Saturday 4th December: BLOOM of Komplex Kapharnaüm

A new participatory project from the company Komplex Kapharnaüm
The word ‘bloom’ denotes the semi-finished pieces of steel produced on the rolling mills, while also referring more broadly to flourishing and blossoming. Our project is situated between these two poles – between the legacy of the steel and iron industry and its impact on the history of Esch-Alzette as well as on its contemporary development and future. What will flourish on the remains of the past? What will the city of tomorrow look like? Rather than answers to these questions, we are looking for intuitions, reflections and points of view. As non-locals, our ambition is to amplify and disseminate the voices of the inhabitants, whether they were born here or elsewhere, whether young or old, whether long-time dwellers or temporary citizens. We make regular visits city, drifting from one encounter to the next, listening, recording, questioning and trying to bring together all those who are willing or eager to talk.

Our artistic project is open, it needs you to exist. Our small ‘imprimé de rencontres eschoises’ (Book of encounters in Esch) relates these early encounters, which are circulated via our Instagram feed #bloomkxkm. These are the first tools we use to create links. Our objective is to develop a situative installation in the heart of the city of Esch-Alzette in spring 2022. More specifically, we want to build an ephemeral construction, an unexpected, open, spectacular space that will serve as an agora for conversations, testimonies of the past and stories of possible futures. Following our walks through the city, which have allowed us to meet numerous people and build a community around BLOOM, we are inviting the people of this network in the making to meet during a convivial event.

This ‘conversational evening’ will take place on Saturday 4 December 2021 from 6 to 9 pm at restaurant Chiche! and in Rue de l’Alzette.
The people we have met are encouraged to participate in conversations, each addressing a specific theme related to the territory of Esch. These conversations will be recorded on film and other media to be played back in the public space of Rue de l’Alzette. We will create an architectural scenography that docks onto the front of the restaurant so as to form a transversal arch across the street that links up to our ‘station’ trailer on the opposite side. These architectural elements replicate the spectacular setting of the historic casting operations. As the evening progresses, a large-format archival image will be ‘remixed’ with overlays of paints and various other materials.