NEW THEATRE INSTITUTE OF LATVIA

contemporary performing arts in Latvia and abroad

At the 2025 International Festival of Contemporary Theatre Homo Novus, artist Evarts Melnalksnis premiered his experimental music theatre work Ummis and Lobelia, created as part of the EU Creative Europe supported project The Big Green.

The work was developed within The Big Green residency SOIL, where five artists from Latvia, Portugal, Poland, Italy and the Netherlands explore the relationship between humans and the environment through the lens of local ecosystems. Together with video artist Katrīna Neiburga, composer Ernests Valts Circenis and set designer Inga Bermaka, Melnalksnis turned his attention to Lake Ummis and its delicate inhabitant — Lobelia dortmanna, a fragile aquatic flower listed in Latvia’s Red Book. This encounter became the starting point for a poetic study of nature’s autonomy, the psychology of the human mind, and the tensions created by civilization.

During the creative process, the artists collaborated with nature expert Uvis Suško and hydrobiologist Marta Dieviņa, who shared their insights into the lake’s ecosystem, plant and biotope protection, as well as the historical and political contexts of the site. Together with the scientists, the creative team visited the lake, observing its environment and seeking ways to translate this fragile landscape into a theatrical experience.

The experimental music theatre performance Ummis and Lobelia is a poetic dedication to the unequal opposition between the autonomy of nature and the pressure of civilization. It reveals the interplay between human consciousness and natural processes — the threshold moments that invite us to look deep into our own awareness — and the hope that, like the lobelia flower, occasionally emerges and rises above the dark.

To preserve the fragile ecosystem of Lake Ummis, the swimming scenes were filmed at Bolderāja quarry instead of the actual lake. The scenography makes use of reusable materials, and after the performance, most of the costumes and set elements are returned to their owners or to nature itself.

Watch the full performance recording –

The performance is a collaborative project between the associations Mākslas birojs and New Theatre Institute of Latvia. It was created as part of the EU Creative Europe programme project The Big Green, in collaboration with Laidu Manor Residence, VVFoundation, and Pāvilosta Artists’ Residence (PAiR), with financial support from the Latvian Culture Capital Foundation, the Society Integration Foundation, Riga City Council and the Ministry of Culture of Latvia co-financing.
The work was carried out in cooperation with the Pierīga Regional Administration of the Nature Conservation Agency, SIA Saldūdeņu risinājumi, the Institute for Environmental Solutions, and the RTU Ķīpsala swimming pool.

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