Lab Au

LAb[au], laboratory for art and urbanism is a group of artists founded in 1997 by Manuel Abendroth and Jérôme Decock-and based in Brussels, Belgium. The imbrication of theory and experimentation [labo] and artistic practice [bau], in direct reference to the Bauhaus, is at the origin of the name and the artistic approach, which explores the influence of new technologies and recent materials on the forms, methods and fields of contemporary art. The collaborative structure works with artists such as Els Vermang (2003-2022), or Thibault Drouillon (since 2022), among many others. In their practice, LAb[au] investigates the relation between art and language not only by means of written words and other forms of coded language, semantics, but also through signs, or semiotics. Likewise, they formulate a linguistic approach, porting information and communication science in the field of art. However, any language can be encoded into secondary media, using colours, shapes, patterns…, and forms a visual language. LAb[au] utilizes these different media while speaking of syntax, grammar, and vocabulary. In so doing, they further research possible ways to translate and transcode different artistic expressions from one media into another.