Instagram story viewer> @mud_lab_community> Posts

MUD LAB

@mud_lab_community

513

followers

411

following

Driven by community, MUD LAB is an art + culture platform sprouted in Eastern Latvia, connecting practices + ideas with people + places worldwide

POSTS STORIES REELS

With temperatures climbing well above 30°C, it's a good reminder that shade might be one of the oldest forms of public infrastructure.

Since September 2024, Forest Plinth simply enjoys the possibility of being still.

With: @_domobaal_ , @prriedit , @hagendorfs_ , @nno4raa , @nicolalorini , @nnmlck , @oto.holgers.ozolins , @spare.vitola , @ofae_ofae , @rietums , @niklavs_kozulins , @kulturkapitals

#bychanceorbyappointment

#robertfrost

#StoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEvening

#forestplinth by @mud_lab_community

A Few Samples of Holding On explores a form of tiny monumentalism. It remains somewhere between being worked on and being finished, much like the objects it draws from objects shaped by time more than intention.

Tiny monumentality - when you are about to lift something, you gather enough strength, perhaps all that your body possesses, and as you lift it, you realise that the thing you wanted to move is much lighter than it first appeared.

The workshop and its tools become part of the installation on the Forest Plinth, where restoration and revitalisation are no longer simply practical acts but ways of making. The project challenges what can become monumental.

Balanced on a vehicle jack without instructions, the work holds on in two ways: emotionally, by resisting change, and physically, because time leaves it no other choice.

The small decorative mouldings scattered throughout the installation are gestures of tiny monumentalism - almost affectionate attempts at monument-making. Suspended between decoration and structure, they celebrate small importance instead of grand significance.

Artists: Līva Priedīte @prriedit and Francis Hagendorfs @hagendorfsfrancis

Project led by Kristaps Ancāns @kristaps_ancans

Supported by the MUD LAB @mud_lab_community , Drikaines, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia @kulturkapitals and domobaal @_domobaal_ .

Forest Plinth is a space for testing and developing collaborative artistic ideas, this is the fifth project within the plinth’s framework.

#forestplinth
#latgale by @mud_lab_community

Sharing moments from the residency process of A Few Samples of Holding On.

Artists Līva Priedīte (@prriedit ) and Francis Hagendorfs (@hagendorfsfrancis ) during their residency at Forest Plinth last week, where they developed and installed their collaborative, site-sensitive project, A Few Samples of Holding On. From walking the site and testing ideas to working with materials and responding to the changing conditions of the forest, the residency became an integral part of the work itself.

Līva Priedīte and Francis Hagendorfs are Latvian artists. Working across sculpture, installation and site-sensitive practices, they have developed a number of collaborative projects exploring relationships between landscape, material and perception.

Supported by the MUD LAB @mud_lab_community , Drikaines and State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia @kulturkapitals .

Project led by Kristaps Ancāns @kristaps_ancans

Forest Plinth is a space for testing and developing collaborative artistic ideas, this is the fifth project within the plinth’s framework.

#forestplinth
#latgale by @mud_lab_community

From July 16 to 19, Francis Hagendorfs (@hagendorfsfrancis ) and Līva Priedīte (@prriedit ) are in residence at the Forest Plinth territory to develop, install the collaborative project - A Few Samples of Holding On.

Is holding on simply failing to realise that you have crossed the point of no return, where perspective is the only shelter you have left, or is it a nomadic way of coming to terms with a territory, or a space, subjected to change?

A Few Samples of Holding On is a collaborative installation by Francis Hagendorfs and Līva Priedīte, in which the dual meaning of holding on is explored through a location-sensitive approach, questioning personality, space, and volume, and revealing that they cannot exist without perspective. And if, by some chance, they did, perhaps it was the rays of the sun, arriving at a particular angle, that made them appear that way.

Supported by the MUD LAB @mud_lab_community , Drikaines and State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia @kulturkapitals .

Project led by Kristaps Ancāns @kristaps_ancans

Forest Plinth is a space for testing and developing collaborative artistic ideas, this is the fifth project within the plinth’s framework.

#forestplinth
#latgale by @mud_lab_community

Spring arrived hand in hand with work. Following earlier research in Līvāni, MA POST from the Art Academy of Latvia visited the Glass Department at the Estonian Academy of Arts.

During the visit in Tallinn, materials brought from Līvāni were tested and remelted, while Latvian artists Kristaps Ancāns, Līva Priedīte, Niklāvs Kadiķis, Francis Hagendorfs, and Emīlija Paškeviča were introduced to the processes of hot and cold glasswork thanks to the team of the Glass Department, including Andra Jõgis, Alyona Movko-Mägi, Rait Lõhmus, Eve Koha, and Kaja Knowers, among others.

At the end of the month, the Estonian team will visit Līvāni and the Art Academy of Latvia to further develop this joint project.

We would like to thank both academies, the Art Academy of Latvia and the Estonian Academy of Arts, as well as Līvāni City, the Līvāni Glass and Craft Centre, the Culture and Tourism Department, and others for their support.

Photos: @niklavskad

@mud_lab_community
@eka_estonian_academy_of_arts
@eka_klaas
@alyona.movko.maegi
@andra_jogis_studio
@danzadelvientre_
@kajaknowers
@makslasakademija
@prriedit
@hagendorfsfrancis
@niklavskad
@epaskevica
@kristaps_ancans
@visitlivani by @mud_lab_community

Following earlier research in Līvāni, MA POST from Art Academy of Latvia together with MUD Lab has continued the project by collecting material remnants from the former glass factory.

These fragments, industrial leftovers, traces of production, are now being taken to the Glass Department of Estonian Academy of Arts for testing and experimentation in collaboration with the Glass Department. The aim is to investigate how materials found on site can be reworked, recycled, and transformed into new material conditions and forms.

Rather than treating the factory as a closed past, the project approaches it as an active resource - where what remains becomes a starting point for future production.

The visit was led by Kristaps Ancāns with MA POST students Līva Priedīte, Niklāvs Kadiķis, Francis Hagendorfs, and Emīlija Paškeviča.

We would like to thank Līvāni City, Livani Glass and Craft Center, the Culture and Tourism Department, and Kvartāls for their support.

Photos: @niklavskad

@mud_lab_community
@visitlivani
@eka_estonian_academy_of_arts
@eka_klaas
@makslasakademija
@stop.spot.post
@mjic_kvartals
@prriedit
@hagendorfsfrancis
@niklavskad
@epaskevica
@kristaps_ancans by @mud_lab_community

The historic glass factory in Līvāni has long shaped the town’s identity through its tradition of glass production and craftsmanship. Referencing an article by Alyona Movko-Mägi published in DEKA - the publication of the Design Faculty of the Estonian Academy of Arts, the site is described as more than an industrial memory: “the glass factory is not only a trace of local industry but also a place where new cultural connections and creative experiments can emerge.”

Building on this idea, a collaborative project has been initiated between the Glass Department of the Estonian Academy of Arts, the MA POST programme at the Art Academy of Latvia, Līvāni City and the Līvāni Glass Centre, and MUD Lab.

The initiative brings together artists, designers, and researchers from Latvia and Estonia to explore the glass heritage of Līvānī as a starting point for contemporary artistic exchange and site-specific experimentation.

Full article (EE):
https://www.artun.ee/app/uploads/2026/02/DEKA_2_Online_Version_Full.pdf

@alyona.movko.maegi
@mud_lab_community
@eka_estonian_academy_of_arts
@eka_klaas
@makslasakademija
@stop.spot.post
@visitlivani by @mud_lab_community

Thank you to the Cross-Regional Foundation of Mid Latgale (Viduslatgles Pārnovadu fonds) for the recognition and for awarding MUD LAB the Golden Falcon for the event PHYSICAL BORDER, which took place in Līvāni in June 2025. We are deeply grateful for this acknowledgement and would like to sincerely thank the Foundation, its team, and Līvāni Municipality for their trust, continued support, and belief in this project.

A very special joy and thanks for the beautifully crafted award created by the students of Jēkabs Graubiņš Līvāni Music and Art School!

The event PHYSICAL BORDER was organised in collaboration with Līvāni Municipality and Kvartāls – Multifunctional Youth Centre, with the support of:
• Cross-Regional Foundation of Mid Latgale – Small Grants Programme
• Latgale Culture Programme (State Culture Capital Foundation)
• British Council

We would also like to thank our partners for their ongoing support and collaboration:
Art Academy of Latvia, Vilnius Art Academy, Lakuga – Latgalian Cultural News Platform, MOST Magazine, and Chayka.

@mud_lab_community
@mjic_kvartals
@makslasakademija
@britishcouncillatvia
@brunotankelsons2
@emilsjansons
@kristaps_ancans
@jekaterina.golubkova
@kathryn.zazenski
@zaneteskarule
@innaplavoka
@dmytrochepurnyi
@latvijas_dzelzcels
@chaykalv
@voluuda
@mostmagazine__
@kulturkapitals
@livanustikls
@ilzegriezane
@burgerija.latgale
@visitlivani

#physicalborder
#friendsofeurope
#MUDLABcommunity
#MUDLAB
#Livani by @mud_lab_community

From December 7 to 12, 2025, Kristers Krums (@nno4raa ) and Nicola Lorini (@nicolalorini ) were in residence at the Forest Plinth territory to develop, install, and activate the collaborative project Bits, and Peaks, and Splinters and Flowers.

The work began with the recovery of an old set of traditional drums from the region, sparking an ongoing conversation around notions of music, belonging, material culture, ritual, borders, and collectivity.

The two drums - restored by the artists and presented within a specifically designed architectural scenography - were played using several drumsticks crafted by friends and colleagues and shipped to the site. Through an absurd unboxing performance, recorded using early digital devices, each drumstick untied a chain of spoken and sound-based conversations.

The sonic, visual, and spoken material collected during the event will be assembled into a video work. Meanwhile, the archive of drumsticks is stored in a custom-made wooden box and remains open to expansion and future activations.

The project is supported by the MUD LAB (@mud_lab_community ), State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (@kulturkapitals ) and Drikaines.

Drumsticks by:

Valters Veide (@tel.29utt ), Dāvids Asaris (@davidarmsdeal ), Rūdolfs Kuncītis (@rudolws ), Māra Avrameca (@730marla ), Katrīna Biksone (@katrinabiksone ), Krišjānis Beļavskis (@ch2kb ), Kristers Krūms (@nno4raa ), Nicola Lorini (@nicolalorini ), Kristaps Ancāns (@kristaps_ancans ), Sara Ravelli (@sara.rvll ), Luca Baldini & Jessica Zorzin (@gravida94 ,@jessica.zorzin), Catarina Cubelo (@catarina_cubelo ).

Vest, hat and scarves tailored by Alisters Bernāts ( @alisters_bernats_latvietis )

#forestplinth
#mud_lab
#latgale by @mud_lab_community

From December 7 to 12, Kristers Krums and Nicola Lorini are in residence at the Forest Plinth territory to develop, install and activate the collaborative project - Bits, and Peaks, and Splinters and Flowers.

The work began with the recovery of an old set of traditional drums from the region, sparking a looping conversation around notions of music, belonging, material culture, ritual, borders, and collectivity.

The two drums, restored by the artists and presented within a specifically designed architectural scenography will be played using several drumsticks crafted by friends and colleagues and shipped to the site.

Through an absurd unboxing performance - recorded using early digital devices - each drumstick will untie a chain of spoken and sound based conversations.

The project is supported by the MUD LAB (@mud_lab_community ), State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (@kulturkapitals ) and Drikaines.

On December 11 from 13.00 to 16.00, visitors are welcome to the Forest Plinth territory to observe the unboxing of drumsticks and the activation of the drums. The installation can also be visited by chance or by appointment until December 12.

Drumsticks by:

Valters Veide (@tel.29utt ), Dāvids Asaris (@davidarmsdeal ), Rūdolfs Kuncītis (@rudolws ), Māra Avrameca (@mareograph7 ), Katrīna Biksone (@katrinabiksone ), Krišjānis Beļavskis (@ch2kb ), Kristers Krūms (@nno4raa ), Nicola Lorini (@nicolalorini ), Kristaps Ancāns (@kristaps_ancans ), Sara Ravelli (@sara.rvll ), Luca Baldini & Jessica Zorzin (@gravida94 ,@jessica.zorzin), Catarina Cubelo (@catarina_cubelo ).

#MUDLABcommunity
#forestplinth
#Latgale by @mud_lab_community

Meeting in Līvāni – Exploring Glass Heritage and Future Collaboration.

On Monday in Līvāni, representatives from the Estonian Academy of Arts (@eka_estonian_academy_of_arts ) — Andra Jõgis (@andra_jogis_studio & @eka_klaas ) Alyona Movko-Mägi (@alyona.movko.maegi ) — met with MA POST (@stop.spot.post ) participants from the Art Academy of Latvia (@makslasakademija ), Emīlija Paškeviča (@epaskevica ) and Kristaps Ancāns (@kristaps_ancans ) and MUD LAB (@mud_lab_community ), as well as Ilze Griezāne (@ilzegriezane ) and Ivars Āboltiņš from the Līvāni Glass and Craft Centre (@livanustikls ).

This was the first meeting aimed at initiating conversations around the glass heritage, histories, and transformations of the former Līvāni Glass Factory. The discussion also touched upon the region’s contemporary developments, including the high-tech companies such as Ceram Optec and Light Guide Optics International, alongside the only remaining glassblowing centre in Latvia, located in Līvāni.

The meeting served as an introduction for participants from Latvia and Estonia to explore shared histories, common interests, and possibilities for future research, collaboration, and creative work. by @mud_lab_community

On November 8, MA POST— Francis Hagendorfs (@hagendorfsfrancis ), Niklāvs Kadiķis (@niklavskad ), Līva Priedīte (@prriedit ), and Kristaps Ancāns (@kristaps_ancans ) — were in Līvāni together with MUD LAB (@mud_lab_community ) and the Līvāni Culture and Sports Department, leading an AI animation workshop for kids.

Thank you to all the groups who participated — the atmosphere was truly creative and inspiring!
The animation film will be screened on the Culture House facade during the National Holidays later this month.

Special thanks to all partners, the Art Academy of Latvia (@makslasakademija ), and Līvāni Municipality (@visitlivani ) for their support.

#workshop
#livani
#makslasakademija
#StopSpotPost
#MUDLABcommunity
#latgale by @mud_lab_community