From 25 to 29 March, three artists settled in the Luxembourg Centre Systems for Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg for a one-week residency. Initiated by Espace cultures, a team coordinating cultural events on campus, this very first artist residency at the university will contribute to the conception of an original choreographic creation through exchanges between scientists and the artists.
Dance, scenography, poesy and plastic arts
Born out of the encounter of three artists using different modes of expression, LABYRINTH is a collaborative project around the human brain, its complexity, its capacity to remember and forget. Imagined by Giovanni Zazerra, dancer and choreographer, Fabio Godinho, writer and stage director, and Marco Godinho, plastic artist and scenographer, the project will take shape through research on the theme, discussions with scientists, and a process of co-creation involving different media: dance, text and visual arts.
“For our first interdisciplinary collaboration, we would like to create a choreographic piece for four dancers that will also be an immersive experience for the public,” explains Giovanni Zazerra. “This residency is a first step to learn more about the brain, collect information and meet people who have a different outlook on the topic. We want to explore different worlds in a way and use all of this to feed our creative process.”
Discovering research on the human brain…
During their one-week stay at the LCSB, the three artists had the opportunity to meet scientists studying the human brain and neurodegenerative diseases. Through lab visits and exchanges with researchers from the Neuroinflammation and Developmental & Cellular Biology groups, they learned more about Alzheimer’s disease and the complex processes that govern brain functions, especially memory. From the discovery of cell cultures to the observation of zebrafish and striking microscopy images of the brain, it was an immersion in the world of neuroscience.
“My work in theatre has a strong link with memory as you need to learn texts and remember them. So it was interesting to make the connection with the biological processes in the brain,” mentions Fabio Godinho. “And the exchanges we had with the scientists already have an impact on what I am imagining for the performance. It is very enriching.” Marco Godinho also highlights the parallels between research and art: “There are some similitudes in the way we work and in the space we use. I am thinking of the importance of a certain freedom, be it academic or artistic, for example. Seeing the labs where the researchers experiment also brought to mind the studio of an artist.”
… and much more!
The programme also included discussions with professors and students in nursing sciences around patient care and art-therapy, as well as a visit of the Medical Simulation Unit (SimUL) where future healthcare professionals are trained at the university. Additionally, informal exchanges with interested members of the university were fostered during a meet & greet session on Thursday morning.
At the end of the residency, the creative process will continue throughout the next months, with the aim of presenting LABYRINTH in different theatres in Luxembourg in 2025. What they saw during their stay at the university will be used as an inspiration, to bring poesy, abstraction and imagination into the scientific facts. The artists hope to create an interactive performance that will speak to all about the meanders of our fascinating brain.
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