Itinerary

Here is a list of the places I'll be visiting during my trip. Some of the dates are approximate only.

1 Sept: Depart Australia
2 Sept: Singapore - Frankfurt

3 Sept-17 Oct: Six week Electronic Text+Textiles Residency in Riga, Latvia. During the residency I will visit all the places outside Riga where my mother and other members of her family lived: Valmiera, Dikli, Strenci, Smiltene, Aluksne, Kandava and Jelgava. I will also visit Velikie Luki in Russia, where my great grandfather died, and I'm planning a brief visit to Moscow.

17-25 Oct: Liepaija, Latvia to Gdansk and Leszno in Poland. This marks the start of my mother's journey from Riga to Australia.

26 Oct-17 Nov: Berlin, Teltow, Gusten, Dresden, Leipzig and Hannover in Germany. My mother spent nearly four years in Camp 2715 'Accu' Garbsener Landstrasse in Hannover-Stöcken. In 1949 her family went to Fallingbostel Transit Camp before heading for Bagnoli Camp near Naples, Italy. They travelled to Australia on the Fairsea. I will make some diversions on my way south.

18-20 Nov: Paris (possibly)
21-23 Nov: Geneva
24-28 Nov: Naples and Pompei
28-30 Nov: London
1 Dec: Honk Kong
2-8 Dec: Tokyo and Naoshima
9-12 Dec: Melbourne
12 Dec: Hobart

The journey ahead

On 1st September 2008, I'm heading for Europe to follow my mother's journey from Riga to Australia at the end of WWII. My mother, Mirdza Ozolins (nee Berzins), was 17 when she left Riga with her parents on on 9 October 1944 and she was 22 when she arrived in Australia in June 1949. She travelled through Poland, Germany and Italy, spending most of her time in Displaced Persons' Camp 2715 'Accu' in Hannover, Germany.

This blog will document my attempt to follow my mother's footsteps and how I plan to turn my experiences into an exhibition of art work. While the story is personal, my project is about the broader themes of cultural displacement and its impact on identity.

My project is made possible by the 2008 Qantas Contemporary Art Encouragement Award.