Rasa Smite (b. 1969) and Raitis Smits (b. 1966) are media artists, organisers and net activists, based in Riga, Latvia. Raitis Smits together with Rasa Smite and 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 (nowRIXC) is organiser of the annual International new media culture festivals "Art+Communication" in Riga (since 1996). Since 1997 Rasa Smite and E-LAB work towards the development of experimental internet radio. She is co-founder of Riga internet radio OZONE (1997); editor of the publication on new media culture and net audio- "The Acoustic.Space" (since 1998) and co-founder of the international net.broadcasters network and mailinglist XCHANGE (1997). (The project XCHANGE - Net Audio Network, received Award of Distinction in the "PRIX Ars Electronica "98", Linz, Austria.) Rasa Smite is one of initiators and organiser of the "Acoustic Space Lab" -international symposium on sound art, radio waves and satellite technologies, which took place in Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center in Irbene, Latvia. Rasa Smite is involved in various European media culture initiatives. E-LAB is co-founder of the ECB - European Cultural Bakcbone, the coalition of European media art centres. Since 1999 she is also actively involved in developing cultural exchangeand networks in the field of new media culture within the Baltic Sea and North-East European regions. She is co-initiator and co-founder of the Baltic/Nordic media art network - NICE [Network Interface for Cultural Exchange], co-ordinator of the Baltic Sea Media Space Workshop during the Temporary Media Lab project, Kiasma Museum, Helsinki (1999), [NICE] Network meeting in Riga (2000) and organiser of the [NICE] Training programme in New Media Cultural Management in Riga (2001). 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.
Appearances:
> CTM.04
