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.