Practice-based research, evaluation, and artistic validation of emerging audiovisual technologies
FLO Lab is the research and experimentation strand of the Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO), providing a practice-based research environment where emerging audiovisual technologies are tested and evaluated from both artistic and technical perspectives.
FLO Lab brings together FLO’s globally distributed multidisciplinary community of composers, performers, visual artists, researchers, and technologists. Many members hold academic positions in music, sound, HCI, and related fields, positioning FLO Lab as a uniquely research-literate and artistically grounded testbed for experimental systems. We work with industry and research partners on terms that respect artistic and academic practice, including funded collaborations and consultancy arrangements.
FLO Lab activities are project-specific and optional for FLO members, and may include:
- Practice-based evaluation of audiovisual technologies
- Expert user feedback on usability, workflows, creative affordances, and limitations
- Artistic validation of tools and platforms across rehearsals, recordings, and public performance contexts
- Contribution to research publications or reflective documentation
- Participation in funded research projects (e.g. ERC, national grants, PoCs)
We have previously engaged with distributed music-making infrastructures, web audio tools, mobile apps for audio streaming, new interfaces for musical expression and quantum circuits. This work has resulted in public performances, recordings, invited talks, workshops, and peer-reviewed research publications. More details can be found below.
FLO Lab activities 2025
Exploring the use of Quantum Computing with HyperCubeHarmonic within NMP
Throughout 2025, the Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO) explored using quantum computing with a newly designed instrument, HyperCubeHarmonic, a musical version of the Rubik’s Cube conceptualised by FLO member Maria Mannone and brought to life through coding as a digital 4D instrument by Takashi Yoshino from Toyo University. This resulted in four performances: Telematic City Jam – Glasgow (Radiophrenia 2025), Telematic City Jam – Warsaw (AES Europe 2025), Telematic City Jam – Vitória (IV International Conference on Sonorities Research) and Telematic City Jam – Sharjah (World Stage Design 2025); one conference book contribution (IV CIPS – Silences), one research paper (ISQCMC) and one journal submission (under review). Busy year indeed 🙂
FLO Lab activities 2026
Practice-Based Evaluation of Hi-AUDiO
In early 2026, members of the Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO) participated in a practice-based evaluation of the Hi-AUDiO platform, a web-based multitrack recording environment developed by researchers at Télécom Paris. The testing was coordinated through FLO Lab and involved FLO performers based in Australia, Brazil, Croatia, France, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the UK, experimenting with the platform within a distributed composition workflow. The evaluation explored how the system performs in real artistic contexts, including asynchronous recording, DAW integration, and collaborative creative processes. Insights from the testing were compiled into a practice-based evaluation memo intended to inform future development of the platform and support ongoing research on distributed music production tools.
Work with FLO Lab
If you are developing audiovisual technologies for music, sound, or networked performance and are looking for practice-based evaluation by expert practitioners, we’d love to hear from you.
FLO Lab collaborations are particularly well-suited to researchers and developers working within funded projects — such as ERC, Horizon Europe, or national grants — who need real-world artistic evaluation to complement lab-based or task-based studies.
A typical FLO Lab engagement involves coordinated use of your platform within a real FLO creative project, synthesis of expert practitioner feedback, and a structured evaluation memo with design implications. Depending on the scope, engagements may also include survey design, methodology support, and contributions to research publications.
If this sounds relevant to your work, get in touch via our contact form and select “I’d like to explore a FLO Lab collaboration.”