Homeland. The Longest Village in the Country

'Homeland' is a multi-layered narrative about the sea, land and memory in the longest village in the country and how time affects and changes our sense of place.

“Landscapes – actual, remembered or idealized – feed our sense of belonging to whatever place, region or nation that we view as homeland.”

Liz Wells

"Homeland. The Longest Village in the Country" (2015-2018) is a multi-layered photographic narrative in the form of a photobook with cross-references like hyperlinks to additionally inserted stories connected to the subjects and landscape. The book is about the village where Georg's Armenian-Greek father once dreamed of building a house for his family but unfortunately couldn’t finish it as he passed away when Georgs was only six months old.

The project explores the sea, the land and memories, how time affects and changes our sense of a place, at the same time serving a nostalgic representation of the village in Latvia - Kaltene and its recent history from World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 via interviews, notes, and archival imagery. As the Iron Curtain fell, the local economy changed and upon joining the EU in 2004, it changed again. These historical shifts significantly impacted society and its dreams, many of which the younger generations have abandoned.

The place is between the forest and the sea, about 100 km northwest of Riga's capital. In the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century, it was the second most productive village in the country, as 55 seagoing sailing ships were built there.

The book is in 2 languages - English and Latvian.

Published November 2018

ISBN 978-9934-8748-0-2

www.mildabooks.com