art installation

Research of the present–day rituals in Cesis lead to a re–discovery of St.Lawrence’s day or the day of Thunder, which stems from both Christian and pagan traditions. It used to be celebrated every 10th of August by performing various ritualistic actions in order to protect buildings from fire. House of Thunder is a transformable structure, activated once a year to call, await and celebrate the arrival of summer’s last thunder. The structure has two positions: the roof beams form a passageway when hung in the strings or create a thunder sound when dropped to clap in the centre. Deeply rooted in its local social context, the construction is on the one hand functional, giving exposure to a contemporary ritual, and on the other hand a provocative investigation in the culture of Cesis.