Riga - European Capital of Culture 2014 candidate

The world in which we live is full of change, in constant movementand development. At times it seems as though it is dragging ata snail’s pace and nothing is happening, at others we find ourselvesat the epicentre of a whirlwind, which catapults us atan inconceivable speed several steps or several lives ahead.Looking back at the messages left by history or taking a glimpseat personal experience memory registers, we have to admit thatvery often the most powerful impulse that projects us towardspositive change is an invincible force or power, which unexpectedlytransforms the usual course of events and puts the usualsystem of values to the test.This invincible force hits us without warning and influences bothglobal processes and the progression of historic events, as wellas the otherwise common and unnoticeable everyday events ofevery individual. We identify the epicentres of these invincibleforces on the map of history as collisions created by humans orby nature – revolutions, ecological phenomena, economic convulsions.The urban philosopher Paul Virilio, commenting thesemanifestations of invincible force, concludes that without clashes,without the discharging of pressure, further progress is notpossible and that the potential for collision is already encodedinto the progress of mankind itself.For most people the term force majeure, which is usually foundin the un-translated French version, probably conjures up associationswith agreements drawn up by lawyers, where the impactof an invincible force annuls whatever was agreed upon before.Force majeure acts as an unconquerable power, which transformsthe order of things and many things are no longer howthey used to be.In the current situation, which marks the end of the era of totalrationality and opens up the path to new opportunities andchallenges, the term force majeure seems very appropriate forcharacterising the situation in culture. Unexpected, but at thesame time predictable, accumulating and expanding over anextended period of time from various relationship, communicationand social tension congestions, inflated by the problemsfaced by nature on our planet, from abandonment to consumereuphoria and from differing cultural messages, for which nocommon translation has yet been found. Force Majeure releasesa gigantic flow of energy and, transforming it into creative potential,surprising and unexpected revelations are possible.Force Majeure is a catalyst and provoker of cultural events. As acandidate for the status of European Capital of Culture 2014, Riga– a city with a rich history of events, multi-cultural environmentand wide range of cultural traditions, is ready for a new challenge.The challenge of being constantly in transformation. Upwardtransformation. To strengthen the belief that culture can becomean invincible force that works as an instrument of salvation, asurvival kit, a springboard for new and bold ideas, which helpstransform the world and allows us to look at it from a differentangle. Riga’s 2014 Force Majeure will strengthen the convictionthat culture can change the lives of people and cities and improvethem, that culture is the soundly credible and invincible forcethat has the ability to direct change into a positive channel, fearinto challenge and hasardous joy, uncertainty – into trust in thecreative spirit.Your Kult[rix]30 31