The exhibition “Art Extends Lives” is open online – it displays eleven works of media and sound art in a virtual space, which allows the viewer to gain new experiences, new impressions, thus seemingly prolonging their life. The exhibition can be viewed on the website: https://gara.aste.gallery.
The exhibition is inspired by the research of neuroscientist David Eagleman on the perception of time. Eagleman explains with scientific methods why in childhood, when the days are filled with new experiences and discoveries, time passes relatively slower compared to adults who do, see, experience the same thing day by day. Our brains process new experiences and new information slower, whereas it does not waste time and energy reprocessing repetitive information. So, to seemingly prolong their lives, people need to stimulate their brains with new experiences daily, using all the senses available to us. The curator of the exhibition, Paula Vītola, invites you to prolong your life and deviate a little from your daily routine by visiting an online exhibition, because art allows you to gain new experiences and the artist is the person who creates and seeks these new experiences.
The artworks in the exhibition are created as personal research and reflection on lifestyle and perception. Diana Lelis provides an opportunity to immerse yourself in various layers of consciousness and subconscious through meditation and poetry. Krista Dintere has created a composition exploring handicraft as a method to reduce anxiety. Anna Priedola uses dairy products to visualize statistics on the development of dementia. Maija Demitere has created several “slow” media artworks as examples of more sustainable habits. Andrejs Poikāns offers to re-evaluate our daily routine and to fill the calendars with various unusual activities. Līga Vēliņa and Ieva Vīksne have visualized their daily lives in virtual data objects. Various materials and processes are explored in the artworks of Paula Vītola who has created a performance instrument based on simple, historical technologies that can create sound using light. Vītola believed that new experiences that promote curiosity can prolong life and improve its quality. Ivo Tauriņš has studied the material properties of glass in sound composition. The exhibition also features a robot created by Artis Kuprišs that serves as a performance instrument for the new life from a distance.
The exhibition was on display in Liepaja at the end of 2020, and now it is also available online, adapting the works of art to the virtual environment, thus providing an opportunity to see it to anyone interested, regardless of their location.
Exhibition artists: Diana Lelis, Krista Dintere, Līga Vēliņa, Ieva Vīksne, Ivo Tauriņš, Artis Kuprišs, Paula Vītola, Andrejs Poikāns, Anna Priedola, Maija Demitere, Rogier Jupjin.
The exhibition is produced by ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education and Liepaja University Art Research Laboratory (MPLab).
Exhibition is supported by the Liepaja municipality administration, Kurzeme Planning Region, State Culture Capital Foundation and Liepaja University. The exhibition was created with the support of the European Union program “Creative Europe”, the project “GREEN REVISITED. Encountering Emerging Naturecultures”.
