EPI Archivos - Where is Asturias

Located in Gijón, Asturias, LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial was opened on 30 March 2007.

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (Art and Industrial Creation Centre) is a multidisciplinary institution, which produces, distributes and promotes access to new cultural forms arising from the creative use of ICT’s programming section and intended for all audiences, offers several ways to involved in the various activities of the program: exhibitions, events, workshops or educational programs.

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial is designed as a platform of resources available to designers to facilitate the development of ambitious projects in the fields of visual arts, design and architecture. The local presence of the institution is considered as an important factor to boost the relationship between creators and those of other Asturias regions of Spain or abroad.

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial has since its inception, worked with numerous institutions in Spain and Europe, the purpose being to extend this network to other regions.

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial is:

* A multidisciplinary institution that produces, disseminates and fosters access to new forms of culture emerging from the creative use of ICTs.
* A platform for access to tools and know-how to support artists and creators in the development of ambitious projects in art and industrial creation environments.
* A cross-cutting programme targeting all audiences with the goal of sharing knowledge.
* Offers a variety of ways to engage with the different programme areas.
* Acts as an anchorage point for the purpose of fostering dynamic relationships between the artistic and creative communities in Asturias and the rest of the world.
* A Centre for the production of contemporary art works that will form part of our future heritage.
* A Centre for innovation available to the public and artists.
* A “museum with a difference” where you can experience art, new technologies and industrial creation.

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial emerged from an initiative by the government of the Principality of Asturias in order to strengthen the field of technological culture as part of a strategy aimed at implementing alternative models for the future. Is a non-profit private foundation formed by corporations, private companies and institutions. Occupies 14,000 metres2 of the old Universidad Laboral’s workshops built in the 1950s of the last century by the architect Luis Moya. Acts as a spearhead for the Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura (City of Culture) where more than 5,000 people study, work, create…

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial is one of the cornerstones of the “golden mile of knowledge and innovation”, a perimetre delimited by the technology campus of the Gijón Polytechnic School of Engineering (EPI) and the Parque Científico Tecnológico de Gijón (Gijón’s Science and Technology Park) where the most innovative businesses are concentrated.

VISION. HOW

1.- EXHIBITION AND DIFFUSION

* The DNA of LABoral: showcasing work by artists and creators LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial researches and experiments with new ways to share the experience of art. With exhibitions, performances,
presentations…
* Provides access to the best in contemporary creation.
* Is a space for interaction.
* Presents work by local, national and international artists.
* Carries out coproductions with high standing international institutions: ZKM, Karlsruhe Banquete [Banquet], Centre Pompidou, Paris, Noches eléctricas [Electric Nights]; TBA-21,
Pasajes [Passages]; Museum of the Moving Image, Gameworld and Playware; Ars Electronica, Playware; CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Madrid, Auto. Sueño y materia [Auto.Dream
and Matter] and Estación experimental [Experimental Station]; MARCO Vigo, Presencia activa [Active Presence].

2.- PRODUCTION/RESEARCH

* Plataforma Cero. Centre for the production of contemporary art works and other cultural projects: future heritage.
* Technical support, consultancy, resources and infrastructure for creators, working groups and educators.
* Support for the creation of new work and artistic research.
* Provides technical support to creators and develops artist in residency programmes.

Resources

fabLAB Asturias

* Strategic agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
* A space for research, training and production with advanced digital fabrication machinery to create real and virtual prototypes. One of the 50 existing centres in Spain and the world. Financially supported by Alcoa
* In the Worldwide Network of Fab Labs. Signing of agreement with the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)

Audiovisual Production Platform

* Plat0: Experimentation and research on artistic actions and new audiovisual forms.
A/V Laboratories
* With equipment for recording, editing and the production and postproduction of digital and audio video.
Production residencies
* Aimed at national and international creators, developers and companies.
Networking
* Agreements, pacts and collaboration with companies, cultural institutions, schools, universities…

3.- TRAINING AND CULTURAL MEDIATION

* Classroom for knowledge.
* Talks, workshops, courses, meetings, conferences, symposiums.
* Education offers for schools, educational centres and the general public.
* New teaching methods and ground-breaking formats.
* Learning resources to supplement classroom work.
* Collaboration with universities.
* Postgraduate programme with the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). Aiming to provide the necessary tools to understand and take part in present-day culture from an interdisciplinary perspective in connection with the main.
debates on the international scale.
* Sala de Interpretación [Interpretation Room] with audiovisual material, bibliographies and documentation so that visitors can better access their searches.
* Mediation team. Guided visits, Visit-workshops.
* Mediateca_Archivo [Mediathéque]. Space for research and the dissemination of today’s art and creative industries. With a strong focus on the intersections between society, art, science
and technology.
* Archive of Asturian Creators. Database for looking up works produced by creators born or resident in Asturias.

4.- COMMUNICATION

* The third best cultural initiative in Spain in times of crisis. (Barometre “The Culture Observatory” of the Fundación Contemporánea, Madrid).
* A communication strategy with specific actions targeted at different publics.
* Numerous integrated and cross-cutting communication channels.
* Publications: Videos, photographs, catalogues, brochures, flyers, invitations).
* Web 2.0. An online strategy with a website and strong presence in social networks acting as far-reaching communication elements to engage with its geographically-dispersed publics
and audiences.
* Strong presence in social networks
* http://www.facebook.com/LABoral.Arte
* archivo@laboralcentrodearte.org
* https://twitter.com/#!/LABoral
* LINKEDIN, YOUTUBE, VIMEO, MYSPACE, IVOOX
* High impact in the Asturian, national and international media

More info about this center

If you want more information contact Where is Asturias at info@whereisasturias.com

Images supplied by Tomás Fano.

The new Gijon Polytechnic School of Engineering is the result of the merger of three prestigious Schools of University of Oviedo (Asturias) and will surely become a national reference in Engineering education.

With an experience of over one hundred years, Gijon Polytechnic School of Engineering has adapted to the Bologna process by offering seven Engineering Grades and several Masters dealing with different aspects of Engineering. The offer of Masters includes degrees such as an Erasmus Mundus Master in Mechatronics as well as the Official Masters in Industrial Engineering, Communication Engineering and Computer Engineering. The facilities of Gijon Polytechnic School of Engineering have been thoroughly renewed (libraries, sports facilities, cafeterias suited to provide students with meals, new computer classrooms, green areas, WiFi connection), thus making the Campus of Gijón a modern and pleasant study area. Moreover, the polytechnic nature of the School of Engineering makes it easy for students to work in interdisciplinary teams, which will be a typical situation under graduates will find in their professional career.

Adapting to Bologna process involves opening up to Europe. Every year an increasing number of students from our Campus have the possibility to carry our part of their studies in over 50 universities from Europe and the rest of the world; they may even have internships in foreign companies.

NEW DEGREES OF ENGINEERING

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Chemical Engineering
This degree aims to train expert professionals capable to carry out tasks dealing with analysis, production or transformation of various materials. And all of this with an industrial focus.

• Bachelor’s Industrial-Technologies
Trains engineers with capabilities especially indicated for an industrial environment, where complex problems are essentially multidisciplinary.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering
Students of this degree will be suited to develop and sign industrial engineering projects dealing with building, repairing, preserving, demolishing, manufacturing, installing or exploiting structures, mechanical equipment, industrials installations or manufacturing processes.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering
Graduates in electrical engineering are professionals with scientific and technological knowledge related to generation, transportation, distribution and consumption of electrical energy.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Electronics and Automatics Engineering
Electronics engineers can apply their skills in designing systems introducing improvements in industrial processes, development of new products, maintenance of industrial installations, but also in other fields such as medicine, agriculture, communication systems, etc.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Informatics Engineering in Information Technology
Graduates in Computers engineering are professionals with wide training that enables them to work in any phase of systems development life cycle in order to solve whatever problem relate to Information Technology and Communication.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunication Technologies and Services Engineering
This grade trains students to design, analyze, implement, exploit and manage systems and services related to Information Technology and Communication so that they meet the required specifications.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK

Gijon Science and Technology Park promoted by Gijon City Council and managed with the support of the Municipal Centre form Enterprises, has as its main objective to support the creation and establishment of science and technology-based enterprises and institutions.

It is an entrepreneurial campus for the exercise of news forms of technology transfer and of mixed character, to develop projects that involve the incorporation of R&D and innovation into enterprises and contribute entrepreneurial character to the University.

The presence of enterprises sharing spaces with similar and complementary activities facilitates mutual relationships and fosters collaboration.

Services:

• Plots for sale
• Offices and laboratories to rent
• Room rental

Programs:

• Activities carried out in collaboration with the University of Oviedo (Final-year Awards, Masters, ASTTELMAT Program and Agreement with Asturias University Institute of Industrial Technology (IUTA)
• Activities developed within the framework of Spain Science and Technology Park Association (APTE) (APTE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER NETWORK, COPIT PROJET)
• Activities organized in cooperation and coordination with COTEC Foundation and the Asturian Innovation Club.

THE KNOWLEDGE MILE

The hallmark Knowledge Mile is aligned with the most advanced dynamics of knowledge management and innovation to turn Gijón into a reference point in technology, entrepreneurial cooperation and knowledge transfer from the university education world to enterprises and institutions.

This territory framed in the geographical area called The Knowledge Mile contains the main scientific-technological elements of our city. There different university centers get together, Gijón Science and Technology Park, two technology centers, the venue for W3C Spanish-speaking countries, more than 50 technology-based enterprises and innovation centers of global scope such as the Escalators / Passenger Boarding Bridges Business Unit of ThyssenKrupp Elevator.

Laboral Ctiy of Culture is also in this area, a large education and cultural complex situated in Europe’s second largest civil building.

The City Hospital and the Atlantic botanical Garden are also in this space, centred on the flora of both sides of our ocean.

This site is bound to act as an Asturian Sillicon Valley, where University, enterprises and instiitutions collaborate with each other.

EPI

Laboral Centro de Arte in Gijón

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial is:

VISION. HOW

Resources

Gijon Polytechnic School of Engineering