“The biodiversity crisis and the disappearance of species – we have a problem!” This is the theme of the joint project by natur&ëmwelt and Independent Little Lies. Through open-air theatre workshops, co-directed by a theatre director and a nature educator, the two partners aim to raise awareness among children and young adults of a subject that concerns us all. Through the link between art and science, they hope to improve understanding of the biodiversity crisis in general, and in Luxembourg in particular. After a first series of workshops in 2022, a second is planned for the end of 2023, open to young people aged between 12 and 18.

This project enabled 65 pupils from three primary schools and the BTS Animation course at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers to take part in the process of creating the music performance Nikki Ninja, which brings together the worlds of Luxembourg hip hop and jazz through the NICOOL Project (Nicole Bausch, Nadja Prange and Dennis Scholtes) and Pol Belardi & Afrobeathoven. The aim of the project was to raise awareness of hip hop far removed from the stereotypes that are sometimes associated with it (violence, misogyny), in order to offer the full expressive potential of this genre. In creative workshops run jointly by a drama teacher and the artists, pupils aged between 7 and 9 gave their opinions on the themes to be covered in the songs, learned how to record tracks and sounds, and also came up with their own suggestions for costumes. Confident in their relationship with the artists, the children even felt free to talk about their “little silly things”, which contributed to the show.

Through this project, 50 young people aged between 15 and 26, in vulnerable situations, were introduced to the “Self portrait experience (SPEX)” method, developed by the artist Cristina Nuñez. Through a series of workshops, the artist offers a practical tool for exploring the influence of digital culture on people’s identity. In contrast to the selfie, which tends to reflect a smoothed-out image of the individual, she is looking at the way in which we – and in this case young people in particular – can use technological tools such as cameras, smartphones and social networks to express our emotions and broaden our perception of ourselves and others without filters. The benefits for young people have been many: empowerment, increased self-esteem, creativity, self-knowledge and emotional management. A selection of the photographic material resulting from the workshops was presented in an exhibition at the University of Luxembourg, a permanent online exhibition and a publication.

“Seeing everyone’s photos hanging there in physical form really touched me and also made me think about the difference between seeing things online and on a screen and seeing them in physical form. It had a really big impact on me. This project has really given me the courage to adapt to my emotions and those of others without being afraid of them”. (participant)

www.artasexperience.org/virtual-show

Through this project, the Lycée Vauban offered its students the chance to meet professional dancers and experience an art form from which they may be somewhat distanced. The contemporary dance companies AWA – As We Are and Corps in Situ were on site for 6 months, carrying out a range of activities for students and teachers. During their creative residency, the artists opened the doors of the studio to attend rehearsals, take part in workshops and film their fellow students. While there were also classroom presentations on the subjects explored in their plays, the students were also able to attend professional performances outside the studio. The presence of the artists on a daily basis also allowed for informal but essential exchanges for the young people. Lastly, by bringing together several school disciplines – dance, video, art and film – the project helped to create a real teaching-artistic community, a fertile ground for future projects of this kind within the lycée.

Students of the Lycée des Arts et Métiers under the artistic direction of Joseph Tomassini and Jean Back.

This collaboration between Jean Back and the 2TPTI class (video and photography) at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers is based on the play “Bilder einer Ausstellung revisited”, which accompanies the new novel “l’Arc di Marianna” (Editions Guy Binsfeld) by Jean Back.
The author asked the students to create a visual interpretation of the texts he had written for Modest Mussorgsky’s famous piano cycle. The photographs created in this way are thus a further development of the historical pictures by Viktor Hartmann, which inspired the Russian composer. The very free literary interpretation of Mussorgsky’s work by Back is contrasted with the very personal view of the young people, who were able to get to know the diverse professional profiles and working worlds in the theatre through this project.

Giving young people a voice was the aim of the LAUTSPRECHER project of the Pierre Werner Institute.

In eight poetry slam workshops at the Lënster International School, the Sportlycée and the European School I, young people between the ages of 14 and 18 were challenged to lyrically deal with the theme of freedom in the Corona era. They were coached in writing and performing the texts by professional slam poets Bas Böttcher and Florian Cieslik.

Slam texts consist of three equally important elements: idea, text and performance. In the workshops, the students learned techniques for finding ideas for their own literary texts, writing techniques and practical exercises for stage presentation. The results were recorded and edited into a poetry film.

The project also includes a training course open to all interested teachers on the subject of “poetry slam”, certified by the Institut de formation et de l’éducation Nationale du Luxembourg.

Watch a short video clip of the project

Through this project, the non-profit organisation Kultrun, in cooperation with the Waldorf School in Luxembourg City, has given 21 young people aged between 13 and 14 the opportunity to take part in regular theatre and directing workshops. The aim was to design a play together, from start to finish. The children were able to devote themselves to an intense artistic and educational activity, in which they had to overcome doubts, lack of motivation or uncertainty about this new experience. This group work was also an opportunity for the children to discover other social and artistic skills.

“For our group, this project strengthened teamwork and gave us the opportunity to discover new ways of adapting, solving and improving our artistic and teaching practices”. (Natalia Sanchez, drama teacher)

Mudam hosted the exhibition “More Sweetly Play the Dance” by South African artist William Kentridge between 13 February and 6 June 2021. This exhibition has the particularity of being part of the red bridge project, a cultural project uniting the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, the Philharmonie and the Mudam. William Kentridge, a multi-disciplinary artist with a mastery of the plastic and performing arts, is therefore halfway between the disciplines promoted by the three Luxembourg cultural institutions. Throughout the exhibition, the BTS Media Writing class from the Lycée Classique de Diekirch and the 1ère Section Image class from the Lycée des Arts et Métiers were the new reporters for Mudam! In the form of a photographic report and a written report, the students revealed the secrets behind the scenes of the exhibition. Following the artist and the Mudam team throughout the exhibition project ( installation and associated programme), the Mudam Student Reporters took an original and personal look at the exhibition.

For the 125th anniversary of the school, the Lycée des Arts et Métiers decided to present itself in a new form. Apart from the more conventional events that punctuate such festivities, the school opted for an exhibition/installation directed by the artist Edmond Oliveira, which questions the place of the school in our societies.

The Think ahead exhibition is based on the concept of participation of all pupils and students of the school. “We put our students at the centre of the project by soliciting their skills, their know-how. But not exclusively academic, we want to give them a space to present themselves! We want them to understand that this is their school, their training and that this school works for and with them.”

At each stage of the exhibition, students from the school’s departments and training courses were asked to participate so that they could live this experience together and become aware of the multitude of interactions necessary to set up such an undertaking.

www.artsetmetiers.lu