CLIMATE IMAGINATION
Symposium
22–23 October, 2026
The National Library of Latvia, Riga

Registration for the RIXC Festival 2026 Symposium is OPEN!
Participation is free of charge. You can register to attend the festival and workshops as an audience member via Eventbrite:
https://ej.uz/rixcfestival2026tickets

Workshop Contributions Welcome
We also invite artists, PhD students and researchers to share a short 5-minute contribution (e.g. a brief talk) on their practice and/or research related to one of the workshop topics, followed by a brief discussion:

Session 1: Baltic Art STS on Artistic Experimentation // at 13:00, Thursday, 22 October, 2026, with Philippe Sormani
Session 2: EMAP: Sustainable Digital Productions // at 12:00, Friday, 23 October, 2026, with Maija Demitere
Session 3: SensUs On Extending Climate Realities // at 14:30, Friday, 23 October, 2026, with Jane Tingley and Rasa Smite

A limited number of contribution slots are available. If you would like to contribute, please send a short proposal/abstract and bio to rixc@rixc.org by 30 September 2026.

N.B! You do not need to submit a contribution to attend the workshops – everyone is welcome to register and participate as an audience member.

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FESTIVAL
This year’s RIXC Art Science Festival explores CLIMATE IMAGINATION as a cultural and scientific field where art, technology, and environmental research intersect, featuring a symposium, exhibitions, European Media Art Platform (EMAP) workshops, and other events. As climate change reshapes ecosystems, infrastructures, and everyday life, the festival aims to bring together artists, researchers, and practitioners to explore imagination as a critical capacity for sensing and rethinking our relationships with the Earth. The festival’s central event is the exhibition CLIMATE IMAGINATION, featuring artworks by more than 10 international artists, which will be on view at the National Library of Latvia from 23 October to 12 December, 2026.

SYMPOSIUM
The symposium builds on the festival theme of climate imagination and aims to create multisensory encounters with environmental change, exploring how artistic practices – from immersive media and XR to data visualisation and environmental sensing – can expand how climate processes are perceived and imagined.

WORKSHOPS
The symposium will host a Baltic STS workshop-meeting, bringing together researchers from the Baltic–Nordic region to discuss climate knowledge, environmental sensing, and socio-technical infrastructures. The program will also include an EMAP (European Media Art Platform) workshop, connecting the festival to broader European art–science collaborations.

PROGRAMME

Thursday, October 22 // Opening Programme

10:00 Press Conference & Exhibition Preview

Venue: National Library, Exhibition Hall, Level 0

13:00 Session 1: Baltic Art STS on Artistic Experimentation
Workshop with Philippe Sormani / Artist Interventions / Discussion
Venue: National Library, Conference Center, Level -1

16:00 Keynote by Philippe Sormani and Artist Talk
Venue: National Library, Conference Center, Level -1

18:00 Official Festival & Exhibition Opening: Climate Imagination
Venue: National Library, Exhibition Hall, Level 0

Friday, October 23 // Symposium

12:00 Session 2: EMAP: Sustainable Digital Productions

Artist Case Studies / Workshop with Maija Demitere
Venue: National Library, Level 11

14:30 Session 3: SensUs On Extending Climate Realities – Panel with Jane Tingley and Rasa Smite / SensUs XR showcases
Venue: National Library, Level 11

16:30 Outlook: Extending Realities Liepāja 2027 / Baltic Art STS
With Rasa Smite and Philippe Sormani
Venue: National Library, Level 11

18:00 Prompted Evolution exhibition opening
Venue: RIXC Gallery, Lencu iela 2

Festival website:
https://festival2026.rixc.org/

The RIXC Festival is produced by The RIXC Centre for New Media Culture.
Contact e-mail: rixc@rixc.org 

Support:
State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Riga State City Council, ProHelvetia, Creative Europe program in the framework of the EMAP Expanded project, Nordic Culture Point, LG Electronics, foundation Liepaja 2027, Reverie, Arts Council Tokyo.

Media support: Arterritory, We Make Money Not Art, Satori, Echo Gone Wrong.