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The origin of Latvian taste for colours and materials dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when people produced their own clothing, jewellery, tableware and other household items using materials available in nature. Consequently amber, linen, wool, wood, clay, leather and other materials, as well as their textures and colours, became part of the Latvian spirit and shaped the Latvian perception of the aesthetic environment.
In the last decade, a lot of Latvian design work has gained international appreciation. Often the source of inspiration for these items lies in Latvian folk craft traditions. The combination of traditional and modern elements creates original, high-quality design and art objects. The Cultural Programme of the Latvian Presidency offers an introduction to our designers' work, emphasising the uniqueness of the objects created and their contemporary vision of traditions, resulting in an international reputation for excellence.
The Clay Latvian
Clay is one of the materials that first comes to mind when thinking about Latvian traditional crafts, and the best way to serve Latvian food is to use ceramic tableware.
The Clay Latvian. Ingrīda Žagata
Ingrīda Žagata – a master of ceramics with 30 years of experience and owner of the “Cepļi" workshop – has learned to breathe new life into this material that has existed for millions of years. Ingrīda says that clay is a material that never hurries and rewards only those who can wait. “They say that money can buy everything, but it cannot buy the readiness of the pot. I could be offered a fortune, but I wouldn’t be able to deliver it the next day,” admits Ingrīda.
Ingrīda prefers the traditional black kiln in which black pottery is produced, and with this pottery she regularly participates in international design exhibitions. The objects displayed then often find their way into art collections in Europe, the USA and Japan. Ingrīda gives new forms, unusual motifs and even new functions to this traditional material. In addition to traditional clay cups and bowls, she creates aroma lamps, bathroom items and even clay champagne glasses, which would certainly be unknown to ancient Latvian potters.
The Amber Latvian
Amber processing in Latvia begun several thousand years ago. This "sun stone" served as a jewel, was a means of exchange, was sewn into clothing, used in different ornaments and accompanied the dead into their tombs.
The Amber Latvian. Inita Dzalbe
A few years ago a brand new method of using amber was discovered by a researcher at the Riga Technical University (RTU), Inga Ļašenko. She produced amber thread, which was originally intended to be used in medicine, but Latvian textile artists soon expressed their interest in the invention. One such artist is Inita Dzalbe whose weavers at the AmbLine company make clothing and bed linen by weaving amber thread into linen, wool, cotton or cashmere.
"It looks like a simple scarf, but it is much more than that. Amber thread makes the weaving process more complicated, but it gives a true added value to our products and it allows you to wear amber all the time!” says Inita. Customers in Latvia, Europe and Asia are surprised how, in the form of thread, amber significantly differs from the usual yellow-orange sun stone – it is almost imperceptible. The innovative use of amber not only guarantees a surprise, but also demonstrates antibacterial and regenerative properties.
The Wooden Latvian
Forests cover more than half of the territory of Latvia, so Latvians have a special relationship with trees.
The Wooden Latvian. Aldis Circenis
Furniture designer Aldis Circenis finds wood a durable and democratic material – it is an easily accessible building material which can be processed by hand. In his work he draws on the education he acquired as a classical architect – his knowledge of composition, mechanics and the history of art. "I was taught that the designer must respect the natural character of the material: it should not be tormented by ignoring its nature and pretending that it is some other kind of material," he remembers.
It is possible to develop even the most traditional items of room furniture – such as the chair – in a creative way. This is evidenced by the Bloom stool created by Aldis which received the prestigious design award, the Red Dot Award, in 2012. However, the designer admits that of all the things he has created over the years, his favourite is the Roo rocking horse. “It has brought a lot of joy. I’ve seen some very important and serious people at professional exhibitions break into a spontaneous smile when they see Roo.”
The Leather Latvian
The Leather Latvian. Elīna Dobele
The ancient Latvians walked around in woven bark shoes (vīzes) and moccasin-like leather shoes (pastalas), as every child in Latvia knows.
The leather footwear has not disappeared – in the hands of Latvian designer Elīna Dobele it has been given a special geometry, clean lines and unusual shapes. She considers leather as a noble and wise material: it ages, wrinkles and changes colour in such a way that it only becomes better over time; it is flexible and gradually adjusts to the wearer. “Leather is a material with “experience of its own”. Before being made into something that can be worn, it has gone through so many operations and so many hands have touched it,” says Elīna.
Striving to create shoes that are not only beautiful but also really comfortable "home for feet", Elīna has carefully studied the anatomy of the foot and the properties of different materials. She continues to look for points of contact between the traditional and the modern in her designs, to explore the variety of types of leatherwork and to experiment with new materials.
All of these creative people – the Clay, the Amber, the Wooden and the Leather Latvian – can be found in the travelling exhibition "PROUD LATVIA. Success stories of Latvian design" created by the TEIKA design studio. This forms part of the Latvian EU Council Presidency cultural programme and reflects the creative process in the Latvian design industry in recent decades. The exhibition was on display in Ireland in February and will travel to Japan in April. Many more Latvian design success stories can be found on the PROUD LATVIA website.
