Every year, the AB Lab team selects 10 artists for a one-week residency. They get dedicated workspace, time to focus and professional support from the AB team to explore new ideas and push their practice further. The week wraps up with a public showcase where audiences get a glimpse into the creative process.
Sunchaser
Sunchaser came to life when Cam (Instar) asked Niels to collaborate on a new project. That collaboration led to their first single, Territorio, and eventually to their debut EP on the Brussels-based label Toverberg. With Omar joining on drums, the project evolved into a fully-fledged three-piece band, crafting a sound that shimmers, floats and drifts dreamily into the distance.
With everyone juggling multiple projects, finding time together isn't always easy. This residency therefore became more than just a space to create—it was also a chance to reconnect as a band and take the first steps towards the next chapter of Sunchaser.
Gala Dragot
Gala Dragot worked as Artist In Residence at AB Salon on the further development of her sound. Together with a live band, she explored new musical directions and developed her live set. Her work, which balances vulnerability and power, gained extra depth and dynamism during the residency.
Here too, the role of AB LAB as workplace for artistic development became clear: an environment in which process and presentation go hand in hand. The trajectory was concluded with a showcase that culminated in an intimate, charged live-experience.
Fenne Kuppens
For the BRDCST festival, Fenne Kuppens worked on her solo project in a residency at AB Salon. What began as an intimate solo set gradually evolved into a quartet, with rich layers and dynamics. During this process, she refined her compositions and further developed her live set.
The residency created space for a fragile and introspective approach, with attention to nuance, tension and emotional intensity. The result was presented during BRDCST and left a lasting impression.
Open Choir Practice
Open Choir Practice kicked off the series of artist residencies at AB Salon. Four voices of the Belgian jazz and improv scene were brought together: Willem Malfliet, Adia Vanheerentals, Abel Ghekiere and Engel Peet. For five days, they explored the space and each other, with a focus on collective composition, experiment and improvisation.
The residency offered time and space to develop new work and let ideas evolve. The process culminated in a performance in which the exploration translated itself into an intense and compelling live experience.
