Reading Marathon

During the “Physical Evidence Museum” exhibition in Riga on 9 September 2020 a 24 hour reading marathon of personal testimonies took place with participation of women survivors of domestic violence and their supporters. Each woman was reading the story of another to create a space of solidarity, safety and trust. The marathon was open to the public and streamed on internet radio.

This act of solidarity was carried out to break the silence around domestic violence that keeps many women from telling their story and being heard.

A living room wall covered with printed A4 pages, the text is unreadable. The wall ends with a doorway where a figure of a woman is seen.
A young woman sits in a chair, next to a microphone on a stand. She looks at a paper sheet in her hand. Her long hair covers her face.
A living room wall is covered with printed A4 pages. A chair in the corner, a microphone on a stand, a small table and a floor lamp.
A woman with her back on us, stands next to a wall that is covered with printed A4 pages. She holds a paper sheet in her hand.
A woman sits in a chair next to a big window and holds a paper sheet. The sheets are also on the wall and on the floor next to her feet.
photos by Liene Eicēna

In December 2020 Reading Marathon's participants took part in the charity marathon “Dod pieci!” organized by the Latvian public broadcasting and dedicated to reducing domestic violence. In August 2021 at the “Punctum” literature festival the participants of Reading Marathon came together with Latvian poets to do an evening of readings of documentary stories and new poetry on the subject of domestic violence.

In summer of 2021, Reading Marathons took place also in Warsaw and Tallinn as part of “Physical Evidence Museum” exhibitions in these cities with participation of Polish and Estonian women.

Light living room wall is covered with printed A4 pages. In the corner there is a chair, a green houseplant, a microphone on a stand and a floor lamp.
A woman sits in the armchair with a sheet of paper in her hands. Behind her another woman reaches for a sheet of paper stuck on the wall.
A dark living room wall is covered with printed A4 pages. An armchair, houseplants, a wooden drawer in the corner, wooden shelves on the walls.
A woman sits in an armchair with a sheet of paper in her hands, some sheets are on the wall and floor. Behind her is a wooden drawer and houseplants.
photos by Laura Stašāne un Epp Kubu