The mural was created, inspired by the idea of all living beings as relatives expressed in Imants Ziedonis’ book Me, a Human Being in the World. Quoting Imants Ziedonis: “All of us were born in the same world, and that’s why we are even somewhat like relatives. This is how we should treat each other.”

Artist Jānis Šneiders about the mural Tiešraide/Live Broadcast:

“Birds have successfully adapted to living in the city. Today, cities for them have become a cornucopia– in Japan, ravens put walnuts on the streets so that passing cars break the nut shells, in Australia, several cases have been recorded in which magpies use stolen metal clothes hangers to make their nests. I have recorded how a sparrow pokes its head out of the hole in the middle of the letter A in the signboard of a gaming hall – LAIMĒTAVA. Birds, like all living creatures, are our neighbours, therefore, the mural turns the wall of the house into a heavenly stage for the life of birds – different from us, but no less valuable. The birdhouse set in the blue sky is a room for new, chirping neighbours who are welcome to come and stay with the rest of the house’s residents. The birdhouse becomes an object of anticipation – who, when and whether someone will stay in it? Maybe there will be events worthy of a soap opera? Even if no one will raise a family life in it, it can also serve as a good shelter from rain, sun or other birds. The wall of the sky is a pause, a rest for a tired gaze with a potential element of the bird life show.

The contrast between the real sky above and the illusory one on the wall can be observed daily – that is, between the changing and the frozen, as if the wall were a fragment of the sky – as if a fragment of a day of beautiful clouds had fallen and pierced the ground. When it rains, or when the sky is covered with a big grey cloud, the wall of blue sky will be there in spite of it all. On a sunny day, the birds sitting on the roof will take to wings, and then the shadows cast by the birds will fly in the painted sky.
The sky is a symbol of freedom, peace, dreams, hope and also fertility, and the house in the sky can be ours, too. The mural is a call for peace and harmony, as we all live under one roof – the sky over the land.

Imants Ziedonis Foundation Viegli , Ziedoņa klase is implementing a project “Me, A Human Being in the World”, A Tool for Fostering Contemporary Culture Processes (project No. EEZ/2021/1/28) with the support of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism for the period 2014–2020 programme Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Cultural Cooperation, awarded under the open call Support for the Creation of Professional Art and Cultural Products for Children and Youth.

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