Just on Time Exhibit Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Riga

The Just on Time exhibit at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design was wonderful. I was impressed that the exhibit was signed in both English and Latvian, was easy to engage with and covered everything from the 1920's to the latest in eco-friendly designs created by Latvians today.  And it was an eclectic mix of artifacts, from true items of decorative art to airplane, car, toy and radio design. What really tied the exhibit together for me was the thread of the celebration of Latvian design, even under Soviet occupation.
While you were not to take photos of the exhibit, I took a few because it was closing and I wanted an opportunity to show how they used a relatively small area to pack a punch. I have also included photos of the supporting brochure.

Notice no barriers? This seems to be common in Latvia. In Canada I would have put up a barrier so people can't touch anything, but here there was no need. They do have docents in the gallery who patrol.Notice the classical motif in the linen and the strong use of colour in the watercolours of their production pottery.

This  exhibit was set up for the 100th anniversary of Latvia. Note the stylized 100 on the cover and the infinity symbol in the left hand corner for Latvia's 100th logo.

This layout  matched the front cover. Very clever! I would have loved if they had added a translation for English onto this design piece because I expect it was significant.

An explanation of the overall exhibit.

More explanation and I like the design colours. Latvians do not shy away from using colours North Americans might not consider for an exhibit.

Design as art was very well explained but the Design and prosperity section was weaker and the ties between the two were not as obvious. Really appreciated the use of video but the labelling in the video made it difficult to sometimes understand what the curatorial team was trying to achieve.

Really like this section thought would have loved a more thorough explanation of how plywood is produced especially the veneer section. Love, love, love the posters!

Here is the address of the museum. It cost me 5 Euros to see both this exhibit and the permanent collection. Totally worth it!

These pictures from the exhibit are from the 1920s section, in the early days of independence. Notice the use of geometric patterning and oak leaves. The oak  is very important to the Latvians. 

I was very naughty and took a few pictures of the permanent collection because it is so very impressive! Look at this rug! Beautiful colour and fabulous geometric design. Just one of the many reasons to visit the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga!

And yes they do have a gift shop. It was closed on the day I visited but I will be back if only to look at the pottery. I will definitely be coming back.

Prams, Parks and Apartments

You see prams everywhere in Riga, and all over Latvia. Women and men pushing prams through parks, sidewalks, down the side of roads and highways. The weather doesn't matter, prams are out in sunshine, sleet or snow. The babies are bundled up nice and tight but mothers and fathers are out there walking their babies everyday. Mind you the cold is not too bad here and there is not much snow in comparison to Canada. Today is -10C (cold for Riga) so when I walk Pumpkin this afternoon, I will see how many prams are out. And the prams don't always have a baby in them. Sometimes this is the way you get your groceries, wood and liquor home if you are older. I think this is because they are expensive so no one wants to throw them away and with those wide wheels, they are easy to push through the snow. I look at everything this way: 1 Euro = 1 Canadian dollar, but the exchange is 1 Euro=$1.50 CDN. So when I see a pram for 1200 Euros that's equivalent to $1800CDN! And that is a lot of money!

-10C and out pushing the pram. Notice the bikes against the railing. People are still riding them all winter long. They ride their bikes on the sidewalk here and also do most of their deliveries by bike downtown.

Prams are everywhere! The next day was much warmer, it had snowed and was sunny.

I go to the nearby park everyday for a sniff-a-thon with Pumpkin. As he is getting older our walks are more ambling and less trotting. Downtown or Centrs as it is called has a fair number of squares with paths through them with grass, statues and gardens with lots of benches. Even into December I saw people eating their lunch and dinner on the benches in the parks. This is less common now the snow has come. It is not very cold here, but it is a damp cold so having clothes that break the wind and keep you warm are important. So are having boots that are waterproof. Yes, there is snow but it melts frequently and you are surrounded by slush, plus they use a LOT of salt here. The parks are always maintained and there are garbage cans everywhere. Riga is a very clean city.

Pumpkin's park for his walk during the day after a fresh snowfall.

The park near my apartment where Pumpkin and I go for a walk everyday. It was a rare winter blue sky day. Between the beginning of December and middle of January Riga is under what seems like a perpetual cloud.

Riga is an incredibly walkable city and many people do not have cars because the city is so well laid out and the transportation is awesome. Most people live in apartments in Riga. Apartments are plentiful and like all major cities range from cheap or very expensive.  If you are going to live downtown, either go for an old pre-war building or rent brand spanking new. Apartments quality varies quite a bit. In our current apartment, when people walk upstairs our furniture vibrates- we hear nothing from our neighbours beside us but everything from upstairs. Be prepared to invest in a white noise machine and carpets for the sanity of the people who live below you. If we had to look again for an apartment we would pick the top floor. Many Latvians who live in Riga have a summer house where they can leave the noise of the city and now I understand why.

Early morning winter view from my apartment living room. Galleria Riga is across the street with the restaurants at the top. Shopping malls look like apartment buildings here in the downtown core of Riga.