Open Market Days - 20-22.2.2020

Esch2022: Project and programme taking shape

Update and preview at the “Open Market Days”

• The town of Esch-sur-Alzette and the municipalities in Luxembourg and France work in close cooperation and adopt a common position

• “Comité de Lecture”, final stage of evaluation of the submitted projects

• Overcoming borders, thinking and acting European – even beyond 2022

• Overall objective: Changing our image and shaping the future

606 projects were submitted in response to the “Appel à Projets”, the call for projects of Esch2022. The keen interest in helping to shape Esch2022 is underscored by the fact that more than twice as many project ideas were received for the region, which includes the south of Luxembourg and the neighbouring French municipalities, than could be registered by the initial deadline of 31 July 2019. Not only did all the participating municipalities respond to the call, but interested parties from other parts of Luxembourg also want to play an active role in shaping the future of the region. This highlights the national scope of the project, in which the core team works closely with ministries, municipalities and cultural and tourism institutions.

By May, the “Comité de Lecture”, the selection committee, will have concluded the complex evaluation process and the joint follow-up of many projects with their sponsors, which is currently underway. The first trend reveals that the four Remix theme pillars “Europe”, “Nature”, “Yourself” and “Art” are represented more or less equally. The Open Market Days in the Escher market hall, “Muart-Hal”, from 20-22 February 2020 provided a preview of the projects and the programme as well as additional insights into the current topics and milestones in the run-up to 2022. This was accomplished by means of a multimedia information trail consisting of an immersive sound tunnel, an exhibition space where four projects were presented via video, a virtual reality lounge, speeches by the persons in charge and question and answer sessions with team members. Some of the installations can also be experienced at other locations. More information will follow at a later date.

In the months to come, parallel to the intensive, internal team-oriented work on the programme, additional projects and programme modules will be presented going forward. Further information on other topics such as mobility, tourism and data collection and processing will also be communicated regularly. For example, press events will be held every two months starting from the end of April.

Overall project supported by the local community

A recent representative survey commissioned by Esch2022 revealed that 87%, or almost 9 out of 10 people, agree that the overall project is a “good thing”. More than 8 out of 10 respondents (85%) agreed that Esch2022 will help to improve and develop the cultural infrastructure in the area.* The Capital of Culture project will be officially launched with the grand opening ceremony on 22 February 2022. And it’s already been decided: The closing ceremony on 22 December 2022 will be the “re-start” of what is to come after that.

“The aim is to sustainably improve the image of the entire region and to create a new identity with the involvement of the local community. They need to be able to help shape their own future,” says Nancy Braun, Directeur géneral of Esch2022. Programmes will be offered throughout the year in Esch-sur-Alzette and the Belval district, and the participating municipalities will alternate between highlight events and themes. Here as well, events, permanent and temporary exhibitions, in the towns and along the “Minett Trail” hiking trail, for example, will encourage visitors to get to know the region.

Intended to be a fascinating and meaningful mix of the Esch2022 projects and those of the municipalities, institutions and private individuals, an overall programme for 2022 will be created from 22 February onwards. The local communities and their residents are participating in the process of reshaping the region, which is being launched thanks to Esch2022. In addition, the Esch2022 team is in the process of developing its own projects. These projects also include construction projects, especially in the Escher district of Belval, where existing historical sites are being redeveloped together with the Belval Fund. To this end, total funds of €35 million were approved at the beginning of February 2020 after a unanimous vote in the Luxembourg Parliament.

In Belval, the offices of the project teams will be located and exhibitions, performances will take place in, among other venues, the former industrial building of the “Möllerei”, which will house four exhibitions as a “Digital Space” over a total area of 375 m2. These exhibitions are being produced in cooperation with prominent partners from the cultural and arts scenes, using digital expertise - ZKM, the Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Ars Electronica, the Haus der elektronischen Künste Basel and the Luxembourg historian Pit Péporté.

Participation and Responsibility

The call for projects, whose initial deadline in the summer was extended until 31 December 2019, prompted private individuals, associations, professional groups and schools, among others, to submit ideas covering all of the four Remix theme pillars. These projects are currently in the final phase of evaluation. Municipalities themselves are also taking an active role as project promoters, focusing on local features, historical institutions and sites, and by restaging existing attractions using various construction measures and creative ideas.

Projects submitted in response to the call for projects will be financed with a maximum of 50% support from Esch2022, so costs and responsibilities will be shared by the project owner and Esch2022. This helps project owners find suitable partners and supporters, with the Esch2022 team providing assistance where necessary. This will help to ensure that the projects succeed through teamwork, and that they acquire greater depth and scope and can, ideally, continue beyond the duration of the Capital of Culture project. The project coordinators in the Esch2022 team have been committed to their work on all incoming projects since the summer. They are in dialogue with the project sponsors and coordinate the meetings of the Comité de Lecture. Around 50 projects are evaluated at each all-day meeting and ranked in one of four categories. The Board of Directors ultimately approves the projects. All projects require follow-up work, which is carried out in cooperation with the project sponsors. Support and advice are provided in close cooperation.

Opportunities for Tourism

Esch2022, under the direction of Thierry Kruchten, Head of Tourism & Mobility, has developed a tourism strategy for the project’s region, in line with the strategy papers and catalogues of measures of the different ministries and tourism institutions and with the involvement of regional economic enterprises from the sector. The clear objective formulated in this strategy was to promote Esch-sur-Alzette and the entire region and its many existing highlights, and to develop tourism. The southern region should be regarded as an attractive art, culture and city break destination, even beyond 2022. The staging of the industrial monuments and the strengthening of our regional identity while positioning ourselves as an international knowledge centre should have sustainable significance for tourism, growth and added value. Concrete projects such as the construction of the “Minett Trail” and the building of 11 special “gîtes” for overnight guests along this hiking trail represent major sustainable projects that are already being carried out. This is a joint project of the municipal syndicate ProSud, ORT Sud, the Chamber of Architects and Engineers OAI with the support of the Luxembourg Unesco Commission. It is being developed in close cooperation with Esch2022.

“We are responsible for ensuring that visitors have an enjoyable stay in our European Capital of Culture. Firstly, this relates to tourism product development and the marketing of our region, both at home and abroad, and secondly, to ensuring the barrier-free mobility of our visitors. Esch2022 will actively promote multimodality and soft mobility as part of the nationwide strategy,” says Thierry Kruchten.

The survey carried out revealed that at least 8 out of 10 respondents (82%) agree that Esch2022 will be beneficial for the development of tourism in the region and almost 9 out of 10 (87%) agree that local shops and restaurants will benefit.

Culture in the Region and for the Region

“The concept of culture does not refer exclusively to art, nor does it necessarily take on conventional, sometimes elitist forms that many people associate with the term. Culture is what we live and breathe every day, what we do, what defines us and our identity,” says Françoise Poos, Directeur programme culturel.

The “Minett Region” and the local community are deeply rooted in what was once the dominant industrial culture, with ore mining and steel production at its core. In many places, nature has reclaimed former industrial zones, and museums and memorials have been created at former mining and production sites. The local people have integrated the past into the present. Belval has created an ultra-modern university on what were once industrial sites, symbolizing the successful transformation of an industrial society into a knowledge society. We experience and live a mix as well as a reorganization, a “Remix” of old and new, nature and architecture, a diverse society with a common future. This transformation is a challenge, and Esch2022 offers an opportunity that everyone can take advantage of.

Annexe22

The pavilion on Brillplatz, “Annexe22”, will be a venue for communication and meetings in 2022. It will serve as an exhibition and event space and will be a contact point for local residents and visitors alike. It will also be an information centre. Starting on 22 February, a colourful installation by artist and designer Floris Hovers will be installed there. Entitled “Playful connect”, the installation by the Dutch artist was inspired by the industrial past and the region. His vision of an alternative world, built and functioning like a big playground, is on display. He wants to motivate people to give free rein to their imaginations, as they once did when they were children. The exhibition can be seen until 2 April 2020. Annexe22 will then be transformed into a studio for the “Nuit de la Culture” on 2 May 2020, where the prototype “Cuistax” for 2022 will be shown.

*1,020 people aged 18 and over from all over Luxembourg took part in the representative survey conducted by survey and opinion research institute TNS Ilres between 22 and 30 January 2020. Regular surveys are planned, both in Luxembourg and in the French territory of Esch2022.

Appendices

1. A video portrait of four projects

2. Press information about the exhibition by Floris Hovers

3. The region of Esch2022

4. Photos