The nomination process around a residency theme helps to select a range of participants so that expertise and forms of practice are varied, and people have plenty of scope to learn from each other. A range of expertise and arts practice in the participants, often with orthogonal conceptual and systematic approaches created a wealth of perspectives. Conversations about circuit design, musical structure, local history, projection mapping, storytelling, nuclear power, textiles and laser performance diffracted through each other with ease. Some digital media institutions can find themselves replicating entrenched inequalities, but suffer the obvious deficiencies of such lack of diversity. An organisation which is able to ensure a lab with a greater gender balance for 79 example, is less likely to be dysfunctional in other ways too. The hierarchies within the lab were also flattened to a certain extent in productive ways. The lab organisers made sure that they presented their own work along-side the participants. Meals were prepared by fellow artist Alan Pergusey, and were a shared, discursive time. All lab participants shared tasks such as washing up, transporting equipment, and so on. This aspect of communal lab-citizenry has a powerful influence on how ideas are discussed and help is sought and given.