1. Baudouin Duchange (B.D.) – Hello Françoise, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your career?
Françoise Poos (F.P.). My background is atypical for someone of my generation, having worked mainly on medium-term cultural and research projects. My initial training was in literature, which I later supplemented with a PhD in visual culture, based on a very strong attraction to cinema and photography. I’m particularly interested in cross-disciplinary links, understanding how the media work and the role they play in our daily lives. Bridges between different forms of artistic expression are made possible by the media.
I began my career as a radio journalist, with a strong interest in culture. I then went on to manage the Media Desk Luxembourg, which gave me an insight into the audiovisual sector. Later, an opportunity in the United States opened the door to organizing photographic exhibitions. These intersecting reflections on media, photography and identity guided the rest of my professional career, right up to my arrival in Esch-sur-Alzette. I arrived as director of cultural programming forEsch2022, following the city’s nomination as European Capital of Culture. We had this important focus on digital art, a sector I didn’t know very well yet, but which was exactly in line with what I’d been doing before. This gave me the opportunity to delve deeper into the role of immersive media and digital technology more generally in society, as well as the alliance between art, technology and science.
2. B.D. Why did you create the Elektron project, and how would you define it?
F.P. With the major exhibitions at Esch2022, we became aware of the gap between Luxembourg and international projects. There are places that started thinking about digital art over 40 years ago, such as the ZKM, Karlsruhe Art and Media Centre, or Ars Electronica in Linz). In Luxembourg, there’s the Rotondes Multiplica festival, which works hard to promote digital art, but only takes place every two years. The Film Fund Luxembourg also supports XR productions. However, these are linked to the audiovisual sector rather than to an artistic and cultural context. And yet, the latter is essential for stimulating awareness, training informed citizens, developing critical minds with regard to technologies… What interests us is the discussion around the impact of contemporary technologies on everyday life or on the environment, to initiate a debate with audiences who, I think, often capitulate before the scope of the subjects and issues.
This, combined with the fact that the Esch2022 program was coming to an end, motivated us to propose a new program to the municipality: Elektron. It’s a unique artistic journey combining the arts and digital technology in Esch-sur-Alzette. Financially supported by the town through the ASBL frEsch (which also manages other cultural events such as the Francofolies, the Nuits de la Culture and the Biennale Esch Capitale Culturelle), two of us are working on this program.
As we operate in public space, we don’t have our own premises. We’re squatters, nomads, territorial agitators! So we integrate our projects into existing cultural institutions. For example, we’re going to install a project at Konschthal Esch, a contemporary art center. Supported by ScanLAB Projects, Framerate: Pulse of the Earth is an immersive installation based on 3D scans of natural environments. The installation broadcasts time-lapse recordings to show the impact of human activities on the environment. The artistic and scientific message is highly accessible, and was even shown at COP23.
Some images from ScanLAB Project’s Framerate: Pulse of the Earth project
This project is emblematic ofElektron. It illustrates our desire to propose projects that are open and accessible, while at the same time being at the cutting edge of art and technology. Each time, we try to present projects that are relevant not only to the venue, but also to the audience. Another strong characteristic is the relationship with science. For Pulse of the Earth, for example, the data collected by the scans is used by researchers to define the impact of humans on their environment. These different links enable our artistic proposals to be platforms for collective reflection and discussion.
3. What are your challenges for 2024 and beyond?
F.P. The launch of our programming is scheduled for May 2024, with the implementation of seven projects in a logical progression. Esch-sur-Alzette will be celebrating its very first Cultural Biennial, whose theme is “Architectures”, a captivating immersion in the world of architecture and its influences on community life. Within this broad theme, we’ve chosen to focus on digital architectures, to show what’s not visible. More specifically, we’re looking at the heavy infrastructures that are part of the digital environment, such as undersea cables and data centers.
For this tour, we are proposing a series of existing works and a new commission. The medium-term aim is to regularly co-produce new works, while continuing to show existing works that the Esch public has not yet been able to discover. Like the photographic work of Corinne Vionnet , for example. For her Photo Opportunities project, the Franco-Swiss artist gleaned thousands of tourist snapshots online, which she truly “weaves” into a single light, airy image, combining the perspectives and points of view of each isolated image. It’s a way of making individuals visible in these anonymous networks. And to make visible what is hidden behind the digital.
Another project is Connecting the Dots by Dutch artist Jeroen van Loon. The subject is transatlantic cables. He had at his disposal a bank of highly specialized data connected to these cables, which carry digital data. He wanted to materialize these tracings in the form of children’s drawings. There are around 180 drawings showing these cable networks. It’s a very simple, but highly relevant project that addresses the physical presence of cables and networks, which are omnipresent in our lives but invisible. Like other of our proposals, this project is intrinsically linked to the city’s social and civil infrastructures. In collaboration with a master’s degree in architecture located in a working-class district of Esch-sur-Alzette, we will be organizing workshops and other discussions with local residents.
In all, we will be presenting seven projects featuring works by ScanLAB Projects, Ziyang Wu & Mark Ramos, Jeroen van Loon, Lucas LaRochelle, Corinne Vionnet, Serge Ecker and students from the Interface Culture program at Kunstuniversität Linz. These projects are carried out in collaboration with the Biennale Esch Capitale Culturelle, Konschthal Esch, Bridderhaus, Cultures of Assembly, Lycée de Garçons Esch, Cultures of Assembly and the University of Luxembourg.
Pasig River, a series of works by Ziyang Wu & Mark Ramos to be presented in Esch-sur-Alzette by Elektron.
Our aim is to continue exploring the arts, sciences and the impact of digital technology on our society. We will also continue to develop our network of partners. There are many possibilities locally: the Théâtre d’Esch, the Musée National de la Résistance et des Droits Humains… We will therefore continue to develop local and, perhaps, progressively regional partnerships, to bring to the heart of our living spaces spaces for creation and reflection on social, societal, environmental and technological issues.
