This summer, a series of laboratories are being carried out under the name LabdeLabs, providing continuity for the steering group of the collective project Territory/ies, Community/ies and Artistic Practices, a research programme concerning community artistic creation, with the participation of four of Barcelona's Creation Factories (Ateneu Popular 9 Barris, La Central del Circ, Graner, dance and performing-arts creation centre, and the Fabra i Coats Creation Factory, which joined in 2022)

The project began as part of the Biennial of Thought in 2020, and in its 20-22 cycle, it has activated creation laboratories featuring local residents in their immediate surroundings and artists associated with the facilities. In parallel with the laboratories, the project has gained from various collective work and reflection sessions, concluding its first cycle as part of the 2022 Biennial of Thought.

In its 2023 edition, the programme combines the laboratories proposed for local communities by each creation factory, via the Labdelabs, where, through the mediation of Caro Novella, the project's steering group works on exploring issues that permeate the project and the facilities, in regard to their community work. The Labdelabs are itinerant, and each creation factory will host them at some point during the year, fostering movement between the various venues and helping the teams from other factories to gain a deeper insight into the reality behind each of the factories.

The first Labdelabs, entitled La perifèria [The Periphery], was held at Graner on 14 April. It was the first production for the new project mediator: Caro Novella, with research experience in the field of improvisation, performing arts, health and transfeminism.

Caro Novella joined the project this year, given her profile and career in the activation of, and support for, artistic creation processes, in writing and in the spheres of university and museum teaching. Right now, she is the creator of performance projects such as oncogrrrls i cosense- ecologies queer and she is collaborating with the Sweet Labour Art Collective (Canada) on the project “improvisation as a care practice”. She has a PhD in Performance Studies, specialising in Practice as Research and Feminist Science (from the University of California).

Sensory activation based on the memory of a particular area was used to explore the question: How do we understand, and how are we affected by, the construction of the periphery in laboratory practices. The guidelines followed in the practice proposed by Caro (inspired by Marble Jumbo Radio) propose a somatic exploration of space in movement, tracing a map of the experience on paper, a reinterpretation in movement and lastly, a coordination of the guided experience via three questions: what has the practice achieved? What strategies did we follow in order to keep ourselves in the periphery? What surprised you?

In this way, the La perifèria laboratory exposed doubts and resistance, while sharing realities and a willingness to explore the idea of centre, decentralisation, power relationships, the transmission of knowledge and other issues that permeate the Territory/ies, Community/ies and Artistic Practices project.

The second Labdelabs was held in the Central del Circ on 12 May, Rastres corporals i memòria [Bodily Traces and Memory]. With such a suggestive title, Caro designed a practice that was based on an English pun “bod(il)y traces”. where “body traces” becomes a verb. Using objects, a first instance of sharing and listening was created, in order to progress towards a second instance approaching sensitive ethnography, proposing a somatic exercise involving a practice close to the field of anthropology. Lastly, there was improvisation with the objects linked to memory.

The discussion was initiated based on these questions: how do we care for the people who activate them and what are the desires and curiosities that keep them alive? How are they extended and changed beyond personalities? How do we care for a grain of sand?

To conclude the session, the questions led to a collective reflection on care in community art processes, and the people that activate and sustain them. The emotion of constructing something together, the effort of sustaining it and the importance of leaving space for new curiosities and the idea of letting go also came to light.

Territoris(s), Comunitat(s) i Pràctiques Artístiques is a collaborative project from the Ateneu Popular 9 barris, La Central del Circ, El Graner and Fabra i Coats: Creation Factory. it has the support of Barcelona City Council's Creation Factory Programme and the Neighbourhood Plan.

More information can be found here.

Phase 4: Laboratories (2023)

In the spring and summer of 2023, a series of laboratories entitled LabdeLabs are being developed. They provide continuity for the steering group of the collective project Territory/ies, Community/ies and Artistic Practices, a research programme concerning community artistic creation, with the participation of four of Barcelona's Creation Factories (Ateneu Popular 9 Barris, La Central del Circ, Graner, dance and performing arts creation centre, and Fabra i Coats: Creation Factory, which joined in 2022)

The project began as part of the Biennial of Thought in 2020, and in its 20-22 cycle, it has activated creation laboratories featuring local residents in their immediate surroundings and artists associated with the facilities. In parallel with the laboratories, the project has gained from various collective work and reflection sessions, concluding its first cycle as part of the 2022 Biennial of Thought.

In its 2023 edition, the programme combines the laboratories proposed for local communities by each creation factory, via the Labdelabs, where, through the mediation of Caro Novella, the project's steering group works on exploring issues that permeate the project and the facilities, in regard to their community work. The Labdelabs are itinerant, and each creation factory will host them at some point during the year, fostering movement between the various venues and helping the teams from other factories to gain a deeper insight into the reality behind each of the factories.

The first Labdelabs, entitled La perifèria [The Periphery], was held at Graner on 14 April. It was the first production for the new project mediator: Caro Novella, with research experience in the field of improvisation, performing arts, health and transfeminism.

Caro Novella joined the project this year, given her profile and career in the activation of, and support for, artistic creation processes, in writing and in the spheres of university and museum teaching. Right now, she is the creator of performance projects such as oncogrrrls i cosense- ecologies queer and she is collaborating with the Sweet Labour Art Collective (Canada) on the project “improvisation as a care practice”. She has a PhD in Performance Studies, specialising in Practice as Research and Feminist Science (from the University of California).

Sensory activation based on the memory of a particular area was used to explore the question: How do we understand, and how are we affected by, the construction of the periphery in laboratory practices? The guidelines followed in the practice proposed by Caro (inspired by Marble Jumbo Radio) propose a somatic exploration of space in movement, tracing a map of the experience on paper, a reinterpretation in movement and lastly, a coordination of the guided experience via three questions: what has the practice achieved? What strategies did we follow in order to keep ourselves in the periphery? What surprised you?

In this way, the La perifèria laboratory exposed doubts and resistance, while sharing realities and a willingness to explore the idea of centre, decentralisation, power relationships, the transmission of knowledge and other issues that permeate the Territory/ies, Community/ies and Artistic Practices project.

The second Labdelabs was held in the Central del Circ on 12 May, Rastres corporals i memòria [Bodily Traces and Memory]. With such a suggestive title, Caro designed a practice that was based on an English pun “bod(il)y traces”. where “body traces” becomes a verb. Using objects, a first instance of sharing and listening was created, in order to progress towards a second instance approaching sensitive ethnography, proposing a somatic exercise involving a practice close to the field of anthropology. Lastly, there was improvisation with the objects linked to memory.

The discussion was initiated based on these questions: how do we care for the people who activate them and what are the desires and curiosities that keep them alive? How are they extended and changed beyond personalities? How do we care for a grain of sand?

To conclude the session, the questions led to a collective reflection on care in community art processes, and the people that activate and sustain them. The emotion of constructing something together, the effort of sustaining it and the importance of leaving space for new curiosities and the idea of letting go also came to light.