News from CCI4Change in Latvia: the “Neighbors’ House” environmental installation is now open!
Starting December 19th, citizens, visitors, and passersby will have the opportunity to witness the creative output of CCI4Change’s pilot project in Kauguri, Latvia — an environmental, participative installation!
The installation will be open until the end of January 2025.
Location in front of Kauguri Library: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ro4nUc6Xmy7DjdodA
“Neighbors’ House” is a collaborative installation by artists Rute Marta Jansone, Patrīcija Māra Vilsone, and Kristians Aglonietis that has been co-created with local Kauguri residents over the past months.
This is the final creative output of the CCI4Change pilot project in Latvia, which is testing a new, citizen-driven collaboration model between artists and municipalities to achieve better energy efficiency. The Latvian pilot was born from a collaboration between the city of Jūrmala, where the neighborhood of Kauguri is located, and the art foundation INITIUM, winner of the project’s innovation open call for artists. In the collaboration, NDPC acted as the intermediary, supporting the conversation between the two parties.
Over a series of co-creation workshops held over the Summer and Fall of 2024, the project has invited the community to build a small, gazebo-sized structure together — from its foundation to its finishing touches — fostering a shared sense of ownership, connection, and collaboration. The structure is built from window frames and windows, symbolizing both openness and the challenge of energy loss — a relatable issue for residents managing home insulation. This choice underscores the difficulty of tackling community-wide problems individually, and highlights the potential of collective action.
Looking trough the installation’s windows. Photo: NDPC
Inside, the house becomes a space for the personal stories that were shared through the co-creation workshops over the past months. Residents’ experiences will be anonymously woven into the design, reflecting the lives of those who live there. A small living room within the house offers a place for neighbors to sit, talk, or reflect together, emphasizing the importance of connection.
The installation reimagines the role of neighbors, shifting from co-inhabitants of a shared building to active contributors to a collective space. One standout feature is a lighting system that only works if three people activate it simultaneously, highlighting the power of cooperation in achieving shared goals.
The installation during the night. Photo: NDPC
About CCI4Change
The “CCI4Change” project, led by the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) Secretariat, aims to find new, creative perspectives for supporting a change in energy consumption habits, building the capacity of public authorities to work with citizens in a way that is ethical, inclusive, and citizen-driven. A key element is a new collaboration model with the culture and creative industries (CCI), which is currently explored via five project pilots n three different countries (Finland, Latvia and Sweden).
Learn more about the pilots: CCI4Change launches five pilot projects
Learn more about the project: CCI4Change: Facilitation of Citizens Energy Consumption Behavioural Change
