– “The Gauja River by Puče and Andže is not joyful and fast-flowing. This river carries nostalgia within it. It is overgrown and unnavigable. Its banks are home to outsiders who live in reeds and bushes and would be unlikely to find a place for themselves elsewhere. They seem to have been briefly lifted out of their underwater world and then thrown back into the undisturbed depths.”*

*Author at LSM.lv, artist Gundega Evelone

The moment when Armands was able to go to the store by himself was the best part of the entire boat trip. The road was lit by the evening light. The store was closed.

DZIDRA ZAĶE TALKS ABOUT THE GAUJA

— "It's dried up. There isn't as much water as there used to be, but if it floods..."

— "The Gauja is known for its beauty and disappearance. Then there is a huge lake covering sixty hectares, but if the weather is good, it is dry and full. We have walked along the Gauja riverbed, where only a small stream flows in the middle."

“Latio” black-and-white photography calendar | Latvia, 2021

Finalist of the “Latio” black-and-white photography competition "Changes", 2021.

DZIDRA ZAĶE TALKS ABOUT THE GAUJA

— "The Gauja has changed its course only minimally. When I was little, it seemed bigger — to me."

— "I always watch it from that hill, seeing what it looks like — what kind of grass, what kind of birds."

"The landscape is full of itself; it flows over the edges, but it doesn't think, and I don't know how that's possible. I let it enter me and purify me until only my steps, breath, sight, and hearing remain. I feel indifferent to everything that is passing away, because the landscape is inside me and there is no room for anything else."*

*Latvian writer and critic Andrejs Vīksna

After a long journey, clothes are dried and photographs developed in the workshop. They also show the residents of Māļi from the Orthodox church congregation of Eži (Māļi), who take care of the nearby church and their farm. Skaidrīte says:

— "There are two of us in the congregation — me and my husband, and my son is also here. There used to be a large congregation, as many as 360 people. [..] It's a terribly beautiful church, but it's terribly run down. What are we going to do? We'll try to rebuild it." 

Exhibition "Jānis Gleizds Photography Award 2024" | Eastern Latvia Concert Hall “GORS”, Rēzekne, Latvia April - May 2024

Awarded 2nd place in the portrait category for the photograph "Valērijs" from the "FLUVIUS" photo series.

DMITRIJS IVANOVS FROM JAUNMELDERI, WHO LIVES NEAR THE NĒĶENA WATER MILL IN TAURENE

Once, Dmitrijs negotiated a bicycle for work.

— "It's all original. That's how I got it. I don't need anything for that day if you give it back to me."

"Well, I'm telling you — my problem with those cameras. Things like that."

"The boot is glued shut forever. Two days go by — it's glued shut, you need a patch again. It's a shame they let it go."

— "When you pick up a tool, you can feel something, as far as it makes sense, but there's no point in counting poems."

DMITRIJS IVANOVS FROM JAUNMELDERI, WHO LIVES NEAR THE NĒĶENA WATER MILL IN TAURENE

— "I lived near Lake Alauksts for 22 years. The stage — the joy of youth in Alauksts. We hung out there, swam, and most importantly, there was a pub. We had a good time: beer, peas. Young guys who had just come back from the army. Vecpiebalga is like my second home."

— "I swam across Alauksts. Four kilometers. It wasn't that bad if you know how to relax on your back and move your legs a little. There's no salt water. Salt water keeps the body afloat on its own."

— "The waves are cool. You definitely need oars. We each sit behind our oars and row."

DMITRIJS IVANOVS FROM JAUNMELDERI, WHO LIVES NEAR THE NĒĶENA WATER MILL IN TAURENE

— "The Gauja begins at Silakrogs. Before Silakrogs. The stream is small, like a ditch. That's where the fish go. The police patrol there in the spring. It doesn't seem like it, but the Gauja could flow like that. The ditch crosses the road. I call it a stream. It's winding. Oh my! While it's gathering strength."

— "I like that in spring, so to speak, there's a lot of water. Then those mills don't sound like that.  I can't even sleep — because of the noise. If there were a meter and a half, the meadow would be underwater — twenty centimeters from the bridge, that's how high the water level is. I'm used to it. It doesn't bother me anymore. The most beautiful, as usual in spring, in March, when there are no meadows. They are torn up by ice and water during the winter. It flows quite widely here. The riverbed. Yes, the Gauja has changed its course.

Boaters mostly come from Jaunpiebalga. There have been cases of English and Polish people passing through. I could barely manage the Polish language. At that time, I was learning German. My neighbor had graduated from the academy and helped me with English. I can point to things with my hands and show what they are, but I can't answer questions.