Call for participants for the Collaborative Prototyping Lab
The 20 selected participants will join the collaborative development of 5 prototypes, along with their promoters and mentors Alex Quicho, Solveig Qu Suess, Joel Blanco and Medialab’s curator Bani Brusadin.
> What does Collaborative Prototyping mean?
For Medialab prototyping means testing ideas through collaborative work. The laboratory consists of an intensive two-week residency in which 25 people, organized in interdisciplinary working groups, will develop 5 prototype proposals. This call is precisely for those who want to join the development of the 5 selected proposals.
You can find information about previous editions of the Collaborative Prototyping Lab here.
> What is it about?
The goal of this laboratory is testing ideas and develop collaborative, interdisciplinary projects through groups of collaborators coordinated by the project promoter. Medialab will provide workspace and other facilities and the groups will receive support and advice from the international mentors, Medialab’s curator, and other experts.
Throughout the laboratory, open source standards and tools will be used as much as possible. The outcome will be available under Creative Commons licenses to foster further development, reuse, and distribution.
In addition, the resulting prototypes will be presented publicly in the framework of the OpenLAB Weird Futures festival that will take place at Medialab Matadero on November 27 - 29, 2025.
> ¿What's the topic? ¿Why “Weird Futures”?
In a context in which the narratives of stability, security and linear progress are fading in the face of the growing and deliberate production of volatility and its instrumentalisation, technological promises play a fundamental role. The literary visions of cyberpunk become strategic plans. Dystopias become business models. Weird Futures is an invitation to explore in concrete terms some of the material and symbolic vectors that, by invoking possible futures, are actively redesigning key aspects of contemporary society.
This residency proposes an exploration of extreme cases, radical alternatives and examples of strange technological narratives that help us understand the transformation of technological mediation and power in 21st-century society
You can read more about these topics in LAB 4 White Paper.
> Which prototypes will be developed? What are they about?
These are the 5 selected proposals:
> Ktown: Future Epistemologies in Intelogenesis by Gaara collective (Spain)
An experimental, AI-boosted Dwarf Fortress mod that evokes a speculative world where technological instability is amplified by disruptive events.
> The Institute of Alice Guo Studies by Mac Andre Arboleda (Philippines)
The Institute of Alice Guo Studies is a research and production agency centered around the fraudster Alice Guo to investigate pirate strategies, mediatic capacities, and governance networks. More info here.
> Navigating Militarized Urban Futures by Mark Cinkevich (Belarus / Poland)
Building an interactive prototype that explores urban spaces shaped by pervasive algorithmic surveillance and subtle targeted control.
> Iblīs dwells a Line by Noura Tafeche (Italy)
A dissection of NEOM's mega smart-city as an example of “performative urbanism” where hyper-stylized renderings operate as tools of authority, extraction, and ethnic cleansing.
> POCAS - Poca Organización Colaborativa de Auto-servicio by Pablo Somonte Ruano (Mexico / Germany)
POCAS uses economic sci-fi to imagine an autonomous mutualist network in an alternative version of contemporary Mexico City, leveraging distributed computation as a viable competitor to capitalism.
> Who are the mentors?
Here you can find short presentations by Solveig Qu Suess, Alex Quicho and Joel Blanco with their contribution to the residency.
> Who is this call for?
Anyone over the age of 18 can apply, no matter where they are from or where they live.
We are looking for creators and students who want to explore the impact of technology in today's society. We want to test and possibly grow their ideas in a way that is specific, collaborative and critical.
We are especially interested in profiles linked to contemporary art and design research, both at the beginning of their careers and in more established phases.
The Prototyping Lab is open to people with experience or training in visual culture and new visualities, architecture and urbanism, writing, journalism, social studies, activism, digital media, environmental sciences, engineering, materials science, economics and any other field that can connect in a productive and original way with one or more of the topics of the LAB 4 Weird Futures program.
> What are the selection criteria?
Our choice will be mostly based on the profiles and skills that each project needs.
> Ktown: Future Epistemologies in Intelogenesis by Gaara collective (Spain)
> The Institute of Alice Guo Studies by Mac Andre Arboleda (Philippines)
> Navigating Militarized Urban Futures by Mark Cinkevich (Belarus / Poland)
> Iblīs dwells a Line by Noura Tafeche (Italy)
> POCAS - Poca Organización Colaborativa de Auto-servicio by Pablo Somonte Ruano (Mexico / Germany)
Collaborators can apply to as many projects as they want, but if selected, they will be assigned to one working group. In any event, during the Lab the working groups will be encouraged to exchange ideas and collaborate with each other.
Medialab Matadero will make sure the final selection is balanced in terms of gender, origin, race, cultural background, and class.
> When and where?
From November 12th through 26th, 2025 at Medialab Matadero (Madrid).
> Can I attend remotely?
Unfortunately, not. Because of the nature of the work, it is necessary to attend all sessions in person. The schedule is Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Sometimes, there will be extra activities after that time.
If you need one, Medialab Matadero can provide letters of invitation or certificates of attendance for participants.
> What language is used in the lab?
This residency will be conducted in Spanish and English, with no formal translation provided. All participants will have a sufficient level of English to interact with other members of their working group and the mentors.
> How much does it cost?
It's free. Medialab pays for travel and accommodation for people who don't live in the Community of Madrid, no matter where they come from (up to 10 people).
The organization will provide meals for all participants in the lab from Monday to Friday between November 12 and 26.
> What documents do I need?
You can find all the instructions in the terms and conditions of the call for applications.
> What's the deadline?
Until 11:59 pm on September 2, 2025.
> How can I apply?
Please fill this form.