La SOURCE
Situated in the department of Finistère, France between the natural reserve of Les Monts d'Arrée and the beaches of the Celtic Sea, La SOURCE is a converted farm, once known as "Le Tisserand du Cosquer" (the weaver of the old village). The property, as a flax farm and linen mill, was once part of a thriving local industry that supplied the merchant ships and fishing boats of the region with their linen sails.
Within close driving distance of several small cities, beautifully preserved historic sites, and charming villages - the site of La SOURCE is a hidden paradise just far enough from civilization to be peaceful, and yet still close enough to remain connected to the world.
We are a bilingual campus (both French & English), and at only 3.5 hours by train to the center of Paris, we can host participants arriving from every corner of the world.
La SOURCE is built to be a sanctuary of co-creation and learning.
We have worked diligently to envision an environment that supports harmony within ourselves, between one another and with our environment. Our project/property development begins in February of 2021 with the evolution of the south campus (everything below the road, Cosquer), and continues in 2023 with the expansion of the north campus (everything above the road).
campus map
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The valley of the property is crossed by a stream called Le Coat Toul Zac'h, which flows into the river La Penzé, and out into the sea 25 km from the property.
The southern-most tip of the property is home to Le Kanndi du Fers - an historical landmark, and part of an organized walking path that teaches tourists and local children about the history of flax cultivation and linen weaving in the area. "Kanna" means "bleaching" and "Ti" means "house" in Breizh or Breton, the local language. The Kanndi was the laundry house for cleaning linen thread before weaving.
A short 20-minute walk brings you to the edge of the "Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique" - with protected forests, remarkable hiking paths, and panoramic views from the peaks of Les Monts d'Arrée. For those who enjoy wild swimming, after less than 3 hours of hiking, you can enjoy the Lac du Drennec and its Centre Nautique (boat club).
this map is better explored on a full-screen computer
MAP KEY
(scroll over map to reveal key and development plans)
Existent buildings are marked in Blue.
Development Plans are marked in White.
1. Main House - East: Living Room, Dining Room, Library & Coordinator Living Quarters
2. Main House - West: Collective Kitchen, Pantry, Veranda; Class-Conference-Screening room & Project office; Coordinator Guest Room
3. Tools/storage & compost toilet
4. Director’s office; laundry facilities
5. Coordinator Living Quarters
6. Guest Residence (2 rooms)
7. Guest Residence (2 rooms)
8. Summer Kitchen & Covered Terrace
9. Guest Residence (2 rooms - wheelchair accessible)
10. Compost (food)
11. Compost toilets (2) and Showers (2)
12. Parking for Domes
13. 4 Geodesic domes (2-3 occupants each) & orchard
14. Botanical Fire Bath
15. Grey Water phyto-purification system
16. Amphitheater
17.Wellness Area (jacuzzi, sauna, session room & shower) w/ phyto-purification
18. Pool
19. Fire Circle
20. Music studio
21. Converted Stables - 7 Researcher studios & supplemental summer housing
22. Sweat Lodge
23. Meditation Dome
24. Compost toilets (2)
25. Food Forest with Meditation Labyrinth
26. Beehives
27. Catharsis Cabin
28. Recycled material collection & Farming equipment storage
29. Boutique
30. Chickens coop
31. Compost (Humanure)
32. Learning & Culture Center for conferences and classes, performances, screenings, exhibition, and an aeroponics greenhouse (solar panel-powered, rain-water fed).
33. Public parking
Le Tisserand du Cosquer
The Weaver of the Old Village.
Our property has been used for many years as a highly reputable and celebrated Bed & Breakfast called: Les Chambres du Cosquer.
We will continue with this name for our summer season tourism activities.
Le Cosquer
Saint Thégonnec
Famous worldwide for its historic enclos paroissial (an elaborately ornamented churchyard, traditional in the diocese of Léon), this village has a rich history of vitality and wealth from the 16th and 17th centuries due to the success of the hemp and flax industries of the surrounding area.
Morlaix
A small seaport city situated on the Dossen estuary and crowned by its notable viaduct; Morlaix, thanks to its yachting harbor, oyster cultivation, fishing port and complex history with the Jacobite Rebellion is paradise to ocean-lovers and historians alike.
Pays de Morlaix
With its mild costal climate and long stretches of lush wild shoreline, this area calls for a deep breath of fresh oceanic air and a day spent collecting sea stones in the wide tidal zone amidst the enormous biodiversity of marine vegetation.
Finistère
From the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, this department is home to some of the country's most beautiful villages - largely untouched and intact, sometimes even barely visited. It is truly a place for discovery and exploration.
La Bretagne
Brittany (in English) or Breizh (in the local language), is home to some of the world's oldest standing architecture, as far back as 5th millennium BC. As a remote peninsula with no country borders, this region was the last to be colonized by the Roman invasion, and thus has retained a close connection to its ancient roots.
France
Beyond the famous capital, Paris, France is a country of varied landscapes and ecosystems, diverse cultures and traditions, complex politics and discourse, disparate historical narratives... Birth place of Cartesianism, and ever-faithfully engaged in intellectual pursuit, we hear a hunger for heart-work.
the area & region
Getting to La SOURCE (click here)
We can provide shuttle pick-up from the TGV train station in Morlaix to the campus upon request.
For those traveling by train from elsewhere in France, please consult SNCF, the national train system, for tickets arriving at the station: "Morlaix (Brittany/Bretagne)", or if traveling from Brest, tickets arriving at the station: "Saint-Thegonnec (Bretagne)"
For those traveling from Ireland or the UK, please consult Brittany Ferries for boat trips arriving in Roscoff (a 35-minute drive from La SOURCE). These ferries will allow you to come with your car.
DEVELOPMENT
(this does not include details on Earning & Learning Seasons, only information on property and project development stages)
2020
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November : Public announcement of project; applications open for all participants of the 2021 year
2021
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February : Founders arrive on Property
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March - May : Furnishing and Equipping with Build-Up Volunteers, and potential Coordinators, (includes wellness area, summer kitchen, fire circle, meditation dome, etc.)
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June - August : Construction & Preparation of South Campus with Summer Volunteers, and potential Coordinators, (includes dome construction, amphitheater, walking paths, fire bath, etc.)
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September : Final team of Coordinators on site; Orchard and bamboo planting
2022
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February - April : Spring Semester Residencies dedicated to building local engagement with history and ecology of area
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March - April : Food Forest land preparation begins
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May - August : Development of the North Campus with Summer Volunteers, (includes labyrinth, apiary beehives, the catharsis cabin, the trailer-boutique, etc.)
2023
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May - August : Sustainable earth-building and up-cycling construction of our self-sustainable Learning & Culture Center on the North Campus with Summer Volunteers, (includes setup of our aeroponics greenhouse cultivation)
events
WINTER CAMP
January 7 - 17, 2022
Each winter at La SOURCE, we come together for collective learning around a shared text for an immersive and profound exchange in a concentrated frame. We call this Winter Camp - 10 days dedicated to a deep-dive, initiated and held by a selected volume of literature. Each winter-camp is co-created, with programming proposed and decided on the first day by the participants.
Participants are required to have read the entirety of the text in advance, and to arrive with ideas on what or how they would like to explore the collective learning process. There will be 2 preparatory group calls in advance of arrival. The text is a seed, and we will nurture it together to see what grows.
20 participants, 10 days, 1 text.
For Winter Camp 2022, our text will be:
Application & Registration will open in May 2021. As limited spaces are available, a nonrefundable deposit must be paid in advance in order to reserve a space. Winter Camp fees are intended only to cover costs.
"Love is to bear and endure oneself. It begins with this. It is truly about you; you are not yet tempered; other fires must yet come over you until you have accepted your solitude and learned to love."
project calendar
2021
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Feb 2 : Founders Arrive On-site
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Feb 15 : Build-Up Phase 1 begins; volunteers arrive
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May 11 : Build-Up Phase 2 begins; tourism season
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July 15 : Coordinators for 2021/2022 selected
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Sept 1 : Coordinators Annual Meeting
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Sept 21 : Annual General Assembly & Celebration
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Sept 22 - 29 : Fall Break
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Sept 30 - Oct 3 : Preparations for Fall Semester
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Oct 4 - Dec 13 : Fall Research & Creation Semester
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Dec 14 - 20 : Fall Semester Conference
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Dec 21 - Jan 4 : Winter Break
2022
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Jan 7 - 17 : Winter Camp (the RED BOOK)
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Jan 18 - 20 : Winter Camp Editorial Intensive
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Jan 27 - 30 : Preparations for Spring Semester
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Jan 31 - Apr 9 : Spring Research & Creation Semester
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Apr 10 - 16 : Spring Semester Conference
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Apr 17 - 30 : Spring Break