Art conquers the gardens of Luga

Is that country art- or rather garden and landscape design? Already in its basic features, the Luxembourg Urban Garden (Luga) deals with the varieties of garden culture, the order of space, the color and structure, historical and new approaches to the design. What is art and culture in it can no longer be determined as separate as in other cases. Similar to the gray areas between art and handicrafts, attributions are then in the eye of the viewer.

For the general coordinator Ann Muller, an answer to the question of the proportion of the culture in the 22 million euro budget (+ 1.4 million for the outside station in the Nordstad) is not that easy. Or the question of how many artists receive how much money for their achievements at the garden show.

Muller emphasizes: « We are not a cultural exhibition, but an urban garden exhibition. But it was important for us to involve an artistic look from the start. Artists are people who have visions who are complexly approaching things and question them. In addition to focus on the garden, the environment, the circulatory economy, the sustainability, plants and global warming, it will of course be given projects with the subjects, which of course the Luga artistically deal with.  » This is the result of the large portfolio of raising new thoughts for the Luga audience and creating encounters.

Sustainability to the content decisions

There were of course rejections. « We were submitted a nice video project, but the energy consumption was too high for what it would have cost. And the idea of ​​sustainability not only runs through the show, but also in such decisions. That is why it was then rejected, » said Muller, who, as a former head of the cultural department of the Berlin embassy of the Grand Duchy, has consciously remained out of the selection processes. « And in all calls we made sure that the chances of opportunities were the same for everyone and that broad participation was possible. »

There does not seem to have existed excitement as when awarding the project of ESCH2022. At 80 to 90 percent, Ann Muller estimates the proportion of the selected cultural workers who have their roots in Luxembourg or in the large region.

The area and programming area had already received a fixed framework budget in the Luga power study that was only somewhat adjusted. But even there is a break in how strong the content is, not so easy. « A lot arises with partners. In the area of ​​culture, for example, the Lëtzebuerg City Bibliothèque, the Luxembourg Center for Architecture, Neimënster or the Mudam. For most of these events and projects in general with partners, we bear half of the costs, » says Ann Muller.

This creates a huge program with fewer Luga agents and the end of the shoulder with very different organizations and institutions. « They already have a great expertise and knew how they can get involved in the Luga concept. »

1,500 overall events

In addition, according to the general coordinator Luga’s own project calls with proper tender and decision before an internationally occupied body. « We then finance the projects selected by the jury up to 100 percent. » Over 1,500 events from May 7 to October 18 will be on the agenda. According to Muller, ten to 15 percent of this will be disputed by artists. Hotspot In terms of cultural events, the « Culture Hub » is on the arcade behind the Villa Vauban – readings and concerts are planned there.

What is already visible? In cooperation with the Mudam arise two quite large work In public space: the rebuilding of Agnes Denes’ « The Living Pyramid » in the Park Drahi Eechelen and a new sound installation, « The Lower World » by the gymnast winner Susan Philipsz, which is particularly fitted under the upper town.

A special inheritance is the ten -meter -high steel sculpture called « Phyllōm ». In 2022, the work at the Garden Festival Floriade in Almere, Dutch in Almere, was officially presented in 2022 by the architect Schürmann and Witry. And traveled to the national German garden exhibition in Mannheim in 2023 to advertise Luga. In partnership with the Kirchberg fund, the fully recyclable work becomes part of the Luga- « Stadtbauernhof » in the Kuebierg nature reserve.

With all the confidentiality up to the official program presentation, there are also some projects: A workshop has been working since February Jill Crovisier on « Four Seasons – Dance! » The participative dance project that is created with the support of the Trois CL dance center deals with the topic of climate and the connections between man and his environment. The first results are to be shown live in front of an audience at the end of June.

And the Ampersand Variations collective also develops the improvisation theater performance « Roots / Routes », which will take place in the Gardens of Luga in the coming months.

The Kulturzentrum Neimënster has a huge package as a participation laced. Among other things, Chantal Maquet and Isodora Romero will make contributions as a residence artist. Since the beginning of April, looking at the abbey and projects of the Duos Hélène and José Eurico Ebel, Thierry Ardouin, Justine Blau and Victor Guerin have started. At the start of the Luga, an exhibition on the work of Marianne Majerus opens. After the press conference next week, all appointments will be published. It is important to keep the schedule.