Zone À Dessins Workshop Residency – Art School Lorraine – Metz x Bridderhaus

For its seventh edition, the workshop ZÀD (Zone À Dessins) of the ÉSAL – the Institute of fine Arts Lorraine, Metz campus – is relocating to the Bridderhaus in Esch-sur-Alzette for a collective artistic research and creation residency.

ZÀD is a workshop for situated artistic research, inquiry, and experimentation, led by artist and teacher François Génot. It invites students to explore a territory through a sensitive, committed, and interdisciplinary approach. Each year, a strong cultural partnership shapes the workshop and defines the field of inquiry: for the academic year 2025–2026, the Bridderhaus becomes the anchor point of this collective and immersive adventure.

An Art Project Rooted in the Territory

Southern Luxembourg – with its rich and complex industrial history, from mining to steel production, from working-class immigration to urban and ecological transformation – provides the field of investigation for this edition. In close collaboration with local cultural, social, and environmental stakeholders, students will conduct fieldwork to capture the multiplicity of narratives, forms, and memories that make up this border territory.

The artistic outputs will be rooted in drawing but can take diverse forms depending on the needs of each project (sculpture, photography, film, publications, performance...). Special attention will be given to participatory approaches and knowledge sharing, with dynamic mediation formats designed for public engagement.

A Residency as a Starting Point

In November 2025, a one-week residency at the Bridderhaus will allow the twelve selected students to immerse themselves in the territory, meet its residents and organizations, and lay the foundations for their projects. This phase will include workshops with guest artists, site visits, and exchanges.

A time for shared research and creation

Between the immersive residency in November 2025 and the public presentation in April 2026, 13 students will continue their research work in Esch through regular visits, meetings with artists and local partners, gradually allowing the projects and creations to take shape.

Public Presentation in April 2026

This fieldwork will culminate in a public presentation at the Bridderhaus in April 2026, featuring a collective exhibition and a three-day program of events, along with a publication documenting the process. This key moment will mark the highlight of the collaboration between the ÉSAL and theBridderhaus, contributing to a professional, site-specific, and publicly engaged artistic practice.

In collaboration with: ÉSAL - École Supérieure d'Art de Lorraine | Fine arts department - Metz site.

Participating students: Ambre Bouillaguet, Eike Llamas, Fanette Lentretien, Iman Ourahou, Jules Schwoerer, Laetitia Hue, Loïc Leclercq, Madeleine Rieffel, Marie-Cécile Grand, Maud Quesney, Paloma Girard Francisco, Salomé Castells, Sofiia Ahadzhanian.

Discover more on Instagram and https://vimeo.com/esal.