In the exhibition, Šēnbergs' life and work is revealed through the story of "Daile", an amusement park once popular in Jūrmala.
In the center of the exhibition is a model of the Daile amusement park, built in 1976 and regarded as an important example of modern architecture in Latvia.
The originator of the exhibition concept, architect Baiba Vērpe, says: "It prompted so much interest in me that I realized that it is necessary to talk about it and show the object. And the best way to do it is directly with a model. And my goal was not to fragment the exhibition, because I understood that Edgars is a great personality and that one, ingenious object could be used to illustrate him."
Edgar Šenbergs is often referred to as an architect of entertainment spaces such as restaurants, entertainment centers and rural village halls. The legendary Ogre stage (above) is also on the list of Šenbergs' works.
The second author of the exhibition concept, architect Ugis Šenbergs – the son of Edgars Šenbergs – says: "I have been friends with my father for 60 years. It is fantastic that a father can be a teacher, a friend to a man. I started working in the Jūrmala communal projects department in Dzintari. He had a very good practice, with big objects, and he pushed the big objects on me, and for me, as a novice architect, it was good experience."
The exhibition also includes previously never shown watercolors by Šenbergs, made in exile in Siberia. At the end of his life, Šenbergs focused on researching and writing about Latvia's regions.
"For the most part, there was not much interesting work for architects. Everything was mainly about rebuilding old houses. And that's why he left this profession at the age of 60. [There was] Always a lack of money and low-quality building materials, always big problems," recalls his son. "When I announced that I wanted to become an architect, my mother said with mixed feelings – wouldn't it be better to be a sculptor or an artist – life will be tough."
As for the Daile amusement park, it was demolished in 2002, which many still consider a great loss. At the exhibition, visitors will also have the opportunity to 'visit' a duplicate of the complex model themselves. It runs until the end of April.
