"Vasja" is a photo collage dedicated to Vasja, Ludza city cat. Ludza is a small city in the East of Latvia.
Collage was created in Summer School on participatory art practice titled “Deciphering the scripts: Ludza” that was organised by ISSP*, in collaboration with the New Theatre Institute of Latvia and the Ludza creative activist community.
Ģirts participated in a workshop led by Belgian photographer, artist, and community activist Vincen Beeckman (BE). Throughout the week, participants explored the urban environment of Ludza through various media, getting to know local residents, the city’s stories, habits, and rhythms, as well as its historical and political context.
Ģirts was inspired by Vasja - a cat without owner, that hangs out in various public spaces and spends nights in hotel "Lūcija". Ģirts interviewed people who take care of Vasja and collected personal images of the cat.
Together with the artist 4e554c4c (https://4e554c4c.xyz/ ) Ģirts created the photo collage "Vasja".
Ģirts wrote a short bio of Vasja - "Vasja - Ludzas kopienas kaķis"
*ISSP is a platform for contemporary photography, art and education. Since its establishment in 2006, ISSP has annually organised the International Summer School of Photography, initiated local and international education and exchange programmes, produced exhibitions, publications and events, and, most importantly, gathered a thriving community of artists in Latvia and abroad.
