Audiolabs

The Audiolab project is a coming together of architecture and sound design. The long collective process – involving the talents of four designers and a diversified medley of musicians, sound artists and engineers – has gathered design, music and art into an experience that works on many levels. Individual Audiolabs can best be described as listening and sound-immersion environments. The designers were asked to create an object or space that would accommodate visitors in consummate comfort, possibly for a considerable length of time, while allowing for optimal sound diffusion. French designers Patrick Jouin (1967), Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec (1971 and 1976) and Laurent Massaloux (1968) came up with three very different solutions. Armed with these plans, their fellow artists and musicians dipped into a bottomless bag of resources, composing, mining and combining their skills, always taking into account the shape of the space or object and theposition of both speakers and guests. After being exhibited individually the three “modules” were united in Luxembourg, where they were presented by the Banque de Luxembourg in partnership with Mudam, which now has the works in its permanent collection. Chris Scott (Frame, 41, 2004)