During the year of 2013 we have been sketching with our cameras a contemporary image of Differdange - the multicultural, energetic commune , a place where the energy of the locals is shining through the industrial remains of the past.

 

As total strangers here, we were always greeted with friendliness and openness. However the act of photographing people creates a certain distance between the photographer and the subject. The fair amount of unfamiliarity allowed us to project our visions and ideas on the scenes photographed. Therefore it allowed us to capture the city underwater taken over by sea creatures or to catch on camera a young Batman appearing in the darkness…

 

Choosing moments out of their absolute normality, moments of strangeness taken away from their context, we wanted to encourage the viewers’ imagination to wonder. The decision what to fit into the frame and what to leave out enables us to spice up normal scenes with unexpected details.

 

While photographing children and youths of Differdange, we started to play with the idea of time itself and our contemporary image of the commune transformed into a vision of Differdange, where its past is jarring through the presence and is projecting its future.

 

The "nous sommes. mir sinn. estamos." project was initiated and had a chance to happen thanks to the Service Culturelle Differdange. In particular we would like to thank Réjane Nennig, Tania Brugnoni and Michel Pereira for their valuable advices, huge support and lots of work involved in the project. Words of gratitude are also due to the children and youths captured on the photographs, as well as their parents.

 

The photographs of this project were exhibited at the regional cultural centre 'Aalt Stadhaus' in Differdange and acompanied by a book with all the images. A selection of images were also chosen to be displayed on 4x3m panels within the commune of Differdange.