November 2024 – LRE Foundation

The “Art of Remembrance” project kicks Off: creating innovative WWII narratives through Contemporary Art

Posted on November 28, 2024November 28, 2024 by Viola Scalacci

This week marked the launch of the EU-funded Art of Remembrance project, as partners gathered at Tempora’s office in Brussels for a comprehensive kick-off meeting. The project, a collaboration between leading cultural and historical institutions across Europe, aims to bridge the gap between history and contemporary art, engaging audiences across Europe with innovative artistic expressions and narratives.

The consortium, spearheaded by Tempora, includes the LRE Foundation alongside the City of Bastogne (Belgium), La Coupole Museum (France), the Nuto Revelli Foundation (Italy), and the Sybir Memorial Museum (Poland).

A Project that bridge History and Art

As time moves further away from the events of the Second World War, keeping its memories accessible for future generations becomes increasingly challenging. The Art of Remembrance project seeks to address this by reimagining WWII remembrance through contemporary art.

At its core, the project aims to transform WWII remembrance sites into dynamic spaces for artistic creation and dialogue. This will be achieved through artist residencies, in which artists will create new works inspired by the historical sites where they will work, offering fresh interpretations of the war’s legacy.

The project also emphasizes community involvement, with workshops and seminars that connect local residents with artists, fostering dialogue and making history feel more accessible.

Art of Remembrance will culminate in a travelling exhibition, showcasing the artworks across Europe, supported by publications and an online platform. This will ensure the reinterpretation of WWII history reaches a wide audience, keeping the past alive and relevant for generations to come.

Insights from the Kick-Off Meeting

The kick-off meeting at Tempora served as a starting point for this multi-faceted initiative. Partners shared their organizational insights, discussed the project’s objectives, and delved deeper into some of the specifics, such organizing the traveling exhibition’s logistics and the artist residencies’ structure.

Participants also had the chance to tour Tempora’s renowned laboratory drawing inspiration from its expertise in crafting compelling exhibitions.

The meeting concluded with a discussion of budget allocations, administrative requirements, and a clear roadmap for the next phases of the project. Key immediate tasks include finalizing the call for artist proposals and establishing timelines for workshops and exhibitions.

With its innovative approach, Art of Remembrance represents a bold step toward rethinking WWII remembrance sites as spaces of creativity and cultural exchange. By connecting past and present through art, the project aims to keep the lessons of WWII alive and relevant for generations to come.

For more information on Art of Remembrance and updates on its progress, stay tuned to the LRE Foundation’s official channels.

AI Remembers project kickoff: Integrating AI into WWII Heritage Preservation

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Viola Scalacci

The LRE Foundation has officially launched the AI Remembers project, an EU funded initiative designed to explore the integration of artificial intelligence into the preservation and interpretation of WWII heritage. The project involves collaboration with key partners KERN IT from Belgium and the University of Caen Normandy in France. Together, the partners will work on the possibilities brought by new AI and Learning technologies for presenting historical content, using the Liberation Route Europe – our Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe – as a test case.

The project’s kickoff meeting took place at KERN-IT’s Office in Brussels.

The meeting focused on outlining the project’s objectives and planning the initial steps of the collaboration.

Project Objectives

The AI Remembers project aims to explore the use of AI and Machine Learning technologies to reimagine how WWII history is preserved, interpreted, and shared. One of its primary goals is to transform traditional approaches by making historical narratives more interactive and accessible, particularly for younger audiences and students accustomed to digital experiences. AI tools will also help overcome language and cultural barriers, allowing content to reach a broader and more diverse audience.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of the initiative. Historians, educators, and technologists will work together to ensure the project combines historical accuracy with technological innovation. At the same time, the sensitive nature of WWII content requires a careful and ethical approach. The project will develop a framework to guide the responsible use of AI in presenting this material, ensuring the narratives are treated with respect and integrity.

The kickoff meeting in Brussels was an important first step in bringing together the team and aligning efforts towards achieving the project’s objectives. More updates will follow as the project progresses.

Loïc François, LRE Foundation Digital Manager:

“We are very proud to be part of this multi-perspective team to discuss the impact that AI technologies and Machine Learning can have on the preservation and interpretation of WWII heritage “

Khalid Yagoubi, CTO of KERN IT:

“An opportunity to study the impact of the various AI technologies on historical facts and to explore new methods for discovering and examining history.”

Frédéric Jurie, professor and specialist in Trustworthy AI from the University of Caen Normandy:

“These contributions will broaden the scope of our research and complement civil society’s thinking on trustworthy AI’ ”

LRE Foundation enhances visibility at key networking events across Europe

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Viola Scalacci

As the LRE Foundation continues its mission to expand the Liberation Route Europe project, our team recently took part in several major European networking events, strengthening connections with the Travel Trade industry and promoting our LRE hiking and cycling trails.

CycleSummit – Bern, Switzerland

From 12 to 15 October, Project Officer Emme Johnson attended the CycleSummit in Bern, Switzerland. The largest European trade show for bicycle touring, over 100 organisations attended this year’s summit. The event offered a prime opportunity to showcase LRE’s hiking and cycling trails to tour operators from throughout Europe and beyond who specialise in bicycle tourism. Emme’s participation helped increase awareness of the Liberation Route Europe trails among key players in the sector, to encourage the inclusion of our many sites, stories and routes into cycling and hiking tourism itineraries across Europe.

Global European Marketplace – London, UK

On 31 October and 1 November, Project Officer Emme Johnson and Press and Communication Advisor Gert-Jan Jacobs represented the LRE Foundation at the Global European Marketplace in London, the premier annual travel trade event of the European Tourism Association (ETOA). This dynamic gathering brought together over 800 industry professionals for a day and a half filled with networking and insights into the latest tourism trends. Emme and Gert-Jan connected with more than 20 international tour operators, spotlighting the Liberation Route Europe project and its unique historical and touristic significance. Their efforts helped open doors for potential partnerships that aim to inspire global audiences to explore the powerful stories and sites along the route.

Interreg NWE Annual Event – Dublin, Ireland

On 5 and 6 November, LRE Foundation Managing Director Rémi Praud and Project Officer Emme Johnson attended the Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) Annual Event in Dublin. As beneficiaries of the Interreg NWE EU funding programme, LRE Foundation was among a diverse group of project applicants, EU representatives, and decision-makers. The event was an invaluable opportunity to showcase both the ongoing REFOOT project and the Liberation Route Europe Trails, while networking with potential collaborators to support our efforts in making WWII history accessible through sustainable tourism.

Looking forward to 2025, the LRE Foundation is preparing for the LREXPO at the upcoming LRE Forum, scheduled for 10 to 13 March 2025, in Krakow, Poland. This event will provide a valuable platform for our members and partners to connect with representatives from the travel trade industry, including European and North American tour operators, through dedicated networking sessions and FAM trips. We’re excited to strengthen these relationships and expand the reach of the Liberation Route Europe project. More details about the Forum will be shared in the coming weeks.

For more information about the Forum, click here.

First Active Remembrance Youth Exchange –Battle of the Scheldt

Posted on November 5, 2024November 5, 2024 by Aude Maillard

Last week, a motivated group of young participants joined the four-day program of the first exchange “Battle of the Scheldt” which occurred 80 years ago from 2 October until 8 November 1944 in the provinces of Zeeland and North Brabant, the Netherlands, and Flanders, Belgium.

The first day happened to be the 80-year anniversary of the liberation of Breda, where the group was introduced to the Maczek Memorial and the Polish field of honor. It was the occasion to discover the story of General Maczek and the Polish liberators who freed the city. The granddaughter of General Maczek, Carolina Maczek was present and gladly shared her grandfather’s memory. Participants dived into different stories and created videos, and podcast episodes, and did historical research.

Later, the participants headed South to the province of Flanders in Belgium for a stay at the “Huis over Grenzen” youth hostel at the impressive German War Cemetry of Lommel. The second day focused on this location with a guided tour and time for content creation. With 40,000 resting souls, the cemetery has many stories to tell.

On the third day, the group went to the city of Antwerp to visit the Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) and its temporary exhibition “City at War” which provided more information on the Battle of the Scheldt. Later, the group followed a guided tour through the city centre, showing the traces of the German occupation from May 1940 until the liberation of Antwerpen by the Canadian troops in September 1944.

The last day consisted of a visit to the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen, a former military barrack which was transformed into a transit camp for Jews, Roma and Sinti. The group followed two guides telling the story of this location and the escalation of the discrimination of the Jewish people. After this emotional tour, the participants took part in the “Every name counts” project, recording each a name of a deported person.

Participant Helena, 23 years old from Spain: “I like engaging with other young people that are interested in the same topics as me and learning how to prevent such a war from happening again. I like gaining field experience and learning in an in-person approach with a close connection to the historical sites.”

The next exchange “The Battle of the Bulge and the breakthrough to Germany” will take place in February 2025. Sign up here!