In collaboration with the USINA Festival, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will invite a delegation of European music industry professionals on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 01 to (re)discover and connect with Luxembourgish artists and professionals from the Rock/Pop/Electro/R’n’B/Hip-Hop genres. In addition to the USINA Festival at Neischmelz, further programme activities will take place at the 1535 Creative Hub in Differdange and CCRD opderschmelz in Dudelange.
During the two Focus days, the guests will have the opportunity to experience showcase performances, meet the players of the local music landscape and thus get to know the creative potential of the Grand Duchy in the field of music. The programme will also include a pitching and a speedmeeting where local musicians and professionals will have the opportunity to present themselves and their projects directly to the international delegates.
Short program overview (more details to come):
Friday, May 31 – Welcome Reception & Showcase @ 1535 Creative Hub
Saturday, June 1 – Pitching & Speed Networking Session @ CCRD opderschmelz | USINA Festival with CHAiLD, C’est Karma, Bartleby Delicate, Ryvage, Culture the Kid, CRO, Joris, English Teacher and Kids with Buns.
About the USINA Festival
USINA is a two-day collaborative festival organised by the Dudelange Town Council, De Gudde Wëllen, and den Atelier. The festival features a diverse artistic line-up of both local and international artists, spanning across music, theatre, dance, and visual arts. Discover the full line-up here.
Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg and the Like A Jazz Machine festival have been working closely to promote the Luxembourgish jazz scene for some years now. On May 10 and 11, Kultur | lx will invite a delegation of international professionals to discover the Luxembourgish acts featured at the festival.
Like A Jazz Machine will be presenting the not so new newcomers Jambal and LINQ, who are bringing a breath of fresh musical inspiration to the local scene, as well as saxophonist Maxime Bender’s collaboration with producer Napoleon Gold. The festival will also showcase the result of three residencies, that are a strong feature of the festival: the collaboration of the vocalist Claire Parsons with the drummer Ziv Ravitz and the guitarist Eran Har Even; On the Edge, a new project by the trumpet player Daniel Migliosi with his brand-new quintet; the gathering of Pascal Schumacher, Greg Lamy, Marc Demuth and Jeff Herr, four names that are known on the Luxembourgish jazz scene. To finish on a high note, Michel Meis and his project Kolibri will make the audience dance until the end of the night!
As for every Focus organised by Kultur | lx, the invited delegation will have the opportunity to (re)discover these artists and take part in networking activities to meet professionals, promoters and jazz artists from Luxembourg. Among other things, Kultur | lx will organise a speedmeeting session on May 11 to allow Luxembourgish and international delegations to exchange on future touring possibilities and collaborations.
Discover the full line-up of the festival here.
Following 6 grants awarded in the field of visual arts to Vera Kox, Eric Schumacher, Yann Yannicchiarico, Anne-Mareike Hess and Elisabeth Schilling in the field of performing arts and Albena Petrovic in the field of music, the selection committees of Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg have awarded 5 grants in 2023 in the field of visual arts to:
• Baltzer Bisagno : Dove ? Perché ? Per chi ?
The current artistic development of Baltzer Bisagno marks the end of a cycle, and while it is still in progress, other paths are emerging or becoming clearer. It is therefore fundamental, and even constitutive, to inscribe this six-year period of significant research and production as an act of sedimentation of the questions raised up to that point from a complex critical perspective. It turns out that a book represents a pivotal moment in the creative process in terms of process and purpose. It is a work of art.
The collaboration with authors and curators will sketch out new paths, such as those called for by the work Arabesque.
• Ivana Cekovic
With the publication of a 120-page trilingual catalogue (English, French and Serbian), Ivana Cekovic aims to offer a panorama of the different periods of her work, including cycles of pictorial research, video work and interdisciplinary urban projects which, as well as marking her artistic career, have also left their mark on the history of Luxembourg.
With contributions from Dr Harry Lehmann, philosopher and researcher at the University of Luxembourg, Anastasia Chaguidouline, Artistic Director of Cercle Cité, Dr Nikola Suica, Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts*, University of the Arts, Belgrade, former Chairman of the Board of the Belgrade Museum of Contemporary Art, Ante Glibota (1945-2020) art and architecture historian, Vice-President of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.
• Catherine Lorent : RELEGATION SOUNDS
RELEGATION SOUNDS, Special sound edition and online documentation on the occasion of 10 years of RELEGATION by Catherine Lorent at the Luxembourg Pavilion, 55th Venice Biennale 2013.
First shown at the 55th Venice Biennale 2013 as a solo exhibition in the Luxembourg pavilion, RELEGATION celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2023 and Catherine Lorent aims to create a reenactment in the form of a sound publication and online documentation – in collaboration with performer Natasa Grujovic (accordion), Martin Eder (guitar) and Christian Neyes (sound engineer).
• Arny Schmit : Beyond Nature
On the occasion of his exhibition Beyond Nature at Galerie Reuter Bausch, Arny Schmit has published a book carrying the same title.
• Trixi Weis
Although the artist’s work has appeared in some forty catalogues and magazines since the start of her career in 1994, no monographic publication has ever been produced. Through this publication, she hopes to establish the thread of her work in a book.
Recent publication
My Opera World by Albena Petrovic, L’octanphare, 25€
Albena Petrovic, recipient of the portfolio grant in 2022, published her book in November 2023, opening the door to her artistic universe through the eyes and expertise of journalists, musicologists and researchers. This book can be explored with the eyes, ears and hands, for anyone wishing to discover, understand and explore the creative immensity of Albena Petrovic’s resolutely feminine and contemporary vocal work.
On the occasion of Luxembourg’s presence at the upcoming Leipzig Book Fair, we present the latest publications of Luxembourgish literature in German as well as the novels of the authors who will be holding a reading at the Leipzig Book Fair (*).
*Ulrike Bail, im halblichten geäst deines atems
Conte Verlag, 2023, Poetry, German
In im halblichten geäst deines atems, Ulrike Bail discovers cultural networks in the moss, symbolic processes between orchids and mushrooms and finds surprising words on her daily walks with her dog. Her poems explore the diverse relationships between culture and nature – delicately and sonorously.
Ulrike Bail, REDE ZUR LITERATUR 13
CNL, 2024, German
Ulrike Bail’s poetry often contains references to the semantic fields of flora and fauna, for example in the collections wundklee streut aus (2011), die empfindlichkeit der libelle (2017) or im halblichten geäst deines atems (2023). In this speech, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, reference is made to a species of mussel native to the Normandy coast and this is set against the rupture of civilisation as a metaphor of life as well as poetry. The result is an intellectually and emotionally engaging, linguistically highly sophisticated text in which nature and culture are not conceived as opposites, but relate to each other.
*Raoul Biltgen, Meine Insel. Eine Robinsonade
Hydre Editions, October 2023, novel, German
On a desert island, a man stands on the beach and tells a joke about a man on the beach on a desert island. But he has nothing to laugh about. The shipwrecked man, who was once called Jean-Marie and now calls himself Robinson, has made a new life for himself: Stockpiled supplies, built a hut – and erected fences. After all, nobody is supposed to take away his painstakingly amassed possessions. Pirates, for example. Or even man-eaters, like Robinson Crusoe. Who knows how long you can stay alone on a desert island?
Das Bau (Eva Herunter, Katharina Hummer, Julia Obleitner) Hrsg., Wild Site
Point Nemo Publishing, Spring 2024, German/ English
Wild Site is the discovery of the fleeting by-products of a constantly changing city: gaps between buildings, fallow land, intermediate and residual spaces, “wild places”. Five conversations with researchers from the fields of biology, geology, climatology, botany, landscape architecture, urbanism and architecture are accompanied by a photographic work by Zara Pfeifer. Edited by das BAU: Eva Herunter, Katharina Hummer and Julia Obleitner.
Fabienne Faust, Die Häuser von drüben
Éditions Phi, 2023, Short stories, German
They are stranded in the fast breath of the metropolises of refuge. What remains of their homes crumbles in memory. They are storm watchers who have travelled far away to see Scampia, to reconcile with the past or to land a newspaper scoop. They mourn what remains. They want to be remembered like Egypt remembers Alaa al-Aswany, like Janina Rachmaninov remembers her dream of spring.
Samuel Hamen, REDE ZUR LITERATUR 12
CNL, 2023, German
Under the deliberately ambiguous title Verhaltensweisen, Hamen explores real and artistically enriched landscapes, the all too frequent precariousness of (research) work in the humanities, the people and what it means to be a writer among them. The result is a moving poetological reflection on the power and powerlessness of literature, the status of the writer in a society defined by material values and – despite all the adversities and impasses – the empowering and exhilarating effect of writing.
Samuel Hamen, Jeff Schinker, Elise Schmit, Larisa Faber, Theater théâtre theatre Theater 1
Hydre Editions, November 2023, Theatre, German, English, French, Luxembourgish
In the Théâtr/e series, important literary voices from Luxembourg present new theatre plays. The play So dunkel hier by Elise Schmit is about ex-Gauleiter Simon on his way to Luxembourg, where he is to be put on trial. In PatrIdiot by Jeff Schinker, two actors rehearse a play about migration and racism in Luxembourg. De Geescht oder D’Mumm Séis by Samuel Hamen is an adaptation of the play of the same name by Dicks (Edmond de la Fontaine), the founder of Luxembourg theatre. 340x by Larisa Faber is about the life of a man divided into three time periods and reveals questionable transactions and childhood traumas.
*Guy Helminger, Das Geräusch der Stillleben. Stories
capybarabooks, October 2023, Short stories, German
Das Geräusch der Stillleben is an artfully interwoven puzzle. Secondary characters in one story become the main character in another, objects change hands from story to story. At some point, the still life has a 56.75 degree inclination and can no longer be stopped.
Wilhelm Holzbauer, Holzbauer – Schriften zur Architektur
Point Nemo Publishing, Spring 2024, German
The publication Holzbauer – Schriften zur Architektur honours the literary legacy of one of the greats of Austrian post-war architecture, whose architectural legacy has already filled several books. Holzbauer, who was also a well-educated and well-read man, spent a lifetime writing; he approached it with depth, verve and humour. The editors have made their selection from a large collection: Autobiographical material, essays on his own buildings, essays and texts on architecture in general, accompanied by photographs and sketches.
Raymond Schaack, Im Banne des Unendlichen
Éditions Phi, 2023, Poetry, German
This book is the author’s twentieth published work, the second volume of Japanese haiku and the third volume of poetry published by Phi after Masques magnétiques (2016) and Mahlstrom Zeit (2019).
Faby Schintgen, Blaustufen
Op der Lay, 2023, novel, German
Provocative and humorous, Faby Schintgen (*1982, Luxembourg) paints a vivid picture of love, family and self-realisation in her debut novel. Her defiant protagonist fights for new freedom and encourages change. She hoped for the fulfilment of her life’s desires, but the idealised image of maternal self-sacrifice cannot do justice to Mel’s need for self-realisation. Suddenly everything turns upside down and she has to throw off her supermom cape for good, along with her black and white world view.
Margret Steckel, Mutterrache. Novelle
capybarabooks, 3rd edition November 2023, novella, German
In the novella “Mutterrache”, Margret Steckel succeeds in using the skilfully interwoven plot threads to address issues of guilt and neglect within a family without taking sides. Although there is probably no one in this story who can ultimately absolve themselves of guilt, the author allows the reader to reconstruct the course of the tragedy using the flashbacks and to form their own judgement – without condemning, because Margret Steckel loves her characters too much for that. Even when they are difficult.
Anna Valentiny, Hortus Alienum – Scenographies of Nobody’s Voyage
Point Nemo Publishing, Spring 2024, German/English
Author Anna Valentiny’s first book Hortus Alienum – Scenographies of Nobody’s Voyage is a narrative about being human. The protagonist of the story, Nobody, cannot escape her narrative in any act and has to wander through the artificial park landscape of Hortus Alienum, scene by scene. She is accompanied by the chorus.
Nora Wagener, REDE ZUR LITERATUR 11
CNL, 2023, German
The title suggests inconsistency, aimlessness, non-committal blubbering… A perfectly successful deceptive manoeuvre, because with this slim volume Nora Wagener presents a substantial poetological reflection on the constitution of the writer, on the possibilities (and limits) of literature and the ability of literary writing to create self-determined realities.
In 2024, Kultur | lx continues its series of ‘cartes blanches’. After a year in which illustration dominated our homepage with works by Dirk Kesseler, Irina Moons and Keong-A Song, followed by a year dedicated to video with works by Suzan Noesen and Justine Blau, Kultur | lx is initiating a cycle around the digital arts, starting with the work Artificial God by the Luxembourg-based XR artist and director Laura Mannelli.
“Artifical God is a digital work created using Al. Inspired by the Rorschach test, the AI transposes a series of illustrations into a video sequence. The work contrasts a cult film from the 1920s, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, and in particular his humanoid robot Futura, with an equally cult text from the 1980s, Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto. While Fritz Lang’s film featured a robot for the first time in cinema, it was the image of the evil female witch that was chosen to embody a robot capable of causing chaos among humans. Based on the closing postulate of the Cyborg manifesto, I’d rather be a cyborg than a goddess, I wanted to free Maria from her condition as a woman caught between the figure of a saintly woman venerated in her human version and that of an evil woman and witch in her robot counterpart. So while Fritz Lang’s film suggests that machines are capable of controlling, manipulating and enslaving men, Maria, through Donna Haraway’s cyborg figure, is on the contrary capable of freeing herself from her control systems in order to emancipate herself from rigid categories, whether in terms of gender, nature or social status. The video shows Maria’s hypnotic transmutation into a super-powerful ‘Mecha’. ‘Mechas’ are huge robotic containers packed with technology that enable their human hosts to acquire superhuman abilities. It’s a way of denouncing man’s relentless quest to transcend his human condition and become a kind of artificial god.“, explains the artist.
Discover her work on the home page of our website.
C’est Karma | Hearts on Windows
Single release: 1 December | EKIP
After receiving much love at her recent shows, C’est Karma gives love back on her new single “Hearts On Windows”, a loving, warm refuge in these cold times. Karma, who was awarded the Kultur | lx Global Project Grant for 2024, says: “Hearts on Windows is about ideal love. It is about closing your eyes and dreaming of taking over the world with that person, in this dream there is no pain or heartbreak. I don’t want to think about whether such a world is possible or not but I want to cherish the dream and savour the thought, hoping it will never burst. Idealism gives me hope and that’s what this song is about.”
Them Lights | YD
Single release: 24 November
Them Lights is a dark electro-pop project from singer and producer Sacha Hanlet that sounds like a reunion of 80s reminiscence flashes and modern electronica. “YD” (YesterDay) is the fourth single release since the beginning of his residency at the Kulturfabrik in Esch-sur-Alzette. “The track is about an unexpected phone call in the middle of the night from a long-lost acquaintance with the manifest of desperation and the will to end it all. There isn’t a lyrical resolution, mirroring life’s tendency to provide comfort without definite solutions or resolutions to its origins. Remarkably, the music doesn’t just offer comfort but also delivers resolution, capturing the intricate complexities of our existence”, says Sacha Hanlet.
EDSUN | Finally Alive
Single release: 17 November | Beast Records
“Finally Alive” is EDSUN’s official entry for the national preselection to represent Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. In the track, Edsun reflects on his journey as a musician and performer, stating that no one in this world can stop his inner motivation to make the impossible possible. “Finally Alive” was written in collaboration with songwriters Jana Bahrich (Francis of Delirium) and Sergio Manique.
Francis of Delirium | Blue Tuesday
Single release: 14 November | Dalliance Recordings
“The track was a chance to go back a little bit to our original sound, heavy guitars, uptempo, in your face music. We are a band that really loves to play live, sweaty, messy and physical music, so it felt important to have this song be part of the album”, says Jana Bahrich about “Blue Tuesday”, the third single release of her upcoming debut album “Lighthouse”, out 22 March 2024. The trio will promote the album with an extensive 21-date tour around Europe and the UK in April and May 2024.
Scarlet Anger| Martyr
Single release: 10 November
“Martyr” is the third single and also the title track from Scarlet Anger’s forthcoming new album. The trash metal band around vocalist Joe Block reveals the idea behind the song: “The lyrics explore the concept of martyrdom and how one sacrifices to achieve personal goals. It encourages facing the pains and challenges of life and overcoming one’s fears and emphasizes the need to free oneself from negative influences and the past in order to step into the future”.
WazToo feat. Émilie Rachel | You Don’t Know Me
Single release: 10 November | Gahara Records
For more than 20 years WazToo has been on the road as deejay. He himself describes his style as “progressive house with EDM elements”. In addition to his live performances, WazToo has also gained recognition as a producer, releasing a number of successful tracks that have earned him a dedicated following. “You Don’t Know me” was produced in collaboration with London-based singer Émilie Rachel. He has also recently started a career as a radio presenter on Eldoradio with his show “WazToo Dance” where he presents 100% electronic music with a focus on Luxembourg productions.
Alex Uhlmann | Rainy Day
Single release: 3 November | Hoernsenmusic
“Rainy Day” is the new single by singer-songwriter Alex Uhlmann, frontman of the Italian electronic band Planet Funk. The track is being released on Berlin-based Hoersenmusic label. “Rainy Day is a song I wrote some time ago with Subsonica’s Luca Vicini,” says Alex. “It’s basically about everyday fears and paranoia that we often tend to worry about disproportionately. Stepping outside oneself to see the bigger picture can help one realise that in the end it was just a rainy day. And there might even be beauty in that”. The track, with its tasty 80s retro style, marks the transition from the sounds of Planet Funk to the intimate dimension that will characterise “Home”, Alex Uhlmann’s first solo album, due out in 2024.
SAY YES DOG | 3 (Home)
Single release: 27 October | Diskodogs Records
Say Yes Dog’s electro-pop is usually made to be danced to. At the same time, their melodies are capable of sinking into sometimes gentle, sometimes throbbing melancholy. Just like with their latest single “3 (Home)”. “This song is one of the most important to us on the album. When we wrote it, the number 3 kept magically appearing again and again throughout the song. The measure is in 3/4, the lift in the last chorus goes up a 3rd step and we finally ended up with a length of 3:33 minutes. It’s a song that lyrically and sonically shows a deeper and more vulnerable side of us. It deals with self-doubt and finding yourself struggling in a world full of distractions and chaos. Looking for clarity and a sense of belonging through another person who gives the feeling of home, no matter where it might be“, the three band members say about the track.
All Reitz Reserved | Elemental
Album release: 27 October
“Elemental” is a compilation of musical tracks that reflect the scenic impressions that Chris Reitz gathered while travelling through the wild natural landscapes of Iceland in 2022. It breaks down the complex emotions and experiences of an environment known for both its boundless, calm and open Nordic landscapes and its rugged, noisy and wild sceneries of waterfalls and rock formations. Humbled by his experiences, Chris Reitz uses his electric violin along with electronic music and field recordings captured during his journey to create a blend of soothing soundscapes and danceable grooves embedded in a captivating landscape.
Alfalfa | Alfalfa
EP release: 27 October
The self-titled EP “Alfalfa” by creators Charel Geimer and Bert Jung showcases their ability to craft infectious, indie-tinted electronic-pop tracks adorned with creative production. Comprising seven tracks, “Alfalfa” explores both the light and darker side of the band’s sound, – from dance beats and uplifting melodies to moments of reflection and melancholy. The project serves as a poignant diary, encapsulating the myriad emotions experienced during the tumultuous pandemic era. The band explains: “The EP is kind of a musical diary, capturing emotions, challenges, and growth we faced during lockdown times. We want to express our creativity, resilience, and the bond we share that fuels our passion for making music together.”
Culture the Kid | Insolente
Single release: 27 October
Culture the Kid is a 20-year-old rapper of Brazilian origin. In 2019, he released his first single “Living in the Clouds” which was followed by an impressive 15 more before his latest track “Insolente”. “Now that the song is out, I want to take the opportunity to say that the rhythm I’m using in this sound is that of baile funk, which was and continues to be a marginalized cultural movement in Brazil despite being one of the most listened. It’s important to do the work necessary to give back to the communities whose culture we enjoy and value the people at the root of it. You cannot profit from the sounds of a people without acknowledging the often painful context that englobes it”, says Culture the Kid about the song. 2023 was an amazing year for the young artist: he won the prize for best live performance at the “Screaming Fields Festival”, performed as opening act for Belgian singer Selah Sue during her show in Wiltz and had his first appearance outside Luxembourg with a concert at the “Pelpass Festival” in Strasbourg where Culture the Kid surprised the festival crowd and consolidated his status as an energetic and captivating performer.
Rome | Live in Kyiv 2023
Album release: 6 October | Trisol
In February 2023, Rome embarked on what Jérôme Reuter calls “the most important, and by far the most dangerous, live mission in the band’s history“. Exactly a year earlier, in February 2022, with Putin’s thugs already on Ukraine’s doorstep, Reuter had ignored travel warnings and played several solo shows in Ukraine. He had also given his Kyiv fanbase his word that he would come back with the full band as soon as possible. This happened just days before Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, and a year after, with the war still raging, Reuter played two shows in Ukraine, despite travel restrictions and regular rocket attacks on the country’s capital. This made Rome the first foreign act to perform a full-length show in Ukraine during the war. This historical recording captures that unique moment in the band’s history.
Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg commissioned visual artist Claudia Passeri to design its 2023 season greeting card. The artwork, originally a digital work, has subsequently been adapted to a physical card.
Claudia Passeri creates site-specific interventions and contextual pieces that explore human perception in relation to place. Depending on the site and the context, the work takes on social, political, and environmental aspects. Her research has a neo-romantic aspect that seeks, frequently via the use of irony, to reveal the mechanisms that activate the human creative processes, which transform how we view the world.
This video has been created in her kitchen in Umbria on November 3 2023.
Discover the work on the home page of our website and on our social networks. (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram)
The third edition of this Visual Arts focus has firmly established itself in the agenda of the Luxembourg Art Week. The five artists selected by Austrian curator Mirela Baciak welcomed fourteen professionals from four different countries who had come to discover the Luxembourg contemporary art scene. These meetings gave rise to fruitful exchanges that Kultur | lx is committed to developing over the long term.
Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’art contemporain Grand-Duc Jean welcomed fourteen curators, art centre directors, critics and contemporary art experts from Austria, Germany, Belgium and France who had been invited by Kultur | lx. A two-and-a-half-day programme, alternating visits to artists’ studios, associations and institutions, talks and informal discussions, was offered to familiarise them with the players who are making contemporary art happen in Luxembourg.
The heart of a Focus – and undoubtedly its most eagerly awaited part by professionals and artists alike – lies in the visits to the artists’ studios or, for those based abroad, in the presentation of their portfolios. This year, Mike Bourscheid, Serge Ecker, Sophie Jung, Claudia Passeri and Nora Wagner have been selected by Mirela Baciak, Director of the Salzburger Kunstverein in Austria, to open the doors of their artistic worlds to these guests with their keen eyes. This meeting provides an opportunity to exchange views on the artist’s work and on more open questions about the current state of contemporary art in both its political and social dimensions. These frank and rich discussions are a source of reflection for everyone, but they also enable some artists to explore new professional horizons, since two of the artists featured within the Focus 2022 programme will have major solo exhibitions in 2024, thanks to invitations from professionals who took part in the event.
Mirela Baciak, who attended the 2022 Focus as a guest, immediately showed an interest in curating the 2023 edition. She made a wide-ranging selection from among the dozens of portfolios submitted, focusing on two main themes: queer cultures and the climate crisis, but the common thread was the shared values expressed by all the artists, however diverse and eclectic their practices.
The partnership with the Luxembourg Art Week enabled the group to visit the fair exclusively during the preview. Alongside the formats already implemented last year, this year’s fair also featured a number of new partnerships that helped to diversify the offering for professionals. In addition to the exhibitions at Mudam Luxembourg, the Konschthal Esch and the Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’Art Contemporain, attendees could also discover Vewa, a space developed by the Dkollektiv collective, and the Nei Liicht art centre in Dudelange, which presented a solo exhibition by Letizia Romanini, and finally the Bridderhaus artists’ residence in Esch-sur-Alzette, where the artist Claudia Passeri welcomed the professionals to a performative dinner under the title “Papillons de résistance”.
Finally, the 2023 Focus dealt with the theme of artistic research, the various forms it can take, its political development and its artistic materiality. Art historian and critic Sandra Delacourt gave a lecture at the Luxembourg Art Week on the theme of The Artist Researcher as a figure in the zeitgeist, but also as a political creation, through an analysis of the career of Donald Judd. Finally, the Focus ended with an afternoon of debate and exchange at Casino Display, which had co-organised with Kultur | lx pitch-presentations by researchers and artists on their research practices, followed by debates on current issues facing artists in this field.
This third edition has consolidated existing links with neighbouring scenes and opened up prospects for territories that will be highlighted in 2024, such as Belgium and Germany. The event is generating medium- and long-term impact, and the challenge that lies ahead is to make the most of this contribution.
From November 27 to 30, IETM made its debut in Luxembourg. Organised by Kultur | lx, the second IETM Focus meeting addressed one of the most crucial issues facing us all: the climate crisis.
IETM Focus Luxembourg was inaugurated by the Minister of Culture, Eric Thill, in the presence of numerous representatives from the Ministry of Culture, which are currently involved in discussions on the eco-responsibility of the cultural sector in Luxembourg.
The program included meetings with local players involved in culture and ecological transition in Esch-sur-Alzette, working sessions on the subject at neimënster, as well as an informal networking at Rotondes. Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to experience contemporary productions and to get to know the Luxembourg scene.
This event marked the first-ever gathering in Luxembourg of such an important cultural network, with 122 participants from 21 countries across three continents, including 32 from Luxembourg. These participants, members of the IETM network and other professionals from the performing art sector, contributed to the event’s international scope. As a highly influential global network, IETM promotes the value of arts and culture, supporting performing arts professionals by facilitating international connections, providing access to resources, and offering a dynamic forum for exchange.
During these days in Luxembourg, IETM received essential contributions for implementing and promoting the cultural changes needed for a greener performing arts ecosystem, which will be the subject of a future publication.
PROPULSION is a career development and networking programme dedicated to jazz and improvised music artists from the Région Grand Est (France), Luxembourg and the French-speaking part of Belgium.
The laureates, who are selected upon a call for proposals, are granted tailor-made training on touring, production and communication. Mentors from each country provide the laureates an artistic point of view and advice on their projects.
The first edition of the programme gave the bands of Daniel Migliosi (Luxembourg) and Hugo Diaz (Région Grand Est) the opportunity to be accompanied by the team of the Compagnie Tangram and the artistic mentors of the programme, who were Stéphane Scharlé and Maxime Bender.
This second edition of the program brings a number of new features. Firstly, the arrival of Belgian partners in the program, and the introduction of a second program entitled PropulsionWOMEN, aimed exclusively at female musicians wishing to develop their skills in the leadership of musical projects. In addition to taking part in the joint PROPULSION program, the aim of the three laureates will be to finalise an artistic project to be presented live by one of PROPULSION’s partners by the end of the program. The winners will be mentored by a fellow musician with a proven track record. The mentors are Marion Rampal for the Grand Est region, Claire Parsons for Luxembourg and Margaux Vranken for the French-speaking part of Belgium.
Propulsion #2 is also offering the second edition of its PropulsionBANDS program, dedicated to the career and artistic development of existing projects. The BAND mentors are Stéphane Scharlé for France, Jeff Herr for Luxembourg and Manuel Hermia for the French-speaking part of Belgium.
Both programmes have the following objectives:
- Accelerate the professionalisation of emerging talents through comprehensive, individualised support;
- Promote and raise the profile of a generation of jazz artists on a European scale;
- Promote cooperation between cross-border cultural players and create a network open to Europe;
- Exploit the potential of mentoring and pooling resources;
- Include eco-responsibility and social issues (parity, diversity, etc.).
Who are the Luxembourgish laureates of PROPULSION #2?
PropulsionWOMEN | Veda Bartringer, guitarist
Veda Bartringer is a multi-instrumentalist from Luxembourg. She discovered the world of jazz at the age of 17, taking classes at the Conservatoire d’Esch-sur-Alzette, the Conservatoire de Luxembourg and the École de Musique de Dudelange, where she learned from musicians such as Pit Dahm, Pol Belardi, David Laborier, Jacques Pirotton and Erik Teuwens.
Starting in 2017, she pursued advanced musical studies in jazz guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, graduating with a Master’s degree in jazz guitar in 2022. During these 5 years of study, she learned alongside guitarists Fabien Degryse and Victor Da Costa, as well as François Decamps. Veda is a member of several Belgian and Luxembourg projects and has shared the stage with various artists. She is currently working on several personal projects, including duo projects with saxophonist Fabrice Muratore, Madagascan guitarist Joël Rabesolo, a solo guitar project, as well as the Veda Bartringer Quartet.
Guitarist Claire Besson is the winner of PropulsionWOMEN for the Grand Est region, and Lucia Pires, a flautist based in French-speaking Belgium, has been selected to take part in the program.
PropulsionBANDS | The Metz Foundation, Joël Metz
Joël Metz is a saxophonist. Having achieved his Bachelor and Master studies at the conservatory of Amsterdam and Codarts Rotterdam, Joël pursues his musical career as a bandleader of his group The Metz Foundation, a sideman for projects like the Josh Island Band and the Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra and as an educator for modern music at the Conservatoire du Nord in Luxembourg.
With an affinity for extended techniques like multiphonics, Joël likes to combine traditionally informed material with experimental sounds in his playing.
PropulsionBANDS selected Nobaban for the Région Grand Est and Bodies for the French-speaking part of Belgium.