Events of the second day of launch meeting, September 7, took place in the framework of WHITE NIGHT (Forum of Contemporary Culture in Riga) presenting two public workshops – SOCIAL GAMING, for manifesting techno-social innovation, and BACTERIA BATTERY – exposing the great potential of art and science collaboration. The workshops were followed by the evening programme – demonstration of interactive video games and an impressive audiovisual performance programme.
Preparation for the Bacteria Battery workshop. Photo: Andrejs Strokins
SOCIAL GAMING workshop (conducted by Fishing Cactus and TechnoCite, Belgium), introduced the basic principles in creating a modern video game, whereas art-science workshop BACTERIA BATTERY (conducted by the RIXC team and young scientists from Latvian University) was an opportunity to become acquainted with a unique alternative energy technology – energy being created from a filthy water or if more precisely – from the bacteria living in the water, while the process is being translated into sounds and visualisations. The workshop and later the performance of „bacteria battery” not only discovers the great possibilities of the collaboration of science and art, but also increases the awareness of importance of sustainable living.
Social Gaming. Photo: Andrejs Strokins
Bacteria Battery workshop. Photo: Andrejs Strokins
The BACTERIA BATTERY workshop as well as the performance programme took place in a special spherical tent, constructed particularly for the event. The geometric planes of the tent were later used as a platform for extraordinary media visualisations. The evening programme included five different audiovisual performances, among them – „bacteria battery” in action interpreted in sounds (by sound artists Voldemārs Johansons and Mārtiņš Roķis) and visualisations (by media artist Rihards Vītols.)
Evening programme – audiovisual performances. Photo: Andrejs Strokins