Līga Spunde & Sigrid Viir x Riverboat “Lonny” in Taevaskoja

Līga Spunde & Sigrid Viir x Riverboat “Lonny” in Taevaskoja

22.06 – until the end of Lonny's season, according to the schedule

“Lonny” departs Mon–Sun at every full hour from 12:00 to 17:00 (inclusive) *

Play online game HERE

There’s a saying about Taevaskoja: every Estonian should visit this mystical place at least once in their lifetime. The sandstone outcrops, primeval forest, and Ahja River offer breathtaking beauty and unique experiences, enhanced by colorful stories and legends.

The sandstone outcrops, known as taevaskoda’s (Heaven’s Hall) or paed (cliffs), found on the banks of the Ahja River Gorge, are formed in the sandstones of the Middle Devonian Burtnieki Formation. Along the approximately 19-kilometer stretch of the Ahja River Landscape Protection Area, there are a total of 43 sandstone outcrops, 27 of which are on the right bank of the river and 16 on the left bank. The beautiful nature of Taevaskoja is full of legends and legendary characters: virgins, devils, forest spirits, and Agnes and Gabriel from the film “The Last Relic”, as well as the kingfishers whom you may meet on a boat trip, the women who built an artificial lake on the island of Saesaar in the Ahja River during the difficult post-World War II years, and, of course, Lonny itself.

“Lonny the Enchanter”

Artists Liga Spunde (LV) and Sigrid Viir (EE) have transformed the riverboat “Lonny” and placed it in the heart of their Taevaskoja art project. This summer, “Lonny” becomes “Lummutaja Lonny” (“Lonny the Enchanter”), a character steeped in the region’s rich folklore. The artists use legends and stories from different eras associated with Taevaskoja, offering visitors the opportunity to create new contemporary folklore inspired by the past but speaking to the present. The riverboat will also become one of the characters, hosting the guests and functioning as a
starting point for the stories. Spunde and Viir spent their residency in 2023 exploring Taevaskoja, making countless trips aboard the “Lonny”, soaking up local myths and hidden paths. They discovered that storytelling is the lifeblood of this community along the primeval valley of the Ahja River – we need stories that speak about us, to us, and with us. Stories that provide continuity but also open up new perspectives. Each story depends on the teller, a small personal change can help the thought to take hold or, on the contrary, to tune in. Visitors can also participate in a playful online game (lummutajalonny.eu) inspired by the classic “Who-Where-What?” guessing game, equally familiar in both Latvia and Estonia, sparking creativity and weaving new tales that blend old legends with contem-
porary twists. Artists’ newly created surreal stories that crave for collaboration also have various illustrations – nearly 30 new mythical characters have been created in the form of photos and digital drawings. Some surprises await the visitors also on the hiking trails.

Online game texts: Sigrid Viir, Līga Spunde, Maarin Ektermann
Online game design and visuals: Sigrid Viir, Līga Spunde
Online game programmer: Mary-Ann Talvistu
Translation: Peeter Talvistu, Maarin Ektermann
Language editing: Richard Adang
Thank you: Iia Timmi, Kalmer Tint, Villem Säre, Tõnu Pani, State Forest Management Centre, The Environmental Board

LīGA SPUNDE (b. 1990) holds a master’s degree from the Latvian Academy of Arts in audiovisual media art. As an artist, Spunde’s main sources of inspiration and influence are the events and relationships of everyday life, as well as the absurd and unusual situations she encounters. She often creates her works as multimedia installations, where personal stories intertwine with fictional narratives. In 2014, Spunde received the Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation art scholarship.

SIGRID VIIR (b. 1979) is a photo and installation artist who lives and works in Tallinn. Viir studied cultural theory at the Estonian Humanities Institute and graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a degree in photography. As an artist, she is interested in the everyday aspects of human existence and the accompanying tangle of social agreements, the borderland between work totality and personal free time, and the questions of visual language. She has been recognized with the Young Artist Award (2009) and has won three times the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s annual award for the Visual and Applied Arts Endowment (2013, 2019, 2022).

LONNY, allow us to present, is a riverboat, sturdy and strong, performing trips on the artificial lake at a steady pace. The riverboat “Lonny” is 12 meters long and 5 meters wide and can carry up to 36 passengers (plus crew). It has been carrying people since 2000. The owners of “Lonny” are Iia Timmi and Kalmer Tint. “Lonny” also offers the possibility of working remotely in nature (kupland.ee) and the boat can be rented for events.

Since “Lonny” uses solar energy, its movement is so quiet that attention can be directed to the stories. A boat trip with “Lonny” along Saesaare Reservoir adds an extra special dimension to the experience, as it’s like a singular nature cinema session, where a new and unique view unfolds each time. The stars of the show are the beavers, kingfishers, sand martins, and many other wonderful characters. On “Lonny”, legends meet the people who tell them, people who pass along folklore, people who honour the power of nature, fans of cult films, inquisitive tourists and people doing remote work. Welcome aboard!

* The crew has the right to make ongoing changes to boat’s schedule

Opening event 20.06.2024 (photographer Jürgen Vainola):