Press News

Budapest, June 9, 2008

Kitchen Budapest, Hungary’s first media laboratory, is celebrating its first anniversary. On this occasion it will host colorful programs at the Millennáris Park on June 15-16.

Magyar Telekom’s media laboratory, called Kitchen Budapest (KIBU), was started a year ago. KIBU is an institution studying urban spaces, mobile communication, the Internet and the values of metropolitan culture. In KIBU, we provide space and tools for young researchers to develop their creative ideas in team work. In the first year of its existence it provided opportunities for 12-15 young researchers, mainly students of the technical and applied arts universities, and also for some foreign guest researchers to work on projects studying various aspects of city life, technology and culture. Regular Hungarian and foreign requests, innovation forums, electronic art festivals, presentations, exhibitions prove that the projects of the KIBU command global interest. Over the past year KIBU projects were presented in London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Nagyszeben (Sibiu, Romania) and shortly they will also be unveiled in Singapore and Tokyo.

In the second half of 2008 KIBU intends to continue its focus on running as diverse projects as possible and on ensuring that these projects address new and already existing technological solutions which, however, could be rethought (e.g. Internet, mobile phone, computers) and to connect these technologies that determine our everyday life. Based on the experiences of the past year, several new research directions have been determined, one of the most decisive of which is to develop the “do-it-yourself media” concept.

On its first anniversary KIBU’s most important goal is to present the connection of technology and culture through many attractive programs, to the widest audience. The media lab will offer activities for young children, an Interactive Recycling workshop demonstrating better use of our own resources for the secondary and university students, an exhibition and performances showing the peak moments of our past year, as well as special concerts. For the detailed program, visit www.kitchenbudapest.hu .