Lars Neugebauer
Week 1
In the first week at the Bridderhaus, I am primarily interested in gaining my first impressions of the city of Esch and its surroundings. I first collected the industrial, social, sonic and architectural explorations and dedicated myself to the composition of the music, the sound and the visual stimulation. The collected sound recordings of the city of Esch and the neighbouring industrial plants are processed. The first sound sketches emerge and the question arises: How do I perceive the city, which is characterised by its industrial heritage, and how should this be reflected in the music and the performance "Paradise, Rubble and Ashes"? I am currently in the process of producing the music for the LP, as well as developing the first pieces for the performance. The basis for the music and the sound design for the first part of the performance is being created and forms the platform for the dancers' rehearsals in Berlin. I create and process soundscapes from field recordings and arrange them into musical themes. Initial ideas and sketches are created to visually accompany the music and thus add a new layer.
Week 2
How is the industrial history anchored in the culture and society of Esch? How is industry integrated into everyday life and the neighbourhood? There are the abandoned industrial structures, the converted buildings, the revitalised industrial halls and the new Belval district built around the blast furnaces. You can feel how present the industrial history is and you move between the heritage, the silence of the abandoned industry, the highly polished blast furnaces and the search for individual stories in connection with the steel industry. Musical, sonic, atmospheric and visual connections have been created. The drawings add another image of the industry. An image that also works with rhythms, layers, sequences and traces during the process. "Paradise, rubble and ashes" is given a visual component and "Construction 1" is created. "Construction 1" is the first of four animated clips that capture motifs from Esch's industrial past. They are accompanied musically by pieces that were created and produced in weeks one and two. Arranging, editing and mixing the soundtracks takes up a large part of the time. The choice of motifs for construction 2-4 is developed.
Week 3
In the third week, I am working intensively on the technical and artistic preparations and developments for the performance "Paradies, Schutt und Asche" for the OpenHaus on 16 June. I accompany the dance rehearsals in Berlin by video and discuss the concept with the choreographer Anja Kozik from the dance company "Oxymoron". This concerns the musical selection for the performance and the distribution of the three dancers on the bridges and in the basement of the Bridderhaus. Technical and organisational processes are discussed with the house and planned further. In addition to the organisational preparations, I also continued to get to grips with the Belval district. I try to memorise everything I observe, perceive and discover and to find further inspiration for the composition and recording of the music for the LP. I'm looking more closely at the history, work processes and procedures of the steel industry. The production of steel, the melting of iron, the processes in the huge halls seem to be choreographed, accompanied by a high and varied noise level. An industrial orchestra. Work on Construction 2 and 3 continues. The programming and arrangement for the video content in the basement of the Bridderhaus are being developed. The industrial and technical processes of steel production in the design of the animations for the cellar are coming ever closer to the suburban dance temples of metropolitan regions.
Week 4
The last week is mainly dedicated to the technical and artistic preparations and realisation. This includes the timing of the week and the performance itself, the content and practical organisation, the test phases with light and fog, the spatial divisions and the rehearsals for "Paradise, Rubble and Ashes". The dancers Veronica Lillo, Alessia D'Isanto, Xenia Argyri, the musician/performer Cikomo Paul and the production manager Tobias Marten arrive in Esch. We begin to put the parts of the performance together and adapt them to the space of the Bridderhaus. The music, visual levels, choreography and staging are adapted and technical processes are rehearsed. Further creative thought processes arise during the construction and planning of the performance. How do you visually emphasise the performance in the cellar? After many test runs and different motifs, I decided on a graphic composition that reflects the idea of particles. Coupled with the light installation, the cellar takes shape. Then there is the idea of roller shutters and how we can integrate them into the performance. During my first visits to Luxembourg, I quickly realised that the roller shutters were omnipresent on the houses. The shutters take on a performative role for "Paradise, Rubble and Ashes". The programme includes sound checks and volume tests, as well as the sequence of events from the bridges between the old and new buildings and the terrace down to the cellar.