Ilgas

“Ilgas” means longing in Latvian. Yet, within this series of photos Ilgas is also a place name and the name of a manor house.

Ilgas manor house was built in the 1890s in the style of baroque. Currently the building holds the study basis of Daugavpils University (Latvia). Ilgas manor house is located only a few kilometres off the Belarusian border, which is simultaneously the eastern border of the European Union.

I first visited Ilgas manor house in 2010. At that time, 45 female students temporarily lived there – they did nature research on the territory of a protected natural area. At that time, the building has no plumbing, which means that such facilities as lavatory or a warm shower are not available. These conditions make the students’ domestic conditions resemble those of extreme survival reality shows.

Works created 2011 - 2015