The last bell O
n 8 December, the curtain will fall on
the cultural year. Does this bring an end to the blue stag? In search of answers, we have spoken with the man behind the weel of the blue year, Robert Garcia, who gives us a glimpse into the rear-view mirror of 2007. As there was a pre and post 1995 (when Luxembourg was, for the first time, the European Capital of Culture), there will be a pre and post 2007. May those who doubt this scrutinise the press or focus on the capital’s bars: on the local scale, in any case, blue has been the subject of so many conversations and filled so many agendas that it actually seems difficult to get away from it. To find out if the metamorphosis will be more political, structural, conceptual or of a cross-border nature, however, we do have to wait for the final report which should, also, stage many commentators. In any case, when asked spontaneously, Robert Garcia seems more than prepared to defend the year and bases his answers on numbers and intentions. “Sometimes we had to fight to convince, but the results are there.
Take the simple example of the ALL WE NEED exhibition at Esch. In the first month, we had 3,000 visitors. After that, we came close to 30,000 visitors! The hardest thing was, of course, fighting prior assumptions, overturning habits and inviting individuals to travel. But once this was accomplished, they were mostly attracted by what we had to offer”. And “Roga” emphasises on the framework which governs a European Capital of Culture. “We can discuss the concept which was developed at length; I am ready to assume it. But you must not forget that all this had to be incorporated in a very specific brief. Above all, this means showcasing the potential of a region, then bringing together European artists. On this basis, we tried very hard to develop a two-fold intention: ‘Reaching beyond borders and daring to take on the unexpected’. If we refer to this proposal, we can say that our programme did, with the examples of the Trans(ient) City programme, of the EXIT07 programme or of the Paul Wurth Space, indeed, comply with our objectives, often going well beyond the exceptional projects proposed by
Carnaval volant
T’es In, t’es Out
You’re In, you’re Out
Détaillées dans nos pages Highlights, les festivités du 8 décembre défieront notamment la gravité. En effet, entre le troupeau de girafes de la compagnie éponyme, les neuf personnages haut perchés d’Ulik et le Snob, la grue vivante de la Compagnie Transe Express et les différents effets pyrotechniques annoncés, vos cervicales risquent d’être soumises à rude épreuve. Heureusement, un grand bal disco (dès 21h, Place Guillaume II) vous permettra, grâce au know how très fluo de DJ Brunsch et du Bortsch Orkestra, de remettre tout en place à grands renforts de déhanchés. Côté électro, rendez-vous à la Rotonde 2 dès 21h30 pour le dernier événement du genre. Attention: la réservation est obligatoire: www.luxembourgticket.lu, tél.: 47 08 951.
Detailed in our Highlights pages, the festivities of 8 December will particularly defy gravity. Indeed, between the herd of giraffes from the eponymous company, the nine high perched characters of Ulik and the Snob, the living crane of the Transe Express Company and the different pyrotechnic effects announced, your necks are likely to be put to a tough test. Fortunately, a huge disco ball (from 9pm onwards, Place Guillaume II) will, thanks to the highly fluorescent know-how of DJ Brunsch and the Bortsch Orkestra, enable you to put everything back in place with copious amounts of swaying. If you’re looking for electro, go to Rotonde 2 from 9.30pm onwards for the last event of its kind. NB: reservations are a must: www.luxembourgticket.lu, tel.: 47 08 951.
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22.11.2007 16:37:49 Uhr