Medialabs have been around for some decades now, appearing in a diversity of models, conceived and applied by equally diverse institutions and cultural centers around the world. Since the 1960s, some of the most renowned laboratories were established in North America and Europe, mostly related to universities, governments and big corporations. And while some of these pioneers still exist nowadays, the rapid growth of art and technology initiatives around the world, as well as the lowering of the cost of high speed computers and other technologies, has eased the emergence of many other similar institutions in places with a younger – if any – tradition of creative and independent technology development.

In this new generation of medialabs, some subjects, either weaker or inexistent some decades ago, arise as the main focus of the debate in the intersection of technology, art, culture and society, such as free software, free culture, net culture and the commons. In this context, the main challenge faced by these institutions revolves around the strategies to establish a broad network of collaboration dynamics among local and global communities of artists, designers, developers, scientists and engineers.

Trying to approach this theme – a constant subject of research and reflection by Marginalia+Lab’s team – this first edition of the magazine interviews Marcos García, head of the program of Medialab-Prado, one of the most important medialabs of this new generation, founded in Madrid in the year 2000. Marcos has been working there since 2003, having accomplished a broad range of activities, including workshops, seminars and exhibitions, in Spain and other countries. Back then, together with Laura Fernández, he helped elaborate the educational and cultural mediation program that has established the basis for further activities of Medialab-Prado.

Always open for dialogue and collaboration, Marcos has kindly granted us this interview, addressing different aspects of medialabs and their current challenges.

What is the general motivation connecting the diversity of Medialab-Prado's activities?

Medialab-Prado's activities go in many different directions: digital culture, performing arts, interactive design, data visualization, free culture, the commons, net culture, video games, educational applications of technology... But there is a common ground to all of them and this is to open the process of production and research to the participation of anyoneeveryone. In all of them we try to find the methodologies to make this openness and permeability possible.

How would you describe its evolution in the last few years?

During the last years we've tried to direct our efforts and resources to generate communities of doers. This is of course a slow process, but in a way Medialab-Prado’s model is consolidated and now, when it is about to move to a new and bigger space, it's a good time to look back and think of the history and the next steps. That's why we are starting a work group called 'Thinking and Doing Medialab-Prado', formed by close collaborators and outside observers.

How do you relate this line of work with the ones developed by other medialabs around the world?

I think what is quite unique about the Medialab-Prado is the DIWO (do it with others) approach for open collaborative prototyping, where the process is open to anyone that wants to join in. Participants have different backgrounds and different levels of specialization. Experts and begginers of different fields collaborate on the development of projects. Promoters of the projects are not only artists but engineers, coders, designers, architects, activists and amateurs.

How would you diagnose the current situation of these institutions in relation to the state of digital culture nowadays?

The current situation is very exciting. Digital culture and the Internet have been of great inspiration to think of new models of cultural institutions or culture labs. There are many different and interesting models of medialabs around the world. Some are focused on artistic research and production, some are linked to universities and education, others are oriented to social innovation, there are independent projects like the hacker spaces and others are funded by big corporations.

What do you think is the relevance of free software, open source and creative commons initiatives to the current relation between art, technology, culture and society?

I think that the relevance of Free Software as an open (free) collaborative production is enormous. Free Software and the Internet are a staring point for amazing projects like Wikipedia or Creative Commons and movements like Open Data or Open Access.

Two recent books analyze the implications of Free Software in different spheres: “Two Bits. The Cultural Significance of Free Software” by Chris Kelty and “The Viral Spiral” by David Bollier.
In relation to Medialab-Prado we like to think that we try to emulate what is happening in the Internet in projects like Wikipedia but in the physical space of a cultural center.

In the report "Pathways to Innovation in Digital Culture", Michael Century argues that due to the  lowering of equipment costs, it wouldn't be so important for a "studio-laboratory" to offer the best and most powerful set of equipment to its public, but, rather, to offer a space capable to accommodate a broad range of collaborative dynamics. Do you think this actually applies to the current scenario? What do you think is the role of medialabs such as Medialab-Prado nowadays?

I completely agree. This was true in 1999 when Michael Century wrote his essay and it's even clearer nowadays. A physical space, Internet connection, some computers and a projector would be more than enough to start a medialab. The only thing that is really needed is a community of people who want to be together and experiment. Unfortunately, quite often governments spend a lot in buildings and devices but don't focus their efforts in growing something together with the communities.

Having organized Medialab-Prado's activities in many different places in Europe, North and South America, how do you evaluate the cultural and technological realities of these different places?

In the north of Europe, in Canada and in the USA, there is a much longer tradition in the experimentation with media. This is very clear in the universities and master degrees. But as soon as the technology is becoming more accessible, there are amazing phenomena happening in Latin America, and also in Spain. These phenomena are linked to free culture, social movements and hacktivism.

In what level do you think adaptations should be made to relate with this local diversity?

I think digital culture and the Internet are of great interest because they offer a lab for collaborative production and a set of tools that can be adopted locally. We want to think that Medialab-Prado has developed some methodologies that can be applied in different contexts with some adaptations. These adaptations or innovations would be made by the local communities and then shared globally so they can be applied in other places.

Considering the evolution and the future of these labs, how do you think is the best way deal with the constant need to adapt to a fast changing reality?

Those labs that are more rooted in the community, that are part of a network of collaboration, the ones that don't make huge investments on equipment but create contexts for knowledge sharing, social interaction and collaborative experimentation will be the ones that will have more chances to adapt to the changing reality. I would say more: these labs would be capable to create new realities. Realities where participants are more aware and have more control over the contexts that surround them.

* Interview conducted by email in English, between the months of April and May of 2010.