About us

A+E Lab is a Cultural and Technology Hub in Chatham, Medway, curated by AΦE.
We develop and deliver ambitious programme of innovative cultural activities.

A+E Lab is a Cultural and Technology Hub in Chatham, Medway, curated by AΦE.
We develop and deliver ambitious programme of innovative cultural activities.

Who we are

What we do

Projects

A+E Lab revolves around three key strands of activity:
• The creation and touring of work through AΦE’s productions
• The delivery of community & artist engagement programmes related to technology and culture
• The presentation and curation of work including artistic residencies.

Projects

Our facilities

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A+E Lab is a space for experimentation and creation. We organise and host wide range of creative activities at A+E Lab including events, rehearsals, productions, workshops and film/photography shoots. We work with our technical partner Visual Elements to accommodate the technical needs for each activity.

A+E Lab Facilities:

• Main studio space
145 sqm / L 13m x W 10m (100 sqm / L 10m x W 10m sprung dance floor, basic PA, rigging and lighting system)
Capacity 60 people for everyday uses and 150 people for events

• Gender neutral, wheelchair accessible toilet facilities

• Kitchen facilities
25 sqm / L 8.9m x W 2.8m
Capacity 10 people

• Court Yard
100 sqm / L 10m x W 10m
Capacity 60 people

Location
Unit 1, Building 64, Main Gate Road, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Chatham, ME4 4TZ (Google Map)

Do you need support for your project?
Get in touch at hello@aoiesteban.com

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Our services

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Our work is collaborative and bring team of creatives and technologists together depending on the project needs. We can take on projects from ideation through to delivery for wide range of projects including workshops, events and production.

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Available workshops

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We love to share our creation process, discoveries and passion.
We offer various workshops and talks, tailored to any age groups and background.
Few examples of our workshop offer are below.

Available Workshops
“Creating for immersive environments: Theatre, AR and VR”
• This workshop explores the similarities between making theatre and AR/VR experiences, so that drawing strengths from both worlds we can create strong immersive experiences.
• The session includes a lecture and some 360° film shooting.
• Content and angle could be tailored to dancers and other theatre-based professionals, or filmmakers and other non-theatre based professionals.

“The Basics of Dance and 360° VR Filmmaking”
• This workshop is focused on movement content creation, and is not a lecture.
• Participants can take part from the age of 6 through to university students and professionals.
• The ideal workshop length is at least 4 hours but we can be flexible. The more time we have, the more in-depth we can go on the subject.

“Motion Capture System Demonstration”
This workshop is for us to share our knowledge of using ROKOKO Motion Capture suits. Expect a hands-on demonstration of ROKOKO Motion Capture suit for participants to try it for themselves.

“Physical Theatre Workshop”
• This workshop contains creative tasks to share the tools of creating physical theatre.
• Participants can take part from the age of 6 but the workshop can also be tailored to university students and professionals. The length differs depending on the age group.

"Talks"
The Artistic Directors and/or our other team members can talk about the creative process and producing productions that combine art and technology based on our experience.

Alongside production, curation, and workshops, we can also provide and curate a series of creative learning sessions based on our 2 major creations, WHIST, and 0AR, which can be tailored to any age group.

• WHIST Artist’s Talk + Q&A
Come chat with us about the creation process of WHIST, merging physical theatre, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and 360 film.

In this talk, Artistic Directors Aoi and Esteban will share their journey of creating WHIST, from the initial idea to the development of the piece and importance of the interaction with the viewer. This talk will focus on the process and meaning behind the work rather than the outcome.

The talk will last approximately 1 hour and will be followed by a Q&A where you will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with us.

• 0AR Artist’s talk + Q&A
Come chat with us about the creation process of 0AR, a collection of short dance works in Augmented Reality (AR) for all ages.

Open to participants aged 16 and over.

This talk is focused on the creation process of 0AR, and the use of Augmented Reality in the Dance performance context. We will go through our creation journey, explaining how the concept evolved from Akram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's seminal work zerodegrees, which 0AR is based on.

The talk will last approximately 30 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A where you will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with us. No prior experience is needed.

Feel free to get in touch for more information on hello@aoiesteban.com

Get in touch

What others say...

"It was excellent! You created a beautiful environment where artists and researchers felt comfortable to share space and ideas and set the foundations for future collaborations. I have been at another CCL before and it was great but in this one, I felt like we created a family in such a short time. Thank you for being so open and welcoming!" CCL Participants

“Wow, Aoi and Esteban are so accommodating, energetic and open to try ideas. The sense of encouragement to make mistakes was very welcome. It felt like a place to be free to push one's artistic practice.” WFS Artist in Residence

Partners and supporters

Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries - University of Kent

Website

Arts Council England

Website

Visual Elements

Website

The Game of Life

Website

Motion Bank

Website

The Centre for Dance Research, Coventry University

Website

Creative Medway

Website

The Place

Website

Medway Rapture Gaming and Creative Festival

Website

The Historic Chatham Dockyard Trust

Website