Born out of a worldwide pandemic, LaMouseion offers a new locus of experiment where young people can search for new insights, test new ideas and gain new knowledge about current and future societies. It is motivated by the belief in art as a catalyst for mutual understanding and as a guiding light in our search for answers to the significant great challenges of the 21st century – particularly the relationship between nature and culture and sustainable community development. Artist Koen Vanmechelen, the conceiver of the project, translates what he learns from nature into iconic artworks and calls upon different disciplines of science to investigate these ‘transformations’. Artistic creation and scientific research join with a similar goal: to discover how to keep the world a habitable place for all species that make the web of life.

Embedded in LABIOMISTA, a 24ha artwork, LaMouseion is a contemporary re-creation of the Mouseion, the legendary center for arts and science. As in ancient Greece, it brings together free spirits from different disciplines in their tireless quest for answers, knowledge, and wisdom. Developed as an antidote to an overly focused monocultural curriculum, its modus operandi is 'crossing', ‘cross-breeding’ or ‘fusing’ (nature x culture, local x global, art x science x community, past x present x future). 

LaMouseion's first project, The Unthinkable Experiment (TUE), demolishes the boundaries between university, art, and community. The project is developed in partnership with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Université Libre de Bruxelles, The Mouth Foundation, city of Genk, and a wide range of local community partners.