Arturs Punte, Jekabs Volatovskis. Gauja Manuport No. 2, 2025. Photo: Lelde Gūtmane

During Riga Art Week (RAW), as part of Gallery Late on May 29, RIXC Gallery will remain open until 22:00 and invites you to an Artist Talk by Artūrs Punte and Jēkabs Voļatovskis: "Reconstructing Sound Landscapes" at 6-7PM. 

In the lecture, the artists will present the project “Strenči Sonification Station” by the text group “Orbīta”, which experiments with recording and using the energy of nature to create sound, in the framework of a plein-air workshops. The presentation will demonstrate data recording methods and reveal how nature's invisible processes can be transformed into material for a contemporary art installation.
After the lecture, visitors are invited to ask questions and share their impressions with the artists in an informal atmosphere.

The exhibition "Gauja Manuport No. 2" is based on the ancient notion of art as a reproduction of nature. It offers a unique opportunity to experience the interplay of sounds and energy in the landscape, acquired during the plein-air sessions at the Strenči Sonification Station in the summer of 2024.

The plein-air experiments involved the use of "free energy" to create sound, using both innovative methods and traditional renewable resources. Extended field recordings were also made, combining the acoustic atmosphere and the inaudible electrical oscillations caused by natural processes. In the gallery, these recordings are transformed into a "landscape scale model", an installation that reflects the plein air environment in miniature. 

The title of the work refers to the concept of archaeology and anthropology, which refers to finds that have been displaced - manually moved from elsewhere - and are not specific to the excavation site. Most often, it is a beautiful shell or stone that an ancient person found attractive and interesting enough to take with them and carry far away from the seashore - to their place of residence. The authors of this work works in a similar way - he manually "relocates" a whole corner of nature in the city gallery. 

Artūrs Punte is a poet, artist and one of the founders of the collective Orbīta. Author of four poetry books and co-author of several exhibitions. He is curating the projects Strenči Sonification Station and Riga Poetry Map. In recent years he has focused on sound installations and the creation of unconventional instruments.

Jēkabs Voļatovskis is a metal sculptor and one of the most prominent, yet also arguably the most "invisible", figures in the Latvian experimental music scene. He is passionate about unconventional, handmade musical instruments and the unique sounds they produce, which give his performances their unique character.

Supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Riga City Council, Riga Art Week (RAW)

https://www.rigaartweek.com/en/home