Parks are a fashion thing and a mirror image of every era, they are maintained and show the values of society. At the heart of the exhibition “From Arcadia to Mars” is the unique collection of the Riga Garden and Park Trust from the NLL collection, which includes original plans by urban planners and gardeners Georgs Kūfalts (1853-1938), Andrejs Zeidaks (1874-1964) and other park authors. The collection shows different times – Georgs Kūfalts loved the perspectives and lyrical atmosphere of scenic park views, Andrejs Zeidaks designed straight tracks in parks for hurrying townspeople and introduced children playgrounds. The Soviet period lauded simple squares and standard greenery in residential neighbourhoods. By showing the history of parks, the exhibition simultaneously raises the question of what the future of the green zone will be in times of climate crisis, political and social instability. The exhibition can be viewed until 17 November 2023.
The exhibition is complemented by a series of talks
A conversation about garden history, distinguished landscape architect Georgs Kūfalts (1853-1938) and trees in the city with Andrejs Svilāns, longtime director of the National Botanic Garden and director general of the Nature Conservation Agency.
Viesturs Ķerus, ornithologist, Chairman of the Latvian Association of Ornithology, and Rūta Sniedze-Kretalova, botanist, expert of Latvian Fund for Nature, talk about nature conservation, complete deforestation and city grasslands.
Four third-graders Alise, Austra, Gabriels and Pauls talk about activities in parks, judge how to set up underground gardens and reveal their favourite trees.
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