The fire sculpture will be built upon pontoons in the middle of the canal, and it will be made of three symbolic parts. The first part will feature the symbols of Auseklis, Jumis and other Latvian deities, and represent the Latvian folksong. The other part of the sculpture will be made of pipes of various height, symbolising organ and the elements of a modern-day digital equaliser - or contemporary music. Finally, the central part of the sculpture will link up the ancient and the contemporary songs, creating the unique "Song of Riga".

"We had the idea of the fire sculpture because everyone knows Latvians as the singing nation. But then - even though we all know Liepaja's "anthem", the song "Pilsēta, kurā piedzimst vējš" (City Where the Wind is Born), Riga has no such song that would be popular and well-known by the people. That is why we, as artists, wanted to create an association with the Song of Riga. Its beginnings would certainly date back to folksongs, but at the same time, the song had to be modern - just like Riga. Therefore, our sculpture is made by bringing together the past and the future, and going beyond, just as fire does in the dark," says sculptor Kārlis Īle.

The fire sculpture "Song of Riga" will be built for the light festival "Staro Rīga 2011" (Beaming Riga 2011), and it will be set alight in the Riga Canal near Bastejkalns Hill on November 18 at 6 p.m. The soundtrack for the event will be provided by members of the "Mallemuck" project. The "Song of Riga" is the first pilot experiment ahead of the World Fire Festival "Make Fire Art Riga" in 2014, when Riga will be the European Capital of Culture.

Light festival "Beaming Riga", which this year will feature 80 separate outdoor installations, will run between November 17 and 20. This year, more than 100 artists participate in the festival, presenting their stories about the city.