Duncan Roberts: With just a few weeks until the grand opening of Esch2022, what is the atmosphere like in the team?
Nancy Braun: “I think first of all we have to define who is the team. There are different aspects of how the team is made up. First of all, we have more or less 30 people who are working internally on the project that we have been preparing since 2018. We are all looking forward to finally presenting the project and to giving the official go in February. Another aspect is our external team. These are the cultural departments of the 19 different municipalities that are part of the Esch2022 territory--11 in Luxembourg and eight in France--as well as their public relations and communication departments. So that comprises another 40 to 50 people who I would like to say work on a daily basis for Esch2022.
We also have project partners that are developing the programme. We made this call for projects in 2019 and we have more than 130 projects in the programme, meaning that we will end up with more than 2,000 events from February until the end of the year. And another very important aspect is the team of over 600 volunteers. And I also see our sponsors and supporting partners as part of the team.
So what is the feeling? We are all very busy. Priorities are different depending on who you talk to. We are looking ahead, we’re excited. We definitely feel the pressure because we’re starting on 26 February. And we’re very eager to see what will come in the following weeks and months until the end of December when we close the first chapter of Esch2022 and are then preparing the next chapter, creating the impact we want to leave after 2022.”
We can’t talk about the coming year without talking about covid, unfortunately. So do you have any fears that some events might be cancelled or that people will stay away because of the pandemic? And what sort of contingency plans have been put in place?
“It is clear that the planning process was really difficult. We started in 2018 and beginning 2019 with the call for projects in normal times. Then came covid and the world changed. We skipped very easily to a digital form of working together. But we also saw the consequences of only working digitally. I mean, we did not make progress as we should have, and I think covid made us lose more or less six months.
But we were working very closely with our project partners, so we did a survey to assess what their project was looking like and how should it be adapted in order to fit in a covid situation. So we have a very clear view on that.”
Our mission is really to convince people…that attending events and visiting Esch2022 means you’re also in a safe environment
“And then, of course, we are in very close dialogue with the health directorate at the ministry of health. They are very caring and solution-oriented and are giving us really great support. So I’m really looking forward to it because one of the aims is not to cancel projects or events because we need people to stay in dialogue. I think we have a responsibility to show that we can organise events, even if we have to find alternative ways to do it, and to maintain cultural development. So I’m quite confident on that aspect. On the other hand, the public is another concern. I feel people are eager to go out and to discover, but there’s always some fear. And our mission is really to convince people, and also to communicate, that attending events and visiting Esch2022 means you’re also in a safe environment where you can take advantage of what we are programming.”
Culture in a very broad sense
The programme seems to take a very eclectic approach and reach out across different strata of society. Is part of your mandate to make culture accessible to all, and how do you balance that with the need to provide high-quality art?
“Well, I think one thing has to be very clear, it’s not only about art. It’s about culture. And our culture is defined by very different things, by different elements. For example, traditions, eating and drinking, are also part of our culture. How we live together and, especially here in Luxembourg, how we live in Europe, is part of our culture. So culture is thought of in a very broad sense.
And that is what the European Capital of Culture is about. Broad culture, citizen participation on different levels, creating accessibility. I think this is very, very important. So, yes, it might be that the programme is eclectic, but it’s important to have elements that touch a very broad audience. Esch2022 is not really about big international names. This might have been part of a concept years before. I think our mission is to underline the strong potential of the region. There is a clear focus on local and regional artists, although many of them have a very international background.
But the international aspect is important. We have collaborations with international institutions like ZKM in Karlsruhe, Ars Electronica in Linz, and the House of Electronic Arts in Basel, who are really renowned for digital art. We have artists like [Argentinian choreographer and dancer] Cecilia Bengolea, and there are quite a lot of big names coming to our neighbour, the Rockhal.
And we shouldn’t forget the relationship we have with our partner cities, Kaunas in Lithuania and Novi Sad in Serbia, which is important for a European Capital of Culture to give a European dimension to the programme.”
You’ve basically answered my next question, but how would you sum up the intention of the programme in three sentences?
“It’s not that easy. I mean, it’s like remixing or linking the known to the unknown, high art with everyday culture, the possibility to create different ideas and combine them into something new. Citizens are invited to participate in this mission, so we encourage them to join in, to actively shape the future of the region. And, of course, have fun doing it. This is, I think, the most important because it’s about culture, it’s about having fun and getting out of this normal daily life and doing something different with great pleasure.”
There will be also an economic development and together with Esch we will put the whole region on the map.
You mentioned the 11 communes in Luxembourg and also those across the border in France. Was there a real challenge in coordinating between these entities, especially as they have diverse political leadership?
“It definitely didn’t make things easier. When I started in 2018, I mean, the project already had some history [Braun took over leadership of Esch2022 after the city of Esch said it lost confidence in former general coordinator Andreas Wagner and artistic director Janina Strötgen]. So, when I started, the first thing was onboarding the different municipalities and making them adhere to the project. Because some municipalities, or some politicians, were questioning why they should be part of Esch2022.
So it took some time to explain the advantages or benefits of the project. Of course, it’s about Esch, because Esch is the centre of the region. But they can benefit from the radiance of the project. It’s about the development of a city, of a region, it’s about transformation that will attract more people to the region. So there will be also an economic development and together with Esch we will put the whole region on the map. So now everybody’s on board.
What helped was setting up different informal working groups. Because I’ve seen that municipalities are used to working together on certain levels, but in culture and some communication aspects this was not a given. So we brought together these people who work every day in these different communes and showed them that they are part of a very big project and that we can only achieve the mission if we work together.”
The scale of the project
Did your experience of being deputy coordinator of the 2007 Capital of Culture year, when Luxembourg and the greater region held the title, help in that respect?
“Of course. I think what was definitely an advantage in that you feel the scale of the project. You realise that it involves so many different institutions, structures, associations, people, different elements, different missions, different objectives. And I think with Esch2022 the scale is even larger than it was in 2007, even though the territory in 2007 was much bigger. We really had this greater region which I think is about 11m inhabitants. Now we are covering 200,000 inhabitants. But I think it’s much more fun because we can have a very close working relationship.”
I think there’s something for everybody, for each single community.
The region historically, because of its location and immigration history, is clearly heavily French speaking. Obviously, there are events that require no specific language skills, but how much of the programme caters to those who speak Luxembourgish or English?
“I think there’s something for everybody, for each single community. We have two countries and 19 municipalities, and over 100 different nationalities. But there’s really a very big range of events. For example, just to give you some figures, we have 294 events in German, 298 events in English, 407 in French and 376 in Luxembourgish.
I think this is one of the talents we have another not only as the Esch2022 team, but in general in Luxembourg, that we try to have this diversity of languages in order to attract audiences and speak the languages they understand. So, that’s also about accessibility.”
There has been a real emphasis on corporate partnerships for Esch2022. How difficult was it in these challenging times to convince companies to commit to investing resources in culture?
“The first challenge, with or without covid, is to explain what a European Capital of Culture is about and why it is important to invest in such a project. Because at the beginning, when you start with this concept, it is very abstract. And if you have to sell an abstract project to an investor who doesn’t really see immediately what will be the return on investment, it’s very difficult.
For example, our first message is that, when you invest in Esch2022, you clearly invest in the future of a region. I think the return on investment will be after 2022. We saw that in 1995 and in 2007.
Another aspect is that most of the international companies we approach for these main partnerships do not have their real decision makers in Luxembourg. So it’s very difficult to convince people that are not in the middle of the action to invest in a project where they don’t immediately see the advantages it could bring to the company.
And then of course, as you said, covid didn’t help either. Difficult times not knowing what future will look like. But I think we did quite a good job. We have three main partners, and we have quite a lot of supporting partners.
Also, using the experience from 2007, we are setting up a Business for Culture Club. Because it is not only the executive structure, but also our project partners that are looking for financial partnerships. After 2007 all the partnerships we had were cut and everything was lost. So, we decided to develop a strategy for our project partners, to set up a platform to bring them together with the economic sector in order to see if there are partners who are interested in supporting these different projects. And if they work fine in 2022, well, they can also work after 2022. Although it exists abroad, this is something very new for Luxembourg.”
When you see a map of Europe indicating Kaunas, Novi Sad and Esch, you see this triangle, and the three cities are embracing Europe
Esch shares the title with Kaunas in Lithuania and Novi Sad in Serbia. What sort of cooperation has there been between the cities?
“Well, it’s about sharing ideas, sharing projects. I think one of the most important parts of this collaboration between the three cities is that we are one project. When you see a map of Europe indicating Kaunas, Novi Sad and Esch, you see this triangle, and the three cities are embracing Europe. We are bringing not only people together, but cities and countries. And this is a really nice aspect of this European dimension.
I would say about one-third of our projects are set up with these two cities. But as well as projects, it’s artists, it’s best practices, capacity building, I mean, we are in constant contact with the cities and we are part of the opening in Kaunas and in Novi Sad, and artists from those cities will be part of the opening here on 26 February.”
As we mentioned, you served as deputy coordinator for the 2007 Capital of Culture programme. What would you say are the main differences in how culture is viewed in the grand duchy 15 years later?
“A lot. Just like it changed a lot between 1995 and 2007. For example, we can now rely on structures and initiatives that were initiated in 2007 or developed afterwards. We don’t have to reinvent everything, because elements are in place and we just have to bring them together and push for further development.
But one difference between 2007 and now is that the concept of a European Capital of Culture has changed. Definitely. Look at the history from 1985 to now, at how the concept itself has changed in three different phases. Now we are in the third phase, where it’s definitely very important to underline citizen participation. It’s not about big names. It’s not about bringing top stars to Esch or to Luxembourg. But it’s really about implicating the population, it’s about co-creation and having citizens be part of the project.
I mean, in Luxembourg we have such a wide range of culture on offer. So we need to put other elements into this Capital of Culture concept in order to showcase something different from what we normally see. For example, Kaunas will now open on 22nd January with an exhibition by William Kentridge. Marina Abramović will also be part of the opening. The European Commission asked, well, what about the names in Luxembourg? But we don’t need William Kentridge because he was already here last year at Mudam. So, we really have to differentiate between what we can deliver as a complementary programme and what Luxembourg already has to offer.”
I would say the legacy really will be the future of the region.
Before talking about the cultural legacy, you have also mentioned sustainability and the importance of that in the whole project…
“Well, sustainability follows us like a red thread in the different projects. Of course, it’s about green events, and we are all used to that now and know, more or less, how to do it. But we have also signed a charter with the ministry of sustainable development focusing on different axes. So not only green events, but also tourism and communication. But one important axis is accessibility. And this is an element that still needs further development after 2022, because I think we have to give it a push to really make things as accessible as possible to a larger audience.”
The 1995 and 2007 Capital of Culture programmes both provided a boost to the culture scene in the grand duchy. What sort of legacy do you hope Esch2022 will leave?
“We have seen already in Esch, for example, the three new structures which have been created with the enormous budget the city administration dedicated to them. We have the Konschthal, which opened in October; the old Ariston cinema, which will be a space for kids and young folks as part of the Escher Theater; and then you will have the Bridderhaus, which is destined for artists in residency. These spaces were bought and renovated not only for 2022, but they will have a life afterwards. But for 2022 we will create the content to give these spaces a push to put them on the map.
Then there is the European dimension we mentioned before. We are accelerating our collaboration with the Communauté de Communes Pays Haut Val d’Alzette in France on different levels. And I must admit, it’s really working very well. I see this collaboration as a small European laboratory, and if we succeed it can be an example for how to reach across the border. Because, I think, talking about the greater region, it’s easier to give it a try on the border and then see how it can be developed further.
As well as culture, we have to touch upon the aspect of tourism. That means putting the spotlight on existing products and also developing new one. For instance, the Minett Cycle Trail, which was created in the framework of the [successful] candidacy submitted by Pro-Sud for the southern region of Luxembourg to become a Unesco Man and Biosphere Reserve. But, as Esch2022, we have the possibility to put the Minett Trail on the map and develop a cultural programme around this trail in order to show the richness of the region through culture. We talked about the Business for Culture Club, which will be a legacy. And I would say the legacy really will be the future of the region.”
A version of this interview appeared in . Be among the first to read interviews and features in the magazine by today.