Description
International cooperation in the field of photography, especially between Latvia and Norway, are undeveloped. Cultural service providers have limited knowledge of the other country in their professional field. The project enables project promoters to take part in joint seminars, as well as to work together on a single theme in two countries and establish a joint exhibition. The project enables cultural operators to get acquainted with other national visual language traditions and current topics and projects, thus enriching their knowledge and contacts and providing potential for future cooperation. The project's objective is to use creative potential and cooperation of Latvian and Norwegian photographers and anthropologists to create a joint traveling exhibition on Latvians in Norway and Norwegians in Latvia and to widen views of inhabitants of both countries about each others country and its people. The traveling exhibition „Life in Motion” about Norwegians living in Latvia and Latvians living in Norway, includes photo portraits, short videos and life stories of people. The exhibition aims to decrease stereotypes and to promote intercultural understanding and cooperation.The project is implemented in cooperation with Bergen International Film Festival (Norway). The project donor partner uses its network of professionals of the audiovisual sphere to choose project partners from Norway, provides support to Latvian photographers and anthropologists making stories about Latvians in Norway, organises screenings of Latvian documentary films in Norway and organises the exhibition “Life in Motion” in Norway.The project primary target group is a cultural service providers Latvian and Norway, which operates the field of photography and the secondary target group is a cultural service users.
Summary of project results
Despite of the on-going cultural cooperation of Baltic and Nordic countries the intercultural dialogue between both countries was still rather undeveloped and available to a limited circle of the society (people working in the areas of art, higher education, science). At the wider society the level of awareness about the life in the other country was still relatively low and based on stereotypes.Objective of the project was to use creative potential and cooperation of Latvian and Norwegian photographers and anthropologists to create a joint travelling exhibition on Latvians in Norway and Norwegians in Latvia with photo portraits, short videos and life stories of them.Three project's photo exhibitions were organized in Bergen during Bergen International film festival, then in Cēsis and in Riga Latvian national library with total number of visitors more than 7000 were organized in the project.The Norwegian and Latvian documentaries exchange events were organized in Latvia and Norway.18 stories about Latvians who live in Norway and about Norwegians who live in Latvia was created and short videos have been made. The stories about the people have been published in photo book/catalogue. The close cooperation of the project's creative team from Latvia and Norway helped to achieve interesting and qualitative results of the project.The project can also be seen as experiment in collaboration between anthropologists and photographers and the materiality of the photographs and the narratives contained in the texts tie together to deliver a deeper insight into the protagonists' lives at this point in time, letting the stories speak for themselves.This project was actual because of today's connected world, migration and lives spent in movement which are a globally universal and actual theme.
Summary of bilateral results
Through the project's partners close cooperation 6 photographers (3from Latvia and 3 from Norway) and 6 anthropologists (3 from Latvia and 3 from Norway) and have great opportunity to work together and create 18 new interesting stories about the life in Latvia and in Norway and to share with knowledge, to improve understanding of the social and cultural differences. The project helped to strengthening the bilateral relations between the project partners. The project's results was presented in Norway and Latvia what helped to introduce broader audience with the countries and people. The close collaboration between the project partners helped to achieve qualitative and interesting results in the project.