2016

"Let's get lost in the trees" contest still open for application

A few more days, until 16 May, artists are invited to indulge in inspiration and bring to life their ideas about the various possibilities of using wood in the artwork contest "Let's Get Lost in the Trees" (Zūdam kokos), jointly organised by JSC "Latvia's State Forests" and "Positivus" festival. Two experienced artists Oskars Bērzs and Atis Izands have applied outside the contest. In three years of the festival they brought to life four of their ideas, and also this year they are ready use at least one cubic metre of wood to play with this year's theme.

"The tenth anniversary of the festival must be something special, something grand," says Oskars in a conversation with "Delfi" portal, commenting his this year's idea for installation. "It is clear that according to the idea it will be made of wood, and according to the slogan" Let's get lost in the trees!" it will indeed be possible to get lost in the trees. And the art work must have its unique element, it must attract the spectator." This year, artists are invited to create art works that illustrate various ways in which wood is used in our lives.

Atis alone, as well as together with Oskars, regularly takes part in contests for the best urban art works organised by Riga City Council. Their works have been displayed in Riga Festival and in "Way through the Christmas Trees" festival, as well as in "Staro Rīga" Festival of Lights, and other events.

The two artists once studied at Riga Elementary School of Arts and Crafts, but now one of them is an artist and multimedia designer, and the other has made his career in the IT sector. They both agree that anyone who has an idea and a desire to participate in the competition simply has to do it: "Well, whatever will be, will be. If we are accepted, that's great, if not – no big deal. We just put our ideas together, we had a plenty of them.... and got accepted at once," says Oskars.

"In a perfect situation, there is a tandem where one is responsible for the artistic side, and the other has the skills to technically put everything together, so that the result is not nonsense." In this duet Oskars is the one who is responsible for the technical and practical side, but he also owns the creative ideas in the pre-application stage.

In 2012 the two artists participated in the contest for the first time and created an installation, which consisted of six columns. They, upon feeling the heat of a human body "saluted" with foam pellets. "It was something modern, futuristic, which grows out of the ground, and the number of columns - six - symbolised the sixth year of the "Positivus" festival," says Oskars.

In the subsequent years in their applications Oskars and Atis tried to include some reference to the year of the festival. For example, the bright "Mājnīca" in 2014, located in the pine dune before the catering quarters was made of eight bright arches.

Oskars and Atis faced the greatest challenge last year, when two of their works "Outlook" (Perspektīva) and "Turn along" (Griezies līdzi) won the competition. "We just love this process so much, that we are not afraid of the difficulties and challenges we have to face. The two art works were different, but equally complex. We test ourselves every year," laughs Oskars.

Application for the contest is open until 16 May (inclusive); please send the works to the e-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In the e-mail please also specify the title of the work, name of the author or group of authors, as well as contact information: phone number and e-mail address.