With Tiziana Tamborrini, founder of Gaialux, economist, sustainability expert
Can you tell us what I.D.E.E. means?
I.D.E.E. is a story of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations told through the language of art.
I.D.E.E. means “Imaginez la Durabilité Ecosocial Ensemble,” or Imagine Ecosocial Sustainability Together.
We were looking for a new way to revive attention for the SDGs. The idea we came up with was to let local artists and students in Luxembourg create pieces of art that reflect the sustainability goals and then put this art on tour in schools, European Union institutions and other locations to encourage more people to talk about sustainability and the planet.
We wanted to engage young students and inspire them to become positive agents of change for these global goals. We asked students to help us inspire a vision, a sense of possibility, the ability to think about big topics with new energy and motivation.
What are the goals of I.D.E.E.?
The goal of the event is to unite artists, students and the local community to share ideas about sustainability, poverty, hunger, water and other important issues in society.
We also want to bring more attention to the Agenda 2030. We want to nurture critical thinking and imagination while developing a positive look for the future, envisioning change and motivating new behaviours.
The key was to involve youths and students through ateliers, workshops, conferences, storytelling, videos. We encouraged students to join I.D.E.E. and produce artworks dedicated to one of the SDG individually or in a team.
The event started in the middle of 2023. We had a closing ceremony on Oct. 11, 2024.
Who participated in the project?
The main participants were students and artists in Luxembourg.
Students were involved during the whole process, creating artworks that represent different aspects of the Agenda 2030 goals. We had an amazing participation by Lycée Lucius, with 28 artworks addressing SDG 2 SDG 5 SDG 9 SDG 14 SDG 16. Students worked closely with their art teachers who introduced them to the SDGs with the support of Gaialux. Many other youths took part in the project from Maison Des Jeunes, EEL2 and EEL1 with the atelier at the CPE in Kirchberg, Lycée Josy Barthel, the Commune of Esch with the atelier at Mesa in September.
The involvement of artists was crucial. They brought incredible inspiring visions and helped channel the topics of the Agenda 2030. Some of them also acted as mentors, telling the story of their art and helping guide the students in creating their pieces, while also contributing their own work that tied directly to the SDGs. Some of the artis were present at the closing event and three of them presented their work.
What happened at the closing event?
We held a closing exhibition and party in the reception room of Mamer City Hall. The main idea of the project was illustrated in a way that explained why we chose art to represent the Agenda 2030. Anna Sabadash, who works at Eurostat in Luxembourg, also gave a presentation to explain the main indicators from a recent report on the SDGs.
We invited the artists to talk about their amazing works, and then we enjoyed food and drinks with friends and other guests.The food was brought by many guests and also prepared by the Microtarians and the Muse art and design organisation in Luxembourg.
We are extremely grateful to the city of Mamer and other volunteers for making the closing event possible. We also want to thank the people who funded the project: Fondato Sommers and Oeuvre, which work to empower youth, bring art into education, protect nature and wildlife; Caritas Plaidons Responsible, BIL and other backers.
So will the project continue?
Good question. This closing event on 11 October was a key milestone in the ongoing project. I.D.E.E. is a journey that hopefully will keep animating public spaces, schools and other sites and light up reflection on the urgency of taking actions to meet the SDGs.
Our goal is to continue expanding the reach of this initiative, collaborating with more schools and artists across the region. We also plan to deepen our engagement with local communities, ensuring that the themes of sustainability and the SDGs continue to be explored through art. We believe the project has the potential to make a lasting impact, and we’re excited to see where it goes next.
