The Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte ant the non-profit Esch2022 European Capital of Culture have awarded financial aid of €400,000 to three projects.
In order to respond to new societal, economic and environmental challenges as well as the national need for creative spaces, the Œuvre, in partnership with Esch2022 asbl, decided to contribute to the development of cultural projects, which participate in a collective dynamic aimed at anchoring culture in the territory and which, in the form of collaborative ecosystems, reclaim industrial wasteland, abandoned spaces or the heart of cities.
Following the joint launch of the cultural third places ("Tiers-lieux culturels") call for projects in December 2019 at the Schungfabrik Tétange Cultural Centre, a jury made up of members of the stART-up fund, representatives of Esch2022 and independent experts met and allocated a financial aid of €400,000 (€200,000 paid by the Œuvre and €200,000 paid by Esch2022 asbl) to each of the following three projects:
- Bâtiment IV:- this project by frEsch asbl consists of transforming Bâtiment IV of the Esch-Schifflange wasteland into a place of artistic and cultural creation and social innovation. Based on the provision of space for associations and residents of the region, it will be a place of life, meeting and continuous training as well as a laboratory of practices preparing an open and united society.
- Cultural Hub + / Vestiaires:- This DKollektiv project consists of the refurbishment of the locker room of ARBED located on the industrial wasteland of Dudelange. After a participative renovation of the building, the aim of the non-profit organisation will be to offer a "laboratory of doing together" in which socio-cultural activities and citizen participation will take place. The public can then take part in jam sessions, participatory workshops and consult the library established on the premises.
- FerroForum & Kamelleschmelz:-The activities of the social and participative project of FerroForum will revolve around the emblematic material that is iron. Its development, its social and cultural history will be tackled in turn through meetings, exchanges, training, experiments, research and archiving of data, demonstrations to the public and transmission of know-how. Associated with this project, Kamelleschmelz, an artistic, educational and play installation by Trixi Weis, will illustrate the production of a steel factory by producing sweets.
The decisions of the jury were based on the following criteria: place of "doing together", co-creation and coworking, sharing knowledge, originality and creativity, active participation of diverse audiences, local roots, social innovation, diversity of actors, added value in terms of social cohesion, solidarity and sustainable development. This selection is accompanied by a set of individual and general recommendations including that made to the three project leaders to collaborate in order to create an ecosystem of cultural third places that is transdisciplinary and complementary. Likewise, a steering committee will support the funded projects in their implementation as cultural third places.
