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Viktorijai ir 22 gadi. “Es strādāju par pavāri,” viņa saka, “Man vienkārši patīk gatavot. Man patīk pētīt ēdienu. Mazā Kaņepe es taisu “snekus”, ko var nogaršot Kaņepes Kultūras centra bārā.” Nākotnē Viktorija plāno pievērsties studijām un vairāk attīstīt savas radošās prasmes. Bērnībā viņa mācījās mūzikas skolā, zīmēja un dejoja, šobrīd Viktorijai tas “bišķiņ pietrūkst”. “Man šobrīd ir klusuma periods dzīvē”, viņa prātīgi nosaka, “Bet es saprotu, ka arī tādiem brīžiem ir jābūt.”

– Kā tu pirmoreiz nokļuvi KKc?
– Es neatceros, tas bija ļoti sen. Kaut arī man nav tik daudz gadu un Kaņepe nemaz arī nepastāv tik ilgi, man ir tāda sajūta, ka es te esmu jau ļoti sen. Es nācu uz dažādiem koncertiem, izstādēm, prezentācijām, vedu šurp draugus, arī no ārzemēm – paskatīties, kas šeit notiek. Pēc tam kaut kā tīri nejauši es sāku šeit strādāt.

– Ko tev nozīmē šī vieta?
– Ļoti daudz. Te ir ļoti dziedinoša atmosfēra. Cilvēki ļoti pieņem viens otru, ir ļoti labsirdīgi. Es uzaugu vidē, kur tā nebija. Man patīk šeit vienkārši atrasties. Es arī – līdzīgi kā daudzi kolēģi – varu teikt, ka “KKc ir manas otrās mājas”. Šī vieta pievelk cilvēkus ar noteiktu identitāti; KKc ir kā viena liela būtne, un es gribu būt ar to ilgi kopā.

– Kas tevi motivē piecelties no gultas un darīt kaut ko?
– Šis ir grūts jautājums. Es varu piedāvāt vai nu patiesu, bet “nesmuku atbildi”, vai arī izlaist šo jautājumu. Man jau kopš bērnības ir depresija, tāpēc, ja vien man nav jādodas uz darbu, es vienkārši nepieceļos. Es vienkārši guļu. Nekas nenotiek. Man vienkārši nav spēka piecelties. Es gribētu, lai man būtu spēks piecelties. Es ceru, ka nākotnē tā būs.

– Kā tu gribētu, lai cilvēki tevi atceras, kad tu būsi jau citā dimensijā?
– Man ir pilnīgi vienalga. Katrs cilvēks mani atcerēsies citādi. Katrs cilvēks taču ir kā atsevišķa pasaule un redz citos cilvēkos noteiktas šķautnes. Cilvēku uztvere taču ir dažāda. Es esmu ar mieru, es to pieņemu.

– Ja tu varētu būt jebkāda cita radība, nevis cilvēks, kas tu izvēlētos būt?
– Mani kopš bērnības fascinē plēsēji ar savu skaistumu, asajiem nagiem un garajiem zobiem; es varētu būt plēsējs. Varbūt lūsis.

………………………………………………

Viktorija is 22 years old. ‘ I work as a cook,’ she says ‘I just like to prepare food, to study food. At Mazā Kaņepe I also make snacks, that you can give them a try at the KKc bar’. In the future Viktorija plans to attend university and to develop her creative abilities. As a child, she danced, drew and also graduated from music school, which she now misses a bit. ‘At the moment, I have a silent period in my life,’ tells she, ‘but I understand that such things have their place to be’.

– How did you discover KKc?
– I don’t remember, it was long ago. Even despite the fact that I’m not old at all and KKc wasn’t there all the time, I have a feeling that I’ve spent here many years. I attended all sorts of concerts, exhibitions, presentations, took my friends here, even those from foreign countries – to show them what’s happening here. And then, completely by accident, I started to work here.

– What does this place mean to you?
– Many things. The ambience here is very soothing, healing. People really support each other and are kind. I grew up somewhere where it wasn’t like that. I just love to be here. As most of my collegues, I can say that KKc is my second home. This place attracts people of certain identity and it’s like one big living being, and I want to stay with it as long as I can.

– What makes you get up from bed and do anything?
– This will be a hard question. I can turn it down or offer a truthful but unpleaseable answer. Since childhood I have depression, so if I don’t need to work, I don’t get up. I just stay in bed. Nothing is happening. I just don’t have energy to get up. I want to have that energy. I hope I’ll have it in the future.

– How do you want people to remember you when you will go into another dimension?
– It absolutely doesn’t matter to me. Each person will remember me differently. Each person, as a separate realm, sees other persons’ characteristics individually. Everyone has their own perception of things. I’m in peace with that, I accept that.

– If you could be any other creature, not a human being, what creature would you choose?
– Since my early age, predator animals fascinated me with their beauty, sharp claws and long teeth. Maybe I could be a predator. Maybe a lynx, I kind of can relate to them and their hunting activities.

#kkchumans Written by Sanita Rībena. Translated by Viktorija Ohotņikova and Anna Grinka.

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Miksmāsteram AG (izrunā kā [ei:džī]) ir 43 gadi, par sevi viņš saka, ka ir “brīvais putnis”. Apmēram reizi mēnesī AG spēlē Kaņepes Kultūras centrā, šomēnes tas notiks sestdien, 26. maija vakarā DJ vakars // AG. Savos setos viņš spēlē “burvju diskō”. “Es spēlēju tikai plates,” viņš saka, “Spēlējos ar dažādiem ‘dabiskas labsajūtas’ skaņuviļņiem – drusku fanks, drusku regejs, kāds “repčiks”, kāda samba”. Sācis spēlēt jau 80. gadu beigās uz lentām – “kā sīkais, tā nu es laižu cauri laikiem ar skreču”. Viņa setos viss notiek ‘dzīvajā’, ne digitāli, bet manuāli (“nu gluži kā taisot māla podus!”, viņš saka) miksējot un ‘skrāpējot’ dažādas plates – no dažādām muzikālajām līnijām vijot kopā tāvakara noskaņu un stāstu. Viņa improvizācija ir līdzīga mūku smilšu mandalām – arī tām piemīt īslaicīguma šarms, brīdis no radīšanas līdz pazušanai netiek pieturēts, bet gan brīvi atlaists, lai staigā savu ceļu.

Visu sarunas laiku mani nepamet nožēla, ka mūsu saruna netiek filmēta, tik ļoti vizuāli dinamiska un audiāli bagātīga tā ir.

– Kā tu pirmoreiz nonāci KKc, tu atceries?
– Es te esmu bijis vēl “pirms KKc” laikā, tā miglaini to atceros. Bet tā, “pa riktīgam”- reiz, tiekoties kādā pasākumā, ar Dāvis Kaņepe drusku aprunājāmies. Un tad vienā brīdī viņš teica: “Hei, vai tu negribi pie mums uzspēlēt?” Un es teicu: “Jā, labprāt!” – tas bija kādu gadu pēc KKC atvēršanās laikam.

Te ir koka māja, no mana skat’punkta raugoties, tas ir lieliski – koks ir ‘dzīvs’ materiāls, kad to ievibrē, to var ļoti sajust. Koka māja palīdz to silto, labo ‘kopā~būt’ sajūtu uzburt.

– Ko tev nozīmē šī vieta?
– Neesmu tāds cilvēks, kas daudz staigā apkārt, lai “vienkārši pasēdētu kaut kur”. Te es lielākoties esmu, kad pats spēlēju, reizēm atnāku arī uz kādu koncertiņu. Man ļoti patīk gaisotne. Patīk arī tas, ka nosaukums “Kultūras centrs” atbilst saturam vārda pilnā nozīmē. Te notiek ļoti dažādas lietas un te ir arī tāda kā tikšanās vieta radošiem cilvēkiem. Dzīvs kontakts.

– Ja tu nebūtu cilvēks un tev būtu iespēja izvēlēties, kāda radība tu izvēlētos būt?
– Visādi dzīvnieki?

– Jebkāda radība, es ar nolūku lietoju šo vārdu.
– Nu, ir jau interesanti iedomāties, kā ir būt lielam kokam. Vai arī būt kaut kādam no tā saucamās paralēlās pasaules, es, piemēram, varētu būt rūķu priekšnieks. Vai kāds no elfiem. Es zinu, ka tas viss tepat vien blakām ir.

– Koks vai rūķis.
– Nav jau tā, ka es ļoti gribētu būt koks, vienkārši es jūtu, ka viņi arī ir dzīvi. Viss jau ir dzīvs. Kaut kādā nozīmē. Dažādiem kokiem ir dažāds starojums un tas var palīdzēt mums būt veseliem, piemēram. Tas patiešām strādā.

Man koks ļoti patīk. Es neesmu mācījies par galdnieku, nav bijis laika tam pievērsties, bet brīvajā laikā kaut ko drusku no koka man patīk taisīt. Patīk kā darva smaržo. Vīriešu romantisms!

– Kā tu gribētu, lai cilvēki tevi atceras, kad tu būsi jau aizgājis pavisam?
– Aizgājis uz citiem medību laukiem?

– Jā.
– Nu, ko tur daudz var gribēt – man liekas, ka vajag darīt to, ko tu vari izdarīt – to, kas tev patīk vai saista. Ir tāds ļoti vecs joks, Edgars Liepiņš to teica – ka “vajag tik rakt”. Es gan vēl gribētu piebilst, ka ir jāskatās arī uz kurieni rok. Bet rakt vajag. Un ja kādam paliks kaut kas ieķēries no tā, kaut kāda laba sajūta vai vēl kaut kas, nu, man būs prieks par to. Ja ir iekšā tā sajūta, ka ir kaut kāda dzirkstelīte, tādā veidā to var nodot tālāk. Tāds labs dullums.

– Ja tava dzīve būtu filma, kādu nosaukumu tu tai dotu?
– Nosaukums “Daudzpunkts”, bet ar zīmēm, ne vārdiem. “…” – tā. Ir forši izmantot zīmes, iziet ārpus alfabēta. Un tam daudzpunktam – kas ar zīmēm pierakstīts – es varētu apkārt mākonīti uzzīmēt. Tāds nosaukums.

Bet dzīve jau ir tāds bezgalīgais stāsts – kaut kas beidzas šeit – atā~atā & ‘death_break’ – un tad jau tālāk turpinās citur…

///////////////////////

Mixmaster AG is 43 years old and describes himself as a “free bird”. Once a month AG play in KKc and this month it’s on Saturday, 26th of May DJ vakars // AG. In his sets he plays “wizards disco”. “I’m only playing vinyl” he adds “Playing with various ‘natural wellness’ soundwaves – little bit of funk, reggae, bit of rap, some samba”. Began playing towards end of 80ties on tapes – “as a kid, that’s how I went with scratch from time to time”. In his sets everything is live, not digital, but manual by mixin and scratching different vinyl – from different musical lines tying together the mood and story of the night. His improvisation is similiar to sand mandalas made by monks – they have this temporary glamor, the moment of making till it’s gone is not captured, rather set free, to go on it’s own path.

Throughout this conversation I kept feeling regret that it’s not captured on film because it’s so dynamic and sonically rich.

– What this place means to you?
– I’m not the kind of person, who wanders around to places “just to hang out”. Mainly I’m here when I play or sometimes come to see a concert. I like the atmosphere very much. I like that the name “cultural centre” fits the contect. A lot of different happen here and it’s also meeting place for creative people. Live contact.

– How did you get to KKc for the first time?
– I was here even before KKc times, I remember it blurry. But “for real” – once, meeting Davis we had a little conversation and he said: “Hey, do you want to play for us?” and I said: “Yeah, my pleasure!” – that around year after KKc opened.

It’s a wooden house and from my perspective it’s great. Wood is ‘live’ material, when you make a vibration here, you can really feel it. Wooden house helps to get that warm ‘get-together’ vibe going on.

– If you wouldn’t be human and you could choose, wich creature would you be?
– All sorts of animals?

– Any creature, this word was used on purpose.
– Well, it’s interesting to imagine how it is to be a large tree. Or something that could be from paralel dimension. For instance, I’d like to be the boss of gnomes. Or one of elfs. I know, that all this is somewhere near.

– Tree or gnome.
– It’s not like I want to be a tree so much, I just feel that they are also alive. Everything is alive in some way. Different trees have diffrent radiation and it helps us being healthy. It really works.

I like trees. I haven’t learn much about carpentry, don’t have time for that, but I like to create stuff from wood in my free time. I like the smell of tar. Manly romantism!

– How would you like for people to remember you when your gone forever?
– Pass away?

– Yes.
– Well, how much can I want. I think, you need to do what you can do. The thing you love and feel connected to. There’s an old joke. Edgars Liepins said this – “you just need to dig”. I’d like to add that yo need to look wich directions are you digging. But you must dig. And if anyone catches something from it, a good feeling or inspiration or somethin, I will be happy about it. If you have the feeling inside, that you have a spark, that way you can pass it forward. A good weirdness.

– If your life would be a movie, what would you call it?
– The name would be “Multipoint”, but with symbols, not words. Like this – “…”. It’s fun to use symbols and go out of the alphabet. And that multipoint of symbols, I could draw a cloud around it. That’s the name.

But life is a neverending story – something ends here – bye bye & ‘death_break’ – and then it continues somewhere else…

#kkchumans Written by Sanita Rībena. Translated by Vadims Pitlans.

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Kārlim Klotiņam ir 34 gadi, viņš ir mūziķis no matu galiņiem līdz papēžiem – Kārlis ir čellists un mūzikas pedagogs. “Mūzikai ir ļoti liela nozīme manā dzīvē, esmu to iemīlējis ļoti agri, un mana karjera ir attīstījusies klasiskās mūzikas pasaulē,” viņš saka. Sestdien, 14. aprīlī pl. 22 kopā ar kolēģiem no “Sinfonietta Rīgu stīgu kvarteta” Kārlis muzicēs Kaņepes Kultūras centra pēdējā šīs sezonas Mūzika Pusnaktī // Sinfonietta Rīga stīgu kvartets koncertā. Šoreiz viņi izpildīs Dvoržāka, Volfes un Koena skaņdarbus.

– Kā tu pirmoreiz nokļuvi KKc?
– KKc mājā esmu bijis vēl pirms tā dibināšanas Mediņskolas laikā. Bet uz Kaņepi ar draugiem regulāri nākam visu tā pastāvēšanas laiku.

– Ko tev nozīmē KKc?
– Šeit var sajust neierastāku un brīvu atmosfēru un ir sajūta, ka visiem, kas te pavada laiku, ir svarīga vide, kurā atrasties.

– Ja tavs dzīvesstāsts būtu filma, kā tu to nosauktu?
– Filmu varētu saukt “Allegro, ma poco moderato” – itāliešu valodā tas nozīmē “Ātri, bet ar mēru”.

– Kādi ir galvenie iemesli, kāpēc tu piecelies no gultas un dodies kaut kur?
– Celties ir vērts, lai pavadītu laiku ar ģimeni un darbotos mūzikā. Un kādā skaistā, agrā rītā pastaigātos dabā.

– Ja tu nodzīvosi līdz 90 gadiem, kāds tu tad gribētu būt?
– 90 gadu vecumā gribētu saglabāt gara jaunību.
………………………………………………..

Kārlis Klotiņš is 34 years old. He is a musician to the bone. He plays cello and teaches music. “Music plays a huge role in my life. I fell in love with it very early, and my career took a turn towards classical music,” he says. On Saturday, April 14, at 22:00 he together with his colleges from “Sinfonietta Riga String Quartet” will play music at Kanepes Kulturas Centrs, performing the season finale of KKC’s concert program “Music at Midnight” Mūzika Pusnaktī // Sinfonietta Rīga stīgu kvartets. This time they will be performing tunes by Dvořák, Volfes and Coen.

– How did you first came to KKC?
– I was coming to this house even before KKC was born, when it was Medina School. But since it became KKC, me and my friends are regular visitors.

– What is KKC for you?
– Here you can feel more unusual un free atmosphere and it seams that everyone who is spending time here, cares about the environment she or he is in.

– If the story of your life would be a movie, what would be the name of this movie?
– It could be called “Allegro, ma poco moderato” – which in Italian means “Fast, but in moderation”.

– What are the main reasons for you to get up and go somewhere?
– It is worth to get up to spend time with family and work with music. And take a walk in the nature in a beautiful, early morning.

– If you will live to be 90 years old, what person would you like to be?
– At 90, I wold like to retain the youth of the spirit.

Written by Sanita Rībena. Translated by Miks Valers. Picture taken by Sebastian Hols. #kkchumans

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Aigaram ir 27 gadi, uz pusslodzi viņš ir bufetnieks, uz pusslodzi – ilustrators. Lielākoties viņš zīmē plakātus un disku vāciņus. Nu jau vairākus mēnešus tieši Aigars ir autors Kaņepes Kultūras centra plakātiem.

– Kā tu pirmoreiz nokļuvi KKc?
– Atceros, savulaik skolas laikā mēs gājām uz “Miit”, kas tolaik vēl nebija kafejnīca, tā bija galvenā vieta, kur visi gāja ballēties un dzert alu līdz agram rītam. Kādu vakaru, kad tur biju, padzirdēju kā cilvēki runā, ka “tepat uz stūra kaut kas dīvains ir atvēries”. Atnācām toreiz, te notika traka reiva balle, visos stāvos, katrā istabā cits DJ. Es tobrīd neko tādu vēl nebiju redzējis.

– Kurā gadā tas bija, neatceries?
– Nu, ja jau tas bija tad, kad Kaņepe tikko kā atvērās, sanāk, ka 2012. gadā tas varēja būt.

– Ko tev nozīmē KKc?
– Tas noteikti ir iztikas avots. Un šeit darba laikā es varu citiem savu muzikālo gaumi uzspiest, tas arī ir patīkami. Kaņepē sanāk daudz cilvēku, kuri uzspiež viens otram savu gaumi un tā rezultātā visādas interesantas lietas var uzzināt un iemācīties – gan no kolēģiem, gan no klientiem. Te cilvēki papildina viens otru.

– Ja tavs dzīvesstāsts būtu filma, kā tu to nosauktu?
– Pieņemot, ka tagad ir beigas?

– Kā tu vēlies?
– Var jau būt tā, ka tieši tagad filma ir sākusies. Melnā komēdija, protams. “Ferma”. Vai “Lāčplēsis”. Vai kopā. Jā, kopā – “Ferma “Lāčplēsis””.

– Kādi ir galvenie iemesli, kāpēc tu piecelies no gultas un dodies kaut kur?
– Tas ir mainīgi. Es bieži negribu celties. Tad es piespiežu sevi. Taču pēdējā laikā aizvien vairāk un vairāk baidos kaut ko nokavēt. Tāpēc arī motivācija piecelties ir kļuvusi spēcīgāka.

– Ja tu nodzīvosi līdz 90 gadiem, kāds tu tad gribētu būt?
– Man šķiet, es negribētu nodzīvot līdz 90 gadiem. Bet, ja nu tomēr tā notiks, es gribētu būt fiziski spējīgs, spēt pastrādāt. Negribētu būt īgns. Vienu brīdi man likās, ka es gribētu tāds būt, par tādu cilvēku sāku arī veidoties. Šobrīd tā vairs nav. Taču no otras puses, es vēl esmu jauns, vēl viss var mainīties.

Foto autors Valts Čibals.

………………..

Aigars is 27 years old half-time bartender, half-time illustrator. He is mainly drawing posters and CD covers. Since a few months ago he is the author of Kanepes culture centre’s posters.

– How did you first come to KKc?
– I remember that during my school years we were going to Miit. Back then it was not yet a café, but rather a space to have parties and drink beer till the morning light. One of the evenings there I heard people talking about “a weird place just opened on the corner nearby”. We came here and there was this wild rave party on all floors, a different DJ in every room. I had never seen anything like that before.

– When was that?
– Well, if it was when Kanepe just opened, then it must have been 2012.

– What does KKc mean to you?
– It is definitely a source of income. And here I can share my musical preferences with others during work, which is pleasant. There are many people who come here with their different tastes and preferences, which results in interesting things to find out and learn, both from co-workers and clients. Here people add on to one another.

– If your life story was a film, how would you call it?
– Assuming this is the end?

– As you wish.
– It might be that the film has just started. A black comedy, of course. “Farm” or “Beerslayer”. Or both together. Yes, together “Farm “Beerslayer””.

– What are the main reasons for you to get out of bed and get going?
– It changes a lot. Very often I do not want to get up. Then I force myself. But lately I am more and more afraid of missing something. Hence the motivation to get up has grown stronger.

– If you would live till 90 years of age, how would you like to be then?
– I don’t think I would want to live till 90. But if that happens, I would like to be physically able to work. I would not want to be grumpy. There used to be a time, when that was the opposite and I even started to develop into a grumpy person. But this is not the case anymore. On the other hand – I am still young and everything can change.

Written by Sanita Rībena. Translated by Liene Jurgelane.
#kkchumans

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Ingai Gailei ir 41 gads, viņa ir rakstniece. Viņa ir arī Sieviešu stendapa vadītāja. Jau pēc dažām dienām, 8. martā Kaņepes Kultūras centrā notiks Sieviešu stendaps // Dažādas sievietes – viens s(ūds)skaistums. Inga saka, ka viņai labāk patīk tēmas angliskā versija – “Different women, same shoes”, jo tā ir precīzāka.

Sieviešu stendapam šis būs jau ceturtais 8. marts.

– Kā tu pirmoreiz nokļuvi KKc?
– Tas bija 2015. gadā, visticamāk, februārī. Pirms tam Kaņepes Kultūras centrā es nebiju bijusi. Sandra Lapkovska piezvanīja un teica, ka “mums vajag parunāt par to 8. marta pasākumu”. “Un kur mēs tiksimies?” es vaicāju. “Nu, tepatās Kaņepē!” viņa atbildēja. Un tad es pirmo reizi spēru kāju šajā iestādē.

– Ko tev nozīmē KKc?
– Tā ir “vieta, kur notiek Sieviešu stendaps”. Tiesa, laika gaitā es esmu kļuvusi labvēlīgāka, mana sirds ir atvērusies šai mājai. Kopā ar domubiedriem mēs šeit esam organizējuši pasākumu “Dzejnieki liftā”, 9. martā te notiks arī manas grāmatas “30 questions that people don’t ask one another” prezentācija. Taču vēl joprojām galvenokārt Kaņepes Kultūras centrs man ir “vieta, kur notiek Sieviešu stendaps”.

– Ja tavs dzīvesstāsts būtu filma, kā tu to nosauktu?
– Ļoti garš būtu tas nosaukums, tur būtu daudz vārdu – “Satriecošās Ingas Gailes versmainie piedzīvojumi, pateicoties tam, cik viņa ir lieliska!”, ak Dievs, nu es nezinu. Tas ir tik ļoti dīvaini. Nu mēs taču neliekam nosaukumus savām dzīvēm. To dara citi vienmēr.

Man nesen bija intervija žurnālam “Ieva”. Un tās nosaukums ir “Ļoti sievišķīgā feministe”. Un es pat neiebildu. Nu ko tur kašķēties, es jau tā biju izkašķējusies, arī intervijas laikā. Un nevar jau arī uz žurnāla vāka tā izanalizēt – ko jūs īsti domājāt ar to “sievišķīga”? Kāda ir jūsu konceptuālā izpratne par sievišķīgumu? Vai jūs saprotat, ka, šo pārmērīgi lielo vispārinājumu uzliekot uz žurnāla vāka, jūs, visticamāk, sašauriniet citu cilvēku iespējas izjust savu sievišķību? Tas nav iespējams, mums kaut kā ir jāsarunājas! Ir jāliek tie nosaukumi. Bet tas ir tas, kas mani moka un tāpēc es “savai filmai” nevaru iedot nosaukumu.

– Kādi ir galvenie iemesli, kāpēc tu piecelies no gultas un dodies kaut kur?
– Mani bērni.

– Ja tu nodzīvosi līdz 90 gadiem, kāda tu tad gribētu būt?
– Dzīva es gribētu būt! Priecīga. Gribētos jau arī vēlēties, lai nav Alcheimers, piemēram… Es gribētu būt dzīva, brīva – nu tāda, kāda es esmu tagad!

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Inga Gaile is 41 and she is a writer. She is also at the forefront of Women’s standup nights. On the 8th of March, Kanepes Culture Centre will host the standup show “Different women, same shoes”. For women’s standup this will be the fourth year of March 8th.

– How did you first come to KKC?
– It was in 2015, most probably in February. Before that I had never been here. Sandra Lapkovska called me and said we need to talk about the 8th of March event. And where, I asked. Well, just here, in Kanepes, she said. And this is how I first ended up in this place.

– What is KKC to you?
– It is “the place, where Women’s standup nights take place”. With time though my heart has opened up to this place. We were organizing an event called “Poets in the elevator” here, on 9th of March I will present my book “30 questions that people don’t ask one another” here. Yet Kanepes culture centre for me is mainly still “the place, where Women’s standup nights take place”.

– If your life was a film, how would you call it?
– It would be a very long title, with many words – “The Heated Adventures of the Mind-blowing Inga Gaile, Thanks to Her Awesomeness”. God, I don’t know. It is very strange. We never put titles for our lives. That is always done by others.

I recently had an interview in magazine “Ieva”. And it’s title was “The Very Feminine Feminist”. And I did not really protest. I did not want to quarrel anymore, I had already quarreled enough during the interview. And how would you actually make the analysis on the magazine cover – what did you actually mean by “feminine”? What is your conceptual understanding of femininity? Do you understand that putting this generalization on the magazine cover you are limiting the opportunities of others to sense their own femininity? It is not possible, we need to talk somehow. Put those titles. But this is what is bothering me and hence I cannot give a title to “my film”.

– What are the main reasons for getting out of bed?
– My children.

– If you live until 90, how would you like to be then?
– I would like to be alive. Happy. I would wish to not have Alzheimer’s, for instance…I would like to be alive and free – as I am now.

Written by Sanita Rībena. Translated by Liene Jurgelane. #kkchumans

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TRASHY KID ik pa laikam aizmirst, cik viņam ir gadu, toties vienmēr atceras, ka dzimis 1991. gadā. Savu iztiku pelna kā DJ un pasākumu organizators. Jau kādu laiku Trashy Kid ir atbildīgs par Kaņepes Kultūras centra DJ programmu – tieši viņš atlasa cilvēkus, kas spēlē pie mums; tāpat viņa pārziņā ir pavisam svaiga iniciatīva – jauno DJ vakari otrdienās.

– Kā tu pirmoreiz nokļuvi KKc?
– Pirmā saikne man ir no laikiem, kad piedalījos ballīšu sērijā “Bassed” – mēs kopā ar draugiem aicinājām viesus no ārzemēm spēlēt elektronisko mūziku Kaņepes otrajā stāvā. Tas bija ļoti sen. Nu, vismaz tagad man tā liekas. Taču daudz ciešāka saikne ar šo vietu man veidojās laikā, kad sākās pirmā Komēta – es iesaistījos elektroniskās mūzikas skatuves izveidošanā un aizvien vairāk sāku sajust Kaņepi kā mājas.

– Ko tev nozīmē KKc?
– Rīgā ir maz tādu vietu, kur es varu ienākt un justies brīvi, gandrīz vai jebkurā diennakts laikā, un kur vienmēr es varu satikt kādu līdzīgi domājošu cilvēku. Kaņepe ir viena no retajām vietām, kuras ideoloģija ir ļoti tuva manējai – tā ir atvērtība, tas ir fokuss uz avangardu, jaunradi un lietām, kas citur Rīgā pietrūkst.

– Ja tavs dzīvesstāsts būtu filma, kā tu to nosauktu?
– “The curious case of trashy kid”.

– Kādi ir galvenie iemesli, kāpēc tu piecelies no gultas un dodies kaut kur?
– Īstenībā pēdējā laikā es daudz par to domāju. Man ir bijuši brīži, kad no gultas ir tā pagrūtāk piecelties un tad es par to domāju – kāpēc man tas būtu jādara? Man šķiet, ka tās ir idejas un vīzijas, kas man ir par to, kas varētu Rīgā notikt, par to, kāda mūzika varētu skanēt, kā tas viss varētu izskatīties un kā cilvēkus, kas tajā visā ir iesaistīti, maina pieredze, ko viņi šajos pasākumos ir ieguvuši. Tās var būt jaunas pazīšanās, jauni radoši projekti vai gluži vienkārši neaizmirstami labi pavadīts laiks.

– Ja tu nodzīvosi līdz 90 gadiem, kāds tu tad gribētu būt?
– Arī par to es domāju. Varbūt Visvaldis mani ir iedvesmojis. Es domāju, ka tad, kad es būšu vecs vīrs, es sēdēšu mājās un klausīšos mūziku un lasīšu grāmatas. Bet galvenokārt klausīšos mūziku – visu, ko es nebūšu paspējis noklausīties tagad. Es ceru, ka man nebūs jādara nekas cits!
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From time to time Trashy Kid forgets how old he is, yet he always remembers that he was born in 1991. He earns his living as a DJ and an events organizer. For some time now he has been managing the DJ program at Kanepes culture centre – he is the one selecting our DJs, as well as curating a fresh initiative – the new DJ nights on Tuesdays.

– How did you first come to KKc?
– My first connection is from the time I participated in a series of parties called Bassed – together with friends we were inviting guests from abroad to play electronic music at Kanepes. That was a long time ago. At least it feels like that. Yet I formed a closer connection to this place during the first Kometa festival – I got involved in creating the electronic music stage and started to feel more and more like home at Kanepes.

– What does KKc mean you?
– There are only a few places in Riga, where I can enter and feel free at almost any time and meet a like-minded person. Kanepes is one of the rare places with an ideology that I share deeply – openness, focus on experiments, creating new experiences and things that are lacking in many other places in Riga.

– If your life was a movie, what would be the title of it?
– “The curious case of trashy kid”.

– What are the main reasons for you to get out of bed and get going?
– This is actually something I think a lot about lately. I have had moments when getting up is quite a challenge and then I’ve wondered why I should actually do that. I think its because of ideas and visions of what could happen in Riga, what music could be played, how it all could look like and how the people involved in this are changed by their experiences at these events. It can be new acquaintances, new creative projects or simply unforgettable time.

– If you would live till 90, how would you like to be then?
– This is also something I am thinking about. Maybe I am inspired by Visvaldis. I think as an old man I will sit at home, listen to music and read books. But mainly listen to music – everything I haven’t managed to listen to now. I hope there will be nothing else I ought be doing then.

Written by Sanita Rībena. Translated in English by Liene Jurgelane. #kkchumans

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Before taking a little pause #kkchumans will introduce you to the part of KKc cleaning team – Reinis. He lives in his own world constructed from theories, philosophy and comic books. We offer you to have a glimpse into his world:

I come to KKc just for work and some communication. I don’t have any special opinion about the people here – they are people just like anywhere else. And they are definitely not bad ones. I never come to KKc to party or to listen to a concert; I’m an introvert, so my life mostly happens inside my head. For me the concert is less fun than a job – I don’t belong there.

I like to sleep a lot, read books, watch movies, sometimes I write something or draw comics. I fell in love with comic books when I was four or five years old. My first book was Donald Duck stories although my mom thought it’s too commercial. Maybe partly my mom was right, but also Donald Duck is quite interesting and full of references that you would never expect to find there.

I had an idea once to draw the largest and sickest comic in the world that would fill up the skyscraper. It would be enormous in size and full of ideas – graphic novel about everything. I thought it can start with a guy on a train, which goes inside his head and reveals different things. It would be full of science and philosophy. But you should be careful with ideas since you have one – do it, otherwise, it slowly disappears and crumbles upon itself. Same happened to my comic idea so I’m not sure it will ever be done.

I’m totally disappointed in our education system. I went to art school in Liepāja, I wanted to become an artist and do something really cool. But it turned out to be extremely boring, no creative concepts there. I got into deep depression after it. In Rīga, I tried to study art history and theology. Once I was in Daugavpils, there are a lot of churches, and while passing by one of them I heard a beautiful voice coming from inside – very alien, like an angel. So then I got an idea that I want to study theology. Though I’m not really a believer, the course was quite interesting focusing on the skill to talk about God without actual ability to comprehend his divinity. I tend to believe in hell without a paradise. Our consciousness remains buried in the ground or in ashes of our bodies so we can rethink our existence which is quite horrifying.

I don’t like traveling. You can’t run from yourself so what’s the point? Though I would like to go to the Easter Island, just sit in the shadow of statues and read books.

If I could be any object in the world I would like to be the moon. I’m sure it’s nice to be the moon. It’s somewhere up in the universe; it’s also kind of useless but still blocks out the sun.

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#kkchumans finally caught Liene Jurgelane for the conversation. Liene is a creative person – that’s pretty much the most complete description of her. To find out more read below:

Don’t really know how it happened, but I have been involved in many different projects and initiatives during these past years. When people ask me who am I or what I’m doing in life it’s always very hard to answer, since I am not identifying myself with one particular thing I do. But anyway all these things are related to each other in the context of exploring how we (humans) live and think in different ways.

For example, I worked as a teacher of English language and cultural studies in school. It think it was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I had so much of enthusiasm that things should be different, the process of learning should be engaging and so on. But the expectation of me and my students did not always match, and change always requires a lot of effort from both sides. Often after school, I was crying at home saying that I’m not going back. Nevertheless, I really appreciate this experience which taught me to handle difficult situations and not giving up after failures. Mostly you don’t see the outcome of your work at all because in the sea of all other school subjects and teachers you are just a little drop, but now from time to time I accidentally meet my former students and actually they still remember some of the things we did and learned, so it must have had a certain impact on them. And this is the other thing I learned back then – to accept that result of your work might not be visible instantly.

For some time now I’ve also been exploring the topics of sexism and feminism. For me, feminism is not about just two genders or women struggle, but about human struggle for the equality for everyone. Primarily it’s about fighting sexism which affects everyone. Also you can’t look at sexism as a separate notion as it interrelates with racism, capitalism and other power structures. It’s a tricky topic because nowadays it is almost becoming a hip trend to be a feminist, to have T-shirts with loud slogans. You can’t really understand whether it’s just a white women’s’ liberation movement nowadays or something else; who stands behind this and what for. For me positioning myself as a feminist is also being aware that this does not mean that I share the same experience with all women – women from different economic circumstances, women of colour etc. So, it’s about compassion and struggles for all.

I like corky stuff so I have some “life-projects” – so-called artistic interventions which make my life more fun. For example, once sitting in a bar in Berlin I noticed that our little table has a drawer and I got this gut feeling that when I open it something is going to be there for sure. But there was nothing – such a disappointment! So I decided to make it happen for someone else, and I left a letter there. Two months later I was there again and a magic drawer contained another letter (probably reply to not even to mine but to previous one). Since then sometimes I hide some treasures around bars.
I really like listening to music while lying on the carpet. Music is constantly present in our life in the background, most often we don’t even notice it. So it’s nice to just concentrate on the listening, think about lyrics and sounds. Sometimes you realize that music you liked is actually not that cool and vice versa learning to like something you didn’t understand before.

If I could be any object in the world I would like to be a notebook with blank pages. It’s almost a first date when you open a new notebook and don’t know yet what’s going to come on it. From a perspective of a notebook you can’t really influence the content – only accept. If you are a good notebook though you can give people the necessary flow and inspiration to explore themselves and different ideas.

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This week #kkchumans hero is our dear friend Miks aka Pagāns. Most probably you have seen him hundreds of times in KKc, and, well, now you know enough to start a conversation with him on the terrace.

Since the door of this building opened I’m here. At the beginning KKc was quite a trashy underground spot with a dream of becoming a culture center one day. Now this dream has come true, but it required some changes as well. Maybe KKc became prettier and less risky in the content but still it’s a place with the same values and principles. Let’s admit – we are not twenty anymore, and this space develops together with us. It’s a big community not just a place with a nice terrace. I’m a person of habit so one of my favorite things is that I know almost every person who works here. Whenever I come I always can have an interesting discussion, and sometimes I don’t even need to say my order – bartenders know it. So it is my second home.

Somehow I managed to never work in KKc officially although I’ve been constantly involved in different kind of projects. It can be connected to the fact that in general I’m floating through my life. I don’t have this routine stability and “nine to five” job. Somehow I got into technical translation and I’m still stuck there. I remember my first translation job was a Subaru car manual. And I hated it. Now, eight years later I`m still translating as a freelancer. This freedom that I’m getting from being a freelancer I would not change for any kind of so called financial stability. I like to work with technical language, imagining all these mechanical processes that are described in manuals. My main purpose and satisfaction is to make the translation user friendly, make the difficult text flow so any user can easily understand it.

I have a dream – I’ve always wanted to write a children book. I even started to write it and now it has been on my desktop for already a year – waiting for the right moment.
Recently I got into boating and I’m pretty excited about it. Taking small rivers, facing unexpected turns and fallen trees, finding quick solutions – I truly enjoy all these challenges. I would like to be a rock in the river: the rock stays always at the same place but the river flows and constantly brings something new. That’s how I feel about life – it goes through me, cutting rough edges and shaping me.

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This week we were invited to the beautiful garden to have a #kkchumans conversation with Marta – one of the KKc curators. Marta is 50% of Georgian warmth and 50% of Latvian nature lover.

I started to work in KKc 5 years ago as a bartender. At that time mostly bartenders were creating this very cool “KKc vibe”. It was quite special to have such diversity: Latvian-Hungarian girl, Latvian-Georgian girl (me), Japanese girl who was working in the embassy as well as a bartending here. Now it’s probably not a surprise anymore as Riga became much more multicultural and people are more open and accepting towards foreigners.

And I like that KKc is not just another bar but a boiling pot of unexpected events, meet ups and all kind of things. It’s great that whenever I come here I can always meet the right people and not the ones I know in particular. You can have an interesting conversation, silly jokes and laughing or a dance battle – the evening will tell.

I guess my biggest passion is to be passionate, to truly enjoy and love what I’m doing. Since I was a kid I knew for sure that I want to travel the world. I think I can spend all my life just travelling around the beaches.

This year I visited my dream land Australia, and there I found my new passion – the ocean. There I experienced and finally saw and got to know myself from a completely different angle. I’ve never been as happy before as by the ocean. Its power is hard to describe – harmful and joyful at the same time. People are happier by the ocean and certainly healthier physically. To be good friends with the ocean – you need to stay fit. I finally got this famous saying – a healthy mind in a healthy body. I literally saw the healthy mind, the healthy spirit. I realized there is no need for theater or conceptual art to get the truth of life – the ocean is the answer for me. When I’m there on the beach I don’t think about anything else – it is a pure happiness of this moment.

There are so many i-know-everything snobs around us, I hate them. And I also can be a snob and then I hate myself. But the ocean makes us even; you can see the actual love and get cleaned. It is the primal source of love and all the good things for me. And of course if you ask me what I want to be – the ocean, alive and powerful, with all these fish and beautiful reefs inside.

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KKc has its own regular visitors, and with our next #kkchumans story we inspire you to talk to strangers that you see here often – we promise you won’t regret it!

I was living in Hamburg for some time and noticed that there are more places which are run by a community, interesting alternative spots to hang out. So after coming back to Riga I was looking for a place with people that I know, with new people that I can relate to. Since I found KKc it became my “third” place and retreatment after serious formal conversations at work. After working and studying abroad KKc gives me a hope and a potential to put my roots down here in Latvia.

I’m a regular in KKc, and let me share with you a list of items I lost here: one skateboard, three smart phones, one wallet, and two bags.

As an architect and urban designer I work with communities a lot. While working in my native country I noticed this common feeling of double responsibility and that in my opinion is killing the creativity. For example, people tend to overthink all possible outcomes just because it’s a place where you’re from. It’s important that people will remember you for the good work that has been done. In society everything happens slower than in business – you invest mostly your time and should be aware of it. I work less for money but more for my reputation and my soul.

I love cities. I think cities are very valuable for humans; it’s one of the best things that has happened to us. Quality of life increased dramatically because of urbanization. There are a lot of struggle and challenges in the city but it’s interesting to research it. I’m not talking about the city as the political structure but as the place of our freedom, place which gives us so many ways to deal with responsibilities, it is a huge variety of choices.

For example, Hamburg has a lot of places of freedom, quite big squatter community, some interesting movements. You can see what freedom and self-determination can give to a city, how important it is. Joseph Boys wanted to heal the German nation and I think that our post socialist world should eventually heal itself with freedom and self-determination of its inhabitants.

If I had an opportunity to build whatever I want it would be a huge object – a monument which you can skate on. What I miss in Riga – old Europe style monumentalism which can be now reused for different purposes like sitting, lying or skating.

If I could be any object in the world I would be a nice package that people like and reuse because of the aesthetic reasons. For example, a plastic bag with a beautiful picture of Switzerland or top of a pizza box with Italian caricature.

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Never embarrassed romantic bartender with purple-pink hair and glitter – Anna Malicka – in our next edition of #kkchumans.

I was coming to KKc before I started working here and I always had this sort of intimidating feeling. Like, respect to you guys because you are The KKc Bartenders. This place definitely has magic and special vibe, I guess most of the people feel the same.

As for my artistic life, zines, cartoons, comics, posters, VJ-ing – something I would like to study and do more now. I think I’m developing my own style but I should work on it more because usually procrastination wins over me. I like pop-culture, everything that counts girly and trashy, to combine it. My references are from such cartoons as “Adventure Time” or “Powerpuff Girls”, musical bands “Beach house” and “Cocteau Twins”. And, yes, I watch tons of YouTube videos. I do like memes so you can find a lot of Internet world references in my art works.

In my perfect life scenario I would like to create content for videos with the entertainment purpose. One day I should start my own YouTube channel. Mostly, people like my appearance and the way I talk so maybe it can work out. Also, I can be in a music band – dream pop, synth-pop and hip hop in between.
Often a lot of little thoughts are flowing in my head so it’s important to save them and connect together. Usually I put my impressions, funny names and any other funny stuff that I came across in the notebook like a little sketch, scribbles or short sentences. For example, “irregular pillow”, “soft pig mattress fortress” etc. I collect them to use later in my visual works. There is a feeling that I can be a better version of myself, just need to conquer my laziness and lead this bunch of ideas into realization.

Something I’ve learnt recently is not to over analyze, build theories or overreact, but just to do it and not to be dramatic at the same time.

I really like talking to people about all kind of small and big things, verbalizing random thoughts in my head in a dreamy matter. For instance, have you ever thought of the spoon shape? When you eat a soup with a spoon and its edges almost cut corners of your lips. Actually, it’s a quite weird feeling.
Most of the things they teach us in school I don’t remember because there are no opportunities to use this knowledge. The subject “communication with people” would be thousand times more useful in the real life. So the first thing I would do in a case of being the ruler of the world – educational reform.

If I can be anything in the world I would be a “Beach house” band song “Heart of chambers”.

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Festivals Kometa gathered a variety of talented and creative personalities from all around the world in Riga. Ramin and Georjie took care of the Dreams Cinema and brought some Fiji magic with their “secret” photo exhibition at Kometa. #kkchumans caught them for a long conversation about nomad lifestyle and the art of filmmaking.

On wanderlust
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R: At first I was looking for something, not sure exactly what. I wasn’t satisfied with my life so I went to New Zealand and started from zero — not knowing the country or any people there. I travelled around by hitch-hiking, slept in the nature, lived in small communities. Finally I found what I’ve been searching for. It’s a very good feeling. Constant movement, meeting new places and people, widening horizons. Living like this is tempting and it gets you out of your comfort zone, and you should be ready to push yourself, to learn, grow and each time go a step further. I’m challenging myself to go to places I’ve never been before, where I don’t feel comfortable and see how I can handle it.

This new “gypsy” way of living is becoming more and more popular among young people, and it’s great! But understand that this freedom comes with a high price — you don’t have a regular circle of friends you can relate to, or have your own space. The last one is something that I miss sometimes, just closing the door and staying alone.

G: When I was 18 years old I moved to London, wanting my activity and education to be connected to art. The art community there is very bright; people are doing incredible things and it often ends up being a horrendous place for a start as artists are quarrelling and scrabbling to get to the top. I knew that I won’t develop or progress in this environment. I had to find my style, my “thing” so one day I just bought the ticket to New Zealand. I was living the same way Ramin did and hiked a lot, being completely alone. There was a very important moment for me — my camera broke and I spent a long time without it, realising that I really love shooting and that it’s something I want to do more in the future.

I worked in small charity-based local communities doing awesome things together; it showed me the power of journalism and art within the NGO environment (which had been manipulated so far). There was a huge natural disaster on Fiji and I knew that it won’t be shown in the big media so I went there with my camera to see what I can do. I was working with different NGO’s, living with locals in the mountains and learning the language in order to be able to conduct a decent conversation. I continued working (Haiti, France, Peru) with natural disaster response, refugees etc. It still surprises me how much use we have from very small NGO’s and how much harm from the “big name” organisations.

Ramin and I are trying to set up a media platform of creative journalism and storytelling from unspoken cultures — livacollective.com. We want to link these small NGO’s which are doing a lot of important work around the world and tell their stories and show what’s really happening, what you won’t ever see on the TV or read in the newspaper.

Continue reading here http://www.kanepes.lv/lv/kkchumans-ramin-georjie/

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Some of you might remember that tasty Sicilian summer in KKc with midnight pasta and loud Italians everywhere. Salvatore Garofalo is one of those people we can thank for that summer. Once again, beautiful personalities from around the world are brought to KKc by destiny, smart-ass universe and #kkchumans.

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6 years ago I met Latvian guys in Sicily and that’s how I began my friendship with Latvia. I spent my first visit to Riga singing Italian and Latvian songs during the whole night in KKc – that’s how my friendship with Davis began. Once I was walking with my friends down the Miera iela, met Davis and in several days we became new inhabitants of the KKc kitchen, cooking Sicilian cuisine. That’s how the legendary “midnight pasta” was born. We were uniting people with food, gathering everyone for a tasty meal and conversations. Lunch and dinner are very important for Italians as the whole family gathers around the table as a sort of a ritual and an everyday celebration.

I feel half Sicilian, half Latvian. I’m inviting all the locals to visit Sicily, discover the beauty of the islands, explore and enjoy the sun (learn more about Sicily on Salvo’s FB page https://www.facebook.com/sicilijalv/). I recommend the same to my Italian friends – visit Latvia. It’s a great pleasure for me to create these connections. I’m very thankful for every opportunity I got in KKc and Latvia in general so I try to give back as much as I can.

I live a simple life, taking care of the land that I inherited from my father (who inherited it from his father and so on). My dream is to move to the Pantellerian island (Sicilian island close to Tunisia) — there is almost no electricity and water connection is bad but there is a lot of pure beauty. I want to run away from the big city life. A lot of young people leave Sicily but I decided to stay, running away from the big city life, helping my parents and being in one of the best places in the world. I grew up here and want to do something for my country. I do like to travel from time to time, meet new people, check what’s happening in the world and bring something interesting back home, tell my friends. For example, I fell in love with dill — we don’t have it in Sicily. And in Riga I always feel very good, like at home.

If I could be anything in the world I would be a dog, a puppy. Dogs are smart, lovely and sometimes better than people. I think people came from dogs, not monkeys.

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Charlie V — a musician and our dear friend from Panama is sharing his simple principles, plans and dreams in the newest edition of #kkchumans

Panama is a beautiful place. I had a wonderful life there but at some point I understood that I did everything I could — I became a creative director in a big company, worked from 7 to 7 and wondered what is next? I felt like it was enough, I didn’t want to work that much anymore and I urged to live a more conscious life. I ran away to Argentina where I met a Latvian girl whom I followed through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Panama all the way to Riga. So here I am, living my happy life doing music and yoga.

When my things got stolen in Lima (capital of Peru), the only way to survive was playing music on the street. Back then I knew three accords and no songs at all so in two nights I wrote five compositions. Playing music is always a lot about confidence and positive energy you are spreading, even if you are doing mistakes in your performance. My goal is to become a famous musician; it’s not a dream — it is a plan. Being famous gives me the opportunity to offer my music to many people in different places around the planet. In Panama you won’t find places like KKc. There are mostly salsa dances and “tropical stuff” spaces, which are not things I’m interested in. Riga is a great place to start, to gain experience and to understand your next steps. Audience here is very critical but also very honest. They won’t give you an applause just because you are an artist, but only if you play really good.

Life is better when you are a peaceful person who spreads love — first for yourself and then for others. As a musician, I want it to be my message. The album I’m recording now is my inner journey which helped me understand that peace&love is the only way to live a happy, unstressed life. It is a very simple truth but not quite easy to understand; so my goal to be famous is not to earn money but to spread my message worldwide. When you have these two things (peace&love) you’re also raising two other important values — freedom and beauty. These four elements are my core life principles.

I dream of building an eco-village in mountains of Panama and inviting Latvians there. In the era of supermarkets people in Panama forgot how it to be self sustainable and how to farm more efficiently. In Latvia these things are developing much better. These villages are really important now when you can’t know what to expect tomorrow. If supermarkets close we would have a great crisis in the society. In eco-villages you have your own piece of land with plants, greens, vegetables, fruits, alternative energy etc. To be self-sustainable is something that everyone should know in the 21st century.

If I could be any object in the world I would be a very beautiful building on Alberta iela. I would allow little ants to come in, enjoy me and live their happy lives because I’m beautiful and I’m art nouveau.

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#kkchumans keeps exploring various KKc inhabitants and this time we are introducing Satya Haas — a German man who knows how to make old things great again.

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I found a Latvian girl in Berlin, fell in love and here I am — living in Latvia for almost 6 years now. I like fixing things. I can’t fix your relationship or your life, but I can definitely fix a lot of stuff at your house; your motorbike, car or even restore a sculpture (that’s my professional area). That’s how I got into KKc half a year ago. I’m fixing everything around and I feel I’m in the right place (especially when it’s summer in Latvia). Housekeeping was always my favourite job — it’s inspiring, creative, I always get a feedback. I was growing as the only man in the house so at the age of 10 I was already into repairing things. If something breaks I can improve it, see what can work better. The process of doing so is very meditative, you forget about time and space and focus on what your hands are making. It’s constant learning and something real — not just collecting likes on Facebook. When I see a person sitting on a bench and not falling off then your job feels very real. My philosophy is to always reuse things and improve them, make something new out of old. I often have instant ideas when I dig into the old, forgotten stuff. I dream to have an ability to fix anything, so one day I can organize a workshop where people bring their broken stuff and I make something out of it.

Another passion of mine is music — I’m playing guitar and singing. My mom was listening to Bob Dylan all my childhood so it certainly influenced me. Now it’s finally growing into something. Music was always the kind of dream that you’re constantly thinking about but there is a lack of time or some kind of fear to make it real. I guess I was afraid to open up my soul for people or to be judged. And now it’s a very right time to do this.

People can be shit to you, and it’s a good reason to think deeply about yourself — what these people are showing to you. I believe that we attract things that are happening to us. Sometimes they are bad because we didn’t listen to our intuition or didn’t notice the signs.

If I could be any object in the world I would be a stone. It lasts, it is a part of nature and you can do a lot of things out of the stone. History passes and you are still there.

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Linda is one of many bartenders in KKc. #kkchumans are here to tell you more about this magical girl with a very special energy, who likes teen TV shows and knows how to make love potions (fyi, don’t expect to find a recipe in the text).

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I’ve been working in KKc for about 4 years now. Comparing to the first year, the biggest change for me is being able to communicate with my colleagues and other people around. In the beginning, somehow I felt a lot of people here didn’t like me. Now they all left. So maybe I’m a witch?

In my small town I’ve always been the “alternative” one, standing out in the crowd. I hated it, I didn’t want to be different or feel as if I am better than others. I had no one to connect to, because they thought totally differently. Now I don’t have this feeling of being “a stranger” in a society anymore. I’ve met my friends and my husband here, I’m thankful to KKc for that. I’ve always had a sense of a “right path” for me and where I needed to be. I think it’s connected to the fact that since my childhood I’ve been doing sports professionally (middle distance runner). It was very serious, my whole life was built on achieving particular goals, waking up and training no matter if it is raining or snowing outside. So when I stopped I felt that I lost my path and I didn’t know who I was anymore. I’m still looking for it to return or for something to replace it — a feeling that I have some sort of a mission that is much greater than me. I tried other things but nothing has ever brought me the same emotions or made sense for me as much as sport. I have a talent for drawing but I’m rarely doing it for myself anymore unless somebody asks me. After a seven year break, I’m thinking to start running again and get into shape. It’s still my biggest struggle. Any distance running requires huge amounts of suffering in practice and in competition. When you play a game you can somehow forget about it, but running is a constant suffering even though you’re enjoying the process. Now, when I have my husbands support, it could actually work out as emotional support is crucial.

I’m running to be the first, to win. Probably it sounds a bit strange and dumb, but being first is one of the most enjoyable moments in sports. I once heard that ancient Greeks believed that the winner of the Olympics receives a ray of light from the Gods when he crosses the finish line. It really feels like that. When you are there at the finish line and you are the first one — it’s like being blessed, everything is there for you. Not in the meaning that everyone else is worse, but more like you are the lucky one. Nothing can replace this feeling.

If I could be any object in the world I would be a tree in a jungle. I just really really like trees. I think trees are the best people in the world. P. S. I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone I have ever been rude in the bar. There are lots of people who visit KKc and I guess I can be rude sometimes.

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Last week we discovered that one of the loveliest people in KKc is our accountant Kārlis. The world should know about him, so presenting him is the least we can do. #kkchumans on trains and crunchy bread.

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Even back when was four I knew that cooking is something that I really enjoy and want to do in a future. I finished cooking studies and was looking for a job. Somehow, I got an offer to be a cook in what was soon-to-become-KKc. I took my best suit, my car, all prepared to meet the owner. When I saw the building I was supposed to work in, I was very confused. Basically, there was nothing inside. Okay, there were a couple of bricks. Davis said they are opening in a month. Eventually, they opened the kitchen later then it was originally planned, so I ended up being an accountant and still can’t stop. KKc is something that you never get out of your DNA. It’s like a common disease, you know. No medicine is applicable. I enjoy being in the papers, it’s my kingdom. And during the weekends I’m cooking some delicious desserts for my soul.

I have a crazy passion which some people don’t understand. For them it’s just “a grown up man playing with toys”. So here it is – I like trains. I’m trapped in it since my childhood, ever since I got my first train on batteries. Nowadays I’m building whole small cities with trains, cars, buildings and inhabitants. My friend and I once did a miniature of the old castle park in Cesis. We had to go to the park and make hundreds of photos of same places (I hate them now). It took us 4 months of very fast work to finish everything. It’s a lot of calculating and creative thinking — what materials can we use, where to get them, technical details etc. I’m interested in all aspects of modelling and figuring out how to make things move around or blink with lights. For me – it’s a pure art.

If I could be any object in the world I would be a crunchy, fresh, French baguette. I would be very proud to be a good bread under the great chefs knife.

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She works at the bar, curates events, leads a radio broadcast, directs dance performances and occasionally performs herself. Restless Linda Krūmiņa for the new edition of #kkchumans!

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I studied accountancy and hated it. Physically, my body was screaming “nooo” and my mind was refusing to do it, but I could still force myself. Most of the people are raised by this principle — there is no “I can’t”, there is only “I don’t want to”. Following the same rule, which I didn’t really agree with, I finally finished accountancy, quit everything and went to Denmark to study theatre.

Dancing always attracted me and I really wanted to be involved in all of its processes. But I had these thoughts of not being good enough for it, not having skills or talents or whatever else it takes. I felt clumsy and quite critical towards myself. I tried hard to avoid this and do something else, but dancing art caught me anyways.

I’m interested not only in the “dancing” part of the contemporary dance but also about its meaning, philosophy and perception; trying to understand it from different points of view — from the performers side as well as the audiences. Contemporary dance puts you in the mood of exploration instead of boxes and standards. It doesn’t say that you can put your hands only in this way or move your legs only in that direction. You ask yourself “how do I feel today?” and move your body accordingly and it will be fine. That’s what caught my attention and got me hooked from the first sight. It allows you to explore and look for things every day. The word “wrong” simply doesn’t exist. Contemporary dance gives you tools and methods but lets you figure out on your own what feels right for you. It’s not only about moving but also correlation to social/philosophical theories. You can explore the human being and the mind itself through the movement and body. It can can connect people more directly than words. Total freedom of expression.

If, for some reason, I won’t do arts anymore, I would do seed snacks and energy bars. I really like seeds. If I could be any object in the world I would be a dark grey rock. First you are quite edgy but through time the sea makes you more round.

My first meeting with the “Skolas iela 15” building happened at the time when there was no KKc — around 6 years ago. There were exhibitions and performances but no bathrooms or heating. We would try to wash the floor so it can look decent but in five seconds it would be covered with ice. Oh, also, there were mice all around. Quite crazy times, right?

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Meeting Inga Gaile can end up in hysterical laughing, but behind all these jokes stands a talented writer and a social activist. Meet her in #kkchumans as she talks about women stand-up and feminism.
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I’m doing women standup shows in KKc and on these nights I’m getting free drinks at the bar. That’s how I know this place – free drinks. I mean, I don’t drink a lot – I’m a mother of two kids and usually don’t buy alcohol myself. But hey, if the place offers you a free drink it’s simply impolite to refuse. I see our standup show as an important place where women can speak openly about any topics that bother them. PMS, everyday sexism, discrimination, kids and other stuff that can be too heavy to bear alone — here you can talk about it in a funny way.
Recently we put up a video of our performance and got a lot of negative responses. I was ready to this as I’ve already once published a book of “controversial” poetry, but other girls were pretty disappointed. For many of them it was the first time experiencing internet criticism. Despite these comments, our events are always packed because there is a huge demand for shows of this kind. Society needs to talk about these “taboo” topics which are sometimes not very pleasant to hear so I can understand if our audience is not completely sure if they are allowed to laugh or not. We can easily reveal our age from the stage and it’s a huge confusion for the Latvian audience (oh my God, she said she’s 45 out loud!). Our society is slowly learning and becoming more accepting, even though a big amount of women in Latvia are extremely patriarchal and consider feminists as “fat hairy aggressive women” who men don’t like. I’m a feminist and I have no shame or fear to claim it. In Latvia people feel rather unsure or scared about it — they can’t express their opinions directly so very often you can hear sentences such as “I am kind of a feminist”.
If I had a second life I would become a nurse. I’m finding myself in these intense cultural and social events all the time, but actually I’m a very peaceful person. I would like to have money simply for food and books, and to obtain it from helping other people. If I could be any object I would be an apple.

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Tiem, kas vēl nav pamanījuši – ir atklāta arī mūsu #kkchumans siena. Tajā vari iepazīt cilvēkus, kas kādos brīžos ir bijuši vai ir daļa no Kaņepes Kultūras centra. Nāc iepazīties!

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You could have noticed her roaming around, running back and forth from KKc to Mazā Kaņepe and vice-versa. Maybe you wonder who is she, but you are a bit too shy to ask. Worry no more, as this week #kkchumans introduces you to Dita Mancēviča.

I’m staying at one place for quite a while – I’ve been a bartender and now I’m doing more administrative work in KKc and Mazā Kaņepe. And there are some people who don’t understand it, like “oh, you are still just a bartender”. But I remember those summers in the bar which were an absolute fun. When you get up in the morning and you are actually happy going to the work. Isn’t it that most people want to achieve in their life?

When I started to manage Mazā Kaņepe it was a big struggle for me and probably still is. I had no relevant experience, I had only trust of people who offered me a job. It’s interesting how in schools they are putting in our heads this formula: if you want to do better you just need to work harder. But it doesn’t work like that in small business, there is always this magical x-factor which makes things happen. You can stay up long, work more than 12 hours but something just doesn’t click. It was a mind turning moment for me.
Mostly people come to KKc and say that it is a truly magical place with a very special atmosphere. For me, it’s so different because I know all these mechanisms that are working behind the “magic”. I wish I can come someday here, relax and feel it in this special way. But now I can be easily distracted by a dirty glass that has to be washed or by the mess in the toilet.
I like to be brutally honest with people and with myself and I hate arrogant people. At the KKc bar I can be very honest and straight-forward. Even with customers. If I think somebody is rude I can refuse to give him a beer unless he apologizes or if somebody is too loud you just say it. And nobody is offended because it’s honesty. Be nice to people and they’ll be nice to you – it’s so easy.

I like to challenge myself. I did a full marathon race, once I quit alcohol and junk food consuming for half a year. I’m trying to test myself all the time to what are my limits. Eventually, you realize there are no particular limits.

I have this thing – I don’t remember peoples’ faces at all unless I saw them at least 20 times. So for quite a long time I thought it is a super power – to recognize and “read” faces. Then I understood that it’s me who is a special one. Although, it was kind of a problem to work in the bar because I could ask one person his ID for ten times during the one evening. Now I have in my head different groups of people: pretty-girl-with-a-brown-hair type, smiling-guy-with-a-beard type etc.
The warmest memories are those about really early summer mornings when you end a shift at 6 am and the sun is rising, people are hurrying for the work, you are going with colleagues to have a slice of pizza and go home to sleep. Or suddenly out of the blue somebody offers to go to the beach and you take a taxi and go altogether with coworkers and random people who stayed up till the bar is closed, to enjoy the seaside.

If I can be any object I would like to be a plant. Something that grows and reacts to the environmental changes. Also, I like the idea that life has a beginning and the end.

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Jānis Lipšāns is a sophisticated master of words, a lyrical mastermind rapping under the name Pikaso, while creating interesting articles here and there. Keep up to date with #kkchumans as we bring you interesting people and their stories!

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Music has been an important part of my life and family since my childhood. My grandfather was a composer and my father a choir conductor. He introduced me to different kind of rock and pop bands, so I always had a motivation and inspiration for music. In school I was digging more into the trendy world of hip-hop, which was a protest of sorts, an opposing attitude. During my youth I spent 6 months in London, sleeping in weird places, feeling like its Christmas any time I would eat McDonald’s on a Saturday morning and spending most of my money on music cd’s.

Eventually I came to the point where I could create and perform. My stage name is Pikaso. MC Janis didn’t sound very good to me, and second of all, Picasso was original and authentic — and I would like to relate myself to these characteristics. The name gave me enough confidence to step out on the stage. I remember my first performance, I was very nervous. I always had this nightmare that I would forget the lyrics on stage, when it’s all in you but you just can’t get it out. Imagine a rapper who forgets the lyrics — that’s a joke. Maybe that is why I’m not able to be a freestyler. Being that kind of guy who is very concerned about what he is saying, the way it has been said and how it’s delivered, I enjoy the process of putting down the lyrics and polishing my craft before coming out. Music for me is more like a hobby. I feel it’s not getting me where I see myself. Yes, I got some awards and recognition, so what? You must deliver constantly, because you are as good as your last hit, right? You should be able to have fun with what you’re doing while maintaining the sense of reality so your words and music can make impact on people. I believe our life is a journey and one day we all reach zero. So take it easy, do what you like and want to do, take chances. Try to be out of the circle and do some breakdancing after all.

I have one beautiful memory of KKc. I think it was Monday, the day after Kometa Festival. You arrive to KKc, and after 3 days of the crazy festival marathon the DJ’s are still playing on the summer terrace. Everybody is pumped up with energy and Kometa vibe. It felt truly unbelievable. If you haven’t heard about Kometa, imagining a full terrace on a Monday morning seems like a weird thing. It’s a growing seed of a community that was planted during the festival. Hopefully, it gives a positive push for the future.

If I could be any object in the world I would be a hammer — I like to nail it every time!

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During the Carnival for the poor we caught a uniquely bright persona for #kkchumans — the lord of glitter, the master of dirty-keyboard-anti-folk-synth-pop — Stephen Paul Taylor. We had a short, strange talk by the bar. People passed by us, and every now and then someone would stumble on his long shoes.

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One of my songs is called “Drinking and Driving”, but I definitely think it’s not okay to drink and drive at the same time. I often write songs about dangerous things people do, pretending they are okay — although in reality I don’t agree with that. Maybe that is why strange things and stories happen around me. At one of my last performances a random guy came close to me, showing a “fuck you sign”. He was standing there for 10 minutes, looking really angry. All of a sudden he just started dancing like crazy, shouting that I’m doing “a great job”.

My childhood dream was to be a fire man. Now I have a new concept — a fire man/musician, so I could light up the fire on the stage during the performance and yell “hey, people, this house is on fire tonight!”.
Here is another story — When I was 16 I used to steal candies from the store every day for a really long time. The woman who ran the store liked me and trusted me. When she found out that my pockets are full of candies she was very disappointed. I would never do that again. I do like candies, but now I would rather have a couple of millions to buy a house with a backyard so I could have a nice lion in it. The lion’s name would be John or Leopold.

If I could be any object I would be a train. First of all, trains are cool, they go to all these interesting places but they also do the “chu-chu-chuuu!” sound. That’s it. Wait, here is my life philosophy for you: don’t forget to set boundaries in your friendships and romantic relations, because people tend to fuck you over in time.

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Elizabete Atals – artist, performer, pedagogue, and our next #kkchumans character.

I work with children in a museum and want to point out how crucial it is to bring your children from an early age to different museums, engage them with art. They are so perceptive and fragile, I see how they are becoming more open and talkative when interacting with art. I’m getting a huge satisfaction from our conversations in the museum. Also, I think there should be no censorship when we are talking about art with children – whatever is on display should be explained and discussed.
Art can’t save the world but it can save some particular human beings. Art is able to underline some important problems in the society, but it’s up to the people to solve them. Artist is a messenger, he can begin the revolution, but people can and should take it further. That’s why we often say that art unites and in some cases divides people.
My art at the moment is somewhere between performance and photography. I like doing performances at home and photography gives me an opportunity to capture the very moment, the essence of it, and share with other people. I don’t really support “Art for art’s sake”, I think if you’ve been given any kind of talent it is important to do something meaningful, not only for yourself but for other people too. I can’t control your perception of my art, but definitely it always has a background story, a state of mind, spirit which I would like to share.
I like visual identity topic or identity topic per se, I’m still in the process of Master research about it. I love to experiment with my own appearance. My appearance visually represents where I am at this moment and what I’m thinking about. Some people may say that I can’t find my inner state of being, so I need the constant change of the outer image. But hey, we, humans are changing all the time, but if you can state that you have found “yourself” then probably you are done, there is nothing to do here anymore. I can’t imagine my life without continuous development.

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This week for #kkchumans we caught Roberts Čehovičs and his random thoughts on important and a bit less important topics. You might have met this quiet philosopher and dreamy composer while he was pouring you another glass of beer in KKc.

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I started working in KKc 6 months ago because I had to work somewhere. I like bartending, but I don’t like the concept of it — those people on a Friday night at 1am who are yelling “more drinks, more beeeer”. Now I’m quitting and moving back to my hometown Liepaja. Riga was kind of my dream city. I’ve been living here for 5 years and now I’m disappointed. So I feel I need to step back into my comfort zone and go for long walks, sleep more at night, read books.

I used to enjoy playing music. Before moving to Riga I used to play guitar and sing. Now I’m more into composing. The first song that I wrote was about the girl I liked, her smile and her name written on my skateboard. Another one was about young Roberts and the girl — I met her at some party, we smoked a cigarette half-half and I really liked it, it was quite romantic. So I started to smoke. Smoke while I’m drinking and drink while I’m smoking.

I would like to teach philosophy to children at the countryside. I have some problems with leadership, but I still want to do it. Probably I can’t change the world, but I can make some influence on other people. In this way I change the world on a very small scale. Also, I dream to live in a world without money. Everything would be based on the trust and skills exchange. You want a beer – just go to the bar and get it for free, because you are a driver or a doctor or something else. This circle of exchange leads to the point where we actually wouldn’t need money anymore. But it’s impossible in a society where you don’t know each other personally. It could grow from a small commune, possibly not larger than 600 people, who have the same agreement and trust each other.

If I could be any object I’d like to be a door. Everyone could step into another reality through me. It must be a great feeling.

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#kkchumans are back after the holidays and our first story that we want to share with you is a story of Vadims Pitlans, also known as a DJ Trashy Kid. Party child about his work, dreams and memories.

So probably you are interested why Trashy Kid? First of all, it was inspired by French electro scene (for example, Justice duo). This all scene looked kind of trashy. And also I’m very childish and careless. So my DJ name is a combination of my music taste and my own personality.
It all started 5-6 years ago in the place, which is now operating like a theater – Dirty Deal. It was very grungy and underground kind of space. Another cool place – Space Garage. These two main spots inspired me to start doing something that I was dreaming to. I’m lucky because I met people who were into the same music that I was, so I was naturally pushed to play. I learned how to do it mostly by myself or observing how other DJs worked. First, the music comes and then you are trying to play until you succeed. It’s all about the experience and your inner feelings, DJ schools suck in this way. Now I’m trying to play vinyl and it’s a lot harder work, you need to be careful and it’s not that easy to play wasted ..but I like this feeling of developing new skills.
I still remember my first DJ set. It was in Tukums and it was awful. I played for 30 minutes and then the other DJ just asked me to stop. But my next gig was in Riga, I did my best, I was super prepared so in the end, it went really good.
Sometimes I write music together with my partner. But both of us are so busy all the time, that there is no energy left for the music itself. I need to focus and relax, keep my thoughts together. Also, I feel lack of confidence or some kind of courage to start. Hope to do it next year, because “next year” always sounds good and because I really want to.
Starting last September I’m managing One One club, which is quite a challenge for me. It was my dream and now I’m enjoying, even though it’s a lot of work and a lot of stress. And I can’t really imagine myself doing another work. Sometimes we dream about something so hard but when we get it we don’t how to cope with it. I used to wish a lot of things, some of them material, some are not, and know when I finally got it I need to handle it and maybe work even more than before.
There is so much special for me about KKc, I live close by, so often visit the place to drink coffee or check out the party, sometimes I play sets here also. What I like the most is these early mornings after parties, when only a few people left and you just chilling after a great night, witnessing weird stuff going on around, welcoming cleaning ladies. But actually all my memories and visions are always mixed and blurred, too many parties I guess.

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