[spectre] ENERGY--art+communication2009 festival--starts this week

[Rasa Smite]

Dear Spectre,
please find below the information about this year 
Art+Communication festival of which this year's 
theme is ENERGY.
Festival website: http:/rixc.lv/09
see you in Riga this weekend? :)
Rasa

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ENERGY
ART+COMMUNICATION 2009
XI International festival for new media culture
October 8 - 10, 2009 in Riga, Latvia



"Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it 
can only be transformed." (The law of 
conservation of energy)

The 11th edition of "Art+Communication" festival 
in Riga with this year's theme: Energy, will 
investigate the notion of 'sustainable 
development' from various perspectives - 
artistic, scientific, cultural, technological, 
social, architectural, and environmental.

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* Conceptual background:

Energy makes change (E=mc2)

In nature, energy is found in many different 
forms - kinetic (avalanches), motion (wind), 
sound (thunder), water (rain), thermal (fire), 
electrical (lightening), magnetic (Earth's 
magnetic field), radiant (light), etc. Energy is 
involved in all processes that take place in 
Universe and on Earth.

In human society, energy is the most essential 
resource driving its economy and its future 
development. Now, in the twenty-first century, it 
has turned out that human society with its 
information technologies need more resources to 
sustain its development then ever before. Yet, 
currently used forms of terrestrial energy 
production known today, have turned out to be 
finite, non-sustainable, posing a serious danger 
to the climate, people and environment.

Creative ideas and new approach today is 
requested nearly in all fields, while sustainable 
development of both energy and information 
technologies have become key issues in nowadays. 
Smart devices and energy internet, clean and 
renewable energy resources, alternative and 
ecological design and production methods, open 
source and hybrid approaches to information 
technologies - are just few of the broad 
potential quests that could change the future 
landscape of sustainability.

"The quest for a sustainable world may succeed, 
or it may fail. If it fails, the world will 
become unthinkable. If it works, the world will 
become unimaginable. In practice, people will 
experience mixed success". (Bruce Sterling)

Yet, scenario of "saving the world" can only have 
any success, if people from different fields - 
scientists and artists, politicians and business 
people, theorists and practitioners, futurists 
and engineers, producers and consumers, etc. - 
will eventually be open for new ideas and new 
collaborations.

The Energy festival will offer a space of 
exchange for an interdisciplinary group of 
participants, who will share their scientific and 
artistic, utopian and critical visions of future 
terrestrial energy.


*Themes:

I ENERGY IN NATURE AND SOCIETY: - The concept of 
energy and its various contexts: in Universe and 
on Earth - Invisible energy: in myths and 
legends, in nature and science - Energy 
technologies: in human life and in information 
society

II CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF SUSTAINABILITY: - 
Environmental science research, climate change 
and ecology - Permaculture and biosystem design - 
Historical traditions vs. modern alternative 
solutions in urban planning and architecture - 
Alternative economy and futuristic visions of 
sustainable living -

III INFORMATION AND ENERGY: - Synergetic and 
co-relation between information and energy - 
Smart devices and Energy Internet - 
Sustainability using open source approaches: in 
art, culture, ecology, architecture, 
environmental design -

IV ART AND SCIENCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY: - Dye 
sensitized solar technologies - Green chemistry: 
new approach in biotechnology - Artistic 
explorations of clean and renewable energy 
technologies (sun, wind, water, tides, biomass, 
etc.) -

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* Festival programme

Thursday, October 8
14.00 Press conference - in RIXC Gallery at Spikeri (2nd floor)
19.00 Opening of the festival and ENERGY 
exhibition - in RIXC Gallery at Spikeri
21.00 Concert: John Wiese/US (in collaboration 
with Sound Forest) - in Meta Kafe at Spikeri.

Friday, October 9
10.00 - 17.00 Conference "Energy. Scientific and 
artistic, utopian and critical visions" - in 
Spikeri (3rd floor)
15.00 - 18.00 "Light pollution harvesting" workshop - in RIXC Media Space
21.00 - Film: "The Yes Men Fix the World" - in RIXC Media Space

Saturday, October 10
11.00 - 18.00 Conference "Energy. Scientific and 
artistic, utopian and critical visions" - in 
Spikeri (3rd floor), including: 12.00 - 14.00 
Live online discussion "Electrosmog" between 
Amsterdam and Riga. 
14.00 - 17.00 "Energy abundance" workshop - in RIXC Media Space
21.00 - Live performance: "Mortals Electric" by 
Telcosystems/NL - in RIXC Media Space

Addresses of festival venues:
Spikeri ("kim?"), Maskavas iela 12/1
RIXC Media Space, 11. novembra krastmala 35, entrance from Minsterejas ielas.

Free entrance to all festival events.

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* Participants:

The Energy conference will gather together an 
international group of artists, science 
researchers, engineers, activists, sociologists, 
philosophers, architects, designers, futurists, 
and other lateral thinkers, who are engaged with 
the issues of sustainable development, in 
relation to the themes proposed above.

Exhibition artists: Jeroen Holthuis (NL), Joanna 
Hoffmann (PL), Joyce Hinterding / David Haines 
(AU), Michel de Broin (CA), Folke Köbberling / 
Martin Kaltwasser / Antje Grabenhorst (DE), 
Charles and Ray Eames (US), KriSs Salmanis (LV), 
Gints Gabrans (LV), Myriel Milicevic / Hans Kadel 
(DE), Katharina Mischer / Thomas Traxler (AT) / 
Hans-Christian Schink (DE).

Conference speakers: Michel Bauwens / 
Peer-to-Peer Foundation (BE), Ludger Hovestadt, 
Vera Bühlmann / ETH Zurich / CAAD - Institute for 
Technology in Architecture ITA (CH), Julian 
Priest (DK/NZ), Bart Vandeput / Bartaku (BE), 
Christina Stadlbauer (BE), Gert Aertsen (BE), 
Akos Maroy (HU), Anu Osva / Finnish Bioart 
Society (FI), John Reshaur Enevoldsen / Wind 
Festival (Danija), Terike Haapoja (FI), Tina 
Finnas / Interactive Institute (SE), Tiina Sott 
(EE), Juris Zhagars / Ventspils university 
college / VIRAC (LV), Lise Skou (DE), Arnbjörn 
Ólafsson / RES, the School for Renewable Energy 
Science (IS), Ingrida Sahta / Riga Technical 
University, Institute of Textile Material 
Technologies and Design (LV), Niamh McDonnell 
(IE), Janis Kleperis, Liga Grinberga, Imants 
Dirba / Institute of Solid State Physics of 
University of Latvia (LV), Ilze Klepere, LU 
Faculty of Biology (LV), Rasa Smite / RIXC / Art 
Research Lab of Liepaja University / RSU (LV), 
Raitis Smits / RIXC / Latvian Arts Academy, Jon 
Cohrs (US), Erik Sjodin / Interactive Institute 
(SE), Solvita Krese / Latvian Contemporary Arts 
Center (LV), Signe Pucena / SERDE (LV).

Workshops will be conducted by Myriel Milicevic / 
Hans Kadel (DE), Vera Bühlmann / Ludger Hovestadt 
(CH).

Performance: Telcosystems (NL): "Mortals Electric".

Film programme: Yes Men (US) "The Yes Men Fix the World" (2009)

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* Organisers:

Festival is organised by The Center for New Media Culture RIXC
Exhibition - in collaboration with Contemporary Arts Museum's project "kim?"
Conference - in collaboration with Liepaja University Art Research Lab "MPLab"

Idea and conception: Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. 
Exhibition curator: Raitis Smits.
Scenography: Rudolf Bekic.
Design: Martins Ratniks
Producers: RIXC - Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, Daina 
Silina, Linda Vebere, Agnese Baranova.

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* Support:

State Cultural Capital Foundation, Riga 
Municipality Cultural Dept., Nordic Culture Fund, 
Nordic Culture Point, Hotel Elizabete.
Media support: Terra, Studija, Rigas Laiks, 
Dizaina Studija, Foto Kvartals, Baltic Outlook, 
Diena, Delfi.lv, Kultura.lv


* Contact and information:

The Center for New Media Culture RIXC
11. novembra krastmala 35-201, Riga, LV 1050, Latvia.

Rasa Smite <rasa at rixc.lv>,
Tel: +371-67228478 (office), +371-26546776 (mob.)

RIXC E-mail: <2009 at rixc.lv>
http://rixc.lv

Follow RIXC in Twitter: http://twitter.com/rixcriga

Festival ENERGY Website:
http://rixc.lv/09

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