The Liepāja 2027 Foundation is inviting everyone regardless of age or place of residence to take part in the creation of “Fabrics of Reality”, a new work by the internationally acclaimed Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota (塩田千春), by writing a personal letter that will become part of the finished installation. The campaign aims to gather 10,000 letters, each one destined to be woven into the fabric of the artwork itself. The piece will mark Shiota’s first solo exhibition in the Baltic states and will be demonstrated in Liepāja from March to November 2027 as part of Liepāja 2027 cultural programme.
“I want to bring collected letters and rope together, to symbolically weave them into a new fabric filled with human aspects of life and existence, to create conversations about legacy and creative conversations about the future. By intertwining written words with ropes an imaginative new fabric is created. The act of weaving becomes both physical and emotional, binding voices, memories, and intentions into a single surface.
Your words will become part of an installation that reflects the cultural richness, memories, and future dreams of Liepāja. Each contribution will remain individual yet connected to others, strand by strand, story by story,” says the artist herself.
Letters can be submitted electronically via the online form either typed directly or attached as a scanned copy of a handwritten letter on a white A4 sheet of paper.
In cooperation with Liepāja 2027 partners, it will also be possible to write letters in person at several cultural events in Rīga. On 11, 12, 18 and 19 September, Liepāja 2027 will bring its letter-writing stand to the “Survival Kit” festival at the Rīga Congress Centre (5 Krišjāņa Valdemāra Street, entrance from the canal side). From 22 September, people will be able to write and leave their letters on the ground floor of the National Library of Latvia, during the library’s regular opening hours. Whereas, on 28 and 29 October, the campaign will continue at the “PULSE” forum, held at Hanzas Perons in Rīga.
Everyone is welcome to take part – there are no restrictions on age or place of residence. Letters will be accepted until 30 November 2026.
Chiharu Shiota is one of the most internationally recognised names in contemporary art, celebrated for her monumental, immersive installations in which entire spaces are filled with threads, cords and wires that intertwine with everyday objects to create striking, unexpected associations. Her work explores themes of memory, identity, bodily experience and the meaning of place. Woven threads, suspended objects and familiar items are transformed into symbolic elements that connect deeply personal stories to broader social, historical and geopolitical contexts. In Shiota’s installations, the viewer becomes an active participant, their presence within the space itself becoming part of the artwork.
The Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 programme is delivered by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, the City of Liepāja and official partners – the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, with the co-founding from the Ministry of Culture. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”, Jsc; its main partner in air mobility and international communications, AS “airBaltic Corporation”, Jsc; its partner in legal matters SIA “Sorainen ZAB”, Ltd; its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”, Ltd; alongside its maritime mobility and international communication partner SIA “Stena Line”, Ltd;
The Foundation’s media partners are: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, Ltd; SIA “Žurnāls Santa”, Ltd; SIA “Tvnet grupa”, Ltd; and AS “Kurzemes Radio”, Jsc.
Photo: Chiharu Shiota. Memory of Lines, 2025. Installation: wool, noodle machine. Setouchi Triennale 2025, Teshima, Kagawa, Japan. Photo Atelier Chiharu Shiota. Photo Shintaro Miyawaki.
Released by:
Foundation Liepāja 2027
Public relations specialist
Kristiāna Paula Lībiete
Phone: + 371 22 355 771
E-mail: kristiana.libiete@liepaja2027.lv
