Labsurde

Labsurde is a term used in art and design discourse to describe a practice that blends laboratory-style research with absurdist or surreal aesthetics. The term is generally informal and used to characterize projects rather than a single organization.

Origin and meaning: It combines "lab" with the French absurde (absurd) and signals experiments where rigorous procedure coexists with playful, illogical, or paradoxical outcomes. In labsurde works, datasets, prototypes, or experimental setups may function as performances or narratives, highlighting ambiguities in scientific authority and laboratory culture.

Practice and scope: A labsurde project typically involves cross-disciplinary collaboration among artists, designers, researchers, and technologists. Activities may include prototyping, interactive installations, performances, and written documentation that treats the creative process as if it were a scientific inquiry. The tone can be satirical, critical, or exploratory, aiming to challenge assumptions about empiricism, control, and progress.

Impact and reception: Critics situate labsurde within broader conversations about critical design, media art, and the anthropology of technology. It is viewed as a way to examine the social and ethical dimensions of scientific practice while expanding creative practice.

See also: absurdism; experimental art; speculative design.