Located in Gijón, Asturias, LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial was opened on 30 March 2007

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (Art and Industrial Creation Centre) is a multidisciplinary institution, which produces, disseminates and fosters access to new forms of culture rooted in the creative use of information and communication technologies (ICT's). Its transversal, integrated programming is targeted at a wide public base with the ultimate goal of generating and sharing knowledge.

LABoral is designed as a platform of resources available to designers to facilitate the development of ambitious projects in the fields of visual arts, design and architecture. The local presence of the institution is considered as an important factor to boost the relationship between creators and those of other Asturias regions of Spain or abroad. Laboral has since its inception, worked with numerous institutions in Spain and Europe, the purpose being to extend this network to other regions.

LABoral is

-A multidisciplinary institution that produces, disseminates and fosters access to new forms of culture emerging from the creative use of ICTs.

-A platform for access to tools and know-how to support artists and creators in the development of ambitious projects in art and industrial creation environments

-A cross-cutting programme targeting all audiences with the goal of sharing knowledge

-Offers a variety of ways to engage with the different programme areas

-Acts as an anchorage point for the purpose of fostering dynamic relationships between the artistic and creative communities in Asturias and the rest of the world

-A Centre for the production of contemporary art works that will form part of our future heritage

-A Centre for innovation available to the public and artists

-A “museum with a difference” where you can experience art, new technologies and industrial creation

The Framework

-The Europe 2020 strategy highlights the potential of cultural and creative industries and their substantial contribution to economic development

-It identifies new information technologies as the driving forces in the development of creativity and the dissemination of culture

-The capacity for innovation is closely linked to creativity as a personal attribute

LABoral

-Emerged from an initiative by the government of the Principality of Asturias in order to strengthen the field of technological culture as part of a strategy aimed at implementing alternative models for the future

-Is a non-profit private foundation formed by corporations, private companies and institutions

-Occupies 14,000 metres2 of the old Universidad Laboral’s workshops built in the 1950s of the last century by the architect Luis Moya

-Acts as a spearhead for the Ciudad de la Cultura [City of Culture] where more than 5,000 people study, work, create…

-Is one of the cornerstones of the “golden mile of knowledge and innovation”, a perimetre delimited by the technology campus of the University of Oviedo and the Parque Científico Tecnológico de Gijón [Gijón’s Science and Technology Park] where the most innovative businesses are concentrated

VISION. HOW

Four inter-related activity areas

1.- Exhibitions and diffusion

2.- Production/Research

3.- Training and Cultural Mediation

4.- Communication

1.- EXHIBITION AND DIFFUSION

-The DNA of LABoral: showcasing work by artists and creators

-LABoral researches and experiments with new ways to share the experience of art.  With exhibitions, performances, presentations…

-Provides access to the best in contemporary creation

-Is a space for interaction

-Presents work by local, national and international artists

-Carries out coproductions with high standing international institutions: ZKM, Karlsruhe Banquete [Banquet], Centre Pompidou, Paris, Noches eléctricas [Electric Nights]; TBA-21, Pasajes [Passages]; Museum of the Moving Image, Gameworld and Playware; Ars Electronica, Playware; CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Madrid, Auto. Sueño y materia [Auto.Dream and Matter] and Estación experimental [Experimental Station]; MARCO Vigo, Presencia activa [Active Presence]

2.- PRODUCTION/RESEARCH

-Plataforma Cero. Centre for the production of contemporary art works and other cultural projects: future heritage

-Technical support, consultancy, resources and infrastructure for creators, working groups and educators

-Support for the creation of new work and artistic research

-Provides technical support to creators and develops artist in residency programmes

Resources

fabLAB Asturias

-Strategic agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

-A space for research, training and production with advanced digital fabrication machinery to create real and virtual prototypes. One of the 50 existing centres in Spain and the world. Financially supported by Alcoa

-In the Worldwide Network of Fab Labs. Signing of agreement with the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)

Audiovisual Production Platform

-plat0: Experimentation and research on artistic actions and new audiovisual forms.

A/V Laboratories

-With equipment for recording, editing and the production and postproduction of digital and audio video

Production residencies

-Aimed at national and international creators, developers and companies

Networking

-Agreements, pacts and collaboration with companies, cultural institutions, schools, universities…

3.- TRAINING AND CULTURAL MEDIATION

-Classroom for knowledge

-Talks, workshops, courses, meetings, conferences, symposiums

-Education offers for schools, educational centres and the general public

-New teaching methods and ground-breaking formats

-Learning resources to supplement classroom work

-Collaboration with universities

-Postgraduate programme with the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). Aiming to provide the necessary tools to understand and take part in present-day culture from an interdisciplinary perspective in connection with the main debates on the international scale

-Sala de Interpretación [Interpretation Room] with audiovisual material, bibliographies and documentation so that visitors can better access their searches

-Mediation team. Guided visits, Visit-workshops

-Mediateca_Archivo [Mediathéque]. Space for research and the dissemination of today’s art and creative industries. With a strong focus on the intersections between society, art, science and technology

-Archive of Asturian Creators. Database for looking up works produced by creators born or resident in Asturias

4.- COMMUNICATION

-The third best cultural initiative in Spain in times of crisis. (Barometre “The Culture Observatory” of the Fundación Contemporánea, Madrid)

-More than 805,081 people have visited its exhibitions or participated in its activities between 30 March 2007 and 31 December 2011.

-A communication strategy with specific actions targeted at different publics

-Numerous integrated and cross-cutting communication channels

-Publications: Videos, photographs, catalogues, brochures, flyers, invitations)

-Web 2.0. An online strategy with a website and strong presence in social networks acting as far-reaching communication elements to engage with its geographically-dispersed publics and audiences. 617,769 visits and 3,443,665 website pages seen between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2011.

-Award for the best website in Asturias 2011, given by El Comercio.es

-Strong presence in social networks

http://www.facebook.com/LABoral.Arte

archivo@laboralcentrodearte.org

https://twitter.com/#!/LABoral

LINKEDIN, YOUTUBE, VIMEO, MYSPACE, IVOOX

High impact in the Asturian, national and international media

-During its first five years of existence, more than 18,000 press reports, features or interviews published in the Asturian, national and international media.