Creativity week radi!2015

9–15 March

radi! dari! — create! do!

The ulterior goal of radi! as a social movement is to promote public awareness and interest about the sector of creative and cultural industries, creativity-promoting education, innovations, knowledge economy and creative management by demonstrating the experience and achievements of Latvia.

This year for the fifth year running, the movement radi! is inviting to learn, demonstrate and be aware of the Latvian creativity potential, by creating and doing. A versatile satellite-event programme is planned for the creativity week for various target audiences, including the best examples of local co-operation, to postulate radi! as a proactive movement.

The aim of radi!2015 is to introduce, engage and create new knowledge in Latvian society about:

• the development of the creative industries sector;

• the cross-over processes of the culture and creative industries, by developing co-operation with other sectors;

• the possibilities of applying design thinking as a practical instrument;

• the ways of stimulating the formation of interdisciplinary partnerships within the context of priorities of the Latvian presidency in the Council of the European Union.

In 2015, the team of radi! will continue updating the topic of cross-over competencies of creative industries to other publicly important areas so that we, the people of Latvia, are turned into smarter planners, more skilful innovators, pioneers of unconventional approaches, and users of creative potential in intersectoral co-operation. This year, we will also be inviting everybody to take part in the social campaign — Latvianisation of the concept “cross-over”. Up-to-date information is available online at: www.radilatvija.lv.

At the same time, the thematic directions embarked upon in 2014, by emphasising the design and design thinking as an effective tool for creating new partnerships , are building an important bridge to the central events planned for 2015 within the context of the Latvian presidency in the Council of the European Union.

radi!2015 will establish a unifying platform for the implementation of the thematic objectives of the cultural policy of the Latvian presidency and of creative industries. radi! will also bring the priority values of the Latvian presidency to the forefront: involvement, growth, and sustainability .

radi!2015 — key events:

• March 9-10. International conference “Strengthening the European Audiovisual Media Market for the Development of the European Identity” will raise a discussion on how to strengthen the European audiovisual media market so that it can respond to the challenges of the fast pace of advances in technology, increasing global competition, changing consumer habits and the perceived threat to media pluralism in the context of the current geopolitical situation. The conference is organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and the National Electronic Mass Media Council of Latvia, supported and co-funded by the European Commission. 

• March 11–12. International conference “ Cultural and Creative Crossovers ” will highlight practical examples of creative crossovers and partnerships from all over Europe demonstrating the impact of culture and creative industries and their added value to other sectors, including economy, social innovation and education, sustainable urban and regional development. The conference is organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, supported and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. 

• March 12–13. International conference “ Heritage, Contemporary Architecture and Design in Interaction” will promote a discussion on interaction between cultural heritage and contemporary architecture and design, at the same time preserving historical evidence and fostering the development of high quality living space. The conference is organised by the State Inspection for Heritage Protection and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, supported and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.   

• The international education forum School in the digital age on 13 March (organised by the British Council in Latvia in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Science, UNESCO National Commission, RIIMC ( Riga Centre for Education and Informational Methods ), along with other co-operation partners). The aim of the forum is to seek answers to questions of what a 21 ^st century school should be like and how technologies should be used in the teaching process in a meaningful way.

• Three exhibitions of the Latvian contemporary design exposition cycle Design Manifestation : Reputation, Humanisation, and Information (financial support by the Ministry of Culture, implemented by the design office H2E). 

radi!2015 format

Discussions, seminars, and workshops, think-tanks, demonstrations of interdisciplinary co-operation examples, satellite-events of the central events of the week, projects and other easily implemented forms of thinking, working, and creating together.

Get involved and join in!

The organisers of the creativity week and co-operation partners welcome everybody, who is interested, informal groups of people, institutions, establishments, organisations, enterprises in Riga and in the regions of Latvia to join in the radi! movement. If you have an idea that is in line with the concept of this movement, and if you have the potential and resources to implement it, join the radi! platform of peers, to enrich the programme of the Creativity week 2015 and to make our team stronger. We are open to new partnerships with individuals, organisations, disciplines, regions, and ideas on how the creative industries are contributing to improving and developing the public life in the broadest variety of areas.

radi! future development

If we look at what we have accomplished within a year between radi!2014 and radi!2015 , we can be proud of great achievements spanning more than merely one week. For nearly a whole year, the pilot project of creative partnerships RA-PA-PRO was implemented, engaging 10 Latvian professional culture and arts secondary schools with social partners in Riga and the regions of Latvia.

At the same time, during the Creativity Week radi!2015 , we will be updating the issue on a more far-reaching development of this social movement, by inviting to take part in a common discussion on such matters as:

• what will be the key challenges and tasks of radi! as a social platform for the upcoming five years?

• how can radi! partnerships materialise into more far-reaching long-term projects?

• how should the radi! format grow from one week per year filled with creative events into other ways of manifestation throughout the year?

• will the radi! initiative as a social platform be able to present an efficient tool in the future to expand the opinion leaders’ and public knowledge and understanding on creativity, without trivialising the concept?

radi!2015 team:

Ministry of Culture and British Council Latvia

radi!2015 strategic partners:

Ministry of Education and Science, EUNIC, Danish Cultural Institute, French Institute, Goethe Institute, Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia (the list will be updated upon receiving a confirmation on participation by the partners).

More information about the implementation process of radi!2015 :

Lilita Sparāne, radi!2015 project manager

radi@radilatvija.lv

or

lilita.sparane@radilatvija.lv

tel.: +371 29180042 

Download:

Concept of Creativity week radi!2015     (PDF)

April 29 at 10.00-12.00 in the Finnish Embassy in Latvia (Kalpaka bulvaris 1, Riga)

A follow-up radi!2015 week event - discussion panel is organized by the Finnish Institute in Estonia, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Embassy of Finland to Latvia in cooperation with the Creativity week radi!.

INFO / REGISTRATION: http://bit.ly/inspirationRiga

In order to rise above your competitors, you need to stand out, find new ways to enter the market and export your products, and really put your smarts to work. Numerous creative and tech enterprises have come out with new business models. What can we learn from them? What are the business model trends of the start-up world? Some of the examples might just prompt you to review your own business model in a situation where the resources are limited but the market is global. 

Speakers: Riku Mäkelä (FIN), Claus Østergaard (DK), Lilita Sparane (LV)

Riku Mäkelä
CEO of SLUSH, the startup conference

Slush is the largest investor event organised in Europe. Last year’s event was attended by more than 750 investors. Slush takes place in wintery Scandinavia and is organized every fall to bring the Eurasian tech ecosystem together to help new things get started and go forward. 
www.slush.org

Lilita Sparane,
Initiator and Manager, Demola Latvia

Working within the BSR StarDust project, Lilita has gained unmesserable experiece in innovation system development and establishment of start-up communities. She initiated to open in Latvia a innovative cooperation platform DEMOLA, which roots are coming from Finland. Since January 2104 Latvia’s students and enterprices also have a great opportunity to collaborate and to develop new innovative products and services within the scope of DEMOLA Latvia and become world-wide known players.
www.demola.lv

Claus Østergaard
Network Manager for the innovation network Invio

Invio - Innovation Network for Experience Economy. The partnership behind the national network includes Technological Institute, Aalborg University, Centre for Cultural and Experience Economy and Roskilde University. Claus's focus is on coordinating and facilitating the network as well as developing the network as a business. He is also involved in several innovation projects focusing on developing mobile user experiences by implementing mobile and digital technology into non-technological experiences.
www.invio-net.dk

On Tuesday, March 10th, 2015, within the framework of Creativity Week radi! 2015, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) conducted a seminar “Do future design trends affect today’s business? How is it possible to predict them and make them work in your favour?” The seminar was attended by many young fashion designers and creative industry representatives.

Stefan Nilsson from Sweden is the most commonly cited trend expert who appears regularly on television, radio, newspapers and magazines in Sweden and northern Europe. The interior design and architecture magazine "RUM" has named Stefan as one of the most influential people in the field of design in Sweden for five consecutive years (for more information in Swedish: http://www.tidskriftenrum.se/). Stefan is constantly traveling, looking for and observing new phenomena in lifestyle, interior design, design, fashion and food which he then records. In the first part of the seminar, the five “hottest” or the most current design trends in the world were presented as well as the origin, role and impact of these trends and the current tendencies.

We offer you to check for yourself: do you see these trends in your own environment?

1.      Trend–vacation together with Picasso. The association: the world-famous artist is drawing in the sand for free, or a Finnish photographer's traveling large-format photo exhibition that has achieved world-wide fame in which the photographer has depicted the elderly, whose heads have different built-in installations from naturally available materials such as moss, sticks, tree roots, seaweed, etc. Here it is important to talk about two interrelated things: the so-called Mediterranean lifestyle in all its simplicity, as it was in the 50’s and 60’s, and the way of expressing creativity, without investing money.

Key words: simplicity in everything, handiwork, pastel shades, inconspicuous and non-overwhelming interior details, the 60’s, functionality, geometric and symmetrical patterns and layout. This year's topical colour: marsala, a red wine colour, with a bit of chocolate added to it.

2.      Trend - sea naiveté. This trend is a new step in the hipster culture. Currently the forest and everything that this trend is associated with, is no longer relevant. Tattoos, funny hats and beards will not disappear, but everything will be transformed into marine theme, simplicity and naive expression: anchors, boats, sea blue colour, sailor shirt stripes, nets, stones and seashells. The sea-blue colour in the interior, candles with a smell of the sea, bottle-screw in the form of anchor, fish or mermaids. This trend brings marine motifs to tablecloths and dishes.

3.      Trend - foliage in the foreground. This will definitely be trendy for the next two years: the new green way of thinking in an urban environment. Many different devices are in the process of being created for personal green-leaf garden installation in pots on the windowsill, such as seed germination heat-case that looks like an oven in the kitchen, but that is a specifically designed and adapted hermetic device with  a built-in irrigation and ventilation system.Foliage and plants are entering the interior in a new form, they do not even have to be blooming. Greenness is entering into everything, even in healthy lifestyle, as it is important to us. As an example can be mentioned flowering plant compositions and green grass, which actually are lighting objects. The continuation of green thinking  in a new form comes from New York, the juice concept, a concept that anything that is grown, can be recycled into juice. Develop juice bars in Latvia, it will be immediately trendy! The best way to sell the juice is to write in large letters: juice for strength, juice for a good night's sleep, juice for energy, etc.

4.      Trend - the new simplicity. A slower life, but a better quality of life. In 2015 the “all inclusive” is no longer trendy. Instead, what becomes trendy is a simplified environment, the use of natural raw materials and minimalism. Individuals working in high positions and owners of corporations or entrepreneurs choose to spend their time-off outside of the urban fast rhythm and city narrowness. In turn, they choose to go to Marrakech for a year to relax or they choose to work from nine AM to three PM in order to simplify their lifestyle and read books.

5.      Trend: brilliance and radiance. This is the real taste of Fancy, Rock’n’roll, and Glamrock. This is the newest and strangest trend that does not go well together with all the other trends named above. A complete radiance and pageantry that brings the full glory of the 70’s to the fore all in one place. This trend entails special forms in colour, interior and fashion. The 70’s are becoming fashionable again, just look at the 2015 Prada collection. Festivals are back in fashion! Street restaurant festivals or the so-called "street food" festivals are trendy. The Latvian analogue is “Piena festivāls.”

Stefan is sharing his thoughts about the new trends in his monthly news page “The New Black” ("Det nya svarta’). He is also writing a food and fashion blog “Eat and  Greet” and he is writing about other design and trend questions in a design blog “Designbloggarna." In Stockholm, Stefan owns a design gallery “Trendstefan.”

“Crossover is to take the best from all spheres,” Mateusz Marmołowski, the creator of the interactive cognitive game "Professor Why" and the winner of Creative Business Cup 2014 from Poland.

Which are the areas in which Latvia can best realise “crossover," or the principle of transfer, to other countries?

I have no idea about what is happening in Latvia, because I’ve been here for only couple of hours and the only people I know are Ilona and Edgars Viļums, the creators of “GIGI Blocks.” They are the true example of how the transfer process works because they have received good reviews from both the children and industry professionals who work with "GIGI Blocks".

What can culture provide for business?

Cultural innovation in science is what has helped me to create “Professor Why” in the global market.

Why is it important for various industry representatives to cooperate and can the involvement of other fields help to develop business?  

One must take the best of all that the involved parties can provide for the development  and implementation of a specific project or product. A small company needs to use all available resources in project implementation, because time and financial resources are usually very limited.  

What should be the position of the country in order to facilitate the transfer process?

Currently I’m traveling all over the world and I’m presenting the opportunity to introduce my product “Professor Why” in primary schools at national level at ministries of Education and Culture. It is an interactive way in which to encourage  children’s interest in physics, chemistry and science at an early age. If this is achieved, the transfer will be implemented in full scale!

Mateusz Marmołowskitook part in the international conference “Cultural and creative crossovers” with an express presentation in Game + Education + Science. The last few years he has spent in the United States, Silicon Valley, working with the Internet and technology. He has founded CTAdventure company that is a pioneer in edutainment software development.

"Small countries are a great driving force for the big ones" believes Marco Steinberg, the creator of“Snow Cone & Haystack”from Finland.

1. 1.                Which are the areas in which Latvia can best realise “crossover," or the principle of transfer, to other countries?

Latvia is a country which is just as small as Finland, we should let ourselves be affected less by the bigger countries and retain our autonomy  in everything instead, in order to show the European Union that not all regulations are equally applicable to all countries. Many quality standards  need changing, the emphasis in design needs changing. Latvia can find alternative ways to find solutions to the problems we face. Latvia needs innovations in industrial design.

1. 2.                What can culture provide for business?

Innovation! New Finnish Nokia and much more. The quality of the service sector comes through culture, and it is necessary to strengthen culture in business at the national level. We need to work on supply rather than demand!

1. 3.                Why is it important for various industry representatives to cooperate and can the involvement of other fields help to develop business?  

It is difficult for large manufacturing industries to accept innovation, they  change slowly, so the representatives of creative industries need to find opportunities for cooperation. Small countries can bring innovations more rapidly and large countries can produce on a large scale what has been obtained through such cooperation. The key is to think rationally and to use all available means and resources by maximising cost savings, this is the right place for the creative industries. The use of available resources has changed all over the world.

The planning of large urban construction sites takes at least 15 years, until everything comes to the real production. After severe floods in China such urban planning process was developed in a linear fashion, when many areas were cooperating side by side, as a consequence the result was reached within 90 days…

1. 4.                What should be the position of the country in order to facilitate the transfer process?

Currently the European Union is facing a crisis in the area of design. How to convert ideas to create a design system as a whole, and leave the comfort that prevailed in the past? It is now important to understand this in order to prepare for future events. It is necessary to finally accept that we are in the 21st century and that the 18th century institutions have no place in the world today. The government must work in an integrated environment and create new systems. The understanding of concepts has changed. It is important communicate with politicians. The European Union needs such small countries as Latvia and Finland, because we can do many things independently, and it is a great driving force for large countries.

At the international conference “Cultural and creative crossovers” Marco Steinberg  spoke on the topic “How to make crossovers happen – a design approach.” Currently he is the chair at the Finnish Museum of Architecture, as well as board member at the organisation “Design Driven City.” In turn, his company "Snow Cone & Haystack," based in Helsinki, is engaged in the strategy design and helps governments and their leaders to bring innovations in their operations. One of the favourite sayings of Marco Steinberg is,"Gentlemen, we have no money any longer. It’s time to start thinking!"

"Latvian fashion has a future" believes Bernd Fesel, the chairman of the leading European business network, the senior advisor at the European centre for creative economy from Germany.

Which are the areas in which Latvia can best realise “crossover," or the principle of transfer, to other countries?

I’m not a Latvian expert, but I would like to suggest to pay more attention to digital technology, gaming and design, this is now topical in the world today. However, within one day I've become acquainted with the Latvian fashion industry and I think it has a future, because it is different and unique. The fashion world has huge market opportunities, and it is very important for a small country like Latvia, because the local economy is in need for these foreign markets. The entire Latvian creative industry must invest in a product that could be jointly pushed on a global scale.

How would you define “crossover”?

As an example of a genuine transfer process may include the formation of the European Union 50 years ago, when states, industries and cultures united. Everything that we see and how we see it, entails the concept of crossover. It is the transfer process of knowledge, production, and culture, it is a circular movement, which has no beginning and no end. This transfer may just as well be a circle or even several circles, which overlap with one another. It’s like “paradise” - it doesn’t matter in which point to take part, everyone wins. The transfer process can be both linear and non-linear, everything can start from thin air, because these processes may be affected by anything, and that is a truly serious research topic to be considered for the future. One of the facilitators of the transfer process is culture, and in Europe it has an enormous potential.

What can culture provide for business?

Innovation in culture must be viewed from a multidimensional perspective, because all areas in which we work, interact, and these different sectors contribute to everything.If we take the example of New York, where every year in the face of floods, right after the storm Sandy 535 different organisations and 141 regions in New York united, participating in a design competition for the opportunity to build a wall or dam to limit the effect of flooding on the urban population and infrastructure. Some of the proposed solutions that are the result of this project are already being discussed.

Why is it important for various industry representatives to cooperate and can the involvement of other fields help to develop business?  

People all around the world are talking about an economy, in which different sectors cooperate. The business feedback loop needs to be obtained as soon as possible: producer - consumer, employer - employee. We need to think about the methods of  how to achieve this. Efforts should be made to see the causation of processes. In the world billions are invested in the creation of new innovative products and services. At the moment, perhaps the significance of few things is not yet fully understood or defined, perhaps the true significance will be discovered only later, but without trying anything, we won’t get anything.

What should be the position of the country in order to facilitate the transfer process?

The public sector should support those young entrepreneurs who have gained recognition or awards in world-class competitions and forums. The country will gain from the fact that it is assisting and facilitation something that is different and unique to the world. We have to start from the very top of the public administration and such support programs need to be included in the national development processes.

"Creative evening talks about creative business" event was organised for young entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the context of creativity week radi! 2015 in the evening of March 10th by "MM STUDIO” Ltd in cooperation with TRUSIS KAFE. The host of the evening was Maris Millers - an entrepreneur, business coach, good humour and music lover. The objective was to discuss and find unconventional ways to promote creative thinking within the Latvian society and to introduce a bit of creativity to help business, making it possible to look at business from another perspective.

The most important topics of the evening were: where do ideas come from? Why do they grow into a business, or on the contrary, do not grow into a business? What are the three whales that business is based upon?

In a creative spirit of a good cheer and cozy atmosphere for two hours those who were present shared their impressions and experiences, and discussed and tried to gather ideas about what exactly is a business and what are its influencing and unifying factors. Normally, the materials, and books on business and entrepreneurship are imbued with specific terms, tables and schemes, but in reality many successful business operations have started from dreams, a process of trial and error or a failed experiment. It was the 2008 economic crisis when many businesses in Latvia were pushed to review their costs and effectiveness of operations. Since then business has become much more creative; maximum is achieved by investing fewer resources. It is no secret that human idleness is the cradle of many products and domains…

Some insights from the discussion to inspire beginners: it is a hobby or just dreaming, as long as we only have ideas for which we overpay. For ideas to become something more, we need to critically evaluate them and put them on paper. One should talk to professionals who will assist in discussing ideas as well as their implementation. Look for friends, acquaintances or just people with whom to talk, dispute and possibly start working on setting up a team, plan of activities and fundraising. Try to build a product/service prototypes and try the viability of your ideas in reality. In business financing start-up phase it is best to use the FFF (family, friends, fools) principle. But if you decide to borrow money, always carefully consider the possibilities of returning it.

And remember: everything in business is related - the idea and the team, the plan and finance, the product, customer and success. Without crossover between these components, nothing is possible.

Perhaps after this evening some ideas will soon turn into a successful business!

For more information: https://www.facebook.com/mmstudija.lv?ref=br_rs

At the opening of the international conference "Cultural and Creative Crossovers,” the Latvian Minister of Culture Dace Melbārde emphasised that creative crossover in Latvia is discernible both in large and small scale. As one of the “small” examples the Minister of Culture mentioned and demonstrated a bracelet on her wrist which functions both as an accessory and a pulse-warmer. In addition, these bracelets  embody the traditional cultural ideas with the Latvian cultural patterns protecting their  wearer. Another example mentioned by the Minister of Culture was the Latvian Song and Dance Festival that has helped to form the Latvian collective identity and that has contributed to the founding of the Latvian state in 1918. After that this singing tradition has helped to regain the independence of the Baltic states that has manifested itself in the singing revolution. The Minister of Culture points out that the Song and Dance Festival promotes civic participation and social inclusion. The festival is a contribution to education as participants learn not only the different art forms amongst of which is singing, dancing and playing different musical instruments, but also the ability to work in a team and learn to understand each other. Local entrepreneurs and the whole tourism industry all around the country also benefit from the festival. The Minister stressed that we can learn from this festival, because in order to form creative partnerships, one should respect one another and be able to both talk and listen to each other. Thus, everyone should be equal partners. In fact, the cultural crossover to other sectors is visible in all our traditions. Creative interdisciplinary partnerships also need courage to act outside their comfort zone, out of the typical action patterns, often relying on intuition. Dace Melbārde: “We often perceive culture and creativity as a panacea for improvement of various processes. However, creativity results in something valuable only if true cooperation has been achieved, based on employer and employee equality and mutual respect.”

“Nowadays, amber is a clear example of creative partnerships. It has evolved into, for instance, amber thread that can be used in medicine and textile industry. Also, the produced soap of "Stender's Soap Factory” contains amber. It has presented the creative collection during the event of Riga as the European Capital of Culture. Amber has been a source of inspiration for the choir “Kamēr…,” which has recorded a music album “Amber Songs.” The album includes Latvian folk songs, whose finishing touch was shaped by composers from Europe, located near the historical Amber Road,” said Dace Melbārde at the opening of the conference. It should be noted that amber has become "edible," as each of the participants received a "sweet amber.” It is made from naturally made caramel, which looks like genuine amber, and reflects the importance of creativity and inspiration in every aspect of our lives.

The international conference "Cultural and Creative Crossovers,” that is taking place at the Latvian National Library is organised by the Ministry of Culture with the support and co-financing of the European Union program “Creative Europe.” It is one of the most important events of the creativity week radi!2015. The conference aims to draw attention to and discuss the crossover of cultural and creative industries, to identify with practical examples its impact on national economic development, innovation, social and public partnership as well as sustainable urban and regional development.

On Monday, March 9^th, the seminar and discussion “Moderating Riga’s architecture - interiority of public and private places” was held in the venues of Goethe-Institut Riga during the Creativity Week radi! 2015. It was widely attended by industry experts, interested parties and foreign visitors. Such an event was organised for the second time, and the importance of Latvian urban architecture is currently very topical.

The “Third Place" is a meeting space on various levels of scale. Today the emergence of different meeting spaces of different levels of functionality in the city has become a necessity, because it forms social interaction between people and places. The “first place" in this context is human habitation, and the "second place" is workplace. Each of us on the way home from work has ever arranged to meet one’s colleagues, friends or relatives in one of the city's public spaces, such as coffee shops, art galleries or creative quarters and other public places. Consciously or unconsciously, we tend to choose a space that combines an informal character and a certain atmosphere. Cozy atmosphere cannot be achieved through traditional architectural design techniques. Atmosphere cannot be manufactured or bought, because it can be obtained only through social life. Atmosphere is perceived only through a multi-sensory adventure. It can be perceived through sight, hearing, touch, and often through taste, as well.

Oliver Hasemann and Daniel Scheer from Bremen represent the organisation The ZwichenZeitZentrale (ZZZ), whose goal is to support, consult and develop various projects  in order to revive abandoned buildings and industrial areas. The agency fulfils a mediating role between users, owners and administrative departments of a city’s local government. As a result, balance is reached between an individual and space possibilities, the vision of local authorities, owners and users, and individual and collective needs and constraints. The representatives of the agency presented examples of initiated and supported projects that have been successful both at large and small scale and short and long-term use, since the potential for a successful project realisation is reached through the involvement of different interested parties. Currently, the agency has set up an industrial park in Bremen, an interactive map of empty and abandoned sites on the Internet, the development of which everyone can be actively involved in by inserting photos, marking the location and creating descriptions. A completely new direction, which is currently in development, is a Europe-wide interactive map where one can view all "third places". For more information: http://www.zzz-bremen.de.

Matthias Bürgin is a geographer and city planner from Switzerland, an experienced specialist in spatial planning and research, journalism and cultural activities. In his view such "third place" projects can successfully continue for on average 12 years, if appropriate funding is attracted to space and infrastructure development. The main emphasis is placed on the fact that large and expensive urban development projects could probably surprise the "marketing world," but it does not fundamentally change anything and does not introduce new upgrades in the local people's daily lives. Only gradually, through cooperation with local governments through social activities, manual and creative application of one’s skills, can one reach authentic and sustainable urbanistic qualities. Therefore, the temporary use of empty space has the potential to evolve. For more information: http://www.zwischennutzung.net.

Michele Di Marco from the Copenhagen architectural firm "Architecture and human rights," which is represented in Denmark and Chile, revealed that every year since 2007, the office representatives have organised the workshop "Workshop 5x5.” It is based on an architectural concept, which is implemented in five different cultures and five different humanitarian cases. This academic concept has already been implemented in four parts of the world: Asia, America, Europe and Africa. Office projects are always based on a theoretical framework, that are classified into five categories:

1. Cultural architecture

2. Humanitarian emergencies

3. Available housing and natural urban space

4. Participation

5. Projects for social equality

Michele Di Marco informed that the office has used "third places,” or the conceptual idea of the meeting spaces in the projects that they have implemented, because since in different cultures and countries this idea is radically different, it is considered that examples and illustrations explain it better. For more information: http://www.earchitecture.dk

The event “Moderating Riga’s architecture - interiority of public and private places” was concluded with a debate attended by an architect and social anthropologist Matīss Šteinerts, the private consultant of Commercial property and investment Māris Oga, the landscape architect Helēna Gūtmane, the Latvian Hotel and Restaurant Association Executive Santa Graikste, the movement Free Riga activist Mārcis Rubenis and the director at Marketing and Public Opinion Research Centre (SKDS) Arnis Kaktiņš. The debate and panel discussion were quite dynamic. One of the best examples that was mentioned, was the development of Berga Bazaar. However, other functional spaces and places in the urban environment were also emphasised and evaluated.

Conclusions requiring further discussion are: have we ever wondered how we feel in the city; why in some parts of the city we feel welcome and not in others; why in one place we are invited to consume, but in other places to create together; to what extent does economy influence the topicality of the urban environment; to what extent can individuals living in the city contribute to the urban environment development processes; does Riga require the strategy of “third places”; what are the challenges faced in Riga and what is Riga’s potential from the viewpoint of “third places.”

Seminar was organised by Riga City Architect’s Office, The Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Goethe-Institut Riga, Embassy of Switzerland to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and Urban Institute Riga.

Conference programme - updated 09.03.2015

Conference programme

Practical information - updated 09.03.2015

Practical information

Dates: 8.01.-28.08.2015.

Where: National Library of Latvia, Mūkusalas Street 3, Riga

Participants: 08/01–05/07/2015 (guests of the Latvian Presidency); 06/07–28/08/2015 (open to public)

More information:

The objective of the exhibition REPUTATION is to demonstrate, with pride, international achievements and outstanding success stories of the design of Latvia in numerous industries and design areas. It will contain graphic presentations of numerous design objects with prestigious awards in internationally recognised design competitions. 

REPUTATION highlights the notable performance and the distinct ideas of the design of Latvia. It manifests: Latvia is a country with fine design that has acquired international reputation.  Be aware, be proud of and make use of the design of Latvia!

The authors of the exhibition would like to enhance the local and international public understanding about the achievements of the design of Latvia and look at the most effective ways to profit from the acquired reputation to facilitate more frequent successful transformation of the achievements into the benefits for the whole nation.

The exposition REPUTATION in total presents information about 19 outstanding design items of Latvia in the areas of products, packaging, graphic art, fashion, interior, mobile applications and design management.

The group of authors: Mr Holgers Elers and Ms Inguna Elere, H2E design studio, establishers and leading designers; professors at the Academy of Arts of Latvia Ms Barbara Abele, design thinking coach, assistant professor at the Academy of Arts of Latvia.

http://www.dizainamanifestacija.lv/

Social media: https://www.facebook.com/dizainamanifestacija; https://twitter.com/D_Manifestacija

Dates: 6 February-29 March 2015

Where: Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Skārņu street 10, Riga (Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00 till 17.00, on Wednesday from 11.00 till 19.00. Note that during Creativity week on March 12 and 13 the museum will be open until 19.00 !!!)

More information:

The purpose of the design exposition HUMANISATION is to demonstrate the design created in Latvia as a result of interdisciplinary merge, at the same time challenging the old fashioned ideas about the design as jet set phenomenon by revealing its presence and potential in various sectors and everyday situations. The exposition will exhibit more than one hundred thirty Latvian design items, including products, and services; it will demonstrate wide applicability options and encourage discussion about more purposeful application and utilization of the design potential. 

The basic idea of the exhibition is to expose on stage the human life in its various scenes that any human being comes across in daily routine, being at home, at work, or moving around.  These are everyday routines of eating, washing and dressing. These objects are arranged in six groups - work, home, meal, purity, movement and childhood.

The exposition is complimented with a part – MATERIALS. The scientists, inventors and designers of Latvia are engaged in issues of creation and utilization of the materials that will serve as the point of reference for future products and design solutions.

The group of authors of the design exhibition cycle DESIGN MANIFESTATION is an interdisciplinary team, awarded to draft and implement the exhibition projects in cooperation with the design studio H2E within the framework of the competition organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.  The exposition cycleis financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

http://www.dizainamanifestacija.lv/

Social media: https://www.facebook.com/dizainamanifestacija; https://twitter.com/D_Manifestacija

Dates: 5.03.-2.04.2015

Where: Academy of Arts of Latvia, 13 Kalpaka Blvd, Riga

More information:

The official launch of the exposition INFORMATION, dedicated to various aspects of products, services and processes of the graphic design of Latvia, will take place on Thursday 5 March 2015 at the Academy of Arts of Latvia (13 Kalpaka Blvd, Riga). This is the third exhibition of the DESIGN MANIFESTATION, exposition cycle of the design of Latvia.  

The role of information in modern society is growing. Therefore also the information design is an area associated with high expectations of the potential and extensive changes. Tactile-emotional contact provided by a good book, magazine or other printed material of good quality is still topical and demanded. Also the offer of products and services is unthinkable without advertising or good quality packaging. Alongside the traditional media there is a growing demand for the new information formats – functional and interactive digital solutions. The exhibition INFORMATION invites to explore this diversity, become aware of information design as an essential aspect in every sector.

Exposition INFORMATION is dedicated to various aspects of information design, like packaging design and the information contained on it, identities, graphic arts, design of publications, navigation design, info-graphics; e-services; interactive and digital solutions – in the web Sites, platforms, environmental objects, brand campaign etc.   The set of the works exhibited here is only a small fraction of the outstanding works created by Latvian designers united by quality, responsibility, respect, curiosity and passion for graphic design.

The group of authors of the design exhibition cycle DESIGN MANIFESTATION is an interdisciplinary team, awarded to draft and implement the exhibition projects in cooperation with the design studio H2E within the framework of the competition organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia. The exposition cycleis financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

http://www.dizainamanifestacija.lv/

Social media: https://www.facebook.com/dizainamanifestacija; https://twitter.com/D_Manifestacija

SocietyActs – Version 2. After Moderna Exhibition 2014
Inc ollaboration with Moderna Museet Malmö

From 07.03. till 19.04.2015 in kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Maskavas street 1, Riga.

Just as interactions in society are based on a mix of historical experiences and current demands, the artists in the exhibition Society Acts move between perceived experiences and dreamed aspirations. The exhibition’s title – Society Acts– is to be understood as a comprehensive and transparent concept, where acts refers to visible and invisible movement, social action and to performative gesture. Questions of private and collective identities, political expressions, and personal reflections take shape in the exhibition. The artists question and challenge the public realm, the institutional spaces, and the boundary between fiction and documentary. Many of the works in the exhibition discuss the role of the city, the spatial and social relationship, as well as settings and the conditions of behavior, that have been framed by particular institutions and spaces.

An extended version of the exhibition Society Acts was first presented at Moderna Museet Malmö in the exhibition series The Moderna Exhibition, which historically has been Moderna Museet’s inventory of Swedish contemporary art. Unlike the two previous exhibitions, the selection for Society Acts was widened geographically beyond Sweden, to include artists from a large part of the Baltic region, and also included historical elements.

Curator: AndreasNilsson
Co-curator: Maija Rudovska
Assistantcurator: JuliaBjörnberg

Artists:AaBbPp, CezaryBodzianowski, EglėBudvytytė&BartGroenendaal, Zenta Dzividzinska, Johanna GustafssonFürst, JoachimHamou, Laura Kaminskaitė, EssiKausalainen, Anna Lundh, HenningLundkvist, Maija Luutonen, Miks Mitrēvics& Kristīne Kursiša, MichalaPaludan, LeaPorsager, EmilyRoysdon, ImriSandström, Janek Simon, Ola Ståhl&TerjeÖstling.

Screening program participants: Emanuel Almborg, MajaBorg, MajHasager, Jonas Mekas, KristinaNorman.

http://www.kim.lv/

Social media: https://www.facebook.com/kasirmaksla?; https://twitter.com/kim_riga

Seminar “Moderating Riga’s architecture - interiority of public and private places”

9 March 13.00-18.00

Venue:  Goethe-Institut Riga, Torņa street 1, Riga

Working languages: English and Latvian

With this seminar-debate, we would like to address potentials of Rīga to provide” third places”— meeting places on various levels of scale.

Meeting places are often seen as “third places” between home and work, which in playful and cosy atmosphere provide relaxation, physical nourishment and social contact in between two domains of social responsibilities.

These “third places” have important qualities like cosiness or hominess, which are facilitated on both material and symbolic level. In other words, these places afford certain type of activities and allow its visitors to authenticate themselves with the history and identity of the place.

Often these qualities are found possible to create in abandoned buildings such as old factories, warehouses, public buildings and so on. Many young, creative, identity seeking people are attracted by those spaces with the possibility to create unique aesthetic, identity and experiment with the possible activities, starting from entrepreneurship to the social activities like neighbourhood meeting places.

Provision of meeting places is important at all levels of scale: on the level of region, these are interaction environments for business, at the level of conurbations, these are the places where nature meets the city, at the level of city centre these are accidental meetings of people of the various background, at the level of the neighbourhood these are the sources of the social cohesion/sustainability, on the level of urban blocks these are the places where to meet neighbours, on the level of the home this is the place to meet your family members and so on.

Therefore, we would like take look at Riga’s problems and opportunities form the perspective of the “third places”:

Questions for debate:

Is the “third place” a key to urban cosiness? Who is the strategist of the “third place” — government (local or national) or society? Is it possible to create “third places” individually? Are the developers operating in the city obliged to create “third places”/meeting places, or this is solely initiative-based process? How it is possible to identify and map potential for the “third places”/meeting places? To what extent “third places” are the outcome of urban design and planning, or the achievement of a society? How do design professionals and planners can facilitate conditions for the “third places”?

Seminar is organised by Riga City Architect’s Office, The Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Goethe-Institut Riga, Embassy of Switzerland to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and Urban Institute Riga.

Please share the event in your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

See the invitation here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/372445609614534/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Contact: ilvars.metnieks@riga.lv

During the Creativity Week radi!2015 New Entrepreneurs Center invites you to attend the event "Capacity building by night"

When? March 9th
What time? 18.30-21.30
Where? TechHub Riga premises Kaļķu iela 12 (entrance from Kalēju iela)
Who? Representatives from the creative industries, newly established and future entrepreneurs, anyone interested in finding new skills, competencies or new team members or just be willing to be inspired. 

Program:

• Information about the international championship for creative industries "Creative Business Cup" (Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning), 
• A speed dating session - the purpose of this is to share knowledge and expertise amongst each other (Moderated by Vita Brakovska and Kalvis Kārkliņš)
• The story of "Gigi bloks" (Ilona Viļuma)

Registration: http://ej.uz/NaktsKompetencuTirgus

Contact: liva.bremere@juc.lv

The conference will raise a discussion on how to strengthen the European audiovisual media market so that it can respond to the challenges of the fast pace of advances in technology, increasing global competition, changing consumer habits and the perceived threat to media pluralism in the context of the current geopolitical situation.

The conference is organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and the National Electronic Mass Media Council of Latvia, supported and co-funded by the European Commission.

Contact: madara.apsalone@km.gov.lv; andris.mellakauls@km.gov.lv; sintija.lase@km.gov.lv

On March 10, 2015, from 8.00 to 12.30, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) will conduct a seminar “Do future design trends affect today’s business? How it is possible to predict them and make them work in your favour?”In the seminar Sweden's leading trend expert Stefan Nilsson will give a lecture on how design trends work, where they start and why they are important. Afterwards the participants together with Stefan will try to define design trends for 2017-2018.

The seminar will take place at LIAA (2^nd floor Conference Hall), 2 Pērses Street, Riga. Find out more and apply at http://www.liaa.gov.lv/lv/pasakumi/seminars-nakotnes-dizaina-tendences-uznemejdarbiba-10-mar-2015

Contact: ilze.micule@liaa.gov.lv

On March 10 from 9.00 till 18.30 @The Latvian Association of Architects, Torņa Street 11, Riga.

Participants of the OMC: Experts from EU Member States.

As underlined in the Commission Communication on Promoting Cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs on the EU, the small size of cultural and creative businesses, the uncertainty about the demand for their products, the complexity of their business plans and their lack of tangible assets are obstacles for obtaining external financing. While equity finance, angel investment, venture capital and guarantees are alternative financing possibilities, they remain widely under-used. In this context, comprehensive information about available funding schemes and an assessment of practices on how operators in the cultural and creative sectors access/use them is missing. In accordance with the Work Plan for Culture 2011-2014, experts shall develop a manual on access to finance for the attention of both CCIs funding providers and the users of funds, based on an analysis of existing funding mechanisms across EU-28.

Contact: zanda.tamulone@km.gov.lv

On 10^th of March, within the Creativity Week radi!2015, creative industries forum Creative Showcase will take place in Spikeri Quarter. Industry representatives will offer insight into novelties of architecture and interactive technologies, design, music, art, etc.

Creative Showcase forum is divided into two thematic blocks – opportunities of interdisciplinary collaboration between architecture and modern technologies and upcycling and implementation of eco-friendly lifestyle in urban environment.

11 am – 3 pm

Architecture+ lecture and workshop session

The purpose of the session is to present the implementation and impact of new technologies on architecture and built-up environment, city and people. Session will cover themes such as new production methods and forms of production, new materials, interactive architecture, 3D printers, robotics, mobility, IT and programming. Within the framework of Architecture+, practical samples will be presented by foreign guests. Audience will be introduced with Latvia’s exhibition for Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB). At the same time, experimental interdisciplinary workshop for architects and professionals of new technologies will take place, in order to make an awareness of interdisciplinary collaboration methods and overall opportunities of new product and service development.

Architecture + program:

11 am – Helen Pau, curator of Research and Development Exhibition from Tallin Architecture Biennale (TAB)

11.45 am – Presentation of Latvian TAB exhibition concept and its development process

12.30 pm – Workshop Session

2 pm – Guest lecturers: Luis Miguel Girao, Mateusz Marmołowski

*To participate in the workshop Architecture+ apply here till March 9. The number of places is limited!

For more information visit www.latarh.lv

4 pm – 7 pm

Upcycling Riga presentations

Upcycling Riga session will be based on various trends of creative industries and upcycling trends that will be presented by our and foreign representatives. Expert presentations on architecture, design, fashion industry, music, cycle sport, art, slow-food, theater and interactive technologies in 10 creative areas will take place during the second part.

Forum is especially topical for representatives of creative industries, students, as well as eco-friendly people who want to get acquainted with the appropriate direction of practices and achievements in Latvia, creative aspect of upcycling direction and added value, innovation and the existing trends.

Participants of Upcycling Riga program:

Reet Aus, fashion, theater and film designer (Estonia)

Gunita Kuļikovska, on the way of interdisciplinary collaboration to Tallinn Architecture Biennale, Latvian Association of Architects

Elīna Berklava, mother of Latvian design concept store “M50”

Kārlis Ulmanis, founder of brand “Ulmanpants”

Kristaps Banga, founder of “Connection codes”

Jānis Ķīnasts, bicycle enthusiast

Rasa Šmite, artist, RIXC Center for New Media Culture

Rihards Frīdenbergs-Kalniņš, “Ecocatering” chef and founder

JUBKA creative team

More information www.spikeri.lv/en/in-sight/

Forum is organized by Creative Spīķeru Quarter and Latvian Association of Architects.

Forum will take place on 10^th of March 2015 in Spīķeru Quarter, Maskavas Street 12 – building 1, 3rd floor. Participation in the event is free of charge.

Contact: madara.alaine@gmail.com

On March 10 from 15.00-17.00 at the Latvian Academy of Arts, Kalpaka boulevard 13, Riga (exhibition space on the 1^st floor)

Participants: members of the Latvian Design Council (the meeting is organized for a limited number of participants. In order to attend, the pre-registration is mandatory)

Contact: Dzintra Purviņa, Ministry of Culture (Dzintra.purvina@km.gov.lv, 67330249)

Anna Whicher (UK), Head of Policy at PDR in Cardiff Metropolitan University and the leader of the network of design centres called Sharing Experience in Europe (www.seeplatform.eu), has been invited to take part in the meeting of the Latvian Design Council. A.Whicher will present SEE platform, Design for Europe project and the monitoring processes of Europe’s design policy. It is foreseen to exchange views on the methodology of design statistics and design practice in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, as well as discuss the best options to collect statistical data of the design field in Latvia. The representatives from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia have also been invited to attend the meeting.

@National Library of Latvia, Mūkusalas Street 3, Riga

 The conference will highlight practical examples of creative crossovers and partnerships from all over Europe demonstrating the impact of culture and creative industries and their added value to other sectors, including economy, social innovation and education, sustainable urban and regional development. The conference is organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, supported and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. 

On March 12 after the conference from 14.30 to 17.30 field trips - creative workshops will be organized:
1. Workshop on Culture and Sustainability – cultural and creative crossovers to environment and sustainable development.

2. Practical design thinking workshop with design professionals – effective design thinking methods to find solutions to different challenges. RaPaPro projects presentation and evaluation. Venue: Riga Design and Art School, K.Valdemara street 139.

3. Field trip on Contemporary and historic architecture of Riga.

Contact: crosscult@km.gov.lv

The conference will promote a discussion on interaction between cultural heritage and contemporary architecture and design, at the same time preserving historical evidence and fostering the development of high quality living space.

The conference is organised by the State Inspection for Heritage Protection and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, supported and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. 

Contact: registration@heritageriga2015.lv

More information: http://heritageriga2015.lv/

Date:12.03.2015.

Time: 9.00-15.00

Place: The New Hall of the Art Academy of Latvia

Participants: Experts from EU member countries- working group representatives

More information: According to the EU Council’s Work Plan for Culture (2011-2014), the task for the experts of the EU member countries in the working group is to develop a handbook of good practices on promotion of cultural awareness and expressions in education. The working group consists of experts from educational and cultural institutions of all EU member countries. Working group meeting will take place in Riga. In the framework of the working group meeting the Latvian National Centre for Culture in cooperation with the National Centre for Education of the Republic of Latvia and UNESCO Latvian National Commision will organise visits to educational institutions. Previously working group meetings took place in Brussels.

Contact person: jolanta.klisane@lnkc.gov.lv

International Education Forum “Schools in the Digital Age"

13 March 9.00 – 16.30

Moderator: Aija Tūna

Download the full programme here: programme

Venue:  Business school Turība, Graudu street 68, Riga

Working language: Latvian and English (with simultaneous translation)

Online stream will be provided on www.radilatvija.lv

Participants: Teachers, Heads of Schools, Local Education Authority representatives, education experts, parents and anybody interested in education

The challenges caused by the globalization and rapid development of technology influence all spheres of life, including the concept of employment and culture of communication. They create an acute necessity to change the educational system and everyday educational processes. The need for sustainable development brings forward the acquisition of values, skills and multi-skill competencies, their strengthening and application in the direct study process and beyond. The technological possibilities allow students to acquire knowledge more effectively, to extend cooperation, to create innovative solutions locally and globally for prosperous and inclusive society in various spheres of life. But the development of digital competency must go hand in hand with self-regulation and self-implementation of every personality, with ability to solve problems and to find balanced, society-, environment- and economy-friendly solutions to advance sustainability. Therefore the educational system must function so that it would help an individual to acquire methods of how to get to know oneself, how to make a dialogue with the world, and so that it would strengthen the pillars of a sustainable development of the 21^st century education: to learn to learn, to learn to change and to learn to become.

The Forum will offer an opportunity to hear speakers from the United Kingdom -  Niel McLean, Head of Education at e-skills UK and Nikky Smedley, Co-Director, changing cultures , to learn about the best practicesin development of digital skills and use of technologies in the learning process, as well as to engage in the debate with foreign and local experts.

Forum is organised by the Ministry of Education and Science of Republic of Latvia, British Council Latvia and Riga Education and Information Centre. Forum is supported by UNESCO National commission, Latvian National Culture Centre and Education Development Centre.

To participate please register here http://ejuz.lv/forumsradi2015 .Number of seats is limited.

Contact person for registration matters: Daina Kupča, 67105543, daina.kupca@riga.lv

Contact person for technical and organisational matters: Valdis Rocēns, 29228921, valdis.rocens@turiba.lv

On March 13 from 9.00am - 11.00am at the Latvian School of Public Administration, Raiņa bulvāris 4, Riga, 1st floor, room 118.

Working language: English.

An increasing number of governments are using design methods for more inclusive, citizen focused policy-making. This two hour session with Anna Whicher (UK) will use design tools such as customer journey mapping and persons to help public administrators out themselves in the shoes of the citizens when developing public services and policies. Anna Whicher is Head of Policy at PDR in Cardiff Metropolitan University and leads a network of design centres called Sharing Experience in Europe (www.seeplatform.eu).

Organized by radi!2015, the State Chancellery and the Latvian School of Public Administration.

Contact: linda.mose-mozus@vas.gov.lv

The open lecture in the framework of the Creativity week radi!2015 will be held on Friday, 13 March 2015 at 10:15am till 12:00am, room 5, (ground floor, on the right) at the Latvian Academy of Culture, Ludzas street 24, Riga.

Topic of the lecture: Crossovers.

Buda island and Budafactory in Kortrijk (Belgium): a creative common workplace for designers, entrepreneurs, students, artists, scientists and active citizens. Concept and case-study ‘Green Light District’.

Christine Depuydt is the Lecturer of the Economic Department HANTAL-VIVES, VIVES University College, Kortrijk, Belgium. She is carrying out a reasearch on the added value on multidisciplinary cooperation between companies, artists, researchers and scientists.

The open lecture will be held in English and everybody is invited to participate.

Contact: leonarda.kestere@mrsgrupa.lv; dana.daugule@lka.edu.lv

Facilitator: Niel McLean, Head of Education at e-skills UK

Date: 14 March 12.30 – 14.00

Place: University of Latvia, Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology, Jūrmalas gatve 76

Working language: English

Organised by: British Council Latvia

Participation: with invitations only

During the seminar the participants will be using the iTEC (Innovative Technologies for Engaging Classrooms, 2010-2014 http://itec.eun.org/web/guest/about ) materials to develop scenarios for teaching and learning in the digital age.

Contact person: Sandra Prince, British Council Latvia sandra.prince@britishcouncil.lv