Live Lab

The Magnum LiveLab is a multiple photographer residency program, producing work which directly responds to the location and community in which it is situated. Over the course of two weeks, a number of Magnum photographers, along with a curator, work in an experimental ‘lab’, to produce a new body of work about, for and with local communities, followed by pop-up exhibition. Magnum Photos partners in each location with a prestigous cultural institution, which provides a home and legacy for the new work produced.

The chemistry between the participants: the curator and the photographers, along with the city that serves as the inspiration for their new production, creates the unique outcome of each lab.The process of making, editing, printing and curating the work is performed in full view of the public. The audience is invited to ‘join’ the journey in-situ as new work begins to populate the walls and online through digital publication, as it unfolds. The outcome is a process of discovery for both participants and audience alike and serves to highlight the collaborative nature of production at the heart of the Magnum Photos cooperative.

A dynamic creative experiment, Live Labs have been hosted in London, Shenzhen and Paris, supported by brands and companies with a unique way to meet both community-based social responsibility aims, contribute to an important historic record of a city and align with world-renown cultural institutions.