Once I was in Nairobi spending 3 hours per day in a traffic jam. We were situated in a hotel in front of the embassy of Israel that took half an hour extra each day to check our luggage. I had the choice: become unhappy of the situation, or turn it a bit around and enjoy it. That was the moment I started to make pictures in traffic jams, and I must say, I fell in love with them. In a split second you watch into someones mobile home, living room and existence. I decided to make a collection from traffic jams all over the world as I regularly met them during my work as cinematographer. I write met, because COVID-19 made traffic jams a ritual from the old word. I hope they come back time to time…
Buses come and leave from Alien’s capital Daugavpils where during Soviet times a lot of ethnic Russians settled. After the fall of communism they became non-citizen. To obtain citizenship one must successfully pass a state exam. Knowledge of the Latvian language and the hymne are required. One must also correctly answer questions regarding Latvia’s Constitution and history, including that it was occupied by the Soviet Union. A lot of Alien’s consider the exam to be ideological and unfair and refuse to naturalise. The naturalisation process is even less tempting since the Russian government decided to offer visa-free travel to Russia to non-citizens, an attractive offer for some of them, who still have family in Russia. Putin has repeatedly said that his country needs to protect the Russian language and culture in Latvia. Some western journalists and military experts fear that Russia would spark civil unrest among ethnic Russians, hoping they will begin rioting, protesting for their rights and asking for international protection. Since Latvia is in NATO, an invasion from Russia would mean all fellow members would be forced to come to its rescue under Article Five of the alliance treaty. Meanwhile the city is mostly inhabited by pensioners and their grandchildren, as a lot of parents and working class people left for better life and opportunities. Most of them found these opportunities not in Russia but in European countries like the UK, Ireland and German.