An organic remix

It is difficult to navigate the maze of the Esch2022 programme. But if you look closely, you will find some real gems. One of them has come to life in the rue de Knapp in Zolwer – next to a cycle path and on the way up to the famous 'Zolwerknapp', but otherwise out of sight of the general public – in a building that had almost been reclaimed by nature when, in 2021, the municipality of Sanem refurbished it. The European Capital of Culture was the ideal opportunity to revive the greenhouses of Zolwer with a new vocation. In contrast to institutional venues, this transparent space, which is open to the outside world, can attract a public that is usually not willing to engage in cultural dialogue, say the two founders of studio d-o-t-s, who initiated the "Histoires de serres" project after being contacted by the artistic director of Sanem's projects, Anna Loporcaro.

Laura Drouet and Olivier Lacrouts are Italian-French and have been living a nomadic life for about a month now and intend to continue to live in their little truck for months or even years to come. The basic idea was to be as close as possible to their projects so that they could develop them in depth, as they are currently doing in Soleuvre. "The fact that you change your perspective calls you to be much more curious about the new environment you are in and to ask questions that are sometimes very naive, but that break the routine", says Olivier. That was also the plan before coming to Luxembourg: to be immersed in the reality of the people and the local stories. Over coffee in the peaceful garden behind the greenhouses, Laura – an art historian by education – and Olivier – who studied design – explain that they want to make this a hybrid place where not only exhibitions or one-off events are organised, but also where people come to let their ideas wander – to stop and breathe for a moment or two.