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.

Flowers

I've been living in Latvia for 11 days and writing about it on Facebook for 10 days. Many of my friends have suggested I write a blog about it so I hope this proves useful for people.

I am married to someone who moves constantly, which means I move constantly.
This year's destination? Riga, Latvia. I live downtown in Centrs in an apartment with my husband Chris and my very old but spry dog, Pumpkin.

Today I was going to write about grocery shopping (which is a challenge!) but am instead going to go back to writing about the flower stalls just down the street from the apartment. The first morning I took Pumpkin out, over a week ago now, it was 8:00 am and the flower stalls were going full tilt because people were buying flowers to put on the monuments for Remembrance Day. All week long, as the city prepared for Latvia's 100th Birthday, everyone seemed to be carrying flowers. On November 18 people were lined up at different monuments to place more flowers. In fact the city had actually built rows of wooden shelves to place the flowers on at the Freedom Monument at the entrance to Old Town.

I have already bought flowers for the apartment because who can resist brightly coloured flowers? I know I can't. These are the ones I bought last week still going strong. 21 Euros!

I just took Pumpkin out for a walk (really just a smell fest because we didn't go far.) It is 10:30 at night, the streets are quiet with some pedestrians still walking around. And the flower stalls are still open. At 10:30 at night! The women who run them stay outside all day long. It is -1 Celsius. Some of the women were cleaning the glass of their stalls, some have already gone home but there are still some open. As I walked down the street, first one man and then another walked out with enormous bouquets. A couple went in and came out with flowers. Is this a Latvian thing? A European thing?  If I go out at midnight is there still going to be a flower seller open? And the answer is yes. The Saktas Flower Market is open 24 hours a day.

So if I need an emergency bouquet I can always get one!