Saturday, March 13, 2010

LV students - 2nd meeting





Here You can see some pictures from our meetings, discusing about this project and deciding what we are going to do.

photo: štrāle (Ieva Strale)

Friday, March 12, 2010

Press release about the project

Exchange project to produce international photography exhibit

RELEASED: March 11, 2010

Cultural perceptions 2010 logoEAU CLAIRE — The Latvian exchange project "Cultural Perceptions 2010" will involve students from Latvia and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire collaborating to design an international photography exhibit. The goal is to share and interpret visual culture between the United States and Latvia.

Eva Ikstena, Dace Jaundaldere and Liene Indrane, Latvian exchange students at UW-Eau Claire, presented information on the history and peoples of Latvia and selected music they feel represents Latvian culture. UW-Eau Claire advanced photography students will interpret the music through a series of photographs. Likewise, Latvian Culture College instructor Gunta Anderson will direct her art students in their interpretation of an innovative mix of music provided by UW-Eau Claire students.

According to Jyl Kelley, assistant professor of photography, the project combines scholarly research with faculty-student collaboration in a global setting and will require an extraordinary amount of teamwork to produce the exhibit.

In culmination of the project, a series of photographs will be displayed at the Latvian Culture College and the Museum of Foreign Art in Riga, Latvia, and in Haas Fine Arts Center at UW-Eau Claire this spring. Specific dates will be determined later.

The three Latvian exchange students, along with Kelley, will facilitate translation for students from both countries and make collaborative decisions with UW-Eau Claire students regarding the installation of the final exhibits.

Advanced photography students participating in the project are senior Megan Ekenstedt, Chippewa Falls; senior Lydia Gantert, Wausau; junior Andrew Immerman, Eau Claire; senior Rachel Konsella, Eau Claire; junior Milana Lazic, Serbia; senior Kailey Mezera, Anoka, Minn.; senior Kimberly Roffers, Ashland; and senior Glenn Terpstra, Bloomington, Minn. Students participating from the Latvia Culture College in Riga, Latvia, are Aivars Ivbulis, Ieva Štrāle, Madara Eglīte, Dāvis Valbaks, Sandra Āriņa, Sandra Kaņepe, Jānis Vīksna and Rūdolfs Rancāns.

The project was organized by the Baltic Student Organization and supported through a faculty-student collaborative grant from UW-Eau Claire. For more information about the project, contact Ikstena at 715-797-2144 or Kelley atkelleyja@uwec.edu

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Abstraction

Hello, I am Eva (Latvian girl, philosophy student in UWEC 2009/2010)

I had a small conversation yesterday with one of the photo students from UWEC involved in this project. She was concerned that she is not able to take a picture from Latvia (how can I show Latvia if I am not there?) That made me think that this project is a great abstraction.

How easy it is to perceive the music and display it in a photography? Both songs have a lot of cultural elements which makes it even harder.

I have always thought that artists have very sensitive souls and they can feel different levels in music, sculptures, paintings, air... I am excited to see what are you going to catch in these songs!