Art, technology and fantasy meet in the museum

The exhibition “Dimensions” is an innovative and visually fascinating art event that exhibits and combines various light projections. Visitors are invited to explore and feel the different dimensions resulting from experiments with materials and light, creating unique visual and emotional impressions. In “Dimensions” there is an opportunity to look into the world of light from a new point of view, where art, technology and fantasy come together.

Elīna Brese, with her light project developed within the framework of the Latvian Academy of Arts’ Professional Doctoral program, visualizes the diverse, completely misunderstood nature of light. The exhibition provides an opportunity to better understand and appreciate the role of light in our daily life and art, as well as its importance in the development of science and technology.

The work was carried out under the supervision of Inguna Audere, professor of the Latvian Academy of Arts, Doctor of Arts, and Gita Rēvalde, professor of the University of Latvia, Doctor of Physics.

The exposition of the exhibition invites you to view and understand the importance and potential of materials, focusing on the recycling of CD and DVD discs, highlighting the importance of reuse of materials in modern society. CDs and DVDs are everyday items that have long served as data storage media. However, with the advancement of technology and the rise in popularity of the digital platform, many of these discs are becoming redundant or unnecessary. Their reuse or recycling reduces the amount of waste and the use of natural resources.

“Overall, the exhibition is an invitation to think about the impact of our consumer society on the environment and the possibility of finding solutions that contribute to the sustainable management of resources and the reduction of waste. It is also an invitation to evaluate the potential of reusing materials and discover new opportunities for their creative and useful use,” says Elina.

DVDs and CDs are produced using high technology. The closely rotating adjacent lines engraved on their surface form a diffraction grating, which allows us to observe the decomposition of white light into colors – the spectrum. The observation of diffraction proves that light has a wave nature. A compact disc is made of a material called polycarbonate, onto which a matrix is ​​’printed’ during the pressing process. Depending on the disc type and application, aluminum, silver, brass and even gold are used as a reflective layer. To protect the CD, it is covered with a UV varnish, which is additionally covered with UV ink, that is, an overprint. DVD, on the other hand, contains UV glue because it is glued from two substrates.