Playtime residences

As part of ‘Esch Cultural Capital’, the Bridderhaus artist residencies will be pursuing two strands of research that tie in with the general theme of the Biennale 2024: ‘Architectures’.

The first is Playtime, named after Jacques Tati’s film from 1968, in which the French director offers an ironic vision of urban life and modernist architecture. Playtime at Bridderhaus asks how contemporary art projects can influence the architecture and urban realities of a town such as Esch-sur-Alzette through play. The aim of the Playtime residencies is to provide a space for reflection and experimentation that enables artists to familiarise with everyday life in Esch and to develop site-specific interventions.

An inspiration for Playtime was ‘Spielplastiken’, a programme of public artworks set up by the city of Vienna in the aftermath of the Second World War. From 1945 to 1975, contemporary artists were commissioned to create sculptures for play in neighbourhoods and on playgrounds throughout the city. Through this scheme, the city made contemporary art a part of its inhabitants’ everyday experience, while simultaneously avoiding the pitfalls of monumental artworks in the public realm.