The mythical bird Simurgh, adopted by the curatorial collective Slavs and Tatars as the festival’s guiding fire, evokes fairy-tale imagery, yet remains distant, exotic, and unfamiliar in Latvian contexts. Through the public programme, we will seek to invite it into our part of Eastern Europe by exploring local stories and practices that resonate with the spirit of the Simurgh – embracing its inherent charm, spirituality, shifting nature, and joyful playfulness.
To bring this vision into being, the young fashion designer Jānis Norberts Krauja will lead a bird-themed workshop, accompanied by a presentation of Eggs on Legs, a collection he created during his studies in Amsterdam. Dressed in feathers, participants and guests will take part in a voguing dance parade featuring elements of bird mating rituals, led by Ivo Krieviņš, followed by a rave dance night in collaboration with the queer techno DJ collective KlikKlak.
A symposium on politics, culture, religions, and issues in the regions united by the myth of the Simurgh – Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East – will take place, exploring the often-overlooked postcolonial aspects of discourse in Latvia.
The history of Latvian textile art, represented in this year’s Survival Kit exhibition by the artworks of artist Inese Jakobi, will be explored through a day of textile and handicraft talks and skill exchanges. The communities of the Grīziņkalns neighbourhood will join in, highlighting the local treasures of the festival’s surroundings.
At the end of September, the Simurgh will be embodied by Simona Orinska, a leading performance artist of her generation, offering an opportunity to experience the mythical bird of distant lands through a fire ritual right here in the Zemitāni neighbourhood. By the end of the festival, the Simurgh’s flamboyant spirit will have painted Latvian contexts in a burst of colours and will hopefully continue to shine in the future.
- Evarts Melnalksnis, Curator of the Survival Kit 16 Public Programme