Radio Lab

Imagine being simultaneously offered the gifts of time, accommodation in a relaxing and inspiring setting, and resources with which to create. It sounds like a dream – but who gets to make it their reality? By rescuing artists from their usual material restrictions for a period of weeks or months, residencies serve as wonderful opportunities for creation. However, they are often reserved for artis...

Intellectual property remains the cornerstone of all cultural policies. A month on from the European Parliament’s adoption of a revised position on copyright rules in the digital single market, European Lab Delphi brings you up to speed and discusses what is at stake culturally and politically when we debate the issue of copyright. With : Alexandra JOUCLARD / Matthaios TSIMITAKIS

Faced with the political breakdowns and economic diktats of the European Union, are artists capable of re-sketching the outlines of the European project, of re-designing a shared living space for Europe and beyond? And are they willing to do so? How can we use the diverse and nomadic nature of our cultures, languages and works of art to bring people closer together? What role do institutional init...

In order to enhance their visibility, to break free from their isolation and to identify opportunities for co-productions and partnerships, cultural actors need to look beyond the borders of their country. What are the risks and opportunities associated with this international approach, and can it be facilitated and boosted by professional networks? With : Atanas MAEV / Olof VAN WIDEN / Michal BRE...

With :Stéphane SEGREDO-AGUILAR / Alexandre FRAY

At times, sites and territories are obliged to bear their outstanding heritages like a burden; one that reduces them to no more than postcards. Indeed, monuments can be so overwhelming that some individuals, like author Christos Chrissopoulos, have gone so far as to dream of “the destruction of the Parthenon”! How can we challenge our most prestigious landmarks, and breathe life and activity into...

International events like the European Capital of Culture are a show of faith in the capacity of culture to revitalise our territories. A means of driving economic and touristic development, of transforming uses and of empowering citizens, culture is also – and above all – capable of giving a vital boost to territories that are experiencing hardships. How can cultural project leaders, artists, adm...

The economic crisis has led to the closure of industrial manufacturing sites and commercial spaces, and has left countless residential properties and units vacant. These sites – whether abandoned, forgotten or in transition – are changing the appearance of our cities. They have nonetheless emerged as ideal locations for the temporary and low-cost installation of cultural projects, as well as for s...

For as long as Europe remains a “forced destiny” offering neither alternatives nor reinvention, it will only ever inspire indifference, anger or violent rejection. Do we still have time to question the nature and shape of the European project and, in doing so, challenge the dominant economic discourse, imagine alternative pathways and share information in different ways? How can we open spaces for...

It is June 2018, and a boat named Aquarius is carrying 630 migrants across the Mediterranean. Floating adrift off the coast of Italy, the central government refuses to open its ports. In response, several cities such as Naples, Taranto or Palermo announce their wish to welcome the boat, in an outburst of solidarity and humanism. At the same time, several voices are rising within the European insti...

European elections are fast approaching, and with them the same nagging fears as Eurosceptic parties and nationalist ideas go from strength to strength throughout the continent. However, with only eight months to go until those crucial European polls, this is no time for resignation. Reinvigorate a progressist discourse, revive the European project and remobilise the forces: these are the challeng...

GEN Z – you guessed it: short for ‘Generation Z’ – is questioning the reality experienced by young people born after 1995. By collaborating with schools and associations, and by interrogating the youth of Europe anywhere from playgrounds to living places, social adventurers Antoine Neufmars, Salvatore Calcagno and Emilie Flamant have looked countless young people in the eye and listened to their t...

“Architecture is the physiognomy of nations.” When French writer Astolphe de Custine penned these words in the nineteenth century – the century of nations – Europe was still but an idea. Two centuries down the line, and the construction of Europe has accelerated: having become a political space, it is armed with its own shared institutions and symbols. And even a ‘European district’ located in Bru...

“I don’t know a rapper in Brussels who lives off his music.” Back in 2011, as part of Martin Vachiery’s documentary Yo ? Non, peut-être !, rapper Scylla – the man behind ‘Bx Vibes’ – painted a bleak picture of the Brussels hip-hop scene. Seven years later, from the sensational Ipséité by Damso to the explosion of Caballero and JeanJass, not to mention Roméo Elvis and his hit ‘Brussels Arrive’, the...

What if the “small steps” approach so dear to Jean Monnet had all started with the creation of a media? Like language or currency, the media can be an effective tool in the construction of collective awareness and identity. Yet European editorial projects are still few and far between. Yet given that initiatives like VoxEurop, Political Critique, Are We Europe and Café Babel do exist, is it not ti...

For the first time, two creative European gatherings are joining forces at European Lab Brussels. On the one hand, STARTS Talks, a series of discussions built around the presentations of projects combining science, technology and art. On the other hand, Meet & Greet, the Lyon-based meetings that give creative entrepreneurs, economic actors and members of the public the opportunity to share ideas,...

An hour-long debate, hosted and moderated by The Word’s Emi Vergels in the context of the European Lab Brussels, exploring the capital-city’s resurgent club scene past, and what its future looks like. With The Word’s 10 year anniversary taking place simultaneously, we’re interested in seeing how the capital’s nightlife scene has evolved in the last decade, its current state and issues it faces, an...

La Chinerie a proposé dans le cadre d’European Lab un « world café », un format innovant et collectif en vue de dialoguer autour d'un axe de réflexion : la réinvention de la diffusion de la culture. Plusieurs tables de travail ont travaillé sur différentes problématiques : • Les enjeux du décloisonnement des publics • Quelle(s) action(s) pour réunir les différents acteurs de la culture en Europe ?...

Accueillie à l’université Lyon 3, le 8e forum European Lab organise un Meet & Greet pour mettre en lumière les jeunes entreprises et initiatives issues des incubateurs de l’Université de Lyon et de Beelys, son pôle entreprenariat. Soutenu par la Métropole de Lyon et la Caisse d’Épargne Rhône Alpes, Meet & Greet est le rendez-vous bimensuel qui rassemble entrepreneurs créatifs, acteurs de l’économi...

Objet incontournable du quotidien, l’écran cristallise de nombreuses critiques adressées à l’évolution des nouvelles technologies. Symbole de la captation des attentions et des addictions contemporaines, l’écran colonise les imaginaires. La série dystopique Black Mirror, qui explore les scénarios d’une société façonnée par les réseaux sociaux ou l’intelligence artificielle, fait de l’écran l’un de...

L’Europe n’est plus ni le centre ni « le maître à penser » du monde, et c’est tant mieux ! À rebours de la grosse fatigue démocratique et du mouvement de régression qui ont saisi nos démocraties occidentales, l’Afrique est irriguée de forces vives, jeunes, créatives, inspirantes. Les philosophies africaines, riches d’influences diverses, explorent des voix originales, défendues avec passion par Sé...

Beyond the definition problem posed by the name «smart city», this concept seems to be running out of steam. As we look around the world for new ways to build and invent the city of tomorrow, this catch-all terminology is more of a marketing concept than a reality that can improve the citizen’s everyday life. In a study conducted in 2014, the European Parliament estimated that 90% of European citi...

Anti-abortion laws, gagging of journalists, revisions of the past, intimidation of the opposition and dissenting voices: democracy has been turning increasingly sour in Poland ever since the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) came to power in 2015. But all too often, when the echoes of this retreat from democracy reach us, they are muffled, fragmented and quite possibly deformed. So, what’s...

Les trois utopies contemporaines qu’examine le philosophe Francis Wolff dans son dernier essai sont trois manières distinctes d’imaginer l’avenir de l’humanité. L’utopie posthumaniste d’un homme augmenté par la machine, développée par les entreprises de la Silicon Valley, est un idéal de puissance et d’immortalité. L’utopie animaliste remet en question la supériorité de l’homme sur l’animal. À ces...

Initiatives et applications numériques tournées vers la participation citoyenne et la démocratie ouverte et continue, les civic tech ont vocation à améliorer le fonctionnement et l’efficacité de la démocratie, en renouvelant les formes d’engagement des citoyens. Budgets participatifs, plateformes de propositions en ligne, délégations de vote, co-construction de lois… Ces outils d’interpellation, d...