In May 2014, RIXC centre for New media culture, in collaboration with Liepaja's University Art Research Lab, came out with two publications – Techno-ecologies 2, new volume of Acoustic Space journal and Talk to me book. These books not only tell about human communication with different environments, but also brings new perspective in world reception.

Talk to me book looks to Prince Charles 1986 television interview statement -  I just come and talk to the plants.

Recent scientific studies have proved that talking to plants may encourage their growth. RIXC artists were keen on testing this concept by developing Talk to Me, an online interface which allows people to talk to their plants while away from home. The Talk to Me book introduces the process and results of our artistic research project on human-plant communication. The networked installations with live growing bean-plants were set up and presented in Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn, Ventspils, Basel, Lueneburg and Stavanger. Before the beans ripened they received over 13 000 online messages in different languages.

On the other hand, Techno-ecologies 2 looks at future possibilities. Techno-ecological perspectives have become now one of the key directions in contemporary discourses and are part of a larger paradigm shift from new media to post-media art. A range of practices which were once subsumed under terms such as media art, digital art, art and technology or art and science, have experienced such growth and diversification that no single term can work as a label any more. Traditionally separated domains are brought together to become contextual seedbeds for ideas and practices that aim to overcome the crisis of the present and to invent new avenues for future developments. This is the 2nd volume in the Acoustic Space series that continues to build a 'techno-ecological' perspective whereby new artistic practices are discussed that combine ecological, social, scientific and artistic inquiries.

This volume gives various insights into research tactics and strategies which form the larger context of the Fields exhibition, while the texts included here are mainly contributions from two earlier conferences - Media Art Histories 2013: RENEW, the 5th International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology held in Riga, 2013, and the Art+Communication 2012 festival conference Art of Resilience , Riga, Latvia.

Both published by RIXC (Riga) and Liepaja's University Art Research Lab (Liepaja), and are available via amazon.com, or by ordering directly from RIXC via e-mail:rixc@rixc.lv

http://www.amazon.com/Techno-Ecologies-II-Acoustic-Space-12/dp/9934843412
http://www.amazon.com/Talk-Me-Rasa-Smite/dp/9934843404

On 9^th of July The World Choir Games 2014 opening event featuring a sumptuous concert took place at “Arena Riga”, gathering 460 choirs from 73 countries and 5 continents, definitely being one of most grandiose events taking place in Riga at the moment, yet not the only one. Riga offers a great variety of diverse cultural events and leisure activities, providing cultural enjoyment and an entertainment both to the inhabitants and guests of the city, including the many choir singers. The international contemporary media art exhibition FIELDS, taking place at the Arsenals exhibition hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art until August 3, offers a unique opportunity specially for the participants of The World Choir Games 2014 – exciting guided tours in the exhibition both in English and Latvian!

Some insight into exhibition. Foto: Didzis Grodzs

“FIELDS” is so far the most grandiose media art exhibition in Latvia, introducing the attendance with almost 40 extraordinary artworks from different countries all around the world. Interpreting the term “fields” the imagination of the artists has run wild – fields of wheat, fields of perception and fields of vision, electromagnetic fields, fields of data, human body as a field, personal and public space as a field and many more.

            Yet the exhibition is special not only because of it's significance in the field of media art in Europe, but also due to the exciting journey it offers to the audience. To see the world through the eyes of animals, to familiarize oneself with the alternative food of the future, to look deeper into problems of the contemporary society and environment, to get a line on the offset between the magnetic poles of the earth and  daily routine of the bees living in the city, to get “painted”  with ornamental projections adn to experience a relaxing hypnosis session – there are only few of the many learning and entertainment opportunities offered by the exhibition FIELDS. “Unusual, challenging, innovative!” - says Pauline from Australia in the book of reviews.

An insigth into the exhibition:

 Photos: Didzis Grodzs

Exploring all the works of exhibition takes quite a time and attention, therefore a competent guide helps the attendence to take one's bearings in the exhibition. Specially for the participants of the World Choir Games we offer an exciting free of charge (included in the price of the ticket - 3,56 EUR / 2,13 EUR, on Thursdays only – 1,42 EUR) guided tours in the exhibition both in English and Latvian! If you are interested, contact the organizers: rixc@rixc.lv or 67228478 (RIXC office), 26546776 (mob.).

For more information: http://fields.rixc.lv

Address of the Arsenals Exhibition Hall: torna Street 1, Riga.

Working hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 12:00 - 18:00; Thursday 12:00 – 20:00; Saturday, Sunday 12:00 - 17:00 .

Ticket fees: 3,56 EUR/2,13 EUR, Thursday – 1,42 EU

Support: The Fields exhibition is supported by Riga 2014 and Riga City Council, Latvian State Cultural Capital Foundation, Latvian Ministry of Culture, Austrian Ministry of Culture, French Cultural Institute, Nordic Culture Point

Interactive art works, innovative ideas and creative solutions of problems. All of this you can see for one more month in LNMA exhibition hall “Arsenāls”.

Visitors will have a chance not just look to exhibited works, but also interact with them, for example, by playing board games or take a part in interactive installations. If you visit exhibition on Thursday or Saturday, you have opportunity to join guided excursion groups, where you will be introduced not only with concept of exhibition, but also with some of works and their messages. Excursion is for free.

There is special offer to students – thanks to support of “ABLV Charitable foundation”, student groups have opportunities to sign for individual guided excursions. You can sign by sending e-mail to rixc@rixc.lv or by calling 26546776.

LNAM exhibition hall “Arsenals” address: Torņa street 1. Working hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 12:00 - 18:00; Thursday 12:00 – 20:00; Saturday, Sunday 12:00 - 17:00

Ticket fees: 3,56 EUR/2,13 EUR, Thursday – 1,42 EUR

Since the 1st of April tickets for the audiovisual performances and electronic music concert of the annual media culture festival “Art+Communication”, taking place on May 16th, 20.00, at Spikeri Concert Hall in Riga, are now available at the Ticket Paradise box offices and internet.

Each year festival “Art+Communication” offers a variegated programme of audiovisual performances, introducing the local public and guests with some of currently most acknowledged sound and image artists from all around the world. This year's programme will amaze with extraordinary lazer projections accompanied by the sound of cello, novelties of film and sound from Japan, the experimental radio violin and original real-time modulations of sound and video.

In collaboration betweent the composer and sound artist Yamila Rios and visual artist Joris Strijbos a unique laser-performance “COVEX” has been created.In this audio visual performance the duo researches the relations between electro-acoustic sound and diffracted light- patterns. The sonic output consist of a live performance with an extended cello. The output of the instrument is used to create a mass of sound which morphs from a complex noisy environment of fast fragmented textures to a serene and harmonic drone. Within the visual domain, a meticulous constellation is formed by shooting laser beams trough transparent objects. By doing this an effect known as the “speckle pattern” occurs, resulting in abstract landscapes of detailed colour patterns and dynamic evolving shapes.

An insight into performance COVEX by Yamila Rios and Joris Strijbos

An opportunity to experience the sound of the infinite universe will be provided by the talented Japanese video artist and filmmaker Makino Takashi in his video performance “Space Noise 3D.” In the performance an unusual sonification of the cosmic silence will interplace with surprising, sumptuous visualizations. Makino Takashi has studied cinematography, both in Japan and London, majoring in film music and lighting. His talent and innovative approaches have not been unnoticed – the artist has received several prestige awards and nominations both in Japan and on international arena. Among them - Award for Best International Film (51th Ann Arbor Film Festival) , Tiger Award for Short Film (International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012) Grand-Prix at the 25FPS International Experimental Film & Video Festival 2009 etc.

The renowned Austrian composer, violinist and vocalist Mia Zabelka in her “ Radio Violin” performance uses an antenna to power her radio violin by transforming radio signals into electricity. Using two speaker systems she is able to hear both what she is playing live and the received radio signals that she has played miliseconds earlier. The acoustic delay becomes part of the piece, a constant echo, a memory. The violinist has developed the process she describes as automatic playing, continuously exploring sound and music as physical phenomena, always pushing back the boundaries in radical and provocative performances and compositions that question established notions and given structures. Mia Zabelka has given concerts and performances throughout Europe, America and Asia. She is recipient of numerous prizes, among them - 3-time winner of the prestige Prix Ars Electronica.

Mia Zabelks. Photo: Max Moser

The Latvian sound artists collective “Clausthome” (Lauris Vorslavs, Girts Radzins) and video artist Martins Ratniks will present a sound and video modulation performance unclosing saturated sound landscapes and collages of the electromagnetic waves, created by scanning and retranslating a real-time audio and video signal modulations. In their daily practices “Clausthome” collective is engaged in experiments with modulations and sound feedback as well as in collecting diverse radioa signals and scanning of radio frequences. Martins Ratniks is one of most renowned Latvian video artists, whose experiments in the field of art and technologies has been acknowledged both in Latvia and abroad. This will not be the first collaboration between “ Clausthome” and Martins Ratniks, previously they have been working togeher on such projects as “ Spectrosphere” (2006) and “ Unknown Planet” (2012).

Performances and electronic music concert is part of the 16th international media culture festival “Art+Communication' 2014” which is the leading festival in field of media culture not only in Baltic States, but also in Northern region, yearly gathering around hundred participants from all over the world to discuss most recent ideas and tendencies in art, society, science and technology development. “Art+Communication'2014” festival will take place between May 15th - 18th in Riga and Liepaja.

This year's festival programme is accompanying the grandiose international art exhibition “FIELDS” which will take place between May 15 – August 3, 2014 at the Arsenāls Exhibition Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art.

Tickets for the “ Art+Communication” performances and electronic music concert are available at the Ticket Paradies box offices and on website: www.bilesuparadize.lv.

Price: EUR 9, students and pensioners – EUR 4,50

Address of the venue: Spikeri Concert Hall, Maskavas Street 4/1, Riga Direct link to the “Art+Communication'2014” performances and concert on the web:

http://www.bilesuparadize.lv/events/perf/7585

For more information about the events of the festival: http://fields.rixc.lv RIXC Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/rixcriga

RIXC on twitter : http://twitter.com/rixcriga Contacts: rixc@rixc.lv, 67228478 (RIXC office), 29635167 (Agnese Baranova)

Support: The Fields exhibition is supported by Riga 2014, Riga City Council, State Cultural Capital Foundation, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, Austrian Ministry of Culture and Embassy of Austria in Riga, EU Culture 2007-2013 programme, Nordic Culture Point, The Latvian National Museum of Art, Goethe Institute in Riga, French Institute in Latvia .

Partners: Soft Control, Techno-Ecologies, Renewable Network, Liepaja University's Art Research Lab (MPLab), Latvian National Museum of Art.

FIELDS / RENEWABLE FUTURES Riga 2014 – A European Capital of Culture Event

http://fields.rixc.lv

RENEWABLE FUTURES is a new conference series, the launch of which will take place during the FIELDS exhibition opening weekend on May 15-18, 2014 in the framework of Riga – European Cultural Capital programme. In a response to recent quests for a more sustainable future and overcoming the crises of the present, the conference aims to invent new avenues for future developments by bringing together traditionally separated domains. The conference idea is inspired by the approach of FIELDS Exhibition, which does not just look at art in a narrow sense but takes into account all kinds of creative practices that bring together new ways of thinking, scientific knowledge, aesthetics, technologies and social practices. The conference aims to shape new contact zones between academic research and diversity of contemporary art practices, art and science, sustainable businesses and social engagement in the 21st century.

Conference events May 15 – 18, 2014

Programme

Thursday, May 15

18:00 FIELDS Exhibition Opening

Arsenals Exibition Hall, Torna street 1 / free entrance

Friday, May 16

17:00 – 19:00FIELDS / RENEWABLE FUTURES – public lectures by artists and currators

Goethe Institute – Riga, Torna iela 1 (entrance from Klostera street) / free entrance / please register via e-mail: rixc@rixc.lv

Armin MEDOSCH. The Broken Mirror: Art after the dreamworld of digital utopia Misko SUVAKOVIC. Grey zones: Revisionisms and theory of art and politics

20.00 Art+Communication Festival Concert and Performances

Spikeri Concert Hall, Maskavas street 4, Tickets at bilesuparadize.lv – 9 EUR / 4,50 EUR (students)

Saturday, May 17

Conference RENEWABLE FUTURES Day 1 ART AND SCIENCE. From Techno-Ecological Practices to New Sustainability Theories Goethe Institute – Riga, Torņa street 1 (entrance prom Klostera street) / Free entrance 10:00 Artist Keynotes

Marko PELJHAN & Matthew BIEDERMAN. Integrative Methodologies – Tactical Approaches to Some Strategic Problems Lisa JEVBRATT. Together – Seeing, Seeking and Knowing with an Other

Ieva ASTAHOVSKA. Trajectories of search for new space in Latvian art of the recent past – visionary art and

approximate art

Richard BARBROOK. Class Wargames: Ludic subversion against spectacular capitalism 12:30 Session 1: Art+Science

Ainars KAMOLINS. On History and Philosophy of Art and Bio-Science Annick BUREAUD. Art in the Future Tense. A Life, Bio Art and Synthetic Biology Maja SMREKAR. Hu.M.C.C.: Transdisciplinary Guide through the Project Regine DEBATTY. Artistic Exploration of the Meat Industry. Or How to Reconnect with Your Burger?

14:00 Session 2: Techno-Ecologies Olga MINK. New Sustainable Models for Future Collaborations Darko Fritz. Nature Embedded Netculture Annemie MAES. Intelligent Beehives Eric SNODGRASS / Malmö University. Ecologies of the Executable: A Few Interstratic Experiments Klaus SCHAFLER. Hacking the Future and Planet Ulrich EVERDING and Jonas BUECHEL. Empty Spaces

15:30 Participatory Session – PLAYING FIELDS – Plant It! Wild Ontologies in the service of activating history 19:00 – 01:00 FIELDS Exhibition Public Event Programme during the Museum's Night

Arsenals EXibition Hall, Torna iela 1 / Free entrance

Sunday, May 18 (Liepaja)

8:30 There is an free organized bus Riga – Liepaja – Riga Please let us know if you plan to use the bus in advance: rixc@rixc.lv

RENEWABLE FUTURES – Conference Day 2 ART AS RESEARCH – From Transdisciplinary Explorations and Participatory Culture to Academic Inquiry Liepaja University's Art Research Lab, Liepaja, Kurmajas prospekts 13 / free entrance 13:00 Session 1: Art as Research – Exploring Relation between Digital and Real Environment

Piibe PIIRMA. Hybrid Practice Anna TRAPENCIERE. Intimacy and Private Space in Internet of Things Age

Anja MALEC. Out of the Black Box Inside the White Cube – On Immersive Environments

14:15 Session 2: Art as Research – Theories, Practices and Methodologies Raivo KELOMEES / Estonian Academy of Arts / Tartu University. Transgressing Borders and Building Norms: On Research-Based Artworks – Discussing Interdisciplinary Artworks from Point of View of Ordinary Visitor Ásthildur Björg JÓNSDÓTTIR / Iceland Academy of Arts / University of Rovaniemi / University of Iceland. On Participatory Research Lily DIAZ-KOMMONEN / Aalto University. Transformation Through Research

Kristin BERGAUST / Oslo University College, Faculty for Art and Design. Art in Society: Artistic Methods as a Resource and Challenge for Innovation in Education Gisle FROYSLAND. On Pixel Festival

15:30 Session 3: Art as Research – Building Techno-Ecological Perspective Isidora TODOROVIC. On Games for Social Changes and as Art Research. Can you feel the spill (on Kravtsovskoye oilfield) Karla BRUNET. Art as Research: The Creative Process of a Costal Project in Brazil. Karl Heinz JERON. Wind Park Drone: The Humming of Wind Turbines – Sound Art Action About the Perception of Noise Scott ELLIOTT / Aalto. On Architectural Interventions and Environmental Art Simon GODDEK. Sustainable Challenges of Commercial Aquaponics Vika SOKOLOVSKAJA. Upcycling design in context of contemporary fashion Markus JOUTSELA. Exploring Food Packaging Experiences for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS)

17:00 Session 4. New Media Art Showcase by Liepaja Art Research Lab students Maija DEMITERE, Mārtiņš EŅĢELIS, Jānis JANKEVICS etc.

Janis GARANCS. Immersive environments as self-adopting interfaces for participats

Samir BHOWMIK. digGLAM: A Collaborative Digitization Project for the Collections of Gallen-Kallela Museum and

its User Communities

Margrét Elísabet ÓLAFSDÓTTIR / Lorna / Iceland Academy of Arts. What is the scholar doing here?

Entrance for the conference events is free of charge, however, you are kindly asked to register by sending an email to: rixc@rixc.lv

Contacts

Electronic Art and Media Center RIXC Maskavas street 10, Rīga, LV-1050 e-mail: rixc@rixc.lv phone.: +371 67228478

Rasa Šmite, RIXC / LiepU MPLab, festival director, rasa@rixc.lv, +371 26546776 Agnese Baranova, RIXC / festical producer, agnese@rixc.lv,+371 29635167

http://fields.rixc.lv

Organizers

The new conference series will be launched by RIXC / Renewable Network and ARS BALTICA in a joint effort with Goethe Institute – Riga, The Danish Cultural Institute in Latvia, Art Research Lab of Liepaja University as well as by other involved partner organizations, cultural institutions, art universities and collaboration networks. More then just building an other new Baltic-Nordic collaboration platform, this event aims to play a role of 'connector' – maintaining links between different platforms and networks existing in North European and Baltic Sea region, as well as connecting them with the other European countries and the rest of the world.

Support

The Renewable Futures conference takes place in the framework of Renewable Network – long-term collaboration project supported by Nordic Culture Point. The Fields exhibition is supported by Riga 2014, Riga City Council, Nordic Culture Point, State Cultural Capital Foundation, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, Austrian Ministry of Culture, EU Culture 2007-2013 programme, Nordic Culture Point.

Partners

The Latvian National Museum of Art, Soft Control, Techno-Ecologies, Goethe Institute in Riga, French Institute in Latvia, Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Latvia, The Danish Cultural institute, ARS BALTICA, Renewable Network.