The Cal-Laboratory Kitchen bought together artists from Latvia, Macedonia, Mexico, Romania, Great Britain, and the United States for a two-week residency to pursue a cultural exchange in choreographic processes.  Organized by Professor Allyson Green, Chair of Theatre and Dance, choreographers were in residence at the University of California, San Diego where they worked in improvisation and choreographic research with professional dancers and graduate students from San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. The choreographers also collaborated with visual artists, composers and musicians from Great Britain, Mexico, and San Diego to explore interdisciplinary collaborative processes.

The mission for the Cal-Laboratory Kitchen is to provide a rejuvenating haven for process and exchange, rather than finished product. It takes time for good art to simmer; the Cal-Laboratory Kitchen is a haven for meaningful cross-cultural exchange, gathering the ingredients for the development of artistic projects over time.

Equally important to the work in the studio are gatherings around the table, and investigations into the California/Mexico natural environments. The residency kicked off with a gathering at the ArtPower! Loft Lounge, where participants will met, ate, and shared video excerpts of their work with the public.  Dinners throughout the two weeks were hosted by arts leaders in the community on both sides of the border. Field trips around the spectacular San Diego/Tijuana landscapes were arranged for site-specific exploration. Arts writers were be invited to the table with a simultaneous workshop in critical discourse, and guest blogging hosted on the KPBS public radio Culturelust blog.