A modern ethnomusic festival will take place in Valmiermuiž and a grand fire sculpture will be ablaze

July 14, 2023

The fire sculpture in Valmiermuiž is created for the sixth time by the Spanish artist Jordi NN, and this year it was named "Opposites". Different sound artists usually participate in the creation of the fire sculpture, but this year the opposites - static and movement, air and earth - will be permeated by circus elements.

Valmiermuiža ethnomusic festival is the most ambitious contemporary ethnomusical event in Latvia, the main message of which this year is the attraction of opposites - opposites not as irreconcilable contrasts, but as an opportunity to give life colors, diversity and meaning both in art and architecture, as well as in cuisine, landscape and human relations. As part of the festival, a fire sculpture is created every year, matching the theme of the festival, and the culmination of the festival is the ceremonial burning of this sculpture.

"We live in a complex world where everything is connected. Balance is a fragile reality and an ever-changing world is a law. In this universe, all beings move and nothing stays still. No being ever steps into the same river twice because it is not the same river and it is not the same being. Opposites are contradictory, but physics explains to us that for every push there is an opposite force that pulls. Then we understand why opposites seem to attract each other. There is a balance between opposing forces, and destroying the opposite only produces unbalanced effects. Because when there is balance, even destruction becomes an alchemical vibration of transmutation and creation,” says Jordi NN.

This year, the burning of the five-meter-high and more than eight-meter-wide fire sculpture will be complemented by a performance created by circus artists Aleksejs Smolovs from Latvia and Lizeth Wolk from Estonia, while the musical presentation will be made by double bass player Stanislavs Yudins. The time required for the construction of such a sculpture is four weeks. Circus artists create their performance on and around the sculpture in close cooperation with its author.

By Jordi NN
Jordi NN (Jordi Navarro Navarette, 1985) was born in Valencia, Spain. Studied fine arts, painting, drawing and multimedia art - design, photography, video, conceptual art. Since 2010, he has been participating in international exhibitions and various interdisciplinary art projects in Greece, Latvia, Germany, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Taiwan, Iceland and the USA. In Valencia, the tradition of building large-scale fire sculptures is particularly strong: such sculptures are built and burned in the city's central squares during the Falla festival. This tradition has been included in UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. In recent years, Jordi NN has focused especially on the design and implementation of fire sculptures. In Latvia, he cooperated with the Culture Management Center "Lauska" for several years, realizing various projects related to photography and video art. In 2022, he created the fire sculpture "Ama-gi" at the Valmiermuiža ethnomusic festival, which is dedicated to the Ukrainian freedom struggle and the remaining part of which can still be viewed in the Valmiermuiža park. More about the artist - https://jordinn.net/.

About the ethnomusic festival of Valmiermuiža
The Valmiermuiža ethnomusic festival will be visited this year by the best tarantella group from Italy Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, folk rock group Joryj Kloc from Ukraine, Torgeir Vassvik Band with roots in the music of the ancient Sami peoples, the local Jauno Jāņu Orchestra, Jacob Noiman Festival Band, Rāva, Kārlis Rudra Jirgens, ethnodisco duo - Dīvs Reiznieks and Kaspars Zaviļeiskis, you will have the opportunity to experience art, theater, the latest Latvian cinema, Finnish and Latvian poetry, sustainable and traditional workshops, enjoy excellent beer, delicious food from different nations and a summery atmosphere.

The Valmiermuiža ethnomusic festival is organized by the Valmiermuiža cultural association and the Cultural Management Center "Lauska". Supported by: State Cultural Capital Fund, Valmiera County Municipality, Valmiermuiža Brewery, Vidzeme Planning Region, Gardu muti Zelteri, LKA National Film School, ZAAO, Ramirent and others.

More information - Facebook and etnovalmiermuiza.lv.

Additional information:
Liva Jäger
Communication consultant of the Valmiermuiža ethnomusic festival
tel.: (+371) 26151344
e-pasts: liva@deepwhite.lv