Through the projects that it supports, the Sommer Foundation aims to stimulate the minds of children and youngsters and make them more inquisitive so that they can participate in our society through the medium of culture and the arts. It encourages the creation of new forms of cooperation between partners from different communities and with different viewpoints, so that the people and cultures in Luxembourg may understand each other better.
Supported projects
_First A/V
“_First A/V” is an educational and collaborative project introducing the creation of a digital, interactive, and immersive audio-visual performance. A guide and “Blurb,” an all-purpose tool containing everything needed for a mobile immersive installation, immerse a classroom simultaneously into the worlds of live video generation and music production. “_First A/V” makes the creative process accessible and understandable, enabling students to freely express themselves afterwards. Each student sees their personal touch take shape. In a commitment to inclusion and sustainability, “Blurb” serves as an example to younger generations that it’s possible to achieve a lot with very little.
With this project, artists Zohra Mrad and Damiano Picci aim to transform how art and technology are perceived and integrated into the educational curriculum. By offering a more interactive and immersive approach, the project leaders hope to spark greater interest in these fields among children, while emphasizing the importance of creativity and innovation in their learning process.
Stell Dir vor, es wäre...
As part of weekly dance classes, two dance ensembles from Trisomie 21 asbl Luxembourg, in collaboration with dance educator Sandra Beck, are developing a multidisciplinary performance for World Down Syndrome Day in 2025.
This performance will reflect a journey through shared images and “portraits” of the various dancers, emerging from a participatory process. During a painting workshop, the participants will create images and paintings that represent how they see themselves or how they would like to see themselves. These artworks will then be brought to life through dance and presented as part of the performance, accompanied by original music and sound recordings in which the dancers share something about themselves.
The team will ensure that the wishes of each individual are respected, and each dancer will be supported according to their abilities, so that everyone has the opportunity to express something about themselves (through movement) in the way they choose.
Arts & Potager (2024)
The “Arts & Potager” project is entering its second edition. Launched in 2022 by Canopée asbl, this project consists of a program aimed at introducing creative, gardening, and culinary practices to the childcare centers in the Pfaffenthal neighborhood, as well as to the wider community. Alternating with workshops on gardening basics and raising awareness about sustainable development, artists lead creative workshops related to the fauna and flora of Canopée’s garden. The goal is to teach children, from a very young age, how to care for the land and to pass on valuable skills. For this new edition of the project, the circle of partners will be expanded, and two calls for artist residencies at Canopée will be launched to involve artists in the project for a longer period.
We-Learn, Create & Connect
The “We-Learn, Create & Connect” project is an educational and intercultural initiative succeeding the “Read, Write, Create and Go” project, which was completed in August 2023 and funded by the Sommer Foundation. It aims to address gaps in informal education for children and young people in migrant and refugee reception centers in Luxembourg.
The planned musical and dance activities will allow beneficiaries to immerse themselves in the cultures represented within the group. In summary, the project’s name reflects its community dimension (“WE”) as a local action; its educational aspect (“LEARN”), where the teaching team shares its expertise and learns from the participants; its creative component (“CREATE”), which fosters creativity; and its relational aspect (“CONNECT”), which builds or strengthens interpersonal connections among all participants. The activities are designed to provide a supportive extracurricular environment that promotes cultural awareness, psychomotor skills, imagination, creativity, and autonomy, aiming to encourage the emotional, social, and educational development of children and young people from disadvantaged families.
What is Heemecht?
“Heemecht” is an educational project that was conducted with several primary and secondary school classes in Luxembourg. To gather material through exchanges with students and their teachers for a professional theatrical performance, an exploration of the theme of “homeland” (Heemecht) was undertaken. What does my homeland taste like? What does my homeland smell like? Is there a difference for me between the terms “home,” “house,” “homeland,” and if so, what is it?
The artists Piera Jovic, Fabienne Elaine Hollwege, and Laetitia Lang also collaborated with students from the National School for Adults to offer an artistic approach to the subject through movement and dance workshops. Together, they created a theatrical performance in which the audience was guided by 16 young people in search of their homeland. Through text, movement, and music, they all attempted to find an answer, or at least an approach, to what Heemecht means to them.
Youth, Agents of Change
Throughout the year 2024, Unity Foundation offers dynamic workshops for young people aged 11 and over in high schools in Luxembourg, as well as for vulnerable youth, their teachers, and educators.
The workshops focus on the participants’ well-being, group cohesion, and their engagement in social progress. The activities include screenings of inspiring short films, artistic projects, collaborative games, and service projects.
These workshops aim to develop essential qualities such as empathy, resilience, collaboration, creativity, and self-confidence. Through various artistic activities (theater, dance, drawing, singing), participants explore their passions and acquire skills to become engaged actors of social change.
IDEE - Imaginez la durabilité éco-sociale ensemble
The “IDEE” project aims to activate a creative and educational program in schools and youth centers that, through visual illustrations, showcases the issues of the climate crisis in connection with the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. This program also offers a broader reflection on how we inhabit our planet and interact with other living beings in response to the contemporary ecological and social crisis.
The primary objective of the project is to stimulate reflection on climate change issues in schools creatively, thanks to the participation of various artists, while addressing all aspects of the 2030 Agenda. “IDEE” aims to be like “seeds” sown to generate new stimuli, inspire young people, and provide a starting point for in-depth reflection on the themes and challenges of our relationship with Nature.
Art and reconstruction
Since the beginning of the year, Thuy Gattaux (Ar’Thuy) has been leading Kintsugi workshops for groups of children and young people. Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with the aim of highlighting and embellishing the object’s scars, giving it a new lease on life. The underlying philosophy is wabi-sabi, which celebrates the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. This technique transforms broken pottery into a unique and valuable work of art, emphasizing the object’s history and worth.
By combining the art and philosophy of Kintsugi, Thuy Gattaux has guided young people on a spiritual and symbolic path of introspection. Through the workshops, they have learned to embrace imperfections, demonstrate creativity and patience, and adopt a sustainable approach.
D’Kachmaschinn, une cuisine mobile - Atelier de construction
This construction workshop, designed for young people aged 9 to 15, aims to introduce participants to careers in architecture, design, and craftsmanship through the creation of a mobile kitchen module. It will provide an opportunity to become familiar with the tools of the architect (drawing, modeling, etc.) and to understand the various stages of a project from conception to completion. Additionally, it will address contemporary themes related to the production of our built environment such as resource scarcity, circular economy, and reuse.
The workshop will be led by the DKollektiv team and will take place at VEWA in Dudelange. It will begin with a tour of the premises to introduce participants to industrial heritage and showcase an exemplary project in terms of self-construction and material reuse. The workshop will culminate in the creation of mobile kitchen modules to be used by DKollektiv, the VEWA community, or luca for events and workshops, notably during LUGA in 2025.
This construction workshop is part of the “Architektur SUMMER” workshop series developed as part of the educational program of luca – Luxembourg Center for Architecture, in collaboration with DKollektiv, and with the support of the Sommer Foundation.
La Capsule
“La Capsule” is a multidisciplinary and participatory project, centered around a small low-tech caravan pulled by humans. It traveled across Luxembourg and the Greater Region between May and August 2024, offering various activities to the people encountered along the way by the team led by artist Nora Wagner. These activities included a mobile cinema, debates, a participatory bookstore, creative workshops, and the opportunity to contribute to the creation of an evolving road movie throughout the adventure.
This project is a hybrid of performance, installation, participatory art, and interactive film production. The main themes explored were ecology, alternative societies, utopias, and imagination.