Labs for Liberation

Labs for Liberation reimagines the traditional concept of the humanities lab, transforming them into spaces for collaboration, theory-building, and world-building. This approach extends the legacy of various grassroots initiatives including:• Disability design cooperatives• Wheelchair repair studios• DIY home design collaborations• Black queer houses• Feminist science labs• Artist salons• Activist spaces like the kitchen table and online forumsThe core idea behind Labs for Liberation is to plant seeds for local organising efforts that centre equity and justice as fundamental goals. Rather than following a top-down, expert-driven model, these labs aim to cultivate collaborative, community-based approaches to problem-solving and envisioning alternative futures.By drawing on the rich history of marginalised groups creating their own spaces and networks for mutual care, innovation, and resistance, Labs for Liberation seek to reimagine traditional academic or institutional spaces with emphasis on grounding theory and practice in the lived experiences and activist traditions of those who have been excluded from dominant systems.

Data Sovereignty & Knowledge Stewardship:• Sharing and immersing in collective knowledge and giving the community full control and ownership of their spaces, shifting away power from institutional and colonial models of knowledge ownership.• Aligning with indigenous concepts and recognising that knowledge stewardship must respect and preserve cultural contexts and sustaining knowledge across generations,, thus protecting and nurturing community-specific knowledge practices.• Reimagining new systems and alternative infrastructures focused on the needs and priorities of the community.• Acknowledging the intersectionality of multiple justice movements with knowledge and data sovereignty, and building solidarity across different communities.

Understanding and Reimagining Spaces1. How can we reimagine the spaces we work in to centre community collaboration and grassroots leadership rather than top-down models?2. In what ways can our spaces reflect the histories and traditions of marginalized communities who have created their own networks for mutual care and resistance?3. How can we shift from spaces of production to spaces of world-building and theory-grounding rooted in lived experiences?Collaborative Practices1. What mechanisms can we create to ensure community members lead the decision-making processes in our projects?2. How do we prioritise the voices of historically exploited groups in shaping the artistic and structural frameworks of our work?3. How can we foster collaboration that is both equitable and rooted in shared, intersectional goals across justice movements?Centring Knowledge Stewardship1. How do we ensure the community retains full control and ownership of the knowledge, data, or resources generated from our work together?2. In what ways can our projects align with and respect Indigenous and cultural knowledge systems without appropriating them?3. What steps can we take to sustain and protect community-specific knowledge practices for future generations?Sustainability and Impact1. How can we design alternative infrastructures that meet the specific needs and priorities of the communities we work with?2. Are our current practices contributing to or dismantling colonial and institutional power dynamics within arts and cultural production?3. What systems of accountability can we establish to ensure our work remains centred on equity and justice?Intersectionality and Solidarity1. How do we incorporate the intersectionality of race, gender, disability, and class into every aspect of our projects and partnerships?2. In what ways can we build meaningful solidarity across different justice movements through our artistic or organizational work?3. How do we actively identify and challenge systems of exclusion in our projects or organizational practices?Activating Historical and Contemporary Models1. What can we learn from historical spaces like Black queer houses, feminist science labs, and activist spaces to inspire our current practices?2. How can we use the principles of mutual care, innovation, and resistance from grassroots traditions in our day-to-day operations and long-term strategies?3. How do we ensure that our work honours and expands upon the legacy of these community-led spaces while adapting them to contemporary challenges?Actionable Change1. What small, immediate changes can we make to ensure our projects begin to align more closely with the principles of Labs for Liberation?2. How will we measure our progress in fostering community-driven, equitable, and justice-centred arts practices?