The Realisation of the Installation Subject / Object Has Begun
The construction of the installation Subject / Object has now begun. It is being realised as an educational, research-based architectural project open to the public realm. Architecture students are actively involved in the implementation under the guidance of teaching staff, developing the structures as part of their study process and gaining hands-on spatial experience.
The project is conceived as an environmental installation and a travelling exhibition, in which architecture is understood not only as an object, but also as a process, an event, and a form of collective experience.
Historical Context
Subject / Object consists of two large-scale sculptural structures that were originally built in 1987 during a special event in Philadelphia, with the participation of students and colleagues of the world-renowned American architect John Hejduk.
The second chapter of this event began in Latvia in 2021 with the publication “John Hejduk: The Riga Project”, which inspired the re-staging “The Riga Project – Subject / Object”. This new iteration is conceived as a long-term environmental project to be realised in various locations and contexts across Latvia.
The Travelling Installation and Its Structure
The travelling exhibition of the Subject / Object sculptures is planned to begin in the courtyard of Rundāle Palace,and later continue in Riga, Sāti, and other locations throughout Latvia.
Both structures are being developed:
- from modular components,
- with the possibility of repeated assembly, disassembly, and transportation,
- using appropriate and sustainable materials.
This approach allows the installation to exist as a temporary yet repeatedly activatable exhibition that is:
- publicly accessible on site,
- viewable remotely,
- continuously changing depending on space, context, and the presence of the viewer.
In this staging, alongside the objects themselves, participants, observers, and spatial dramaturgy come “on stage,” collectively inhabiting shifting conditions of perception and presence.
Curators and Partners
The project is curated by Nodibinājums ARHITEKSTI in collaboration with the RISEBA University of Applied Sciences Faculty of Architecture and Design (RISEBA FAD).