Open Fields Conference & Exhibition

Following the last year's successful launch of Renewable Futures – the biannual travelling conference series – this year RIXC with its European partners from Changing Weathers project, and other collaborating institutions and universities from the Baltic Sea region and Europe, are introducing Open Fields, aiming to develop it towards an annual Riga based gathering for the discussion on artistic reseach, the changing role of arts in societies, art's transformative potential, and relations to sciences.

Open Fields investigates the use of data visualizations and other mappings of the contemporary. It looks into areas such as open commons, the future of social interaction, data representation and visualisation, critical design, sustainable infrastructures, eco-aesthetics, techno-ecologies, bio-hacking and other techniques of a transformative potential. No Field is excluded, yet there should always be a connection with art; it is highly likely that art works and conference papers will touch on several Fields, not one. It is such an enhanced understanding of transdisciplinarity that drives this undertaking.

Conference keynote speakers:

• Christiane PAUL / New School / Whitney Museum / New York
• Jussi PARIKKA / Winchester School of Art / University of Southampton / UK
• Monica BELLO / Arts At CERN/ Switzerland
• and others – tbc.
  * Participatory sessions and Book-Reviews by Authors

The Conference also features “Open Fields – Book Review” (20"x20/PechaKucha format) session, providing an opportunity for the speakers to present their new books for other participants and the audience.

Conference programme, 28. September – 1. October, 2016

Wednesday, 28. September

12.00 – Press conference
The National Library of Latvia, Address: Mūkusalas iela 3, Riga
18.00 – Opening of the “Turnton, a small city on the sea” exhibition by Time's Up (AT/AU)
RIXC Gallery, Address: 11. novembra krastmala 35, entrance from Minsterejas iela 

Thursday, 29. September

14.00 – Conference Registration
15.00 – Plenary Session: The Contemporary Condition – Key Concepts (Aarhus University / Contemporaneity Research Group)
PUBLIC KEYNOTE LECTURES:
16.30 – Jussi PARIKKA (Winchester School of Art / University of Southampton / UK)
17.30 – Christiane PAUL (New School / Whitney Museum / US).
19.00 – The Opening of the Open Fields Exhibition and RIXC Festival Reception
The National Library of Latvia

Friday, 30. September

09.30 – Conference Day 1: CONTEMPORANEITY / ART AS RESEARCH
Featured session by Liepaja university's Art Research Lab / Thematic keynotes / Parallel sessions
17.00 – Open Fields Book Review 1 (Featured session): book discussion by Armin MEDOSCH and Christiane PAUL.
The National Library of Latvia 

Saturday, 1. October

10.00 – 16.00 Conference Day 2: ECO-AESTHETICS / ART AND SCIENCE
Featured session by Changing Weathers project partners / Thematic keynotes / Parallel sessions
16.00 – PUBLIC KEYNOTE LECTURE: Monica BELLO (Arts at CERN / CH)
17.00 – 18.00 Open Fields Book Review 2 (20”x20 / Pecha Kucha format) presentations: by authors – Open Fields participants // Festival Closing: Art-Science Cocktails
The National Library of Latvia

Exhibition

RIXC Art Science Festival 2016 presents two exhibitions – at the National Library of Latvia and at the RIXC Gallery.

Open Fields

The OPEN FIELDS international media art exhibition at the exhibition halls of the recently opend new building of the National Library of Latvia represents works by artists, artists-researchers and data designers, who are challenging the notion of art and contemporary aesthetics by moving across, bringing together and converging different knowledge, various media and diverse fields, as well as using scientific, cultural and social data as new artistic medium, and interpreting them in a new and meaningful ways.

The exhibition at the library is open from 30. September until 2. October, 2016. 
Opening – 29. September, at 19.00.
Venue: the National Libary of Latvia, address: Mūkusalas iela 3.

Exhibition curator: Dr. Raitis SMITS / RIXC / the Art Academy of Latvia.

Turnton, a small city on the sea

The RIXC Gallery hosts the "Turnton, a small city on the sea" exhibition by artists Time's Up (AT/AU), which opens on the eve of the RIXC Art Science Festival.

Exhibition dates: 29. September – 5. October, 2016.
Opening – 29. September, at 18:00.
Venue: RIXC Gallery, address: 11. novembra krastmala 35, entrance from Minsterejas iela, Riga.

Proceeding

The papers are published in the Acoustic Space Journal #15.

OPEN FIELDS – Art and Science Research Practices in the Network Society
Edited by Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, Armin Medosch
255 pages, available from RIXC or in Amazon.

DATES:
Conference 29. September – 1. October, 2016
Exhbition 29. September – 5. November, 2016

LOCATION: Exhibition Hall of the National Library of Latvia, Riga.

CONFERENCE CHAIR: Dr. Rasa SMITE / RIXC / Art Research Lab, Liepaja University, Latvia
FESTIVAL AND EXHIBITION CURATORS: Dr. Raitis SMITS, Ainars KAMOLINS, Dr. Rasa SMITE
PLAYING FIELDS SESSION will be organized and moderated by Armin MEDOSCH / Austria
LANGUAGE: English