Inspiring, vibrant, and mystical — Leon Kluge‘s interview takes us into a poetic and enchanting world through Life on the Verge, an urban garden in the midst of transformation, nestled at the foot of the iconic Adolphe Bridge.
Located at the intersection of Avenue Marie-Thérèse, the bike path, and the impressive Adolphe Bridge, this ephemeral landscape installation captures the essence of urban nature: subtle yet thriving vegetation, wildlife and plants flourishing in silence, almost on the very edges of the roadway.
The Adolphe Bridge, a masterpiece of early 20th-century civil engineering, is distinguished by its grand stone arches — an iconic symbol of the City of Luxembourg. Built between 1900 and 1903, this bridge with its majestic vaults was a technical marvel of its time and remains today an emblem of elegance and functionality, connecting the Upper Town and the Gare district.
“Making the invisible visible” — this is the challenge set for all the designers of LUGA 2025, who are exploring sixteen themes along a route of over 11 km, at the heart of Luxembourg’s green belt.
With his sensory and evocative garden, Leon Kluge also creates a symbolic and poetic connection between two major sites of the exhibition: the Édouard André Municipal Park, where LUGA evokes tales, legends, and culture in a fairy-tale atmosphere, and the Pétrusse valley, where biodiversity and wild beauty serve as a reminder of the vital importance of nature within the city itself.
The giant woven sculptures that wind through Kluge’s garden are specially created by Tom Hare, a talented sculptor. These works are made from willow, a naturally green material that, once boiled for several hours, releases its tannins and takes on a warm chocolate-brown hue.
Thus, while the sculptures display two distinct shades — beige and brown — they both come from the same original willow. Harvested in winter, when the sap is dormant, the willow can then be boiled and stripped, resulting in what is known as “buff willow.” Before weaving, each strand must be carefully soaked to regain its flexibility and be shaped with precision.