Organizer Information
Medialab Matadero, based in Madrid, Spain, is a vibrant public center for cultural production, interdisciplinary research, and collective prototyping. Curated under the leadership of Head of Programme Bani Brusadin, the institution serves as a collaborative laboratory where art, science, technology, and social activism intersect. By dismantling the walls between isolated specialized disciplines, Medialab Matadero builds alternative technological imaginaries and creative frameworks to critically examine the rapid structural shifts defining our contemporary public sphere.
Title & Description
Collaborative Prototyping Lab — LAB 5: The Mechanics of Truth
This intensive, two-week technocultural residency program brings together international creators to investigate how truth, objective facts, and socio-political realities are manufactured, mediated, and weaponized in modern society. Rather than viewing altered belief systems or hyperrealistic AI-generated content as mere technological accidents, the lab treats them as profound structural reconfigurations of how knowledge is distributed and trusted. The residency gathers a diverse cohort to engage in collective intelligence, opening up the internal algorithmic logic of modern data platforms to build active, experimental prototypes.
The Three Axes of Inquiry:
The program coordinates its collaborative development and research around three interconnected thematic streams:
- Axis 1 — Technologies That Establish Facts: Investigating data infrastructures, architectural frameworks of verification, open-source intelligence (OSINT) as an artistic-political tool, counter-forensic practices, and investigative aesthetics.
- Axis 2 — Technologies for Lying: Examining the weaponization of synthetic fictions, AI-generated imagery, computational prediction markets, and the history and present state of psychological operations.
- Axis 3 — The Grey Zone (When Truth No Longer Matters): Confronting epistemic dispersion, digital nihilism, post-irony, technoparanoia, technological illusionism, and the online industries of seduction and fraud.
Categories
Digital Art, New Media / Video, Art History / Research, Interdisciplinary Practices.
- Global Scope: Open to contemporary practitioners worldwide who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
- Diverse Profiles: Welcomes fine artists, digital designers, data technologists, computer scientists, journalists, investigative researchers, and "rebellious ethnographers".
- Application Paths: Both Project Leads (proposing an original concept) and Collaborators (wishing to join a group framework) are eligible and encouraged to apply.
- Language Mandate: The residency and prototyping modules are held predominantly in English to streamline communication between international creators. Consequently, all digital application forms must be submitted entirely in English.
Program Benefits and Financial Architecture
- Cohort Placement: Exactly 25 international participants will be selected and divided into cross-disciplinary working groups to collaboratively manifest 5 specific prototype projects.
- Fully Funded Hospitality: Participation is completely free of charge. For selected practitioners residing outside the local Community of Madrid, all travel expenses, round-trip transit, local accommodation, and campus meals are fully covered and paid by the host institution.
- Expert Mentorship: Working groups receive intensive daily studio guidance, technical support, and critical feedback from leading international professionals, including mentors Júlia Nueno Guitart, Lucia Rebolino, and Sophie Publig.
- Public Restitution Festival: Completed group prototypes will be prominently premiered and showcased to international audiences during the high-profile OpenLAB festival from November 26–28, 2026, alongside curated professional lectures, networking events, and live performances.
Fees
- Application Fee: None (Completely free to apply).
Application Requirements
Applications must be compiled and finalized through the designated Jotform portal node. The review committee scores candidates based on their intellectual curiosity, alignment with the core axes, and capacity to work within collective horizontally-structured teams. Ensure you prepare your text materials ahead of time, as the online system cannot save ongoing progress.
How to Apply?
Fulfill the mandatory questionnaire fields on the digital entry page, map your field of practice, outline your interest in "The Mechanics of Truth" framework, and submit your dossier. Apply to the Medialab Matadero LAB 5 Open Call.
Key Dates
- Application Cutoff Deadline: Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 23:59 (11:59 PM) CET / Central European Time.
- Thematic Exhibition Windows: The parallel The Mechanics of Truth site-specific installation series runs at Nave Una, Matadero Madrid from October 15 to December 13, 2026.
- Intensive Prototyping Residency: November 12 – 25, 2026.
- OpenLAB Public Festival: November 26 – 28, 2026.
Location
Spain, Madrid (Medialab Matadero, Plaza de Legazpi 8, 28045 Madrid).
Additional Details
For deeper context regarding the conceptual parameters written by curator Bani Brusadin or the introductory texts by the mentoring board, review the official LAB 5 White Paper available on the main network.