Participants
Andris Indans
ANDZONS 'GAS OF LATVIA'
Gas of Latvia was created back in the year 1996 by Andris Indans alias Andzons, an authority of local underground scene. Since then 7 records have been released by this project, including the compilation of variations by 13 Latvian electronic music authors on the Gas’s track “inout”.
During this time the sound of Gas of Latvia has changed through half-acoustic experimental industrial to ambient, idm, noise. Yet it has maintained a deeply personal tone. It is best described by organizer of experimental music festival “Klang Wald” Viestarts Gailītis, whose epithet says: “naked beats + sorrowful melodies”.
In recent years music of Gas of Latvia has become even more deep, expressive and experimental. Collaboration with Latvian industrial label “Sturm” began.
Antonina Pilugina
Study in Art Academy of Latvia, Graphics Department student (2003 – up to date). Gratuated Riga Pushkin Junior College – Fine Arts Department. Since childhood have been taking part in various musical and artistic projects.
Musical activity: 1997-2000 “Legeza” music band – vocals, back vocals, flute.
2000-2002 “Raydo” music band - leader, vocal, flute, autor of songs.
Have taken a part in concerts of “ILI” band – flute. Have co-worked with a “Step dance” dancing group of a Baha’i community.
Since 2005 – the participant of “Volokno” project.
Study, work as a designer, as well work on her personal music project and take part in poetry project of Vita Jermolova, as an illustrator.
Rostislavs Rekuta
SOUND MECCANO
The first step in music was in '99, when I and my friend tryed to record some sounds and noises from environment. It was intersting and we started to make loops from that sounds and lay on one sound to another. Finaly we attached our synth and play some melodies over all recorded sounds, this is what we made. In this way was born our first project "Neuron Communication".
1,5 years after I recorded my first solo album, where I used only PC. It was absolutly digital album conception. There I used only one freeware programm, wich I downloaded from the net. And nothing more - no samples, different sounds and programms and standard presets. It was album "Digits Throw".
After that I started to look for some new conception again aka "Sound Meccano". And made some records with diffirent musicians. Where electro sound interlace with acoustic sounds and acoustic instruments (flute, cello). Now I have only promo material. Next album is under construction.
In 2004 - team-work with "Evgeniy Droomoff". Result - "volokno (ep)"
Since 1999 works with party and chill-out rooms organizations.
Create and participate in avantgard theatrical performances. Also play as a dj.
Now every Saturday night I have my own radioshow collaborate with "Deutche Welle" on Radio "NABA"96,2fm in Riga
Jevgenij Bakumenko
EVGENIY DROOMOFF
Started with audiodesign and experiments in electronic music sphere with project "Kriipis Tulo" in 2002. In 2001 - 2003took participation in functioning of Latvian experimental music label “Kolka” (now called “Audiot”).
Started work on two solo projects "JPitch" and "Evgeniy Droomoff" in 2003.
Since 2004 begining team-work with "SOUND MECCANO" electroacoustic project. As result - first EP "volokno".
Peteris Kimelis
Peteris Kimelis is the multimedia and video artist. Gratuated multimedia and video deapartment at the Royal University College of Fine Arts, Sweden (2001). Since 1997 works in electronic art and media centre RIXC and internet radio OZONE.
Since 2004 - artist and creator http://www.a4d.lv - a webspace for Latvian architecture. Since 1995 participating in various audio-video performances at various medai art festivals and public events. Since 2004 video artist and assistant for theatre performances at The Latvian National Opera "Tosca" and Dailes teātris. Mixed media performance "Reading-room", International Festival of Contemporary Theatre "Homo Novus", Riga (2005).
Oskars Poikans
Oskars Poikans is a musician and a computer artist. Graduated from Jana Rozentala College of Fine Arts, Department of Internet (2000) and Academy of Fine Arts in Latvia, Department of Visual Communication (2004). Currently studies at Academy of Fine Arts in Latvia, MA program at Department of Visual Communication.
Since 1999 participates both in exhibitions and projects worldwide and locally. Currently engaged with building non-traditional instruments of music (project “Tube” since 2004), both performing on them (participation in Man Choirs Festival of Baltic States together with quartet of Academic Choir of Latvia, playing self-made instruments, 2002; record of CD “ Līgo” by M. Taurins and Z. Smite, 2003 receiving the “Diena” prix).
Lauris Vorslavs & Girts Radzins
CLAUSTHOME
The main body of Clausthome is Lauris Vorslavs and Girts Radzinsh, with fragmental participation of Raimonds Berzinsh
(keyboards, samplers). Clausthome had started its activity back in 2000 as a rhythm’n’noise musical project.
Areas of interests: radionoise, AM&FM TV/radioscan, feedback technology and sci-fi horror.
Ilva Skulte
Born 1968 in Ogre, Latvia, after philology studies in University of latvia worked several years as translator (in collaboration with RIXC translated: Lev Manovich "The Language of New Media" and Tilman Baumgartel "Net.Art"), language teacher and journalist before defended the PhD theses in 1999: currently working as journalism program manager and teaching communication theories and visual communication at the Department of Communication Studies, Riga Stradins University
Normunds Kozlovs
Having philosophy and post-graduate sociology education background, currently lecturing on communication theories and social transformation issues at Riga Stradins University Communication studies department. PhD theses in progress on the counter-culture and new media topic.
Janis Garancs
After studies at the Latvian Academy of Arts, Riga/Latvia; Royal University of Fine Art (KKH) in Stockholm/Sweden and the Academy of Media Arts (KHM) in Cologne/Germany, continues to work as artist and consultant in areas of interactive multi-media installations, Virtual Reality, Internet and cultural network projects.
Recent solo and collaborative artworks — interactive and networked installations, featuring synthetic urban landscapes, geo-encoded and location-aware media - manifested in audiovisually intensive stereoscopic 3D projections and multi-channel audio, engage with concepts of contemporary theoretical physics, communication and evolution theories.
Another artistic research focus is “multi-media performance”, using self-developed “VR instruments” - virtual multimedia interfaces. Main aspects are exploration of the limits and extremes of audiovisual perception, experiments with artificial synaesthesia (crossing of sensory pathways) and treating immersive environments as place and tool for aesthetic experiments.
Participations with exhibitions, projects, lectures in many international events - Ars Electronica (1997,1998,2002) - Linz/Austria; EXPO2000 - Hanover/Germany; ISEA2004 Helsinki/Finland; DEAF04, Rotterdam/the Netherlands; Transmediale, Berlin/Germany; IMC EXPO, New York/US - and venues such as Kiasma, Helsinki/Finland; SAT, Montreal/Canada; BNMI - Banff/Canada, ICA - London/UK; Chelsea Art Museum, New York/US - among others.
Project Manager at RIXC – Riga New Media Culture Centre; and Director of RIXL studio, developing immersive audiovisual systems for live events, data visualisation and various hybrid environments.
Web page: http://www.garancs.net
Signe Pucena
Signe Pucena finished Master degree studies for Cultural Management in Latvian Academy of Culture. Since 2000 project manager at The Center for New Media & Culture – RIXC the co-producer of annual international media art festivals “Art+Communication” in Riga; the producer of various media art workshops and public events; the program director of internet radio OZONE
Since 2002 the coordinator of artists residencies program in Latvian artists union, the Centre for new media culture RIXC and the centre for interdisciplinary arts SERDE. Together with media artist and researcher Andrew Paterson works on MapMyths project as media and situated narratives researcher.
Davis Bojars
Davis Bojars is programmer, who most of his time lives, works and study in Riga, Latvia. His focus of interests in art are related to photography, programming and video art. He Have worked as photographer and programmer in a few of Latvia's urban culture magazines. Studies programming in University of Latvia and Since November, 2003 works as programmer and system administrator in RIXC, The Center for New Media Culture.
Voldemars Johansons
Voldemars Johansons works with audio/data in forms of composition, installation and performance, interfacing different media in hybrid forms. His work explores acoustics and signal processing, examining aspects of spatiality, physicality and interaction in context of real and virtual environments and their intersections.
His research interests address data interpretation and realtime processing; application of synthesis and modulation of multidimensional data/control structures as generative source for procedural interpretation in acoustic and visual domains, questioning aesthetic morphology that arises between two. He currently studies electronic music with Paul Berg, Joel Ryan, Kees Tazelaar at Institute of Sonology, Royal Conservatoire, The Hague.
During the residency I’m planning to explore different approaches to property extraction from objective reality of a city landscape. The process is similar to recording and sampling: gathering characteristic parametric data originating from different domains (aural, visual, physical/sensory) for use as semi-random unpredictable data source. Next to create audiovisual interpretations of collected data material, abstracting it from the origin by means of processing, in context of presentation / installation.
The objectives of this research span to directions of:
Implementation of objective-reality parameters as variables in control structure algorithms,
Interpretation of cross-domain data for use in automated visualisation/sonification representation,
Image data encoding/decoding via means of (digital)audio signal,
Encoded image data transmission over DIY wireless networks and/or radio.
Martins Ratniks
Martins Ratniks is an artist; since 1997 participating in activities at Centre of Electronic Arts and Media E-LAB and net radio OZONE. Since 2000 he is an active member of RIXC – Centre for New Media Culture – and author of visual concept and design (international festival “Art+Communication” logo and style, edition of the reader Acoustic Space).
Since 1998 member of artists group F5 (Famous Five), video artist, VJ and an author of visual concept. Graduated from College of Applied Art in Riga (1995), Academy of Fine Arts in Latvia, BA program at Department of Visual Communication (1999) and MA program in Academy of Fine Arts in Latvia (2001).
Since 1997 participating individually and together with F5 in art projects worldwide (Italy, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Finland, The Netherlands, Brasilia), including 51st Venice Biennale (“Bulb of the Darkness” with F5, 2005), 25th San Paulu Biennale (“Enjoy a lovely night” with F5, 2001) and locally – the most recent project in the exhibition “Jukas” (2005).
Together with F5 received an award in festival “Kristapa tapa” for the project “Bloody TV”. As a VJ and video artist participated in several international festivals of media art together with RIXC. As an artistic designer of books awarded in competition organized by Association of Book Publishing in Latvia (2004, 2001 and 2000).
Agnese Rucina
Agnese Rucina is an art manager, who works as a manager and coordinator of the projects involving media art, new media, contemporary classical music and electronic music. She has graduated The Latvian Academy of Culture and proceeded Master's degree of arts.Since November, 2004 works as a director of Medhiateca in RIXC, The Center for New Media Culture and since May, 2003 coordinate the Artists in Residencies and information exchange program.
Agrita Ozolina
Born in 1985, 3rd of March in Madona, Latvia. Till age of sixteen lived in village Aiviekste. From 2000 year living in Riga. In 2003 started to study in University of Latvia, Law Faculty. From 2004 take a part in RIXC projects, performing projects reports, several kind of financial documents, summarize RIXC financial results in different time periods and assinting in projects coordination. Involved in Europien Union international projects as a accountant and also as an assistant for project coordinator.
Daina Silina
Born in 1981 in Riga, Latvia.
Started to work at the Center for New Media Culture in Riga in 2001 as the manager assistant. and currently works at RIXC as a project coordinator. Expierence in coordination of international festival “Art+Communications” from 2001 (the editions 5th, 6th and 7th).
Currently studies in Latvian Academy of Culture, Department of Theory and History of Culture, Graduate Programme of MA in Theory of Culture. Educational interests: sociology of culture – the fashion phenomen in transitional countries: the visuality of lifestyles.
Raitis Smits & Rasa Smite
Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits are media artists, event organisers and net activists, based in Riga, Latvia. Together with Janis Garancs they have establisehd the Electronic arts and media centre E-LAB (1996) and The Center for New Media Culture RIXC (2000) in Riga.
E-LAB / RIXC is organiser of the annual International new media culture festivals "Art+Communication" in Riga (since 1996) and publisher of the "Acoustic Space" magazine.
Since 1997 E-LAB's activities are devoted to development of internet radio OZONE (1997) and global net.radio network and mailinglist Xchange (since 1997).
The project XCHANGE Network, recieved Award of Distinction/ in the competition of electronic arts "PRIX Ars Electronica '98", Linz, Austria.
In 2001 (together with Derek Holzer) Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits organised The Acoustic Space Lab, International symposium on sound art, radio and satellite technologies at the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre in Irbene; and launched the Acoustic Space Lab Research Programme.
In 2003 (together with Marc Tuters, and RIXC) Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits initiated the first Locative Media workshop and meeting in Liepajas Karosta, and co-founded the Locative Network and mailinglist.
Their and RIXC's most recent project was coordination of the Trans-Cultural Mapping project (TCM) – Locative media workshop series on collaborative mapping (2004).
Ewen Chardronnet (France)
Adam Hyde (NewZealand)
Zita Joyce (NewZealand)
John Wilson (UK)
Aleksandar Erkalovic (Croatia)
Bureau D'etudes (France)
Helen Evans (France)
Saul Albert (UK)
Marc Tuters (Canada)
