The Lab: Creativity and Culture

Six months before opening Le Laboratoire, David Edwards visited Hans Ulrich Obrist, who had co-curated a famous exhibit, Laboratorium, that explored connections between art and science. "Famous, yes," said Hans, "which I find ironic since almost nobody saw it. You have to be careful getting too near contemporary science."But this was precisely where David Edwards chose to be. His book, The Lab, promotes surprising innovations in culture, industry, and society by exploring new ideas in the arts and design at the frontiers of science. In The Lab Edwards argues for a new kind of educational art lab based on a contemporary science lab model-the "artscience lab." With examples ranging from breathable chocolate to contemporary art installations that explore the neuroscience of fear, he shows how students learn by translating ideas alongside experienced creators and exhibiting risky experimental processes in gallery settings. Idea translation from conception to realization is in turn facilitated by a network of complementary labs whose missions range from education to industrial and humanitarian development.A manifesto of a new innovation model driven by the arts, this is the first detailed description of an emerging cultural phenomenon in the United States and Europe where artists and scientists collaborate to produce intriguing cultural content and surprising innovations. It also offers a fresh look at the creative process as it applies to experiential education, museum shy;exhibition, and industrial innovation.