The exhibition “RETROSPECTROPIA” will be displayed at the Liepaja Museum (Kurmajas pr. 16/18, Liepaja) until 30 July 2023 every day from 9 AM until 6 PM.
Curator: Anna Priedola. Artists in the exhibition: – 8 (Andris Vētra), Andrejs Poikāns, Diana Lelis, Gustavs Lociks, Kaspars Jaudzems, Krista Dintere, Līga Vēliņa, Maija Demitere, Paula Vītola, Rihards Vītols, Santa France.
The exhibition “RETROSPECTROPIA” will be displayed at the Liepāja Museum (Kurmajas pr. 16/18, Liepaja) from June 9 until 30 July 2023. Opening: June 8 at 5 PM.
The exhibition “RETROSPECTROPIA” gives an insight into ghosts, myths, assumptions, and surprising turns of human imagination and emotions created by new communicative spaces created by various technologies, gathering works of 15 artists coming from the New Media community created by the Art Research Lab (MPLab).
A strong, sustained interest in media art in the Baltic context is a unique feature of Latvian art. 15 years have passed since 2007, when the 1st year students started their studies in New Media Art in Liepaja University. The range of research subjects of New Media Art students ranges from video, photo and sound art to experiments in augmented and virtual reality, challenging both the audiences and technologies.
Curator: Anna Priedola.
Artists in the exhibition: – 8 (Andris Vētra), Andrejs Poikāns, Diana Lelis, Gustavs Lociks, Kaspars Jaudzems, Krista Dintere, Līga Vēliņa, Maija Demitere, Paula Vītola, Rihards Vītols, Santa France
The annual international festival “Sound Days” opened on 27 and 28 May with an exhibition and open workshops. The festival took place from 27 May to 4 June in Liepāja, 20 Kuršu Street, Liepāja University and in the cultural space “Pegasus Courtyard”.
The 2023 festival is dedicated to the search for an in-between space in visual arts, audio culture and literature. “Sound Days is a meeting and collaboration platform for young artists, musicians, students, professionals and others interested in sound, art, music, language and technology.
On Saturday, 27 May at 19.00, the festival exhibition dedicated to the study of the interaction between sound and text opens.
Artists Artūrs Punte and Jēkabs Voļatovskis, exploring the intonations and rhythms of the poem, have created an electromagnetic acoustic string instrument that reveals the musical impulse of the poem. The media artist Diana Lelis has recorded her stream of consciousness in time and space, taking the form of text and sound. Emerging artists Mikus Svikulis and Raivo Mihailovs, students of New Media Art at the Liepaja University, also participate in the exhibition with sound art installations. Mikus Svikulis has created an interactive photoacoustic installation, while Raivo Mihailovs gave a performance at the opening and invited everyone to answer the question – “who will win now?”.
In Diana Lelis’ workshop “If every single / Chain ant / Had a name”, participants unleashed their imaginations by working in collage – using texts, images and shapes to create poems, stories, characters and other imaginative scenes.
Paula Vītola and Krista Dintere created the workshop “Senses – Sounds” within the framework of the project “Skolas soma”. It was open to a wider audience on the day of the festival’s open workshops. The artists introduced visitors to the fascinating world of sounds, demonstrating wind harps and learning different listening methods. There was also the opportunity to learn about and try out the audio-visual synthesiser, which creates sounds with stroboscopic light and rotating discs using a photoacoustic effect.
The interplay between sound and text will also be discovered and explored in other festival activities taking place throughout the week: workshops, audiovisual performance evenings, an exhibition, readings of poetry and other creative texts, artist presentations, demonstrations, etc.
The workshop leaders are various artists from Latvia and abroad working in and between the fields of sound, visual and various other arts: Olivia Jack (US/DE), programmer and developer of the live visualisation tool Hydra; Antye Greie-Ripatti (AGF) (DE/FI), sound sculptor and inclusive feminist activist; Friedemann Dupelius (DE), experimental musician, DJ and text artist; Tobias Hartmann (DE), researcher and digital sound artist; Reinis Semēvics, acoustic artist and one of the creators of the Internet radio platform “Tīrkultūra / Unexpected Sources Audio Gallery Radio”; Platonas Buravickis, electroacoustic music composer, pianist and improviser; Maxime Shenteliev, sound artist, researcher and architect; Artūrs Punte, poet and artist, member of the Orbīta collective.
On 30 May, a performance by Juan Duarte Regino (MX/FI) and Anton Filatov (DE) will also take place at 9 Market Street, where you can experience a deep listening improvisation that uses drone sounds and textures to reflect the changing seasons and soundscapes of the weather. Duarte is a Mexican artist based in Finland who creates artworks with environmental sounds, exploring ways of perceiving nature and technology. Until 30 June, Duarte is an artist in the Baltic-Nordic Art, Science and Techno-ecology Residency Programme organised by the new media culture centre RIXC. Anton Filatov is a Berlin-based artist from Karelia who works in the interspace between digital, physical and spoken media and creates audiovisual experiments in close connection with physical space.
On 2 June, there will also be activities dedicated to literature and experiments – readings by Elina Bakule-Weir and Ivars Šteinbergs and short-form workshops, in which the authors will give insights into their research and present different methods of creating sound poems. The evening will also include readings by young writers from the University of Liepaja and multimedia performances.
On Saturday, 3 June, we invite you to the closing event of Sound Days, which will take place on three stages throughout the festival area, both in the Pegasus Courtyard and in the Liepaja University building.
The evening will start at 17.00 with presentations and performances of the results of the festival workshops.
From 19.00 onwards, a diverse and experimental programme of audiovisual performances will follow, with the participation of workshop leaders Friedeman Dupelius, Platonas Buravickis, Reinis Semēvics, Artūrs Punte and Maksims Šenteļevs. Rabenau and Mellamellene with aural music, text and media artist Diana Lelis in synergy with electronic music artist Mahi F. Bukimi, media artist Paula Vītola, audio-visual organism Trihars and others.
“Sound Days” is organised by ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education and Liepaja University Art Research Laboratory (MPLab), in collaboration with the Liepaja University Writing Studies Programme and the cultural space Pegasus Courtyard.
Supported by the Liepaja Municipality Culture Board, the State Culture Capital Foundation (VKKF) and Liepaja University.
Performances and exhibition. Friday, March 31 at MPLab
Performance and exhibition was the final event of the festival. The unique audio-visual performance “Random Encounter” was created just for this event. The “Random Encounter” is a new collaboration between the experimental music group “Nejausi” (Roberts Dinters, Valdis Skarevics) and the French performance group “Live Animated Orchestra” (Marie-Anne Bacquet, Stephanie Cadoret). During the Friday evening, visitors were also welcomed to see artworks created during the week of workshops and masterclasses.
Film screening and performative lecture. Monday, March 27 at Culture House Wiktorija
The film screening program included a performative lecture by the Dutch artist Dani Ploeger and the showing of his short film “The Cults”. Other films and animations in the program: documentaries and short films by Liepaja University students, animations by students of the Cologne Media Arts Academy and a screening of the results of the international student cooperation project “You+Me”.
Masterclass “3D sculpting in VR”. Tuesday, March 28
The participants of the master class learned how to create 3D models, objects and characters using virtual reality (VR) tools. This technique is intuitive, even playful, and did not require participants to haveany specific computer skills or previous knowledge in 3D. The masterclass was hosted by Rogier Jupijn and Agnese Damberga.
Workshops and Masterclasses
UPDATE festival consisted of 5 workshops and masterclasses. Workshops participants learned story writing and techniques for creating drama and tension, they discovered the video as medium to reflect on the era, the different approaches to green screen and special effects in film and live stream, and laserscanning. Another workshop focused on soundtracks and sound recording techniques for film and animation. Workshops were hosted by: Zilvinas Lilas (DE/LT), Shawn Pinchbeck (CA/EE), Dani Ploeger (NL), Raimondas Paškevičius (LT), and Nidas Kaniušas (LT).
During the week, there were 2 masterclasses available for the public: AI for Creatives by Laura Wagner (DE) and Creativity Through Spontaneity, Improvisation, And Play by Tobin Asher (US).
Illustrations in the gallery were created during the “AI for Creatives” masterclass.
During the Film and Animation Festival UPDATE participants acquired such skills as laser scanning, script writing, the role of video in activism, different approaches to green screen and special effects in film and live stream, 3D sculpting for virtual reality (VR) and machine learning for creating visual artworks. On Friday at the Art Research Laboratory (MPLab, Kūrmājas pr. 13 (basement)) anyone interested will be able to see the workshop results presented in a pop-up exhibition. Doors open from 19:00.
Friday evening program:
19:00 – workshop hosts and participants will present their works,
20:00 – performance by “Random Encounters”,
21:00 – audiovisual performances by festival participants.
Visitors will be able to try various activities themselves, such as 3D sculpting in VR, take photos in front of a green screen, view different VR, sound, video, and animation works created during the week.
The main event of the evening is the performance by “Random Encounters”, a unique project created as part of this festival. “Random Encounters” is a collaborative project between the experimental music group “Nejausi” (Roberts Dinters, Valdis Skarevics) and the French performance group “Live Animated Orchestra” (Marie-Anne Bacquet, Stephanie Cadoret). The performance will start around 20:00.
All performances will be also available for online. Register on the website to receive the link: https://update.mplab.lv/.
UPDATE is organized by ASTE, a collective of media artists based in Liepaja and Liepaja University Art Research Lab (MPLab, https://mplab.lv). UPDATE is created with the support of State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF).
From March 27 to 31, the UPDATE festival dedicated to moving images will take place in Liepaja and online. The festival program is intended for artists as well as anyone interested in art and technologies, film and animation techniques, as well as those who just want to try something new. All festival activities are free and in English.
UPDATE festival consists of workshops, master classes, film screenings and performance. Workshops participants will learn how to write a script and techniques for creating drama and tension, they will discover the role of video in activism, the use of AI in animation, the different approaches to green screen and special effects in film and live stream. Another workshop will focus on soundtracks and sound recording techniques for a film and animation. During the week, there will also be an extensive public evening program, with film screenings, master classes and performances.
Monday, March 27 from 17:00 at the Culture House Wiktorija (Graudu street 36/38, Liepaja).
The film screening will start with a performative lecture by the Dutch artist Dani Ploeger, whose practice in recent years has been focusing on crisis-areas and the showing of his short film “The Cults”. Other films and animations in the program consist of documentaries and short films by Liepaja University students, animations by students of the Cologne Media Arts Academy and a screening of the results of the international student cooperation project “You+Me”.
Master class “3D Sculpting in VR”
Tuesday, March 28 from 17:00 to 19:00 at the Art Research Laboratory, MPLab (in the basement of Kurmajas pr. 13, Liepaja)
The participants of the master class will learn how to create 3D models, objects and characters using virtual reality (VR) tools. This technique is intuitive, even playful, participants do not need specific computer skills or previous knowledge in 3D or any other modelling.
The masterclass will start with a 30-minute introductory lecture and training on how to use VR tools and controllers. After that, the participants, with the guidance of the master class hosts, will use VR glasses and controllers to create object in a virtual space. The master class will be hosted by Rogier Jupijn and Agnese Damberga.
Master class “Basics Of AI For Creatives”
Wednesday, March 29 from 17:00 to 19:00 online (register on the website to receive the ZOOM link)
The master class will provide an insight into artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques in “simple and easy” language. The target audience of this master class is everyone who is interested in AI, especially young artists, and art students. The master class will be hosted by Martins Dabolins.
Master class “Creativity Through Spontaneity, Improvisation, and Play”
Thursday, March 30 from 17:00 to 19:00 online (register on the website to receive the ZOOM link)
The participants of the master class will go on a journey of self-discovery, trying to discover how to overcome the boundaries that we have created for ourselves. Participants will explore tools and techniques for stepping out of linear thought and make space for novel experiences to take form. The master class will be hosted by: Tobin Asher.
Exhibition of audio-visual performances and workshop results
Friday, March 31 at the Art Research Laboratory, MPLab (in the basement of Kurmajas pr. 13, Liepaja). Doors open at 19:00
At the end of the UPDATE festival, everyone is invited to see the exhibition of the results of the workshops that took place during the week in a pop-up exhibition.
As the final event of the festival, we offered a unique audio-visual performance “Random Encounters” that has been created just for this event. The “Random Encounters” is a new collaboration between the experimental music group “Nejausi” (Roberts Dinters, Valdis Skarevics) and the French performance group “Live Animated Orchestra” (Marie-Anne Bacquet, Stephanie Cadoret). The performance will start around 20: 00.
UPDATE is organized by ASTE, a collective of media artists based in Liepaja and Liepaja University Art Research Lab (MPLab, https://mplab.lv). UPDATE is created with the support of State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF).
The focus of the UPDATE festival is the moving image – film and animation. During the festival, anyone interested can attend workshops and masterclasses, as well as take part in film screening, performances, and networking events. All festival events are free of charge for everyone. The festival will be held from the 27th to the 31st of March in Liepaja and online. Program, workshop, and masterclass descriptions can be found at https://update.mplab.lv/. All events during the festival will be in English.
The festival title – UPDATE – is inviting everyone to upgrade, to modernize, to improve their skill set, to expand their opportunities, and expand their professional network, as well as add new entries to their CV’s and portfolios. The UPDATE festival is organized to give participants the opportunity to learn new, specific skills and technologies. Workshops take place from Monday to Thursday, from 11 AM to 3 PM. Masterclasses take place from Tuesday to Thursday from 5 PM to 7 PM. Masterclasses will be available for online participants. Since all workshops are related to the acquisition of specific equipment, participation in the workshops is possible only in-person.
UPDATE is organized by ASTE, a collective of media artists based in Liepaja and Liepaja University Art Research Lab (MPLab, https://mplab.lv). UPDATE is created with the support of State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF).
To celebrate the end of this year, ASTE, a Liepaja based collective of artists, and the creators of ART+ are offering three special augmented reality objects now available using ART+ app. The new objects are located next to the “Great Amber” concert hall, on the Vecā ostmala promenade and next to the Liepāja Latvian Society House.
AR app ART+ was created in Liepāja in 2021, and currently offers 30 artworks in different places around Liepaja. ART+ collection contains works on a wide variety of topics – conceptual, research-based works, sound artworks, data visualizations, as well as the artist’s self-expressions and reflections on world events. ART+ artworks are created for audiences of all ages, including children.
To use ART+, you will need to go to the app store and download (or update) the application (Google Play or Apple Store). Links are available on the website: https://artplus.app. To view the artwork, you will need a phone or a tablet with internet and GPS. ART+ will work on iPhones newer than the 6S; and Android devices with ARCore. ART+ will unfortunately not work on devices that do not have Google Services.
If you do not have a suitable device or it is impossible to go to the locations of the artworks, ART+ works are available in a web browser and can be viewed from anywhere, on any device with internet. You can go to the ART+ website and click on “Go to Map” (https://artplus.app/map/).
The ART+ curator will be happy to accompany groups on tours of ART+ works and talk more about the technical and artistic process of creating the app and artworks. For communication: Maija Demitere (maija.demitere@gmail.com, +371 29948430).
ART+ is created by ASTE, a Liepaja based collective of artists. All ASTE activities in 2022 are supported by Liepaja Municipality support for NGO’s and State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF) support for NGO’s. ART+ artworks are created with the support of Liepaja Municipality, Liepaja City Municipality institution “Culture Department”, Kurzeme Planning Region, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF). ART+ objects are created as part of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus project “Growing Food In Liepaja” and is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
The exhibition “/ TEHNO / ECO / SYSTEMS” is created as part of the New Media and Digital Art Festival UPDATE that took place from Nov 21 until Nov 26, 2022.
Please enjoy the created works, new knowledge and video recordings of all the UPDATE events on our specially created online exhibition experience: https://update.aste.gallery
The exhibition will be open until December 18, 2022 (Zivju iela 10/12, Liepaja).
UPDATE is organized by ASTE, a collective of media artists based in Liepaja and Liepaja University Art Research Lab (MPLab, https://mplab.lv). ASTE activities in 2022 are supported by Liepaja Municipality support for NGO’s and State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF) support for NGO’s. UPDATE is created with the support of Liepaja Municipality, Liepaja City Municipality institution “Culture Department”, Kurzeme Planning Region, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF), Liepaja University and RIXC. UPDATE events are created as part of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus project “Growing Food in Liepaja” and is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
ART+ will not run on devices that don’t support Google services.
ART+ was created to allow digital, sound art, 3D and conceptual artists to exhibit their work publicly without gallery restrictions. ART+ features visual, conceptual, interactive, educational and also playful works for children. ART+ artists create and exhibit what they feel is relevant, so artworks in the app are diverse, and the creators of ART+ are confident that everyone will be able to find a topic that interests them.
Magical and ecological works
Since ART+ brings together artists who are also researchers from different fields, most ART+ works are based on data, concepts, reflect scientific processes and ideas. This year, a large part of works are related to ecology and food. Visually, the new ART+ works look magical, fantastic – evergreen fields, root forests, glittering himmeli, fish swimming in the air, huge, generative vines, food towers, scanned living rooms and other works.
In the “Anna’s market” square, two works can be seen that show the eating habits of Latvians – food towers and potato piles show how much and what kind of food we eat in a year. Potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, carrots and cabbages stretched into the sky and swaying in the wind, but potato piles can be used to compare how eating habits have changed – Latvians today wat almost twice less potatoes than 10 years ago.
In the Radi Vidi Pats community garden ART+ users can see “Another Way to Grow” – an aquaponics system that is designed so that the viewer can study every detail and component; also from within. Aquaponics is a plant growing method that uses fish and fish waste to grow plants in water.
In Seaside Park, near the Monument For The Fishermen And Sailors Lost At Sea, two works can be seen, each of which in its own way illustrates the problems regarding lawns. “White Clover” is an evergreen meadow placed on top the park’s lawn, reminding the viewer that clover could be a beautiful and ecological alternative to the traditional lawn. While the work “Roots” visualizes the reason why some plants, such as lawn grass, need to be watered in the summer, while others, such as clover, tolerate drought much better.
Elza Ozola’s “Digital Leftovers” is the artist’s comment on our digitally connected rooms and on the busyness of today’s human mind, the constant daily anxiety and stress, symbolized in the work by scanned messes of different people. Kaspar Levald’s “Traveler from another reality” also comments on online communication tools – how friends, acquaintances, colleagues today are faces on flat screens.
The work of Marta Gutmane can be seen at the entrance of the Liepaja Latvian Society House, which illustrates the anxiety felt by the artist and the changes in eating habits caused by the increasingly alarming climate and energy crisis.
“Rockabye” by sound artist Krista Dintere and himmeli made by Patrick Borgeat can be found in the children’s playground of Seaside Park. Both artists use the idea of repetition in the work that they created together. Right next to “Rockabye”, there is another audiovisual work of art – a huge, generative creeper that responds to piano music. Headphones are recommended when viewing both of these works.
How to view work in augmented reality?
The viewer will need a smartphone or a tablet (with GPS and internet connection). The viewer needs to go to the app store and download ART+. If you already have ART+ on your device, you need to go to the app store and update it.
A virtual object is located at a specific location shown on the map. The viewer must find this place and step onto the point, then he will be given the opportunity to press the button “View the artwork”. At this point, the object is placed on top or next to the viewer, and they can start their experience – walk around or enter the artwork, step back to see the object as a whole, or go closer to look at textures.
If something seems to have gone wrong, if the object does not look as it should, restart the app.
The ART+ curator will be happy to accompany groups on tours of ART+ works and tell more about the technical and artistic process of creating the app and artworks. For communication: Maija Demitere (maija.demitere@gmail.com, +371 29948430).
ART+ is created by ASTE, a Liepaja based collective of artists. All ASTE activities in 2022 are supported by Liepaja Municipality support for NGO’s and State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF) support for NGO’s. ART+ artworks are created with the support of Liepaja Municipality, Liepaja City Municipality institution “Culture Department”, Kurzeme Planning Region, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (VKKF). ART+ objects are created as part of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus project “Growing Food In Liepaja” and is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
