The Latvian name for the river, “Daugava” originated from the ancient Baltic words - “the great water”. Daugava’s total catchment area falls in Latvia. The Daugava actually begins life in Russia, springing from the Valdai Hills in West Russia (where it is known as the Western Dvina) and making its way through Belarus before arriving in Latvia and draining in the Gulf of Riga. Out of the Daugava’s 1005 kilometre length, 352 kilometres are in Latvia. This is a great place for a summer evening walk.
Alnis Stakle is a photography-based artist from Daugavpils, Latvia. He holds PhD in art education from Daugavpils University. Besides being artist, he teaches photojournalism and creative photography at Daugavpils University and Riga Stradins University. Since 2011 year he works on a project “Not Even Something” that is a research on the interstices in the city environment.
Even though these interstices cover small territories, they are always intended for traversing rather than staying. No one wishes to linger there, because they are an intermediate between home and work, between one living space and another. These spaces are located between the meaningful and the meaningful, and themselves remain in the field of the insignificant and inessential. These are the places where we feel no desire to be in just like that, because with their aura of insignificance they not only make us feel as outsiders, but even “push” us away.