Ivo Tauriņš. Noise technocracy. (2020). Sound artwork. Visualization of the sound spectrum.

The exhibition features artists’ four most recent artworks – the sound compositions by Krista Dintere, in which knitting needles are used to play string instruments and sounds are captured in spite of being fleeting, time-related phenomena, and the audio artworks by Ivo Taurins that explore the limits of human hearing, as well as the psychological and mental experiences at the “Cockroaches in my head” piece. Simultaneously to the exhibition at the RIXC Gallery, visit the “Atmospheric Forest” VR program by Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, which was nominated for the Purvitis Prize 2021.

Sound artists Krista Dintere and Ivo Taurins use field recordings to make their artworks, which are subjected to post-processing transformations in the process of composition, breaking down the boundaries between the recording and documentary nature of sound recording and forming complex soundscapes. Sound recording technologies in the artworks are revealed as an extension of human hearing limits and augmentation of hearing – the visitors are welcome to experience the hearing notes of the augmented world from the perspective of both artists.

The “Noise Technocracy” composition by Ivo Taurins consists of field recordings with a sampling rate of 96 Khz and 24 bit quantization including frequencies beyond human hearing. It is very likely they are registered with other senses in our bodies. The composition is complemented by images of its sound spectrum analysis, visualizing the artwork’s high frequencies. While listening to the “Noise Technocracy” composition, the author offers to take an electroacoustic walk through the yard of “Saliņas” country house.

The second composition by the artists – "Cockroaches in My Head" – explores the topic of mental health through hearing. The composition is programmed as the main theme for an adapted radio production of Zane Zusta and Diana Zande book "Cockroaches in My Head". The composition includes a virtual sonification of various psychological problems of the book characters. Field recordings and significant sound post-processing have been used to create this spatial composition.

Reflections, Cycles and Transformations. Reflection no.2. Soundscape. 2020-2021, Sound Visualization, print.

The “All Strings Detached” artwork by Krista Dintere features techniques of the mental acoustics where the rhythm, technique and the cyclic nature of knitting is a starting point of sound meditation to distance myself from anxiety. Similar to the stitches that are tightly knitted together, sound composition weaves together the rhythmic recorded samples from the knitting process. Therapeutic and relaxing nature of knitting has been scientifically proven in multiple studies. The handicraft sound meditation ascends to an abstract musical atmosphere where knitting needles are used to play string instruments.

The “Reflections, Cycles and Transformations” by Krista Dintere reveals the recorded sounds as the reflections of natural sounds. Recording technologies can be seen as an extension of human hearing and memory. By means of a recorder one can access sound repeatedly, can zoom in and focus on small sounds, can manipulate, all these means lead to greater width and depth of perception which could not be accessed without technological augmentation. In the "Reflections, cycles and transformations" artwork, by completing many transformative cycles one fixed sound reflection can become a whole score of sounds.

 Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Atmospheric Forest (2020). VR

Simultaneously to the exhibition at the RIXC Gallery, visit the “Atmospheric Forest” VR program by Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, which was nominated for the Purvitis Prize 2021 by September 4. The artwork explores the complex relations between a forest, climate change and the atmosphere by visualizing the data of volatile emissions, resin pressure, temperature and air humidity. The viewer can navigate through the emitting trees, observe the forest from the bottom up, and follow the path through the tree trunk to get far up above the emitting forest, experiencing the interactions between the terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere. Uncertainty regarding the effects of volatile emissions remains. However, the visualized patterns show that with climate change we are set for a more fragrant and more "atmospheric forest" in the future. The “Atmospheric Forest” artwork was nominated for the Purvitis Prize 2021.

The exhibition is supported and the sound equipment at the exhibition is provided by the MPLab Art Research Laboratory of the Liepaja University. The exhibition artists Krista Dintere and Ivo Taurins are the graduates and teachers of the New Media Art program at the Liepaja University. We invite you to join the entrance exams of the Liepaja University Bachelor “New Media Art” program  online, July 14, from 11.00 to 16.00, and the entrance exams of the LiepU and RISEBA joint Master “New Media and Audiovisual Art” program online, July 19, from 12.00 to 15.00. The entrance exams will take place remotely on Microsoft Teams. We are also pleased to announce that the application for the new licensed LiepU and RISEBA doctoral program – “Media Art and Creative Technologies”– will be announced in September! Application forms must be handed in by October 30, official application by December 30, admission and documents – in January 2022. Studies begin on February 1. 

Krista Dintere is an artist from Liepaja, Latvia working in between the fields of Sound Art, Experimental Composition, Media arts and creative research. Krista Dintere is a member of E-Lab Electronic Arts and Media Center.  Since 2012 she has participated and her works have been presented in media art and sound art group exhibitions, projects and light festivals in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Italy and Poland, including RIXC Gallery and “Staro Riga” lights festival in Riga, Art Research Lab MpLAB in Liepaja University, Lithuanian national pavilion in Venice Architecture Biennale and Art Laboratory Berlin. Artist portfolio: http://dintere.mplab.lv/ / https://soundcloud.com/dintere/ 

Ivo Taurins is an artist who has graduated from the New Media Art Master’s program of the University of Liepaja. He has studied sound art at the Bauhaus-University Weimar, Media Art and Design Master’s program, Electro-Acoustic Music and Experimental Radio Studies subprogram. Ivo did an internship in room acoustics in the German company Müller-BBM GmbH. He has currently exchanged his perennial hobby of conducting and collecting analogue records for a deep technology of digital recording, examining its processing both in theory and practice.

The exhibition opening: July 5, 2021, at 17:00, at RIXC Gallery.

Visit the exhibition and VR program at the RIXC Gallery, Lencu iela 2, by September 4, Wednesday-Saturday, 12.00-18.00.

Contacts:  rixc@rixc.org, 29635167 (Agnese Baranova)

Supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Liepaja University, MPLab Art Research Lab.