Rasa Smite & Raitis Smits
Rasa Smite (b. 1969) and Raitis Smits (b. 1966) are media artists, organisers and net activists, based in Riga, Latvia. Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits together with Jaanis Garancs are the initiators and founders of the Electronic arts and media centre E-LAB (1996) and The Center for New Media Culture RIXC (2000) in Riga. E-LAB (now RIXC) is the organiser of the annual International new media culture festivals Art+Communication in Riga (since 1996).
Since 1997 Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits are working towards the development of experimental interneta radio. They are co-founders of Riga internet radio OZONE (1997); editors of the publication on new media culture and net audio - The Acoustic.Space (1998-2000) and co-founders of the international net.broadcasters network and mailinglist XCHANGE (1997). The project XCHANGE - Net Audio Network, was awarded with the 2nd prize /Award of Distinction/ in the competition of electronic arts "PRIX Ars Electronica '98", Linz, Austria. Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits are also teaching media arts and net culture (Latvian Academy of Arts (since 1998), J.Rozentala Arts College in Riga (in 2000/2001), and in the Media and Arts College in Tornio, Helsinki (1999/2000). They are actively involved in developing cultural exchange and networks in the field of new media culture within the Europe, in particular in the Baltic Sea and North-East European region. E-LAB is co-founder of the ECB - European Cultural Bakcbone, the coalition of European media art centres; and co-initiator of the Baltic/Nordic media art network - NICE [Network Interface for Cultural Exchange].
Their most recent project is Acoustic.Space Lab - research programme and international symposium on sound art, radio and satellite technologies, which took place in the Ventspils Radioastronomy center's radio telescope, former military object, located in the forests of Latvia.
Presently Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits are working on setting up new cultural infrastructure in Riga - The Center for New Media Culture RIXC - public space and media lab.
http://re-lab.net
http://ozone.re-lab.net
http://xchange.re-lab.net
http://acoustic.space.re-lab.net
