Second Architecture, Art and Music Festival Concludes in Dagda

From July 9 to 12, the town of Dagda turned into a hub for Latgalian art and culture as it hosted the second Architecture, Art and Music Festival. The opening day featured an exhibition of works by Latvian and foreign artists in the old post office building, while several environmental installations were scattered throughout the town. The festival, which combines architecture, art and music, highlighted the positive potential of cultural processes in Latvia's border regions and emphasized the need to strengthen cross-border cooperation.

The event was organized by the association "Perifēriju centrs", which brings together independent artists, architects and musicians: Helvijs Savickis, Jānis Dzirnieks, Aleksis Luriņš, Lauma Muižarāja and Kristaps Lejiņš. Helvijs Savickis shared several coincidences that seemed to confirm the festival's path—such as meeting a doctor from Dagda while recovering from an injury, and a bank employee from Dagda during account setup.

This year, the festival was more contextual, with all works created specifically for Dagda. Artists from Austria, Germany and Scotland participated. One of the participants, Jonas from Innsbruck, representing an artist group that meets annually for collaborative projects, explained that they built a pavilion intended to become a community gathering space with golf equipment available.

Sintija Maļkeviča, head of Dagda's tourism point, expressed hope that the festival will grow further, attracting visitors from around the world. Meanwhile, sculptor and artist Pauls Pudžs invites everyone to the unveiling of his second sculpture at Lake Geranimova Ilza on July 31, created as a collective work.