From May 22 to 24 in Iceland, Reykjavik will take place annual electronic festival dedicated this year to art and science. Festival will be started by lectures and workshops „Melting on the Ice“, researching melting of glaciers and its impact on creation of energy. Latvian artists – Rasa and Raitis Šmiti will present their ideas on these questions.

Week before start of festival, creative labs took place Reykjavik, where local university scientists together with artists looked at melting of glaciers, energy problems handmade propositions for renewable energy. As continuation of program, Raitis Šmits will present his lecture „Artist as researcher“ looking at this theme from ecology perspective, but geologist Hrafnhildur Hannesdóttir who regularly follows glaciers melting will show years long process in photos. In the middle of the week festival participants will go to field trip to see the real situation.

The Pikslaverk festival opens with an exhibition at Gallery Kling & Bang, where RIXC artists Rasa and Raitis Šmiti will present newest video of „Pound battery“. In Botanical garden of Latvian University, RIXC's ongoing art project “Pound battery”, is taking place since this summer. This art project is studying electricity creation process by bacteria, making it visible and hearable. “Pound batterie” is long term art object, which is based on art and science collaborative researches. At the same time it is innovative “bacteria battery” technology science experiment, in a research of which the RIXC artists for many years now are collaborating with biologist Arturs Gruduls and other LU Institute of Solid State Physics. Bacteria video and sound visualization in different times is created by Mārtiņš Ratniks, Jānis Jankevics and Voldemārs Johansons. Also, Rasa Šmite took part in Reykjavik Art academy festival “Raflost” were she presented RIXC works to music and visual art students.

The workshop and the festival are part of a collaborative project called NORTH Creative Network – for open innovation and cultural exchange supported by an EEA grants.

NORTH Creative Network partners are Lorna, association for electronic arts, the organizer of Piksalverk festival, Rixc from Riga, Piksel from Bergen and i/o/lab from Stavanger.