Looking Back at the Researchers' Night Activities
On the evening of Friday, September 26, the European Researchers’ Night 2025 took place, and the project «Navigating Post-Exile: Transformations and Transitions in the Latvian Exile Community after 1991» was represented with its own interactive station. The station attracted a steady stream of visitors throughout the evening. Participants tested their knowledge of Latvian exile and diaspora history, explored a display of Latvian-themed tattoos that symbolize diaspora Latvians’ connection to their homeland, and shared their own personal stories and experiences.
Aktivitātes:
• In our quiz, visitors tested their knowledge of Latvian exile and the diaspora by answering questions such as: Why were Latvian refugees in Germany after the Second World War known as Displaced Persons (“DPs”)? What proportion of Latvians today live outside Latvia? and more.
• Visitors also had the opportunity to explore part of the exhibition Preserved Latvian Identity: Latvian Tattoos in the Diaspora, created by project researcher Daina Gross. Through photographs and personal stories, the exhibition reveals how tattoos have become a powerful expression of Latvian identity around the world.
• We also invited visitors to take on a small challenge: to choose three items they would take with them if they had to move abroad. The answers were remarkably diverse, ranging from practical objects (a saw, bread, a power bank) to sentimental and symbolic ones (a Bible, amber, and a Kārums curd snack).
• Younger visitors enjoyed a creative colouring activity, where specially designed illustrations inspired by the themes of migration and exile were transformed into colourful works of art.
After taking part in the various activities, visitors to the station were also invited to choose a temporary tattoo. This proved to be one of the most popular attractions of the evening, with many leaving sporting a new piece of body art.
In total, the station welcomed more than 80 visitors of all ages. They left with new knowledge, fresh perspectives, and perhaps a little inspiration to see the stories of the Latvian exile community and diaspora in a different light.
