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"A technology isn’t an independent or alien object, it complements integrally our sensorial system; as a medium, it conditions not only communication modes but also the way we perceive and conceive our environment." LAb[au], 2009

The artists' group Lab[au], laboratory for architecture and urbanism, has concerned itself with the link between art, science and new technologies. They combine art and research, work with software coding, develop new interfaces and realise a.o. large projects in urban spaces. Thereby they raise fundamental questions about contemporary art: What can art look like in the Digital Age and what impact do new technologies have on our society, on aesthetics and on our approach to art?

Taking architecture as their starting point the members of Lab[au] conduct an artistic study into the effects of computer and communication technologies on the notion and perception of space and its representation as well as on forms of interaction between human beings. The words laboratory and Bau, which inspired the group's name, embody both the intention and the working method of the artists: on the one hand, research, experiment and the pursuit of new forms of expression and, on the other, the transposition and execution of these ideas and insights.
The word Bau refers of course to the Bauhaus. On an art-historical and conceptual level, Lab[au] can be seen in that tradition as well as in the one of Nicolas Schöffer, the 'father' of cybernetic art. His influence is particularly apparent in the kinetic installations Binary Waves and Frameworks 5x5x5, which are both based on the principle of interaction with passers-by and the mirroring of urban flows.
The project Touch which turned the 4,200 windows of the media facade of the Dexia Tower in Brussels into a colourful light installation, was also based on the principle of interaction. Touch enabled interaction between the individual and the public spaces and triggered discussion about new ways of shaping the urban space.
The artworks always take coding as their starting point. As well as projects in urban space, Lab[au] develops generative art for indoor spaces like the sculpture SwarmDot.

Lab[au] consists of Manuel Abendroth, Jérôme Decock and Els Vermang. Founded 1997 and located in Brussels they regularly realise interdisciplinary projects with other artists – also form the fields of music and dance.