Pit Riewer

During my first week in Esch, I immersed myself in discovering its architecture, mainly by walking around the town centre and visiting the old workers' houses in Hiehl. I supplemented this exploration with some basic research into Esch's industrial past, in particular by watching films such as "Vu Feier an Eisen" and "Esch-sur-Alzette: métropole du fer" via the National Library catalogue. A poignant scene showing children swimming near blast furnaces resonated with me, prompting reflection on the social impact of economic growth on families.

Exploring the architectural history of Esch, I discovered that many buildings featured ornamental motifs symbolising fertility and strength, reflecting the heyday of the steel and iron industry. These symbols, such as palm leaves, plants, flowers, lions and bears, were carved in stone, immortalising the era of economic and social prosperity. I went in search of these historic buildings carved in stone and photographed them. However, I found that many of these ornaments had been invaded by organic matter over time.

I went on to research the steel industry and in particular its collapse in 1974 due to the overproduction of steel. It fascinated me because, looking at images of welded steel, I saw these chromatic images of glowing steel and iron as well as oxidation of the steel during welding. The thermal welding hue is created during the welding process when there is too much oxygen present or the metal is heated too strongly or too quickly. This immediately brings us back to the theme of overproduction, excess and greed.

Returning to the symbols on the ornaments that I saw on my daily walks around Esch, I kept thinking about what might have happened if the greed to overproduce had not been present. Would these ornaments and symbols still have a meaning beyond their aesthetic aspect?

This week I'm concentrating all the materials I've collected, both pictorial and conceptual. I started with digital experiments in which I tried to make the stone flower ornaments look like pieces of welded metal or molten iron or steel. After finding and choosing the colour transitions, I created a kind of filter that could be applied to the images I took of the ornaments. Secondly, I ordered iron oxide pigments that hark back to the earth of Esch, and I make my own oil and acrylic paints using these pigments, which are now part of my palette.

These almost forgotten or nostalgic symbols can now be reconstructed in a palette of vibrant colours, somewhat foreign yet familiar.

For my final week, I really wanted to use the knowledge I've gained over the last few weeks by focusing on the emotional reworking of the patterns I've photographed and collected, in particular through the colour hues created when steel or iron is heated or melted. This notion of overheating metal is closely linked to the notion of excess, as in the overproduction of steel that led to the collapse of the steel market in the 1970s. Colour and value studies were carried out, with the flower motifs painted as if they were molten metal, or pieces of metal welded together and overheated. These studies resulted in two finished paintings that show part of Esch's history through a nostalgic lens. The two paintings act as a (faded) reminder of that moment of financial growth before the market collapsed. Are these symbols slowly fading or is their history being reborn and reconceptualised? Can they be given new meaning?