availability and use of medicinal plants.

To conclude the evening, artists Jānis Balodis and Nauels Kano treated us to a brief presentation of their new work, the full version of which was available during the “Homo Novus” festival. It should be noted, however, that this was a presentation of a work in progress, and the finished version of the performance will be available to audiences at the 2025 “Homo Novus” festival.

August 26 was dedicated to reflection. Reflection on what we saw, heard, and experienced during the creative camp. Reflection on what we have accomplished during the project’s first year and what we wish to focus on in the project’s second year. Reflection on our collaboration and mutual relationships as project partners.