There’s No Harm In Any Blessings
2020
Multimedia installation, dimensions variable
Commissioned by Survival Kit 11
Video made in collaboration with Lāsma Bērtule, Andris Kudors, Una Eglīte, Māra Uzuliņa, Alvis Misjuns, Kristaps Opincāns, Kaspars Greizis, Uldis Sniķers and Klāvs Mellis.
Creation and production of this work is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation
Courtesy of the artist
I’m not religious, but I come from a loving family.
One time, after sixteen hours filled with Orthodox chants and spent in a seemingly endless line to experience the Theotokos of Tikhvin first hand, I asked my mom what we were doing there. Her somewhat irked, yet firm reply was: “Believe me, there’s no harm in any blessings.”
“Neviena svētība par ļaunu nenāks” (There’s No Harm In Any Blessings) is a multimedia installation that is a reflection on relationships, sense of security, overprotection, and faith in the supernatural as a defense strategy.
In addition to personal stories, I have used motifs from David Vetter’s, “the Bubble Boy’s”, unusual life, which to this day continues to give rise to questions about the ethics of the experiment.
David Vetter was born on September 21, 1971, in the USA. Since birth, he suffered from severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), which made his survival impossible outside a sterile environment. As soon as David was born, his parents made the decision to put him in a special germ-free chamber until a solution for him acquiring immunity could be found. Instead of just a few months, David spent 12 years, i.e. his entire life span, in the chamber. Even though David was provided with conditions conducive for his survival, life in the “bubble” had a powerful impact on his perception of and relationship with the outer world.
Just like myself, David too came from a loving family, but, unlike mine, his parents were religious. Faith in a miracle became the central motif of his life, and so did his parents’ decision to protect him from the harsh and unsafe world.
Artist’s Bio:
Līga Spunde (1990, Riga) graduated in 2016 from the Department of Visual Communication of the Latvian Art Academy. Her works are multimedia installations, where personal stories are closely intertwined with a carefully constructed fiction. The interpretations and use of recognizable characters serve as an extension of her personal experiences, tapping into general truths. Usually, the content of the work determines the physical form of the conception, so a variety of media and materials are used in the installations.