Notes from a Volatile Time

From 16 July to 30 August 2026, Veldze Creative Factory will host the international exhibition Notes from a Volatile Time, presenting projects by eight photographers exploring the impact of climate change on Europe’s cultural heritage. The exhibition opening will take place on 16 July at 18:00. What connects the slow pace of life around Lake Lubāns, the shifting dunes of the Curonian Spit in Nida, disappearing bird habitats in Friesland, urban transformation in Helsinki, deforestation in Slovenia, and flooding in Valencia? Notes from a Volatile Time brings together eight international artists who have spent the past two years investigating how climate change is already reshaping European landscapes, traditions, and ways of life. Through photography and visual storytelling, the exhibition reveals the connections between human and natural systems, demonstrating how environmental change affects not only ecosystems but also memory, identity, and cultural continuity. The exhibition invites visitors to pause, observe, and reflect from multiple perspectives – human and more-than-human, local and global. The exhibition is part of the international project Heritage Lens: Visual Narratives on Cultural Heritage Resilience against Climate Change developed by four photography institutions across Europe. The project explores the impact of climate change on cultural heritage while fostering public engagement with these ongoing transformations. A broad public programme will accompany the exhibition, featuring representatives from Green Liberty (Zaļā Brīvība), the National Heritage Board of Latvia, the Latvian Fund for Nature, the University of Latvia Livonian Institute, the collective Fabula, participating artists, and other partners. Artists: Arianna Sanesi (Italy), José Witteveen (Netherlands), Katrīna Marta Riņķe (Latvia), Marco Lumini (Italy), Ola Skowrońska (Poland), Pedro Marcano (Venezuela), Toivo Heinimäki (Finland), Michaela Nagyidaiová (Slovakia). Exhibition team: Curator / Producer: Kamilla Kūna Co-producer & Public Programme Coordinator: Valts Valters Kronbergs Exhibition Design: Santa Ozoliņa Heritage Lens Project Manager: Jūlija Berkoviča Exhibition assistants: Anete Strode, Alise Tuļķe Project Partners: ISSP, Cobertura Photo (Spain), Fotofestiwal (Poland), Officine Fotografiche (Italy), Green Liberty, the National Heritage Board of Latvia, the Latvian Fund for Nature, the University of Latvia Livonian Institute, the Fabula Collective, and other collaborating organisations. Supported by: The Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, and Veldze Creative Factory, KRASO Labietis, and Mārtiņa beķereja.