From 16 November, a major new National History Museum of Latvia (LNVM) exhibition, “Oar, Moses and Radio: Wood in Latvia’s History”, will be on display at 32 Brīvības bulvāris, Rīga. Its content has been created by combining the expertise of museum specialists from various fields – archaeologists, ethnographers and historians – while the visual concept was developed by an enthusiastic team of young designers and architects. The exhibition and related thematic events will explore the various facets of the relationship between humans and wood over several thousand years, from the Stone Age to the present day.

Wood and humans arrived in the territory of Latvia almost simultaneously, shortly after the end of the last Ice Age. While fundamental changes have taken place in every sphere over these 12,000 years, the coexistence of humans and wood has remained remarkably constant. Wood and forests have been both a fundamental element of Latvia’s natural environment and a vital, inexhaustible resource; thus, the history of our land and society can be ‘read’ through the use of wood.

The exhibition’s five thematic sections highlight the functional use of wood typical of each historical era and a characteristic facet of the human-wood relationship. The oldest wooden objects made in Latvia – unique fishing gear and household items from the Sārnate Neolithic settlement, dating back 4,000–6,000 years – illustrate an era when humans were adapting to the primitive environment and only gradually reshaping it to meet their own needs.

Meanwhile, the culturally and historically significant collection of wooden church sculptures held by the LNVM allows visitors to experience the atmosphere of an ancient place of worship and provides an insight into how the use of wood changed as a result of medieval Livonia’s belonging to the Hanseatic trade network.

In a rural farmhouse setting, the universal application of wood in everyday life is most vividly displayed. This can be explored in the exhibition by examining items ingeniously crafted from every imaginable part of the tree, as well as furniture made by 18th and 19th-century artisans, which embodies the individuality of the craftsman. However, the section of the exhibition dedicated to the industrial age most starkly highlights the dilemma between the use and conservation of wood, which has existed almost forever but became particularly acute in the 19th and 20th centuries.

An interactive balance wheel at the end of the exhibition will allow everyone to discover their own contribution to maintaining the balance between wood use and conservation. This is particularly relevant today, when the forest is simultaneously an indispensable pillar of Latvia’s economy and a symbol of the ‘green movement’.

With the exhibition “Oar, Moses and Radio: Wood in Latvia’s History”, the LNVM continues a series of exhibitions dedicated to the natural resources characteristic of Latvia, which have significantly influenced human activity, embody the aesthetics typical of the land and people, and are associated with Latvia. The series began in 2014 with the exhibition “Amber: Jewel of the Baltic Sea”, with an exhibition dedicated to ceramics planned for the coming years.

The authors of the exhibition concept are Jānis Ciglis, Imants Cīrulis, Aija Jansone, Sanita Kalna, Toms Ķikuts, Vitolds Muižnieks, Inta Robežniece, Jānis Šabanovs and Ingrīda Līga Virse. The design was created by the design and architecture collective “onlyonly Studio” (Harijs Vucens and Anna Līva Traumane), Kristaps Šulcs and Alvis Berngards.

The exhibition was produced with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation, AS Latvijas valsts meži, AS Latvijas Finieris, the association Zaļās mājas and the company Materia Bikes.

Conditions for visiting the exhibition: entry is only permitted upon presentation of a valid Covid-19 recovery or vaccination certificate, a personal identification document, and the wearing of a face mask.

The National History Museum of Latvia is open to visitors from 16 November and will also be open on the national holiday of 18 November and over the weekend (19, 20 and 21 November).
Photographs by Jānis Puķītis and Landa Lazdiņa (LNVM) used