Reports: "Aija Studio" gallery

Here, today I have gone to another gallery. One that I noticed randomly while I was walking through the main shopping mall of Valmiera. And that´s an uneasy start.

Set in the fourth and last floor of the shopping mall, surrounded by clothes shops, we can find AijaStudio, a small space, quite small actually. But fine for expose and it fulfils a gallery´s aim which is showing an artist´s work, no matter his/her career or experience. AijaStudio fulfils this aim after all.

But on the other hand there´s that it´s a small space, enough for a single artist exposition, but still small. Worse, the location: a shopping mall. It´s not strange to see galleries or exposition spaces on shopping spaces or similar commercial buildings (notice how many galleries are booming with a bar space as well, to make the ordinary visits more common) but, as I think, are not the best areas. Still, it can give the chance to unexpected people (like it has happened to me) to find out a singular space in his/her routine: you are buying clothes for the next season and then the next area it´s a gallery of art! unexpected, isn´t it?

Keeping with the location, which is the main problem and after all, it´s why this article is written; the gallery it´s in the fourth floor of the shopping mall, the last floor! so it´s not a place that you will find in the first sight you make in the mall. This leads to a more troublesome thing, as it can be completely unknown for many people who ignores the existence of another artistic space in the town...in a never suspected place such the core of the main shooping mall.

There´s not too much to offer but perphaps moving the gallery to the ground level of the shopping mall rather than in the deep fourth level, I suggest. Or could be also marked somewhere about the existence of the gallery: such in those signs in the shopping mall right in the stairs where you can see what´s in the next level. At least that. So the gallery is not so forgotten and ignored (which I believe it is).

The good thing, is that being in a shopping mall with all access avaliable, you have working lifts and mechanic stairs working all time, so the physical accesibility it´s the least of the problems in this case.

"Silja Pogule laime". Temporal exhibition.

In the gymnasium´s art gallery (Ledus Pagrabs) from 15th apri to month´s last day Silja Pogule exhibits some of her happy paintings, where big cakes, flamingos and lions are the main elements to represent.
And with it there´s the pink color, as the main tone to represent happiness.

A short exhibition. As I said in a previous article, the house of ice (Ledus pagrabs) is a small exhibition area (I have seen smaller ones, anyway) so this current exhibition couldn´t take too long. Anyway, I admire the plastic tone and treatment the artist gives to her paintings but, well, a bit cheesy for my taste in general, I would say.

And also there were some textiles, but they weren´t in the exhibition´s description nor in the artist´s bio. So I would to guess what were they. I prefered the paintings. Yes:

"Rūdolfa smaids" concert

I´m not sure this is the correct name for this event...Today Cultures Centre´s scenary gathered several music student bands for play a neat concert of, mainly, air instruments.
For this, the audience space got so limitedd that even some band members had to sit among the audience:

as we can see here.

Starting with the same orchestra seen yesterday´s event. These guys performed the same melodies I listened yesterday, including that one with cool beat. As far as I remember, the same four songs were played, in the same order:

And the orchestra director (acting as presenter as well) explaining the following compositions...but I was not able to understand him.

Finally, it´s time for other bands! Still, the air instruments such trumpets, oboes and horns were the protagonists during the whole event.

It´s interesting the color combination...er, reminds me the bees. But it´s just a side note I wanted to put. Don´t take it seriously.

Oh! and there were some technical problems, yep.

Whenever the event hosted mainly orchestal melodies. These group for example played some popular songs, songs that we have always heard but that we cannot remember the name, or don´t know it at all. I like that, variety...

...variety with solo trumpets...

...and solo saxos. While some were playing, others were waiting for the unavoidable, I mean, happen their turn for playing as well.

And in this number the bravest components of the orchestra played a sax song. I mean brave as these little girls played this riff alone in the middle of the scenary.

And then, we have a special number. Where the whole orchestra played together. But some integrants made an interesting performance, playing the instruments in harmony with some army movements, we can see how they moved, roughly speaking, in these photos:

I guess if you look each picutre, you will see the difference of positions, they made a choreography while playing the instruments. Actually this part was my favourite one as it showed different from any other I´ve seen before in previous events.

And finally, all the musicians playing together!

And also the typical moment: giving flowers to the leading head´s event. I think someday I will go with a bunch of flowers and I will try doing the same, to see if the persons who give flowers are part of the centre´s crew or normal people charmed by what they saw today. I´ll see.

Folk dance concert "Lelūdz Pastalnieki 15"

Anther event, another folk music related. This time the orchestra band was included completely:

And the folk concert starts! Looks like the scenary was about spring. Again, latvian folk dances are made specially to dance in groups trascending to couples. And with spring the dance looks happier because here everyone is happy...right?

A fancy presenter! that´s new!

The dances follow mostly a similar pattern: whenever only one gender group starts...

...there will be both genders at the end for sure.

I´ve got to say, one good thing is that in all the dancing concerts the dancers always performed very well...well...except like some exceptions with confused steps.

These "trees" or "banners" are something new. Indeed, I need to look into more and find the explanation. Along with these banners there were some bells, played by the female dancers but at times there were bigger bells (set in bell groups) played by male dancers. I liked this one we see in the photos. With a tender couple in the middle, standing steady while the others are dancing aroud them.

...meanwhile the band is waiting...

Is curious to notice that the folk dances have a strong tie with nature and the seasons (while for example, in Spain, that works too, but there is more a big focus on the harvest itself). And other curious thing is that people always ends clapping (not only in today´s event) at the end of every performance.

Oh! the orchestra plays again, althought solo, with no dance accompaniment. It was interesting as they played different melodies from the folk ones. The band´s melodies had an interesting modern beat, by the way,