Media Arts and Creative Technologies

Dr. Ieva Gintere

RISEBA Associate Professor Dr. Ieva Gintere is a distinguished academic specializing in contemporary aesthetics, music theory, and digital technologies. Dr. Ieva Gintere holds a violin performance degree from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (1999), Master’s degrees from the Latvian Academy of Culture (2002) and University of Latvia (2004), and completed her Dr.art. in contemporary musicology (2014) with doctoral studies at the University of Paris-X Nanterre. She also serves as Lead Researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences since 2015, whereby her research focuses on transdisciplinary methodologies and integrating modern technologies with art theory, pioneering digital art game development through projects like “Art Space” and “ImGame” for contemporary art education. She has contributed international publications, presented at European conferences, collaborated with institutions in Greece, Hungary, and France, and lectured across Georgia, Romania, and Latvia.

Dr. Ellen Pearlman

RISEBA Senior Research and Assistant Professor Dr. Ellen Pearlman is an immersive and artificial intelligence media artist, critic, curator, and educator who serves in the Faculty of Media and Creative Technologies. She earned her Ph.D. in Digital Media from Hong Kong City University, focusing on consciousness, surveillance, and biometric technologies through innovative art. Dr. Pearlman is is known for pioneering works like the brainwave opera “Noor,” the AI-driven “AIBO,” and the Lumen Prize finalist “Language Is Leaving Me.” Her career includes roles as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Warsaw, MIT Research Fellow, and NYU Visiting Research Scholar, as well as leadership positions at Art-A-Hack™ and the New York Volumetric Society. She has received major honors such as the EU Vertigo STARTS Laureate and multiple Fulbright awards, and her research and creative projects have been presented at leading conferences and institutions worldwide.

Dr. Pierre Jolivet

Dr. Pierre Jolivet, the core member of the Faculty of Media and Creative Technologies is an internationally recognized sound artist and composer best known for his pioneering work under the moniker Pacific 231. Beginning his career in the early 1980s, Jolivet was a French pioneer in the industrial and power electronics music scenes before evolving his practice toward ambient and abstract electronic sound. His extensive discography exceeds twenty albums, featuring numerous international collaborations. Jolivet’s work explores the boundaries of sound and space, often realized through multimedia performances and installations such as Stif(f)le, Im’shi, Espace Altéré, and the audiovisual production Micromega, presented in various countries. He has also contributed to the field as a member of the Luigi Russolo jury, a prestigious international award in acousmatic music. Dr. Pierre Jolivet holds an MFA in the Digital World with First Class Honours from the National College of Art and Design and completed a PhD in Sonic Art and Sensorial Perception at University College Dublin. His academic and research interests focus on the intersection of sound, sensors, and immersive environments, with recent work investigating the connections between sonic art and sensorial practice.

Dr. Christopher Hales

RISEBA Assistant Professor Dr. Hales earned his Ph.D. in Interactive Film Art from the Royal College of Art in London in 2006, with his dissertation titled “Rethinking the Interactive Movie”. His academic foundation includes a Master’s degree in Interactive Multimedia from the Royal College of Art in 1994. Throughout his career, he has served as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of East London’s SMARTlab centre and taught as Senior Lecturer at the University of West of England Faculty of Art, Media & Design. His extensive teaching experience includes conducting over 125 workshops across Europe on interactive filmmaking and AI-enhanced media creation, with particular focus on the Baltic States where he has regularly taught since 2002. Currently, he leads cutting-edge research in what he terms the “Latent Revolution” in filmmaking, exploring how artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming experimental cinema through neural networks and generative adversarial networks (GANs). His work bridges traditional filmmaking practices with emerging AI technologies, positioning him at the forefront of contemporary discussions about the future of creative media production.

Dr. Rasa Šmite

Dr. Rasa Šmite is a leading Latvian and international new media artist, researcher, and innovator at the crossroads of art, science, and technology since the 1990s. Born in Riga in 1969, she co-founded the RIXC Art Science Center, a major hub for new media art and scientific collaboration. She is Professor and Co-director of RISEBA/ RTU joint MACT PhD program (Media Art and Creative Technologies) at RTU Liepaja academy and RISEBA, and a researcher at Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW in Switzerland. Her collaborative projects with Raitis Šmits as “smitesmits.com” range from early internet radio to AI and XR-based art, earning awards like the Prix Ars Electronica and the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough Award, and international exhibitions at major world venues.As Professor and MACT program core faculty, Šmite bridges academic leadership with creative practice, designing curricula that reflect her interdisciplinary methodology. She has taught at MIT and other top institutions, and her mentorship of doctoral students keeps her engaged with new immersive technologies and cutting edge.

Artis Dzērve

Artis Dzērve is a renowned Latvian video and 3D mapping artist celebrated for his innovative work in video scenography, digital installations, and projection mapping. With over 15 years of experience in audiovisual and interactive arts, Dzērve has become a key figure in integrating digital media into theatre, opera, and large-scale public events. He is especially recognized for his immersive video designs for leading Latvian theatres, including Dailes Theatre and the Latvian National Opera, as well as international productions in Austria, Germany, Belgium, and France. His creative achievements have earned him prestigious awards such as the Great Musical Award and the “Spēlmaņu nakts” theatre prize, highlighting his influence on contemporary stagecraft. Dzērve studied at the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts under the mentorship of performance art legend Marina Abramović, which shaped his experimental approach to media art. His portfolio spans video advertising, interactive installations, and high-profile video mapping projects for festivals like “Staro Rīga” and concerts at Arena Riga. As an educator, he shares his expertise at RISEBA University, teaching courses in audiovisual media art and digital scenography, characterized by a seamless fusion of technology and artistic vision, consistently pushing boundaries in 3D mapping and digital storytelling.

 Mg.art., Antra Cilinska

Antra Cilinska is a prominent Latvian film producer, director, and editor, recognized for her significant contributions to documentary and feature filmmaking since the early 1990s. Born on March 12, 1963, in Iecava, Latvia, she began her career as a film editor at Riga Film Studio, collaborating with acclaimed director Juris Podnieks on internationally renowned documentaries such as “Is It Easy to Be Young?”, “Hello, Do You Hear Us?”, and “Homeland.” Following Podnieks’ passing, Cilinska completed his unfinished projects and emerged as a leading figure in Latvian cinema. Since 1994, Cilinska has served as director and producer at the independent Juris Podnieks Studio, overseeing a diverse portfolio of documentaries, animation, and fiction films. Her acclaimed works include “Baltijas sāga” (2000), “Laimes formula” (2015), “Iemesti pasaulē” (2018), and the follow-up series to “Is It Easy to Be Young?”—the latter earning the FIPRESCI Prize at the Leipzig Film Festival. Cilinska’s films often explore the relationship between individuals and society, and she is noted for her socially engaged approach. In addition to her production work, she has taught editing and production at the Latvian Academy of Culture since 2008, further shaping the next generation of Latvian filmmakers.

Dr. Aigars Ceplitis

RISEBA Assistant Professor Dr. Aigars Ceplītis is a Latvian film editor, and educator known for his expertise in audiovisual media, film editing, and immersive cinema technologies. He serves as Dean of the Faculty of Media and Creative Technologies at RISEBA University of Applied Sciences, where he is also the administrative director of the doctoral program “Media Arts and Creative Technologies” and director of the master’s program “New Media and Audiovisual Arts.” His teaching covers topics such as film editing, narratology, and 360° spherical cinema, reflecting his commitment to both traditional and cutting-edge art practices. Dr. Ceplītis holds a PhD from Riga Technical University, an M.F.A. in Film from the California Institute of the Arts (2004) and a B.A. in Art History from Lawrence University, USA. He has also studied theater directing at DePaul University’s John Goodman School of Drama in Chicago. As a researcher, he investigates narrative taxonomies for 360-degree stereoscopic films and published on digital storytelling and AI. In addition to his academic work, he is an accomplished film editor, credited on projects such as “Begletsy,” “Mazliet Ilgāk,” “Analog Days,”, “Killers”, and TV miniseries “Secrets of the Baltic Hotel”.

Dr. Efe Duyan

RISEBA Associate Professor Dr. Efe Duyan, born in Istanbul in 1981, has been teaching theory, history, and design at Mimar Sinan University since 2013. He has been associated with several universities in conducting research and guest lectures, such as Technical University Berlin, Ca’ Foscari University, University of Minnesota, Istanbul Technical University, Atalanta University, University of Iowa, George Washington University, and Boston University of Massachusetts.

Efes’ research areas include contemporary design, critical design perspectives, spatial experience, architectural writing and theory, early modernism, and the history of Eastern Mediterranean architecture.

He has studied architecture and philosophy at METU (Bachelor’s gr. – 2005), architectural history and theory at YTU (Master’s gr. – 2008) and architectural history at Mimar Sinan FAU (Doctoral gr. – 2013). He also has an international career as a poet and author. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty-five languages and invited to numerous literary events around the world, including the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program and St. Louis University’s Hurst Professor Program.

Mg.art. Mihails Matvejenko

Mihails Matvejenko is a Latvian visual-effects compositor and digital artist who emerged from Riga’s Vilks Studija/​Vilks Productions scene, where he honed his skills on music-video and commercial projects before moving into feature-film work. Regarded as one of Latvia’s leading special-effects practitioners, he later enrolled in the joint master’s programme “New Media and Audiovisual Art” at RISEBA University to deepen his expertise in artificial-intelligence tools for post-production. Since 2017 Matvejenko’s photoreal compositing has appeared in international productions such as Skybound (2017), Pocket Hercules: Naim Süleymanoglu (2019), Infinite Storm (2022) and the Finnish-Latvian family fantasy Antero Varovainen ja onnenkivi (2023). Working freelance from Riga, he provides VFX services to European and U.S. studios while mentoring students and collaborating with RISEBA research teams on AI-driven workflows for virtual production.

Mg.art. Sabrina Durling – Jones

Sabrina is a filmmaker and creative technologist focused on data and visual storytelling through established and emergent (AI) technologies. Her current research and practical work center on the intersection of memory, displacement, and ethical applications of AI/Machine Learning (ML). She is in the final stages of completing a PhD in Media Art and Creative Technologies through a joint doctoral program at RISEBA University of Applied Sciences and Riga Technical University (Latvia). Her research proposes a phenomenology of Steinian non-actuality for algorithmic memory practices and experiments with using emerging technologies to create embodied memory sensations. Her focus is on developing a framework for coping that can assist those living in displacement re-orient themselves in the present. Prior to returning to academia, Sabrina’s professional pursuits included teaching those living in remote areas of the world, especially First Nations/First Peoples, how to use digital media tools to tell stories and preserve languages and cultures through community-led projects.

Mg.art. Andris Gauja

Andris Gauja is a Latvian filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer based in Riga. He is the founder of the independent film production company Riverbed, established in 2011. Gauja is known for his work in both documentary and narrative cinema, often exploring thought-provoking themes with a strong visual style. He first gained international recognition with his documentary “Family Instinct” (2010), which won the Grand Prix at AFI Docs (formerly Silverdocs), was nominated for Best Mid-length Documentary at IDFA (Amsterdam), and was selected for over 25 international film festivals. Gauja made his narrative feature debut with “The Lesson” (“Izlaiduma gads”, 2014), which premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival and became a box-office hit in Latvia. His subsequent fiction film, “Nothing Can Stop Us Now” (2019), received nine nominations at the Latvian National Film Prize.

In recent years, Gauja has returned to documentary filmmaking, focusing on scientific and metaphysical topics, as seen in his short film “The Art of Looking” (2024), which premiered at ArtDocFest Riga and was part of his academic work as a doctoral candidate at the Latvian Academy of Culture.