Kitchen Budapest
Kitchen Budapest, opened in June 2007, is a new media lab for young researchers who are interested in the convergence of mobile communication, online communities and urban space and are passionate about creating experime…
In 2006 I co-founded Kitchen Budapest, an innovation lab for Hungarian Telekom (subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom), and led it as program director until 2008.
Anita designed the interior of the lab.
It has been an extremely thriving institution. I am especially proud of the strong collaborative culture and novel work methods which fostered teaming and innovation.
Core ideas — from the 2007 catalogue
Kitchen Budapest opened in June 2007 as a new media lab for young researchers interested in the convergence of mobile communication, online communities and urban space — passionate about creating experimental projects in cross-disciplinary teams.
From the founding operating document (written with Attila Nemes, January–April 2007): “New media is the field of imminent synergy, a juncture of mobile communication, internet communities and urban space; new services and uses may transform the process of socialization, consumption, and our way of life… Through the lab we design services for ourselves and turn telecommunication into a smart company.”
How people worked together
The lab was built around a shared, collaborative working model rather than individual assignments. Every researcher ran their own one-person project and worked in collaborative teams; everyone gave regular presentations of their work to the others, and each project kept a public developer blog — the work was published, and researchers were known as authors in their peer groups.
The catalogue lists what the lab offered its researchers: the realization of ideas (“there is hardly any precedent for it in Hungary today”), publicity and authorship, creating cultural value — understanding technology as culture that they create, not merely consume — and a place and community: a multidisciplinary lab with a lively spirit and free working methods, supported by scholarships plus bonuses for successful projects.
Education was continuous and project-based — idea generation, creative thinking in communities, communication, mobile, hardware and software technologies — with guest lecturers helping researchers build international networks.
Credits
Kitchen Budapest, its program, identity and methodologies were designed by Adam Somlai-Fischer, Robin Nagy, Attila Nemes, Anita Pozna, Peter Halacsy, Peter György in 2007 January – June
We have Nina Czegledy on the advisory board now, and today all the researchers are actively shaping the institution.
Publicity
A great blog post at IFTI’s future Now
Kitchen has generated quite a buzz in Hungary.
(sorry all these are in hungarian)
“Rajzoló fűnyíró és fénylugas”, borsa.hu, 2007. október 8.
“Hónapok alatt lenyomták Magyarországot innovációban a Kitchen Budapest fiatal ösztöndjasai”, Kultplay.hu, 2007. szeptember 26.
“Fertőző Kitchen Budapest”, borsa.hu, 2007. augusztus 22.
“Újabb munkák a Kitchen Budapest laborban”, Prim Online, 2007. augusztus 6.
Látványkonyha vagy kommunikációs ötletgyár?, Népszabadság online, 2007. június 28.
Kitchen Budapest, a Magyar Telekom boszorkánykonyhája, Népszava online, 2007. június 22.
Kitchen Budapest: a MT kutató-fejlesztő laboratóriuma, Metro.hu, 2007. június 20.
A Telekom boszorkánykonyhája, Piac és Profit, 2007. június 20.
A kortárs kultúra innovációja, Computerworld, 2007. június 20.
Megnyílt a MT k+f laborja, a Kitchen Budapest, Prim Online, 2007. június 20.
Zenélő répák közösségi kijelzővel, Index, 2007. június 20.
Indul a kotyvasztás a high-tech műhelyben, Origo, 2007. június 20.
Kitchen Budapest, a Magyar Telekom boszorkánykonyhája, IT News, 2007. június 20.
Ahol az új Google-okat kifőzik, HVG, 2007. május 30.
Miből főz a Kitchen Budapest?, HVG, 2007. április 4.
Médialabor nyílt a Ráday utcában, HG, 2007. április 4.
Mobil művészet a konyhából, Index, 2007. április 4.
Fejlesztőlabort nyit a Telekom, Origo, 2007. április 4.
TV and Radio
MTV, Kultúrház, 2007. szeptember 7.
Kitchen Budapest, MTV, Médiamix, 2007 szeptember 5.
2007. június 24. Múzeumok Éjszakája
Újdonság idehaza: Kitchen Budapest, Kitchen a Kultúrházban, 2007. március 19.
“Kreativitást, tehetséget, ötletet, intuíciót fejleszt és szállít a szabad piacra.”
TV DEKO: 2007. augusztusi programajánló
RTL KLUB: Infománia: augusztus 21-23.