100% Riga

By Haug / Kaegi / Wetzel

“100% Rīga” is the event of ‘Rīga 2014 – European Capital of Culture’ and a part of the artistic programme of the International Forum “100% CITY” - the closing event of the initiative ‘Global City-Local City’ realised with the support of the “Culture” Programme of the European Union.
According to population census there were 658 640 people living in Rīga in 2011. That is 105 689 less than in 2000. The most populated Rīga district is Purvciems, average Rigan’s living space is 23,3 square meters, but 3 girls in Latvia are named after Rīga.
People are constantly formed into lines, graphs and aisles that are used for political argumentation or to justify economical strategies. What if we gave human traits to these numbers? How would it look like if 100 Riga inhabitants would step on stage to represent their city the same way 100 percent do in statistics? What if they revealed what it is that Riga actually thinks and feels?
For 6 months we have met and talked with 100 Rigans, however it all started with the first participant of “100% Rīga” – head of the Central Statistical Bureau Aija Žīgure. She was the one inviting the second participant who then invited the third one etc., until the 100th. The participants of “100% Rīga” are a precise reflection of Riga’s statistics, according to gender, age, nationality, district and household.
“100% Rīga” are the people who shape our city, they are the people who have met for the first time, they are a choir who have never sung together before, a city portrait with 100 faces. “100% Rīga” is a performance about something that statistics will never capture.
“100% Rīga” is the 22nd city whose statistics is put on stage. Rimini Protokoll have already done 100% in Berlin, Vienna, London, Paris, Tokyo, Melbourne, Cork, Philadelphia among others.

100% Riga

By Haug / Kaegi / Wetzel

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