“Café Europa” Leaves Belgium for Riga

The modules of “Café Europa”, a co-operation project between the Belgian city of Mons and Riga, the 2014 European Capital of Culture, have left Mons on a 200-kilometre journey to Riga. From the 15th of August to the 28th of September, “Café Europa” in Riga will host various high-profile events organised by the RIXC Centre for New Media Culture, with the focus on art, science and innovation.

A video about one of the modules being prepared in Belgium to be shipped to Riga:

In the history of the European Capital of Culture project, this is possibly the first physical cultural venue to travel from one European Capital of Culture to another to establish a virtual connection between the two cities. Next year when Mons will be the European Capital of Culture, a few other cities, yet to become the European Capitals of Culture, will be added to the “Café Europa” network.

RIXC Spīķeru kvartālā

The “Café Europa” modules will be set up in the Spīķeri Quarter to host an art and scientific innovations laboratory of RIXC. Weekly exhibitions and creative workshops at “Café Europa” will be organised by RIXC and other artists and scientists to explore such new and innovative phenomena as 3D printing, art and science, social innovation, and green energy technologies.

Later this month, the initiator of the “Café Europa” project, the digital innovation centre TechnocITé in Mons, will organise “Europa Wall” creative workshops and speed-dating between the Latvian and Belgian creative industries. Visitors are also invited to attend creative workshops of Liepāja new media artists at the 3D print laboratory, which will also showcase an exhibition and become the venue for the new media art symposium JMM Showcase.

In addition to the 3D print laboratory, an art and science laboratory will be set up at “Café Europa” in September where Belgian artist Annemie Maes will give engrossing classes on urban ecosystems, whereas RIXC, scientists from the University of Latvia, and designers from France will participate in an experiment trying to create 3D objects from sounds and water energy. In turn, philosopher, bioart and history of science researcher Ainārs Kamoliņš will lead workshops to create set design for a 17th century play about “virtuosos”, which is how people referred to scientists and their experiments at the time.

In the latter half of September, Gints Gabrāns will continue his project FOOOD that commenced during the FIELDS exhibition. In collaboration with microbiologists, he will offer visitors to test their bodies for enzymes that would, theoretically, enable them to eat paper (cellulose). And finally, Finnish artist Hannah Haslaati will present an interactive exhibition about the psychology of visual perception, the principles of which were the basis for the author’s social games and the “shadow projections” workshops.

“Cafe Europa” in Riga will open on Friday, the 15th of August, in a ceremony that will continue from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The café will be located in Spīķeri Quarter, next to the building at Maskavas iela 12-3.

The exhibitions will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 noon to 6 p.m. Admission – free of charge. New exhibitions will be set up on Mondays. On Fridays and Saturdays, the cafe will also offer screenings of experimental films, concerts and performances.

There will also bee free weekly creative workshops for visitors without prior knowledge or experience. For registration and further information, call 26546776 (Rasa Šmite), 67228478 (RIXC office), or write to rixc@rixc.lv.

“Café Europa” Leaves Belgium for Riga

Previous article

Next article

Tags