This content was created at the EUSTORY Next Generation Summit 2024 "En:countering Divides" from 23 to 27 October 2024 in Riga. The Summit brought together 120 participants from 23 countries in Europe and beyond to explore the historical roots of current divides and find ways to overcome polarization within countries and across borders.
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What to do when bricks that carry (hi-)stories have to give way to modern infrastructure? How to keep relics and memories of the past alive while cities develop further? In this photo workshop, 16 participants from 13 countries explored the ever-changing urban landscape through diverse perspectives – and camera lenses.
Using visual storytelling tools to tell site-specific stories from both Riga and the participants’ home countries, the group uncovered hidden narratives translating them into a universal, visual language that transcends borders.
A Railway Platform as Stage
Tornakalns, a district nearby the Summit’s event location, is an area on the brink of significant transformation due to the “Rail Baltica” project. Which hidden stories lay in this part of the city? Exploring the often-overlooked “ordinary” sites with their cameras, the participants discovered the area’s historical shifts, recent changes, and future developments. At Torņakalns train station, the group staged evocative scenes, arranging selected, resonating words from joint workshop discussions into phrases and capturing photographs that encapsulated their shared reflections and creative expressions.
One Building, a Hundred Stories
That every building contains hidden (hi-)stories, was suspected by the participants even before: By selecting a building in their hometown they were familiar with, they had delved into its history, exploring significant changes it had undergone, and gathered relevant visual material.
On posters, forming the exhibition “Hidden in Plain Sight”, the participants showcased their findings during the Summit’s closing event in the National Library of Latvia in Riga.
Sofia from Lviv, Ukraine, told the story of Konovalets street, rich with the baroque architecture, and the Bazylevych family that dwelled there and suffered one of the most devastating tragedies of the last few months of Russian invasion. Of the family of five only the father survived the bombing of their home.
Anne from Dublin, Ireland, created a multi-layered poster about the apartment building on Gardiner Street 62 that tells about the complicated history of Ireland and the tragic destiny of some of her family members who used to rent living space in this building.
Niklas from Bochum, Germany researched a former Northern train station, now a beauty clinic, and found out its history related to mass deportations that took place during the WW2.
This workshop was organised with
