Ikšķile municipality’s attitude towards environmental objects shocks artists / Article / LSM.lv

One by one, the wooden sculptures installed several years ago have begun to disappear from the landscape of Ikšķile. The last one – Ieva Saulīte’s work “Lightness” – was shattered and removed in front of the locals by a tractor. While Agnese Jankuna, Executive Director of Ikšķile County Council, explains that the sculptures have been taken away because they need restoration, the artists shrugged. Nothing has harmed the works, raising questions behind this action.

IN SHORT:

• In Ikšķile, wooden sculptures have become part of the identity of a small town.
• In the last year and a half, two sculptures have disappeared, but one has been shattered before all eyes.
• Agnese Jankuna, executive director of Ikšķile district council, claims that the shattered sculpture was in a bad condition, the artists do not agree with it.
• The taken sculptures and their remains were placed in an old garage.
• For experts, the actions of Ikšķile municipality evoke associations with a barbaric attack on Ancient Rome.
• There is no court practice in Latvia in cases where the author’s work has been destroyed.

The participants of the symposium decorate Ikšķile with sculptures

In 2009 and 2010, an international symposium of wooden sculptures took place in Ikšķile. 16 wooden sculptures were made there, which were exhibited in different parts of the city. Since then, sculptures have become an essential part of the city’s identity. They are popular both with the residents of Ikšķile and guests of the city. Over time, one work of art has been restored, but strange things have happened to others. The locals managed to save one of the planned cuts, but two – Kārlis Īle’s work “In One Boat” and Krista Pudzen’s sculpture “Water Grasses” – have disappeared unnoticed during the last year and a half.

The sculpture “Lightness” shatters during daylight hours

While the current condition and location of these works of art are unclear, the locals had to watch at the end of March how Ieva Saulīte’s sculpture “Lightness”, formed by two imaginative dandelion fluff, was shattered during the daylight. The artist Lauma Palmbach, who lives next to the sculpture, calls what he experienced as vandalism: “I was here and saw that a giant tractor had come. I do not believe my eyes. One of the sections was pulled out mechanically, brutally dropped down. The entire metal frame on which the fluff rested was broken. The other fluff went even crazier. The ropes were not even cut there. It was simply demolished with a tractor bucket and then pulled out.

I was shocked. Culture shock. For the first time, I experienced a war against culture. “

The sculpture was destroyed by an oral order of a municipal official

After the unrest expressed by local artists, the members of the opposition in Ikšķile County Council demanded that officials provide explanations for what had happened. Agnese Jankuna, Executive Director of Ikšķile County Council, admitted that she had given an order for the dismantling of the sculpture “Lightness”. The official believes that nothing brutal has happened, only unnecessarily thickened paints. “There was a restorer, said the damage,” explains Yankun. Valentīns Špēlis (Latvian Green Party), a deputy of Ikšķile City Council and the head of the farm department, also denied the brutality at the council meeting: “If the sculpture had not broken, everything would have been fine. Broken instead of rot. Now, as a boy, I have to justify myself. ”

The program “Kultūršoks” failed to obtain a written order from Agnese Jankuna regarding the dismantling of the sculpture, as well as a written opinion of the invited experts on the condition of the sculpture. In this situation, the executive director of Ikšķile district council had preferred oral communication and order.

Artists do not believe the claims about the poor condition of the sculpture

The head of the wooden sculpture symposium, sculptor Kārlis Īle, has regularly inspected the sculptures during these years. He is convinced that both “dandelion fluff” were still in good condition, because they were made of high-quality larch wood: “It is a very durable material, and I have no reason to think, seeing in the photos in those fracture places the color of the wood that they should have been damaged. “

“Kultūršok” failed to get an idea of ​​the current state of the work of art even with the help of Ikšķile County Council opposition deputy Edgars Logins (“Association of Residents”). For two days, the deputy tried to get inside an old garage, which allegedly houses a sculpture that had previously been thrown into a local firewood square: “I was called from the executive directorate. As there is an interest of many, including other deputies, this sculpture tour will be organized separately for the entire deputies or some other circle of interested people. “

In the garage, there is also a sculpture “In one boat”, which had previously disappeared from the urban environment.

The municipality promises to restore the “dandelion fluff”

Laura Dūša, a public relations specialist at Ikšķile City Council, states in an e-mail reply to Kultūršokas that the municipality will look for solutions to restore the sculpture to its previous form. This year’s budget provides for several thousand euros for this purpose. Zane Grigoroviča, Assistant Professor of Art History, is convinced that the type of dismantling of the sculptures does not indicate the noble intention of the municipality to restore the work of art: The sculpture cannot be dismantled by plastering one tape at the weakest point of the sculpture and simply breaking it. ”

The expert believes that you do not have to be a specialist to understand that no one will be able to restore a sawn work of art, either in its original appearance or in something a bit similar.

Authors have the right to the inviolability of their works

The agreements concluded by Kārlis Īle with the municipality show that the sculptors’ works created at the festival belong to the customer – Ikšķile County Council. In this case, the municipality has destroyed the material values ​​in its possession. In turn, the copyright of the works has not been transferred to the local government. The Copyright Law provides for the author’s right to the inviolability of the work.

This means that the work may not be modified without the consent of the author.

The author of the sculpture “Lightness” is not required permission to dismantle it. Ieva Saulīte reveals that there has been two correspondence about the sculpture in connection with the replacement of branches: “My answer was that exactly the same materials could not be found, but could be replaced with similar ones. There was no talk of stalks, breaking, this kind of dismantling. ”

There is no court precedent for the destruction of a work of art

Ilona Pētersone, Head of the Copyright Department of the Ministry of Culture, explains that there are no legal norms or relevant case law in Latvia when the author’s work is destroyed: “We can conclude from other countries council rights. But in Latvia it should be assessed by a court. I believe that the authors could try to go to court, and the court would weigh all the interests. ” Assessing the situation, Kārlis Īle admits that “one is the law and the other is the virtues”. The sculptor believes that every situation can be made legal, find “a gap in the law to get out of it clean”. He has more weight in this situation: “This virtue, intelligence and some cultural understanding, which may not be clearly defined by law. I would very much like people in management positions not to act perfectly legally, but rather to be virtuous. ”

Artists want to send municipal leadership courses to understand the value of works of art

Art experts are concerned about the understanding of Ikšķile City Council management about cultural values. Wooden sculptures, once made at the expense of the municipality, were not in the sight of the Culture Department.

The works of art were under the management of the Farm Department, which is also responsible for the veneer bunnies and Easter eggs, which show off in the city environment this spring.

However, the artist Lauma Palmbaha is convinced that the lack of understanding of the values ​​of art does not justify the actions of the responsible officials: “Then you have to go to the courses. You need to hire tutors and understand. ” Zane Grigoroviča, docent of art history, is even harsher. The behavior of his municipal officials is associated with barbaric attacks on Ancient Rome. “Yes, we can say exaggeratedly, but at the same time very accurately. Only people who do not identify with the place and their cultural heritage can barbarically destroy cultural heritage. The saddest thing about this story is that we become barbarians in our own father’s yard and, as it turns out, we destroy the legacy that has actually been given to us, ”the expert expresses his disappointment at what happened.

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