Responding to the current uncertainity and socio-economic storms, artists and researchers of MPLab are exploring the fragile structure of mental ecology in processual works, interactive installations, immersive sound and VR environments, and their online exhibition offers a journey through physical and virtual gardens planted for self-sustainability, mental exercise and retreat. Connect to the neuroacousting and photosonic online performances live on 12th of September 21:00 CET and on 13th of September 13:00 CET via resort.aste.gallery
Planting a Resort for Mental Ecology
People of Liepaja know very well that a garden is essential for keeping the status quo – without planting a park along the coast, the little seaside town would be consumed by sand, wind and water. The roots of trees keep the structure of the dunes stable, and people of Liepaja can retreat from the everyday struggles and storms in a safe and constant calmness of the garden environment.
“Planting a Resort for Mental Ecology” is a response to the current overwhelming political, environmental and economic uncertainity of today. Residing in the coastal resort town of Liepaja, the artists and researchers of MPLab are exploring the concept of mental ecology (Guattari 1989) and developing techno-ecological systems and strategies for well-being during the times of change. In the web-based exhibition online visitors will be able to discover vernacular social practices of building places for psycho-emotional retreat; deep technology driven methods for the exploration of the mental sphere, and intimate acts of nurturing the well-beign of oneself.
Preview Video
Credit: Liga_Velina
Credit: Gabriela Liivamägi
Credit: Artūrs Kalvāns
Credit: Maija Demitere (LV)
Credit: Edgars Pohevic
Credit: Didzis Grodzs
Project Credits / Acknowledgements
Liepāja University Art Research Laboratory MPLab (LV),
ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education (LV)
Curator: Anna Priedola
Artists: Maija Demitere (LV), Krista Dintere (LV), Rogier Jupijn (NL), Diana Lelis (LV), Tija Plāce (LV), Andrejs Poikāns (LV), Andra Strautiņa (LV), Līga Vēliņa (LV), Ieva Vīksne (LV), Paula Vītola (LV), Spāre Vītola (LV) Milda Ziemane (LV) etc.
Design: Uldis Hasners, Kaspars Jaudzems
Biographies
Diana Lelis’s (LV) practice and interests: analogue photography, text-art, analogue + digital (post-media, metanarratives). Art as self(re)search, performance art in djvj duet DIEVA. Her work ideas is to create and explore digital and analogue media, also environments. In her practice she finds new forms of aesthetics and interactivity with audience, environments. The main goal is to give & get fresh outlook and experience for herself and the audience.
Maija Demitere (LV) is an artist and researcher at Liepāja University exploring self-sustainability, slow media art and gardening as a method for nurturing a stable mental ecology. During the festival she will plant a live-streaming robot in her workshop, which also serves as a greenhouse. The artist explores the concept and reality of self-sustainability – living in a vegetable garden 24/7, indoors and outdoors, to provide herself with all the needed calories. Visitors of the online exhibition will be able to control the robot remotely to explore Maija Demitere’s model of a sustainable garden in detail.
Krista Dintere (LV) is a sound artist working on immersive sound environments which explore the evolution from “original” to “representation” and from “representation” to “original” in sound recording and sound generation techniques. Her composition uses the healing effect of bees buzzing and compares to with similar artificial drone sounds.
Tija Plāce (LV) is exploring ecomimesis and the ability to simulate healing biophilic experiences via technology in the context of the Next Nature.
Andrejs Poikāns (LV) is a sound and new media artist exploring the shift in commodification of identity in the time of Artificial Intelligence. His generated sound art piece The Garden is an exploration of intimacy in the context of overwhelming artificiality. Drawn from the notion of J. Derrida, if “voice is consciousness” it is utterly strange – or even uncanny – to imagine the traces of one’s consciousness and body being separated from oneself, copied, stored, commodified.
Andra Strautiņa (LV) has explored the illegal but beloved Liepāja pet cemetery, and documented the last traces of the interspecies relationship which is sustained for the reason of mental wellbeing.
Līga Vēliņa (LV) and Ieva Vīksne (LV) By exploring different methods of mental hygiene and wellbeing technologies, artists have created a visual representation that lets others explore the progress of these practices and daily data measurements. Artists invite the audience to wander into a sculptural garden of data in Web VR environment.
Paula Vītola (LV) has developed a sound transmission system using light as a medium, inspired by Albert Bell’s Photophone – one of the first devices for wireless communication. Paula Vītola is using this light-sound interface for sound performances and exploration of natural phenomena. It is the belief of the artist that media art can make one’s life appear longer by triggering their curiosity and awareness.
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