Approach to Medialab-Prado: Gabriel Menotti

I came to present a paper during the Interactivos?!’10 Neighbourhood Science edition. Unfortunately, for personal reasons, I couldn’t stay for the whole duration of the workshop, even though I was very interested in contributing as a collaborator to some of the projects presented. From this short experience, it seemed to me that Medialab-Prado is able to create a space for very productive dialogues between collaborators, participants and teachers, so that everyone can make the most of it. I found at Interactivos?! something I’ve been missing ever since I started studying in the UK: a true interface not only between people of different practices, but also of different “levels of hierarchy.” It comes as no surprise that these workshops/ exhibitions are some of the most exciting events in terms of media arts nowadays. Besides the strategic choice of topics, I believe that their “summer school” environment plays a huge role in this success. Of course, the attention of the Medialab team to details of production should also be praised.

2. How do you value Medialab-Prado? What do you think could be changed or improved?

Seen from abroad, the institution is a great reference for media art, and its activities have informed some of my own research and curatorial projects in this field. I think it is also an important platform for the promotion of Spanish artists and for the connection of the local scene with the rest of the world.

I don’t really know what could be improved in the Institution. Concerning the specific edition of Interactivos?! I participated of, I believe the seminar could have been better distributed throughout the workshop days, instead of being isolated in the first one. In that way, the theoretical debates could have been better integrated to the production of the artworks, allowing more interesting feedbacks between the “practical” and “conceptual” sides of the Neighbourhood Science topic.

 3. How do you think it should evolve, considering its future location at the new building (the Old Belgium Sawmill)?

Even though I do not follow the Medialab’s routine, it seems to me that the change in location can provide a larger space for more intense everyday activities, increasing the Institution’s interaction with the local public.