Sea Villains Laboratory

From 14 September to 13 November 2026, children and adults alike are invited to discover the travelling exhibition “Sea Villains Laboratory” at the Māršners House of the Valmiera Museum, created by the Environmental Education Fund based on data from the “Mana jūra” campaign. The aim of the exhibition is to build an understanding from an early age of how human actions affect the environment, encouraging awareness of one’s role in nature conservation.

Looking at the situation on Latvia’s coastline, last year a troubling figure was recorded - an average of 306 pieces of litter per 100 metres of beach. That is significantly more than would be acceptable on a healthy and clean coast. Although the European Union is introducing increasingly strict rules to limit the use of plastic, the amount of plastic waste in Latvia is still growing. This trend clearly shows that legislation alone is not enough. Active public participation and a change in habits are also needed.

Visitors to the exhibition will encounter special characters - sea “villains” created from waste found on the Latvian coast: balloons, bottle caps, ropes, confetti, cigarette butts and other pollutants. Artists Rūta Briede, Evija Stukle-Zuitiņa and Ilona Valaine-Blekte have transformed waste into visually striking figures - Spotted Single-Use, Plastmaid, Blowoff and other monsters that symbolically reveal the impact of pollution on our marine ecosystem.

“Sea Villains Laboratory” is both educational and creative. It gives children and adults an engaging way to learn about marine pollution, while encouraging everyone to reflect on how everyday choices can make the environment cleaner. Inspired by this exhibition, the animation series “A Clean Sea Starts with You!” was created, and it can also be seen in the exhibition in Valmiera.

We invite everyone to meet the sea villains and learn how changing everyday habits can help the sea and nature!

For individual visits, the exhibition at Māršners House is open from Tuesday to Friday, 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is free.

For both preschool and school groups, a separate paid workshop is also available at the Valmiera Museum from Monday to Friday. For more information and to register, call 28172770 or email ilona.apinite@valmierasnovads.lv.

On 24 October, a free workshop for families with children on water pollution, “Ant Urda Investigates Water,” will take place at the Valmiera Museum, offered by SIA ZAAO’s Nature and Technology Park URDA. Registration is required in advance, as places are limited; more information will follow.

Exhibition artists: Rūta Briede, Evija Stukle-Zuitiņa, Ilona Valaine-Blekte, Jānis Mercs, Artis Briedis. Inga Rušmane and SIA Mooseberry

Animation by: Aivars Baranovs

The exhibition was made possible with financial support from the European Union LIFE programme and the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development.