Liepāja to Host Cross-Disciplinary Forum “Nature Trouble” with Lecture by Timothy Morton and Screening of Oscar-Winning Animation “Flow”

On 12 July, the Liepāja 2027 Foundation will shine a spotlight on how to live with nature rather than against it by hosting an international forum titled “Nature Trouble”. This ecological brainstorming marks the opening act of the programme cycle “Agora of Values”, part of the Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 initiative.

““Agora of Values” will unfold as a series of discursive events throughout the title year. We aim to open up global conversations that matter, showing that Latvia is not just a quiet bystander on the periphery, but an engaged and responsible part of Europe and the wider world,” explains Baiba Bartkeviča, board member of Liepāja 2027 with responsibility for artistic matters. “Let us not only speak of problems, but also of shared solutions on our journey to the European Dream, and of a world in (un)rest.”

Held at the “Kursa” Club from 10:30 in the morning and continuing into the evening, this day-long gathering will open up a broad and imaginative conversation about our relationship with the natural world, nature’s agency in an era of climate disruption.

Admission to all events is free.

“For centuries, nature has been treated as little more than a passive storehouse of raw materials to be carved up for human industry,” says the forum’s curator, philosopher Igors Gubenko. “While philosophers justified man’s dominion over nature, reality played out as relentless exploitation. Now, with the climate crisis breathing down our necks, the tables have turned, and nature is asserting its force, and we must reckon with it. “Nature Trouble” brings together some of the sharpest ecological minds in Latvia and beyond to help us reimagine nature’s agency and our place within it.”

A highlight of the day will be an online lecture by one of the world’s leading ecological thinkers, Professor Timothy Morton of Rice University and a lecture by geographer and University of Latvia senior researcher Anita Zariņa, whose work addresses human-environment interaction. Two expert panels, moderated by journalist and screenwriter Rita Ruduša, will frame the central discussions. The first will focus on Liepāja’s role in the European initiative “100 Smart and Climate-Neutral Cities,” with politicians, environmental specialists, and civic activists. The second will focus on how water and nature are reflected in culture and the arts, including in Gints Zilbalodis’ acclaimed animated feature “Flow”, which recently clinched an Oscar.

The forum offers a rich artistic programme. Atis Jākobsons will be leading “Agora of Values” kite painting workshop, culminating in a ceremonial release into the sky. Audiences will hear the vocals by Ansis Bētiņš and Artūrs Čukurs, as well as watch performances by Ukrainian artist Rita Lira and French performer Eolx. Agnese Krivade will lead a movement-based participatory activity, and all-age workshop in collaboration with forum scenography author Līva Kreislere, making space for hands-on engagement with the themes of the day.

The forum will conclude with a special screening of “Flow” at 20:30. It will be introduced by the film’s producer and co-writer Matīss Kaža, who will be joined in conversation by Rita Ruduša.

“Nature Trouble” is the first in a planned cycle of five forums under the banner of “Agora of Values”. Forums are aimed at gathering some of the most original minds from Latvia and abroad for a lively exchange of ideas through lectures, debates, workshops, performances and inventive new formats of shared thinking and learning. Each encounter is designed not only to spark reflection but to edge us closer to the shared European dream. The remaining forums in the series will unfold in 2027, each dedicated to peacekeeping, civic participation, digital transformation, and dignified ageing.

The forum is organised by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, with support from the Liepāja City Municipality, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, and the European Union’s Creative Europe programme through the project CreArt 3.0 #STRINGING_TOGETHER.