As part of Berlin Design Week, the exhibition Next – in cooperation with EUNIC Berlin – presents 30 projects and works from 11 countries. As the continuation of the successful Young Talents format, Next is now an integral part of the annual design festival. The exhibition highlights young European design talents who deal with pioneering and sustainable design concepts in their works.

The initiative by EUNIC Berlin and Berlin Design Week shows how European design can influence social change and serve as a driving force for innovation.

“Next” offers a comprehensive insight into the diversity and potential of young designers from Estonia, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine and Hungary. The exhibition is not only a showcase for visionary design work, but also a discourse and networking space that stimulates exchange about the role of design as a driver for sustainable and future-proof solutions.

The exhibition is curated by Alexandra Klatt, founder and program director of Berlin Design Week.

The Luxembourg Embassy in Berlin, in cooperation with Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg is supporting 3 Luxembourgish designers :

This gathering of designers embodies a diverse range of talents and methodologies, showcasing the vibrancy and dynamism of the modern design landscape across Europe.

For the third year in a row, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg coordinated the Luxembourgish presence at jazzahead!, considered the most important meeting of the jazz industry.

Nicknamed “Luxemboogie”, the “Jazz from Luxembourg” stand brought together a delegation of 16 artists, promoters and managers from the Luxembourg scene. These three days of exchanges were a great opportunity for the members of the delegation to develop an international network and to present their projects to the international professionals present at the fair, especially during the “Jazz from Luxembourg” reception organised on 12th April.

Professional meetings such as jazzahead! are key moments in the life of Luxembourg jazz. They are an important occasion for the visibility and identification of Luxembourgish jazz, as well as for the extension of the international network of Kultur | lx, artists and professionals.

Committed to supporting emerging artists in the development of their careers, Kultur | lx supported the mobility of Veda Bartringer and Joël Metz, laureates of PropusionWOMEN and PropulsionBANDS.

The brochure “Jazz from Luxembourg” is available here:

Listen to the “Jazz from Luxembourg” playlist here:

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For the second time, Luxembourg is returning to the Leipziger Buchmesse with a national stand, demonstrating its commitment to showcasing its literary creations on the international stage. Seven Luxembourg publishing houses (Capybarabooks, Éditions Guy Binsfeld, Editions Phi, Hydre Éditions, Kremart Edition, Op Der Lay and Point Nemo Publishing) presented their new titles at the event, which attracted more than 88,000 visitors.

Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg aims to showcase Luxembourg literary creation, with a particular focus on German-language literature, although French and Luxembourgish were given a prominent place on the stand’s shelves, which inevitably raised the curiosity of both the general public and the professionals present. The convivial exchanges at the stand illustrate the dynamic atmosphere of the Leipziger Buchmesse, where curiosity and passion for literature converge.

Ulrike Bail, Raoul Biltgen and Guy Helminger were the guests of a reading event held on Saturday 23 March at 9pm at die naTo as part of the official programme of Leipzig Liest. Kultur | lx was delighted to be able to bring Luxembourgish voices to a new audience and to involve German literary critic and journalist Katrin Hillgruber in moderating the event, which provided yet another opportunity to gain an outside perspective on Luxembourg authors.

As part of its mission to promote and disseminate Luxembourg artists, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will be present for the third consecutive year at the jazzahead! trade fair in Bremen, Germany.

From 11 to 13 April, a delegation of musicians, managers and programmers representing the Luxembourg jazz scene will meet at the ‘Jazz From Luxembourg’ stand (6B50), which will be an important meeting point for all those involved in the Luxembourg jazz scene. They will have the opportunity to make contacts, exchange ideas, talk to international professionals and present their current and future projects.

In 2023, jazzahead! attracted 3,000 participants from 60 different countries. As the central platform for the jazz sector, it is an annual event in Bremen for formal and informal networking, showcases and conferences.

A brochure has also been published to present all the players in Luxembourg.

We would be delighted to welcome you at our stand 6B50 during the fair and for a networking reception on 12 April at 16h00!

From 21 to 24 March, for the second consecutive year, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will present Luxembourg’s diverse range of publishers and literature at a national stand at the Leipzig Book Fair.

Seven Luxembourg publishers—Capybarabooks, Éditions Guy Binsfeld, Editions Phi, Hydre Éditions, Kremart Editions, Op Der Lay and Point Nemo Publishing—will come together at the second largest fair in Germany to present their latest releases.

Leipzig Book Fair is not only a crucial event for boosting distribution of authors from Luxembourg, including readings and other opportunities to present authors, but also an excellent platform for meeting publishing professionals as well as the general public.

A reading organised as part of the Leipzig liest Festival (Leipzig reads) will be an opportunity for three authors from Luxembourg to enter into conversation in a location selected by the Festival.

Saturday 23 March at 9 p.m. | Reading and debate ‘Myself and the others’
With Ulrike Bail (im halblichten geäst deines atems, Conte Verlag, 2023)
Raoul Biltgen (Meine Insel. Eine Robinsonade, Hydre Editions, 2023)
Guy Helminger (Das Geräusch der Stillleben, Capybarabooks, 2023)
Moderated by Katrin Hillgruber (journalist and literary critic, Germany)
Location: die NaTo – Leipzig

Balancing between introspection and reflection on their relationship with others and the world, three renowned Luxembourg authors will draw us into their stories and poetry, exploring a desert island, introducing a family, and encounters with individuals who seem helpless when faced with objects and their environments. They will also explore different types of relationship, highlighting the links between culture and nature.

Events at the Books from Luxembourg stand | Halle 4, Booth C303 from 21 to 24 March.

Upcoming events
Booth « Livres du Luxembourg » | Foire du livre de Bruxelles from 4 to 7 April
Booth « Poésie du Luxembourg » | Marché de la Poésie from 19 to 23 June

Following the call for applications for the research and creation residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, artist Laurianne Bixhain was selected as the laureate.

The jury, made up of Yann Annicchiarico (artist and laureate 2023), Sandra Schwender (Clervaux – Cité de l’image) and Anastasia Chaguidouline (Cercle Cité), analysed the applications received and provided their recommendations to the Künstlerhaus Bethanien. At the end of the selection process, Laurianne Bixhain’s application was ultimately approved by the management of Künstlerhaus Bethanien.

Statement of the jury
The jury chose the project by the artist Laurianne Bixhain, whose planned cooperation with a Berlin singer and convincing description of the project for a series of photos inspired by Monique Wittig aroused the curiosity of the jury. The jury was particulary impressed by the artist’s profound view of her environment and the particularities she discovers there. They see a great potential for further artistic development in Laurianne Bixhain’s projects.

The Künstlerhaus Bethanien was also keen to highlight the high quality of the entries submitted by the Luxembourg jury

Biography
Laurianne BIXHAIN was born in 1987 in Wiltz. She received a BA and an MFA from the School of Fine Arts, Bordeaux and completed a Meisterschulerstudium in photography at the Academy of Visual Arts, Leipzig. Recent exhibitions include Deep Deep Down at Mudam Luxembourg (2023) and What remains is an intermediary thing, repeated at Reuter Bausch Gallery, Luxembourg (2023). She was a resident at the Centre national de l’audiovisuel, Luxembourg (2022); ISELP, Brussels (2021);  Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris (2021); Biermans-Lapôtre Foundation, Paris (2018); Darling Foundry, Montreal (2017) and Islington Mill, Manchester (2016). She was included in the 2018 edition of the Rencontres de la photographie, Arles as well as the 2016 edition of the European Month of Photography, Berlin. In 2018, she was awarded the LEAP — Luxembourg Encouragement for Artists Prize.

Following a call for applications for the choreography research and production residency at Uferstudios Berlin, choreographer William Cardoso was selected from a list of four applicants.

Jury members Ainhoa Achutegui (neimënster), Mathis Junet (TROIS C-L – Centre de Création Chorégraphique Luxembourgeois), Jérôme Konen (Kinneksbond, Centre Culturel Mamer) and Anne-Mareike Hess (choreographer and 2023 laureate) assessed the applications received and made their recommendation to Uferstudios. At the end of the procedure, William Cardoso was selected by the Uferstudios Berlin board.

This six-week international residency allows choreographers to immerse themselves in the Berlin creative scene and network with local artists, thus serving as a boost to their long-term career development.

Statement by Uferstudios
Simone Willeit, director of Uferstudios, commended the standard of the four applications forwarded by the jury. She noted both the support that William Cardoso receives as well as the vulnerability of the choreographer’s early career and the important role he plays in the LGBTQI+ community. The Director felt that this second opportunity, like the first residency (William Cardoso was a resident at Ueferstudios in 2021), would quicken the pace of William Cardoso’s development work and also promote the causes he defends.

Statement by William Cardoso
During this residency, William Cardoso hopes to “explore the local scene, experiment with new approaches (…) Angriff explores an intimate scene between two men and aims to create a performance that transcends the limits of the ground, rising up to new heights. The residency in Berlin will allow me to be in the same place as a stable team and thus immerse myself fully into the topic and the performance without being hindered by logistical considerations. This is a luxury for any artist because it guarantees continuity in the research process.”

About William Cardoso
William Cardoso is a choreographer and dancer based in Luxembourg and Portugal. His work celebrates everything that is a contradiction, unpredictable, creative and committed. It addresses intimate, personal issues that affect everyone. His performances point the finger at a heteronormative, patriarchal society. Hungry for change and filled with anger at injustice, his work often focuses on a fight and a physical effort as it defends various issues.

With his three works to date (Raum, Dear Mum, Baby), William Cardoso has developed his own identity using a unique language. A dialogue between bodies in conflict with their minds. His work echoes contact improvisation, yet goes against the flow with non-fluid, short, sharp movements.

Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg, in partnership with Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn – Les Amis du Livre a.s.b.l., and in collaboration with the National Centre for Literature, launched a call for a two-month writer’s residency at the Literarisches Colloquium (LCB) in Berlin, including a supporting grant. A space for reflection, a workshop for experimentation, and an incubator for talent, this prestigious international literary institution organises readings, seminars and other literary events.

Jury members Christiane Krier (Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn), Frank Hansen (Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn), Tim Reuter (National Centre for Literature), Sébastian Thiltges (independent literary expert) and Jeff Schinker (author & Luxembourg laureate 2023) assessed the applications received and forwarded their recommendations to the LCB. At the end of the selection process, Florent Toniello‘s application was selected.

Statement of the Jury
Florent Toniello has been an active and prolific figure on Luxembourg’s cultural and literary scene since 2015. With a long list of publications to his name, including works of literary criticism, Toniello’s curiosity and eagerness to experiment is also clearly reflected in his wide range of literary works which include the poetry bundle Hraun and his short story Brasius which impressed the jury for both its literary and linguistic standard.

The Jury unanimously agreed that this residency would offer Florent Toniello, who is a major turning point in his literary career, a suitable setting to focus on his literary work. The jury also noted that for Florent Toniello, already well-established on the French-language poetry scene with various publications in magazines and contacts with publishers at the Marché de la Poésie, a residency at the LCB would offer him the chance to develop new contacts in the German-speaking world and beyond, thus also introducing an international audience to literature from Luxembourg, and as a result benefit the literature from Luxembourg more generally.

The jury believes this residency will be a fruitful contribution to the development and promotion of authors from Luxembourg.


Biography
Florent Toniello, born in 1972 in Lyon, was an IT manager for a transnational company in Belgium and France until 2012 when he moved to Luxembourg to work as a proof-reader and journalist. An avid reader of poetry and fantasy, Toniello writes reviews for magazines and on his blog accrocstich.es. His poetry has been published in bundles in Luxembourg, France and Belgium. And as this book shows, he also tries his hand at writing texts where science fiction and the uncanny meet.

Poetry:

Prose :

Play:

Essai/Interview :

The LCB residency is made possible due to an endowment from the Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn – Les Amis du Livre a.s.b.l. who support the book sector by donating part of the proceeds from sales of second-hand books by Lëtzebuerger Bicherfrënn volunteers to promote the production of literary works in Luxembourg.

In order to facilitate the circulation of Luxembourg musical creation and its performers at European level, and keen to be part of cross-border touring networks, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg joined the Impuls neue Musik fund in January 2023, joining the French, German and Swiss partners.

The 17th Impuls Artistic Committee meeting was held on 28 September 2023. Composed of Carl Adalsteinsson (artistic director of CAPE-Centre des Arts Pluriels Ettelbruck), Julien Annoni (percussionist, cultural mediator and event creator), Bernhard Günther (artistic director of the Wien Modern festival), Jean-Luc Hervé (composer), Cathy Milliken (composer, musician), Anne Montaron (Radio France) and Carol Robinson (musician, composer), the Artistic Committee  selected 10 projects, including three with a link to Luxembourg. Two productions with a Luxembourgish component – Déposer by United Instruments of Lucilin and Elsa Biston, and ANTIPODES by the Kollektiv Unruhe – and one coproduction of which the rainy days festival is part – Onceim, Double Commande à Genevieve Murphy et Christian Marclay – are supported by the Impuls neue Musik fund.

These projects show the commitment of Luxembourgish artists and institutions in cross-border collaborations. In the first year of its partnership, Kultur | lx is delighted by the support provided by Impuls, which is helping to promote the vibrant Luxembourg contemporary music scene and its international dissemination.

United Instruments of Lucilin, Elsa Biston, Déposer (installation-concert) | 10 000 €

Déposer is a sound installation by Elsa Biston and a 30-minute musical performance by the Luxembourgish ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin.  The installation consists of instruments scattered around the space such as cymbals, skins and everyday objects.

They form a complex, apparently living organism in which vibrations are transmitted from one object to the other. During the performances, the sounds of the musicians are picked up by the installation, setting the objects in motion. Outside the performances, visitors can move between the objects and are invited to operate cranks, for example, to make the objects suspended from the ceiling move and change the soundscape. Both the installation and the performances are based on a search for involuntary gestures and loss of control, allowing the musicians to enter into a symbiotic relationship with the installation.

© Alfonso Salgueiro

 

Kollektiv Unruhe e. V., Antipodes | 10 000 €

The ANTIPODES project by KOLLEKTIV UNRUHE and Ensemble Orbis aims to reconcile local community and international exchange, while taking care to preserve each individual’s identity. It links Berlin and Lyon through music, with Luxembourg as its focal point. The four creations, each signed by two members of each of the two ensembles, highlight the unique sonorities of each group to create a unique sound experience. Three young composers from the training institutions of the three towns will provide miniatures, thus deepening the links that exist at local level. The concerts presenting the project will take place at Silent Green in Berlin, Grame in Lyon and at the Philharmonie Luxembourg. The project will run from January to December 2024 and will focus on the theme of “Unity in diversity”. With ANTIPODES, these two young collectives/ensembles in the making hope to establish a long-term collaboration.

KOLLEKTIV UNRUHE, of which Luxembourg composer Nik Bohnenberger is a member, stands for a musical practice that is self-organised and self-responsible in shaping the conditions for its own artistic work and constantly wants to cross the boundaries to other art forms and scenes.

© Norbert Frank

 

Onceim, Double Commande à Genevieve Murphy et Christian Marclay | 15 000 €

L’Onceim impulses a European co-production uniting France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany, with Gaudeamus (NL), Musica (FR), Rainy Days (LU) and Exploratorium (DE). Two exclusive musical commissions will be entrusted to the talented Scottish performer and composer Genevieve Murphy and the renowned Swiss-American visual artist Christian Marclay. For both of them, this collaboration is their first experience with a large, experimental ensemble (30 musicians). Another milestone of the collaboration is a three-day residency in Berlin, which includes workshops and concerts in ensembles of 2 to 30 musicians. Together, they focus on collaborative creation and bring together the stakeholders of the Berlin scene as well as the orchestra members for improvisation sessions and the presentation of commissioned works. This initiative continues the experimental and research work initiated by Onceim and funded by Impuls Neue Musik since 2012.

 

About Impuls neue Musik
Impuls neue Musik supports musical projects that favour exchanges between the German- and French-speaking cultural and linguistic spaces. It binds together the contemporary music scenes of Germany, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Since its establishment, Impuls neue Musik supported 214 projects to an amount of 1,6 million €. Its partners are the Sacem, the French Embassy in Germany, the CNM, the Institut Français, the Fondation Francis et Mica Salabert, the Goethe Institute, the Swiss Foundation for culture Pro Helvetia, the Musikfonds and Kultur | lx.

This year the Frankfurt Book Fair celebrated its 75th edition. Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised again the national presence bringing together ten Luxembourg publishers (Black Fountain Press, capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Edition Schortgen, Ernster Editions, Hydre Editions, Kremart Editions, PassaParola Editions, PersPektiv Editions and Point Nemo Publishing) which presented their newest publications for the autumn season as well as their publishing programm. The Books From Luxembourg stand, designed by Studio Polenta and featuring work by illustrator Keong-A Song, also showcased the authors and their books awarded with a literary prize and recent translated Luxembourg writer.

Kultur | lx also organised two networking moments, one on 18th and one on 19th October, inviting international professionals to discover the Luxembourg scene and to exchange with Luxembourg publishers and authors, as well as planning new projects and collaborations. Kultur | lx has also produced in cooperation with the National Centre for Literature a Foreign Rights Catalogue presenting several awarded Luxembourg authors, some new releases “hot off the press”, as well as information about translation and publishing support for foreign publishers and professionals from the book sector who wish to contribute to the development and dissemination of Luxembourg’s authors and literary creation.

On Friday 20th October, the Luxembourg author Jeff Schinker, who was shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature 2023, participated in a panel, organised by Pro Helvetia, entitled “Accent: Slightly shifted similarities – Writing in small languages” featuring Swiss author Gianna Olinda Cadonau, who writes in Romansh and German, Slovenian author Cvetka Lipuš and moderated by Steven Wyss from the Translation House Looren. The discussion between the authors highlighted the specific context of a multilingual literary scene and what this means for the book market and cultural policy.

The Frankfurt Book Fair remains the most important meeting of the year for the international book sector. With a total of 215.000 visitors, 105,000 of them trade visitors from 130 different countires (in 2022: 93.000) and 110.000 private visitors (in 2022: 87.000), the Book Fair recorded a significant increase in visitors number.