“A Quest for Freedom” Vol. 2
55,00 € / Coming Soon
Vinita Vilcāne Krilova
"A Quest for Freedom" Vol. 2
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A photobook about a barge, a borrowed grandfather, and the search for freedom
The Story
After Latvia regained its independence, my family met a relative named James. He had left Latvia before the war and, decades later, stepped into our lives and took a grandfather's role.
In the early 1970s, James walked away from a comfortable life in California. With his partner Diana, he bought a barge, "Klaidonis", and moored it in the heart of Paris, right beside the Pont des Arts. It became his home, his studio, and his answer to a question he never stopped asking: is freedom actually attainable?
In 2014, I went to Paris to find that barge. I wanted to know what had happened to it and, in a way, to him.
I found "Klaidonis" still afloat, now cared for by Doris, an artist and photographer who owns it today.
"A Quest for Freedom" Vol. 2 is my research that brings together James's own archive - photographs, photo cards, diary fragments, documents, small keepsakes- alongside my own images and Doris's. It's not one person's story told straight through. It's a family story, a love story, and a meditation on whether a floating home can still hold you steady.
About the Book
Mixed-media photobook combining archival material with new photography.
First mockup developed in 2019 at an ISSP masterclass with the Greek publisher Void
Shortlisted for the Kassel Dummy Award and exhibited internationally — including in Croatia, Denmark, Cambodia, Singapore, and Australia
Finalist, "NEXT 2021," Riga Photography Biennial
Limited edition of 200 copies
Why We Need Your Help
The book is finished and ready to go to print. The only thing between the finished design and a copy in your hands is the cost of printing and binding.
Every pledge goes directly toward printing this edition, launching it properly in Riga (planned for December 2026), and getting it into the hands of readers and bookshops in Latvia and abroad.
Rewards
Postcard set of 3 postcards - a small piece of the archive to hold onto
Signed Book - a signed copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition
Handmade porcelain duck - a nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard "Klaidonis", remade here by hand in porcelain
Book + Handmade porcelain duck - a nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard "Klaidonis", remade here by hand in porcelain
Book + Original painting by Diana - a one-of-a-kind piece from James's partner and fellow traveller. Choose your favourite from the available pieces
Book + Original painting by James - one-of-a-kind pieces from James's own hand, from the family's collection. Choose your favourite from the available pieces.
Coffee With the Author - Join me for coffee in James's actual former apartment in Rīga - the place where this whole story began. Includes a signed book, handmade porcelain duck, and postcard set.
About the Author
Vinita Vilcāne-Krilova is a photographer based in Riga, Latvia. She began working in photography in 2016 and studied at the ISSP School's "Developing the Language of Photography" program (2017–2019). A Quest for Freedom, Vol. 2 is her first full-length photobook - an emotional as well as visual investigation into family, memory, and the choices that shape us. Her editorial and commercial work has appeared in Lilit, Una, and L'Officiel Baltic, and she has photographed for Latvian brands including Rainsisters and Madara Cosmetics.
"The author's approach is not only aesthetic but also conceptually considered - one senses a desire to understand personal and collective experience through visual evidence and its interpretations." — Iveta Gabaliņa, Program Director and Curator, ISSP Gallery.
Thank You
This book started with one question in Paris in 2014 and took over a decade to become what it is now. Thank you for helping it finally reach print.