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Plotterroboter KEN (also known as Plotbot KEN) is one of the most famous young German urban artists. His works can be found in industrial areas and abandoned factory sites in Berlin.
"My works mirror the present times. Our incessant demand for energy, global industrialisation and the resulting conflict of power and resources. Scenes from countries where war has long became commonplace. Constant pollution of the environment and its effects on humans and animals. Phenomena such as genetically modified seeds and plants, factory farming and global climate change result in a gloomy picture for the future," he says, explaining the subjects of his apocalyptic works.
“Give and you will receive; lose and you will end up winning. Only if you change, will you live!” are the prophetic words uttered in the play by a raven as an antidote to the bleak perspective presented by Plotterroboter KEN. At the beginning of the 20th century, Rainis used these words to express his conviction that the awakening of the nation is inevitable. For a 21st century European, however, they can offer hope of a solution to ecological and social problems.
Author: Plotterroboter KEN
“The Golden Horse” (1909) is one of the best known works by Rainis. In the play, he called for idealism, self-sacrifice and unity and expressed the desire for national freedom using images from folklore. He also introduced the symbol of the Glass Mountain that has been used by the internationally acclaimed architect of Latvian descent, Gunārs Birkerts, in his design for the new National Library of Latvia building – the main Presidency venue in Riga.
The #mindpower (#domasspēks in Latvian) project is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Latvian poets and playwrights Rainis and Aspazija, who are played by the Latvian musician Goran Gora and journalist Eva Ikstena-Strapcāne. The project features a collection of 29 short films in which celebrities from all the EU Member States read excerpts from the works of Rainis and Aspazija in their native language. It is part of the Presidency's cultural programme.
Each week a new video is released on the Presidency's website EU2015.LV, the Presidency's official Youtube channel and on the project's Facebook page.
