Seachange Lab is an international forum for practical artistic research and performing arts experiments, founded in 2005 in Aarhus, Denmark, by director and dramaturg Barbara Simonsen, under the name of Laboratoriet.

At first, Laboratoriet was based at the open venue Entré Scenen and from 2011 at the dance venue Bora Bora. In 2013, Laboratoriet became an independent organisation and in 2016 changed its name to Seachange Lab.

From the publication 'LABORATORIET 2005-2015',
 by artistic director Barbara Simonsen: (see the whole publication as pdf HERE)

TEN EXPERIMENTING YEARS

‘Wouldn’t you like to have a laboratory at Entré Scenen?’ was the question I put to Jesper de Neergaard, director of the small experimental open venue Entré Scenen in Aarhus, in 2004. ‘Yes!’ he said, without blinking, without hesitation. ‘Great’, I said, ‘well, then I’ll go ahead.’

In 2005, we conducted the first experiment under the name of Laboratoriet. In 2011, we moved with Entré Scenen to Bora Bora - venue for dance and physical theatre. In 2013, we decided to become an independent organisation, currently based at Godsbanen, Aarhus.

We have used many words to define ourselves - not least in the countless applications we have produced over the years to stay in business and do what we do. Laboratoriet is a forum for professional artists, where performing arts processes can be tested, reflected on and renewed. Laboratoriet is a free space for artists, where ideas, methods and new collaborations can be explored without the pressure of performances, critics, bosses, or deadlines. Laboratoriet is a centre for practical artistic research and performing arts experiments. Laboratoriet is the performing arts’ department for research and development. Laboratoriet is a knowledge bank, continually collecting ideas, knowledge and reflections about performing arts processes, and communicating them to artists, researchers, and everybody interested in creative processes.

Maybe Laboratoriet is not one of a kind, but certainly a rare species. And one thing is that we think what we do is incredibly interesting - but we are also very grateful for the interest and enthusiasm that so many artists and researchers in many different countries have shown our activities over the last ten years. That is why we are still here.

Since 2005, Laboratoriet has conducted around 30 experiments, 3 conferences and a research project. More than 200 artists from different countries have participated in our experiments and workshops, and more still have visited our showings, lec- tures, seminars, lounges, brunch debates etc. The citizens of Aarhus have enjoyed (hopefully) our public experiments, ‘The Face of Aarhus’ and ‘Moving Spaces - going places’. Several experiments and meetings have resulted in new productions and collaborations. Oh, and one baby, so far. That we know of.

We are also very proud of our own babies: the digital knowledge banks www.laboratoriet.org and www.rehearsalmatters.org. They represent thousands of working hours put in by imaginative and dedicated people to bring you a continual goldmine of thoughts and ideas about performing arts and what is inside it, when we look behind, beneath, beyond.

Our mission is still the same: To contribute to the development, renewal and qualification of theatre and performing arts, through practical experiments and reflection. We want an experiment at Laboratoriet to lead to new awareness, ideas and knowledge - both tacit and explicit - about what we do, how we do it and why we do what we do, as performing arts practitioners. We hope to continue to provide the framework for this qualifying process to take place, and to share the ensuing knowledge and reflections with the rest of the world. For many more years to come.