The winners who will create an impressive mural in the center of Riga have been determined.
A mural, or wall painting, will be created in the railway tunnel at Riga Central Station on Emīlijas Benjamiņa Street (formerly Gogol Street), reports the program "900 Seconds" (TV3).
"We will have this long wall, as well as the side supports and blocks — all of this will be painted," said the author of the future mural, Dainis Rudens ("Rudens Stencil"), about the surfaces of the tunnel that will be involved in the painting process.
The total area of the mural will be about 250 square meters of the inner surface of the tunnel. "250 square meters is the facade of a classic five-story building," noted Dainis.
So far, little is known about what exactly will be depicted on the walls. According to Rudens, a motif of the nearby Riga city canal will run through the entire mural, but the content of the "underwater world" of the canal is yet to be determined.
"There are adjacent areas where, in my opinion, there are many different 'republics' and 'bubbles.' We want to gather colorful ideas, possibly new urban folklore, and visualize this through people's stories and reflect it here," added Dainis.
He noted that the involvement of local residents was the reason for his participation in the project.
"Not to be snobs, to listen to everyone," said philosopher Igor Gubenko, who plans to collect about 50 stories from residents of the Central Station and Central Market area in the coming weeks. The most interesting of these will become part of the underwater world depicted in the mural.
"These images will reflect both sustainable and unsustainable practices — different ways of our everyday relationship with the environment, which have both positive and negative effects. We will try to show both sides," said Igor Gubenko, the curator of the artistic part of the project.
The idea of creating the mural arose among participants of the international project "Urban ReLeaf." As previously reported by the program "900 Seconds," a map of heat islands in Riga is being created as part of the project. The mural in the railway tunnel will be part of a project that tells about the interaction between humans and climate change.
"The goal is to promote a change in habits, as well as to improve the image and identity of this place, which currently looks gloomy and unattractive. Artists are encouraged to enliven this space by involving the community," noted expert Sabine Skudra.
Before creating the mural, "Latvijas dzelzceļš" plans to prepare the inner surfaces of the tunnel so that they are ready for painting. The mural is expected to be completed by Ligo.
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