The Eastern expanse of our continent simultaneously arouses fascination (for its cultural vitality and unbridled creativity) and concern (owing to increasingly powerful authoritarian regimes, virulent nationalism and a resurgence of memorial disputes). Eastern Europe and the Balkans possess a powerful capacity to regenerate the narratives that connect us all, irrespective of borders or differences of community, religion and language. To a greater extent than elsewhere, artists are aware of the p...
Oct 22, 2018•58 min
With Alexandros Mistriotis
Oct 22, 2018•49 min
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 artists who have travelled from afar. How can we avoid this “aquarium effect” and, in doing so, allow loc...
Oct 22, 2018•38 min
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
Oct 22, 2018•51 min
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 initiatives and professional networks play in this shared cultural dynamic? With : Anette WOLFSBERGER / ...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 9 min
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 BRENNER / Florent MEHMETI Moderation : Barbara POCEK
Oct 22, 2018•59 min
With :Stéphane SEGREDO-AGUILAR / Alexandre FRAY
Oct 22, 2018•34 min
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 historic or natural sites by forcing them to interact with contemporary creation? How can this proce...
Oct 22, 2018•45 min
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, administrators, elected representatives, architects and urban planners integrate culture into our broad...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 22 min
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 spaces for work and creation that are more accessible to the local population. Under which conditions...
Oct 22, 2018•53 min
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 creation, information and thought that straddle national boundaries? Or imbue European debate with ...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 17 min
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 institutions to ensure that a true continent-wide welcome policy is put in place. At a time when nation-s...
Oct 05, 2018•1 hr 17 min
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 challenges that face us between now and May 2019. European Lab Brussels will echo the sentiments of a whole ...
Oct 05, 2018•1 hr 4 min
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 thoughts. These raw materials have now been stitched together in a patchwork-style manifestation: pho...
Oct 05, 2018•1 hr
“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 Brussels, struggling to embody the ideal of a democratic, supranational Europe. In Eurotopie, the Traum...
Oct 05, 2018•57 min
“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 scene has suddenly landed in the spotlight. All of a sudden, questions about the money made by its ...
Oct 05, 2018•52 min
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 time to encourage the birth and growth of other platforms? How can the development of these new transn...
Oct 05, 2018•55 min
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, projects and collaborations. Taking advantage of the surroundings of the Bozar Lab at Nuits Sonores ...
Oct 05, 2018•55 min
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, and what the future holds. - Tom Brus, C12 / Deep in House, BE Nicolas Hemeleers, 24hBrussels, CityToo...
Oct 02, 2018•49 min
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 ? • Comment réinventer notre modèle de consommation musicale ? • Par quel moyen inscrire des initiati...
May 17, 2018•16 min
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’économie et grand public pour partager idées, projets et collaborations. C’est aussi un temps de rencontre ...
May 16, 2018•1 hr
DAF est un élément fondamental de l’histoire des musiques électroniques. Gabi Delgado-López et Robert Gorl (aux côtés du légendaire producteur Conny Plank) ont dessiné le plan homoérotique de la techno pour la « wasted youth » de l’Europe de l’Ouest des 80’s. Depuis le monde a bien changé, culturellement, politiquement et socialement. DAF reste pourtant plus que jamais d’actualité. Prescripteur et provocateur, DAF continue d’être à l’avant-garde artistique et de diffuser sa critique d’une sociét...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Évoquer les espoirs et promesses des Intelligences Artificielles n’est pas chose facile, tant les craintes vis à vis de leur développement sont fortes. Pour ne pas alimenter la peur de perdre un jour notre indépendance intellectuelle, ou pour éviter de s’alarmer encore sur les risques d’utilisations frauduleuses et malveillantes de nos données personnelles, nous proposons de rêver… Débattons et anticipons sur ce que l’I.A peut rendre meilleur, avec un plateau éclectique, pluridisciplinaire et en...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 31 min
Les grands centres urbains s’imposent de plus en plus comme des acteurs incontournables des politiques culturelles. Ville-monde, cité interculturelle, territoire créatif, ville participative, de nouveaux concepts sont mobilisés pour qualifier les nouvelles dynamiques urbaines. Emancipées des cadres nationaux, armées pour faire face à la mondialisation, les villes s’efforcent d’inventer de nouveaux formats et des modalités innovantes pour la production culturelle et la diffusion artistique. Mais,...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Dans son best-seller Utopies réalistes (Le Seuil, 2017), aujourd’hui traduit dans 23 langues, le journaliste néerlandais Rutger Bregman, oppose à l’impuissance et au déclin, l’audace de l’imagination et les ressources de l’histoire. Il démontre que de nouvelles utopies, comme l’élimination de la pauvreté, la semaine de 15 heures, le revenu de base universel, la taxation des flux financiers ou l’ouverture des frontières ne sont pas de doux rêves mais des idées éprouvées par des expérimentations t...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 42 min
As a counterpoint to identity reactionaries and naive Europeanists, a third voice is now making itself heard around the continent. Forward-looking, inclusive and yearning for a shared future, a new generation of European actors are rallying together around a post-fatalistic battle cry, calling for a collective and alternative project built on the foundations of culture. Be they venues, the media, networks or festivals, engaged initiatives are springing up all across Europe. In stark contrast to ...
May 16, 2018•1 hr
From Trouw to Dekmantel via Rush Hour or Red Light Radio, Amsterdam never ceases to see the emergence of cultural actors who shine at the European scale and beyond. The city is also a playground for many interesting and different artists, making Amsterdam one of the most fascinating European city when it comes to electronic (but not only) music. This reputation contrasts with the geographical size of the Dutch capital. Relatively limited, it actually explains Amsterdam’s cultural footprint and t...
May 16, 2018•57 min
European Lab, c’est l’occasion de se tourner tous ensemble vers l’avenir et de penser le monde de demain. C’est ici que Les Médiations Philosophiques et Opium Philosophie interviennent : pour montrer que la réflexion philosophique est accessible en la sortant du cadre universitaire et en faisant se rencontrer les différents publics afin de permettre une réflexion commune sur des thèmes d’actualité. A l’occasion du 50ème anniversaire de Mai 68, et compte tenu des différents mouvements sociaux et ...
May 16, 2018•50 min
Largely considered as purely a form of financial tender due to the fame of its most iconic application - the bitcoin -, the blockchain actually holds the key to a world of uses beyond cryptocurrencies. This technology, deemed to be ‘revolutionary’ by numerous experts, is so multi-dimensional that it is perhaps more appropriate to talk about it in the plural. From live streaming to festival coordination and contracts, the cultural sector is one of many areas of society to be affected by blockchai...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Né « optimiste » en 1980, Aurélien Bellanger fut « le premier adulte du millénaire » : 20 ans en l’an 2000. Il se souvient de la chute du mur, de « la masse énorme et orangée » de l’URSS qui se disloque sur son puzzle du monde et de « l’Europe des Douze au beau drapeau bleu ». Il se souvient que « la fin de l’histoire, veloutée et fluo a traversé le ciel européen dans le milieu des années 1990 », entraînant la fin du politique, le règne de l’ingénierie et du grand sérieux technocratique. L’Eurod...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 58 min
