Medialab Prado

This video has timestamped descriptions to allow viewers to jump to particular topics and sections. Links will open the video in YouTube.

Who are you and what’s your role in this cultural center? 0:22

Why the name “MediaLab”? 0:51

On the website it says, “It’s a program of the government department of Culture and Sports of the City of Madrid”. When, where, and why was the MediaLab created? 1:35

The MediaLab website states: “At a time of great change, there are many actors that promote other models of institutions in which citizenship is an active part. MediaLab Prado is placed in this context and wants to play a role in the transformation of cultural institutions. Why locate a citizen’s laboratory inside of a City Hall? 3:40

On the website’s information on MediaLab, it says that “it’s a citizen laboratory that functions as a meeting place for the production of open cultural projects.” Can you expand on this definition and explain what MediaLab understands as a “citizen laboratory”? 6:51

What was the timeline of creating this citizen laboratory? 7:41

What’s the role of the digital field in this citizen laboratory? 10:58

It’s unusual to find a citizen laboratory in the institutional field. Why do you think there is such a disconnect between institutions and people? 13:21

Has your understanding of “work” changed because of your experience at MediaLab? 17:05

How are decisions made at MediaLab? 18:39

For many collectives, 15M has represented a moment of reorganization, reinvention, or strengthening. Has 15M had any impact on Medialab, or vice versa? (21:10)

I’ve observed that in this laboratory, people meet in a community of learning to test out prototypes and practices in a process of trial and error. Is this process of experimentation key to a citizen’s laboratory project? (25:01)

Medialab has said that “Activity is structured in work groups, open convocations for the production of projects, collaborative investigation, and communities of learning regarding a great diversity of topics.” Can any project fit in Medialab? Do you have any selection criteria? (29:15)

The website says the following: “Any person can make a proposal or join others to carry out projects in a collaborative way.” In your experience, can any kind of person really join and propose projects? (30:05)

“From this context, we can see that it’s necessary to face the challenges of our time with a multiplicity of perspectives and knowledge, and that we need to build spaces of coexistence, debate, and action among a diverse range of people.” What challenges is Medialab talking about? (32:30)

What potential relationship do you see between the concept of citizen laboratories and the institutional system of formal education? (35:58)

What does “to educate” mean in the context of Medialab? (38:18)

After reading about the project, I think that these would be some of the key concepts of Medialab; can you explain them to us? “Prototyped,” “Free Culture,” “Procomún” (Pro-Commons), “Transversality” (41:19)

What have you learned through developing this laboratory? (48:23)

What have this laboratory’s references been? (48:46)

Considering the climate of political discontent and insecurity, how do you maintain hope and energy at Medialab? (53:49)

What does ‘growth’ mean for Medialab? (54:59)

Medialab Prado is a citizens’ laboratory that serves as a place of encounter for the production of open cultural projects. Anyone can make proposals or sign up for proposals made by someone else and carry them out on a collaborative basis. Activities are structured around working groups, open calls for the production of projects, collaborative research, and learning communities that address a very wide range of topics. The main objectives of Medialab Prado are:

To build, promote and sustain communities of learning and practice, where people from different worlds (in terms of education and experience, interests, background or social status) work together to develop specific projects.
To promote the development of open cultural projects that are well-documented, adaptable, and replicable.
To foster an atmosphere of cooperation and exchange that where there is space for life, human affection, informality, and closeness.
To experiment with, improve, and evaluate collaborative work methodologies and modus operandi at various levels of action: at the institutional level in general, within the organisation itself, and within individuals’ development of projects.
To open up spaces for critical reflection on digital technology and its impact on society.

Medialab Prado is a space that is open to the public and is able to function thanks to cultural programming, which has as its objective to orient, welcome, and connect people with projects, creating a hospitable space where listening and care are at the forefront. Medialab PRado’s activities are oriented towards production and debate and have different formats and timing, with the objective of serving a variety of interests and possibilities for participation. The space welcomes numerous working groups and resident communities all having diverse focuses, which meet periodically in the space and whose participation is open to anyone who is interested. Those on the programming team take care of the working groups and promote some of them within the context of their research projects.

At a time of great change, there are many stakeholders promoting different institutional models wherein citizens can play an active role. Medialab Prado operates in this context and aims to play a role in the transformation of cultural institutions. Against this backdrop, we believe it is necessary to face the challenges of our time from multiple perspectives, armed with a wide range of knowledge and tools, and that we need to build spaces for coexistence, discussion, and action serving people with diverse backgrounds. Medialab Prado understands the cultural sphere as a place for experimentation that may be linked to any area of knowledge or experience, where testing things out and having fun play a central role. Its view of digital culture is that the tools of free culture and digital practices can serve as inspiration and foster an accessible culture built by and for everyone. Medialab Prado is a citizens’ laboratory in the sense that it is a place for collaborative experimentation and a place in which to learn to cooperate.

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