A residence to promote the cultural heritage of the Park

A call for applications FOR a slightly crazy bet

It's been a few years now that the “Grande Boucle du Parc – Vaque Veire», a 200 km roaming product allows visitors to discover the Park. Thanks to a guide with a local accent, the hiker is led, through readings of the landscape, the evocation of history, heritage and cultural riches (including know-how), to the intimate discovery of the Périgord-Limousin… like when a meeting with its inhabitants comes out. This roaming, set up by the Park and the Tourism department of the Dordogne Departmental Council, enjoys a certain reputation and, moreover, it is not uncommon for the inhabitants themselves to drag their gaiters there...

Building on this dynamic, the Park seeks to experiment with new forms of roaming on this loop to respond and adapt to the emerging expectations of the public (reconnection to nature, desire to live new experiences, etc.). The idea therefore arose to strengthen its attractiveness by further highlighting the know-how of craftsmen and Métiers d'art companies in Périgord-Limousin. The opportunity was also found to stimulate creation around the Occitan heritage which is imbued with roaming. An artistic approach to share, cross-reference and evolve the views, representations and knowledge of residents about their intangible heritage, that was tempting...

We summarize: Promote “The great loop” and the know-how of the territory, integrate the Crafts of Art into the tourist offer of the Park, encourage the practice of nature sports, develop contemporary creation around the Occitan culture of local expression, offering a new look at the landscape... all this in a single project???? And why not ???

It didn't take much for the Park, the Nontron experimental arts and crafts center and Périgord Limousin andIPAMAC (Inter-Parcs Massif central), with the help ofLimousin Institute of Occitan Studies, become partners and launch the challenge to artistic artisans in December 2023 with a call for applications for a creators' residency.

THE RESEARCH RESIDENCE

We were looking for nine professionals in the artistic professions, with varied know-how and backgrounds, to collectively design in residence, a proposal to promote itinerancy and Occitan culture representative of the artistic professions creation of Périgord- Limousin. Well, seeing the number of applications, the craftsmen were ready to take up the challenge!

THE artisans of the residence

At the end of the selection, a diverse team of creators where each will bring their sensitivity and know-how to this creative “enterprise” was selected. Everyone comes together around common values ​​and practices: working with raw materials, collecting materials, environmental sensitivity, collective work, etc. It is made up of:

Mellie BRANCHEREAU, Ceramist (87)
Maelle CABORDERIE, Ceramist (24)
Tristan CHAMBAUD-HERAUD, Ceramist (24)
Olivier CONSTANTIN, Raw wood cabinetmaking (24)
Mariette COUSTY, Ceramist (19)
Tom JABLIN, Stone and wood sculptor (24)
Marion LEYSSENE, Ceramist (87)
Aline PILLENIERE, Wood sculptor (24)
Elodie SCHNEIDER, Stained glass artist (67)

What does the residency consist of?

The residency will take place over a period from March 2024 to October 2024 (over 8 months) with 4 days of collective working time spread over this period. It will come to life in different communities in the Park crossed by the Grande Boucle. These collective meetings are intended to be favorable times to encourage the exchange of ideas and collaboration between these professionals to design an artistic proposal anchored in Périgord-Limousin, highlighting the diversity of know-how present as well as the history and landscapes of Périgord-Limousin, imbued with a rich Occitan culture.
Only four days? But don't be fooled, it won't happen soon, don't believe it, it doesn't happen alone: ​​the project will require working time in the workshop during the residency, between collective times.
Ultimately, the residency must give rise to the production of a global project (telling a story of the creations and intentions of the creators) and the submission of 9 files which will allow the order by the Park of creations which will be installed along the trace.

WHAT will these artisans do during the residency?

These craft professionals will delve, during the residency, into the very essence of Périgord-Limousin to develop, under the direction of the Nontron and Périgord-Limousin experimental arts center, this cultural and innovative tourism which must capture the spirit of the territory to share it with locals and tourists.

The milestones that we have set are to represent, in a figurative or abstract way, the tutelary characters and legends of the nine stages of the route of “La Grande Boucle du Parc, Vaque veire »: the old woman from the well, the aurelha of lebre (the storyteller Félicie Brouillet), the fadettes, the blowers, the devil, the flying hunt, the sharer, the lepinhou and of course the lébérou.

At first glance, 'what's not complicated for my artists?, but remember, these creations must ALSO establish a dialogue with the landscapes of homelessness (geological, historical, architectural, industrial, natural, etc.) in which they will be inserted and have a lesser environmental impact. Now it's up to them to write history...

A residence AND AFTER?

The outcome of this residency will be presented during an exhibition in fall 2024. It will offer you the opportunity to discover the creative process, the inspirations and the final proposals resulting from this exceptional collaboration.

Then, fake saber let far las shoes, you have to let things happen... The nine creations resulting from this collaboration will gradually integrate the Grande Boucle circuit. Each work of art will thus become an enriching stopover for roaming enthusiasts, offering an artistic immersion in the heart of the cultural heritage of Périgord-Limousin. These works will mark a unique fusion between the creativity of artistic crafts and the cultural wealth of the region, promising an incomparable experience for those who set out to discover them.