As the New Year of 2014 approaches, “Skonto Būve” continues its tradition of previous years and sends Winter Holiday greetings to residents of Riga and all visitors, by presenting Riga Rooster’s Christmas tree, decorated in Latvian folk motifs. This year the visual design of the Christmas tree was inspired by ornaments of Lielvarde’s belt – the most typical and important example of Latvian lifestyle and the language of symbols. The belt represents wisdom, happiness and prosperity and this is what “Skonto Būve” wishes to all residents of Riga and its visitors.

Since 2008, “Skonto Būve” has presented a gorgeous Christmas tree as a holiday gift to Riga, its people and visitors, by placing it in the very centre of the capital – at the intersection of Elizabetes Street and Brivibas Boulevard.

Themes for Christmas tree decorations vary from year to year, but Riga’s Rooster on the top of the Christmas tree remains a constant value for the fourth season running, being the origin for the name of this fir tree – “Riga Rooster’s Christmas tree”.

Continuing the development of the waterworks system projects in Riga, SIA Rīgas Ūdens, Riga City Council and Skonto Būve has signed a cooperation agreement for the construction of a water supply and sewerage system in Bolderājā.

The project involves the construction of a water-main and sewerage system of approximately 8 km covering 33 streets. The project will result in the connection of 290 buildings to the centralised water supply, thus “Skonto Būve” will provide an opportunity for 960 people to receive clean and high quality water.

After the official signing of the cooperation agreement, Riga Vice Mayor Andris Ameriks emphasised that the aim of the project is to make the city infrastructure accessible to all residents of Riga and to make the connection to the centralised water supply system available.

Dagnija Kalnina, Chair of “Rīgas Ūdens”, acknowledged that the previous experience of “Skonto Būve” in the construction of the water supply and sewerage system in the direction of Mārupe will also ensure quality and rapid progress of the project.

Maris Kvite, board member of “Skonto Būve”, expressed his satisfaction with the works and noted that the quality of the waterworks system also means environmental responsibility, which is one of the driving motives of “Skonto Būve”.

Black and white photos by the photographer Gvido Kajons, which are included in the book “Theme 011”, were taken during the times of Soviet Latvia. With a history of several decades, the photos have become valuable reflectors of the past.

The cycle “Theme 011” covers a number of themes – landscapes, demonstrations, a man and a city, captions and time. The cycle is permeated by a thought which says: HOW INTERESTING THIS TIME IS. This cycle, as everything that Kajons does, is outlined by technical sterility, perfect quality and the individual vision of the artist: he captures supposedly unnoticeable and ordinary things and turns them into art; he pulls a random piece out of context and creates his own subtext.

Gvido Kajons (1955) just like his fellow members from the photography group “A”, co-founded by him, has never studied photography in an academic way. Initially, photography fascinated him as a hobby. Gvido Kajons started taking pictures when he was in 5th grade. His first “tool” was an old grandfather’s camera manufactured in the 1930s. The photographer graduated from the Faculty of Radio Engineering and Communications of Riga Polytechnic Institute and became a professional engineer. In the 1990s he worked as a magazine photographer (for the magazine “Liesma”). Since 1979, Gvido Kajons has participated in group photo exhibitions and has arranged his own personal exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, including the Walter Philips Gallery in Canada, Exhibition Hall “Weseburg” in Germany and “Van der Berlage” gallery in Amsterdam. The most famous photo series of the author are the following: “Through life with the Minolta” /Ar Minoltu pa dzīvi/ (1994), “Theme 011” (part of the photos included in the cycle were exhibited for the first time in 1988 at the Architects House), “National geography” (1998).

The photos from the cycle “Theme 011” were captured from 1976 through to 1994.

Text authors: Sarmite Sile, Raimo Lielbriedis

Design and layout: Sandra Osina 

Image scanning: Marcis Bendiks

Image processing: Gvido Kajons, Sandra Osina, Milda Osina, Valdis Osins 

Publisher: Society for the Support of Education and Culture BALTA

Printed by SIA Jelgavas tipogrāfija.

http://www.kajons.com/gramata.html

The book was published with the financial support of SIA Skonto Būve.

The world premiere of the ballet “Karlsons lido...”, an adaption of Astrid Lindgren’s book, was held at the Latvian National Opera in October 2013. This is an excellent gift for ballet admirers, as well as pupils and their parents starting the new academic year.

“Karlsons lido...” is presented to audiences at the beginning of the new ballet season affirming the successful cooperation between the Latvian National Ballet and its patron “Skonto Būve”.

The Latvian National Ballet’s staging is colourful and lively and allows young viewers to not only go on a journey to Stockholm in the 70s, but also to experience the well-known adventures of Karlsson and Lillebror.

http://www.opera.lv/lv/

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Latvian National Opera house and the beginning of the 2013/2014 season, the LNO presented two magnificent concerts.

Alongside the local opera and ballet stars, these concerts featured internationally renowned names who started their career in this very opera house in Riga: Aleksandrs Antonenko (Aleksandrs Antoņenko), Inese Galante, Inga Kalna and Egils Silins (Egils Siliņš).

In the forthcoming season, the LNO will continue with the tradition of offering sophisticated concerts in addition to the opera and ballet performances.

Skonto Būve has been a patron of ballet at the LNO for a number of years. This support has allowed the ballet troupe to stage spectacular seasonal performances and go on several important tours.

http://www.opera.lv/lv/