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Indulis Bilzēns and Oskars Redbergs. Performance – Rīga stiprāka par nāvi / Riga stronger than Death. Perfromace by Indulis Bilzens. 2014. Riga

2014. gada 27.maijā plkst. 18.00 Arhitektūras un mediju centrā H2O 6 lielajā zālē notiks multimediju mākslinieka Induļa Bilzēna (Frankfurte/M, Vācija) performance „RĪGA STIPRĀKA PAR NĀVI”.

Curator of the event and author of the text: Oskars Redbergs

Performance tiek organizēta starptautiskas pilsētvides studentu darbnīcas “100 H Urban interventions” ietvaros, ko no 23. līdz 27. maijam sadarbībā ar Berlīnes Tehnisko universitāti rīko RISEBA Arhitektūras un dizaina fakultāte (FAD). Darbnīca noslēgsies ar atklātu prezentāciju 27. maijā, plkst. 15:00, publiskajā ārtelpā pie Arhitektūras un Mediju centra H2O 6 un Zunda kanāla. Projektu atbalsta Vācijas vēstniecība un Gētes Institūts. Pēc pilsētvides objektu prezentācijām visi laipni aicināti uz Induļa Bilzēna hepeningu „Rīga stiprāka par nāvi”, izmatojot itāļu attraverso dzejas, Knuta Skujenieka, T.S. Eliota, Ulda Bērziņa, Raiņa, Ovīdija, Horācija, Nerudas un paša mākslinieka rakstus, līdz ar sava skolnieka DJ Westbam trekiem. Hepeninga ievadruna – Oskars Redbergs (RISEBA Arhitektūras programmas direktors). Akciju filmēs vides filmu studijas (VFS) režisori Viktors Bukults un Ritvars Bluka.

INDULIS BILZĒNS ir latviešu avangarda multimediju mākslinieks, dzimis 1940. gadā Rīgā. Pēc padomju okupācijas un tēva izsūtīšanas uz Sibīriju piecu gadu vecumā kopā ar māti spiests pārcelties uz Vāciju, kur nonācis Eslingenē Amerikāņu kontrolētajā (eks) teritorijā. Indulis Bilzēns studējis Kembridžas Kings Koledžā angļu filoloģiju, Bonas Universitātē medicīnu un informātiku Tehniskajā augstskolā Štutgartē kā brīvklausītājs. Aktīvi darbojies trimdas latviešu kopienas darbā. Indulis Bilzēns dzīvojis Vācijā, taču apzināti, nekad nav pieņēmis Vācijas pilsonību, saglabājot vien Vācijas federācijas valsts pavalstnieka statusu, jo vienmēr ir uzskatījis, ka svarīgāk ir saglabāt savu ārzemnieka statusu gan māksliniecisku, gan politisku apsvērumu dēļ – piederība Latvijai, ANO pase un nevēlēšanās dienēt vācu armijā. Tādējādi Indulis patstāvīgi norāda savu “citādību” – piederību gan Latvijai, gan globālajai avangarda mākslinieku komūnai iepretim mietpilsoniski vāciskajai. Vienlaikus Indulis Bilzēns ir aktīvs starptautiskās studentu kustības aktīvists 1960. gados protestējot pret atomārās enerģijas izmantošanas bīstamību septiņdesmitajos. Indulis ir arī publicists un žurnālists, un darbojas kā mēnešraksta „Pflasterstrand” autors un reportieris. Tāpat Indulis ir piedalījies preses aģentūras “ID” dibināšanā, no kuras vēlāk izveidojas pazīstamais laikraksts “Die Tageszeitung” un Vācijas zaļā partija. Bijis arī “D!Fanatic” avangarda žurnāla izdevējs, darbojies WDR Radio Ķelnē un Štutgartē kā raidlugu autors.

Indulis ir producents un multimediju mākslinieks, mūsdienu house un tehno mūzikas kustības “Low Spirit 84”, “Love parade” un “Mayday 89” aizsācējs Vācijā Rietumberlīnē. Vienlaikus viņš ir aktīvs mākslinieks izmantojot “MediMix” koncepciju, kas paredz performances žanrā izmantot visas pieejamās mākslas tehnikas un valodas. Indulis ir piedalījies mūsdienu mākslas izstādē „Dokumenta” Kaselē kopā ar “minus delta t” radio 1988. gadā un ar “Van Gog TV” 1992. gadā, kā arī starptautiskajā mākslas festivālā “Ars Electronika” Linzā 1993. un 1994. gadā kopā ar Braeunungsstudio Malaria. Indulis ir sadarbojies ar virkni nozīmīgāko tā laika mākslinieku – Westbam un Mike Hentz. 1980. gadu sākumā viņš organizēja Valda Āboliņa izstādi Rīgā un Berlīnē. 1980. gadu beigās kopā ar NGBK Berlīnē organizējis Latviešu mūsdienu mākslas izstādi „Rīga Latviešu avangards” (1989). Indulis ir bijis aktīvs Padomju Latvijas mākslinieku promotētājs Rietumeiropā un 1990. gadā atvedis uz Berlīni izstādi „Unerwartete Begegnung (Latviešu klasiskā glezniecība)”. 1990. gadu sākumā Indulis Bilzēns sadarbojās ar NSRD, Hardiju Lediņu, Robertu Gobziņu, Jāni Kraukli, Uģi Poli un iepazīstināja tā laika publiku Latvijā un Padomju savienībā ar DJ kustību un neatkarīga pirātu radio koncepciju, kas vēlāk rezultējās neatkarīgā “Radiodeju” projektā.

On 27 May 2014 at 18.00 in the large hall of the Architecture and Media Centre H2O 6 will take place the performance “RIGA STRIKES THE DEAD” by multimedia artist Indulis Bilzen (Frankfurt/M, Germany).

Curator of the event and author of the text: Oskars Redbergs

The performance is organised as part of the international urban student workshop “100 H Urban Interventions”, organised by the RISEBA Faculty of Architecture and Design (FAD) in collaboration with the Technical University of Berlin from 23 to 27 May. The workshop will end with an open presentation on 27 May at 15:00 in the public outdoor space in front of the Architecture and Media Centre H2O 6 and the Sound Canal. The project is supported by the German Embassy and the Goethe-Institut. After the presentations of the urban objects, everyone is invited to a happening by Indulis Bilzen “Riga Stronger than Death”, using the poetry of Italian attraverso, Knut Skujenieks, T.S. Eliot, Uldis Berzins, Rainis, Ovid, Horace, Neruda and the artist himself, along with tracks by his student DJ Westbam. Introductory speech by Oskars Redbergs (Director of RISEBA Architecture Programme). The event will be filmed by Viktors Bukults and Ritvars Bluka from the Environmental Film Studio (VFS).
Biography.

INDULIS BILZĒNS (BIL) was a Latvian, avant-garde multimedia artist born in 1940 in Riga. After the Soviet occupation and his father’s deportation to Siberia, he was forced to move with his mother to Germany at the age of five and ended up in Eslingen in the American-controlled (ex) territory. He studied English Philology at King’s College, Cambridge, Medicine at the University of Bonn, and Informatics at the Technical University of Stuttgart as a free student. Active in the Latvian community in exile, Bilzēns lived in Germany but never consciously accepted German citizenship. He retained only his status as a citizen of the German Federation as he had always considered it more important to maintain his status as a foreigner (both for artistic and political reasons) – belonging to Latvia, having a UN passport, and not wanting to serve in the German army. Indulis thus independently underligned his “otherness” – belonging both to Latvia and to the global avant-garde artist community simultaneously, as opposed to the local German one. At the same time, Indulis Bilzens was an active member of the international student movement in Germany in the 1960s, and protested against the dangers of the use of atomic energy in the 1970s. Indulis was also a columnist and journalist, working as an author and reporter for the monthly Pflasterstrand. Indulis was also involved in the founding of the press agency “ID”, which later became the well-known newspaper “Die Tageszeitung” and the German Green Party. He was also publisher of the avant-garde magazine “D!Fanatic” and worked as a broadcaster for WDR Radio in Cologne and Stuttgart.

Indulis as a producer and multimedia artist, was a true pioneer of the contemporary house and techno music movements including “Low Spirit 84”, “Love parade” and “Mayday 89” in West Berlin, Germany. At the same time, he was an active artist using the MediaMix concept, which involves the use of all available artistic techniques and languages in the genre of performance. Indulis participated in the contemporary art exhibition “Dokumenta” in Kassel with ”minus delta t radio” in 1988, and ”Van Gog TV” in 1992. He was also a part of the international art festival “Ars Electronica” in Linz in 1993 and with ”Braeunungsstudio Malaria” in 1994. In the early 1980’s, he organized the Valdis Āboliņš exhibition in Riga and Berlin. In the late 1980s together with the NGBK in Berlin, he organised the Latvian contemporary art exhibition “Riga Latvian Avant-Garde”. Indulis was an active promoter of Soviet Latvian artists in Western Europe and brought the exhibition “Unerwartete Begegnung (Latvian Classical Painting)” to Berlin in 1990. In the early 1990’s, Indulis Bilzēns collaborated with NSRD, Hardijs Lediņš, Roberts Gobziņš, Jānis Krauklis, and Uģis Poli. This collective introduced the DJ movement and the concept of an independent pirate radio to the Latvian and Soviet public, an effort which later resulted in the independent “Radiodeju” project.
During the first two decades of the 21st century, Bilzēns contributed to cultural criticism intiatives aimed at advancing Latvian society from the Post-Soviet state of failed modernity. Inspired by cultural discourses in Frankfurt, the book “Mūsdienu kultūras stāvokļi/Conditions for Contemporary Culture. Riga” by Oskars Redbergs and Inga Karlšrēma emerged, quickly becoming the centerpiece of contemporary cultural debate and criticism in Riga. There was also the curation of “9 Conditions of Riga: Regeneration and Transformation of the City – Urban Environment and Architecture”—the largest traveling architecture exhibition in Frankfurt for the ECB Cultural days. Lastly, one cannot forget the building of The New School of Architecture in Riga established in 2010.
The final performance by Induslis Bilzens, “Riga stronger than Death”, was curated in 2014 by Oskars Redbergs in Riga. The work utilized his infamous MediaMix concept—a methodology incorporating all available artistic techniques and languages in the genre of performance. In this specific work, Bilzens incorporates the poetry of Italian attraverso, Knut Skujenieks, T.S. Eliot, Uldis Berzins, Rainis, Ovid, Horace, Neruda, and even the artist himself. These proses coexist and intermingle with a mix of techno music tracks created by a former student of Bilzens, DJ Westbam.
The movie ”Era of Dance”, released in 2017 and directed by Viktors Buda, was dedicated to the techno music movement and the relationships between the West and the East. Indulis Bilzens served as a diplomat for this historic invasion, one that would become a cultural phenomena.

Biography by Oskars Redbergs