RESEARCH & CREATION
RESIDENCIES
La SOURCE is a live/work creation-lab for creators with active practices (emergent or established) in any contemporary art form or research methodology. Everyone here is committed to passionate, intensive engagement with their work. We ask from everyone here a deep, rigorous care of one's own & one another’s practice and creative sovereignty, as well as consideration and respect for the site itself (which is both ecologically and historically protected).
We are located in a 17th century linen farm, on 5 hectares of land, on the edge of a large forest - only a 20 minute drive from both the ocean and the low-mountain moors of Les Monts d’Arrée.
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La SOURCE is staffed by 3 coordinators and 2 volunteers; we welcome a maximum of 6 artists/researchers-in-residence at a time.
La SOURCE is especially well-suited for writers, poets, researchers, theorists/philosophers, photographers, land-artists, activists, and visual artists working on paper or with site-specific practices.
TIME​
3 week minimum, 12 week maximum
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During three scheduled sessions:
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Fall Session 2024:
Saturday, September 28 -
Saturday, December 21
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Spring Session 2025:
Saturday, March 1 -
Saturday, May 24
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Summer Session 2025:​
Saturday, June 7 -
Saturday, August 30​​
​​​(Dates for 2025 spring and summer sessions may be subject to change as program plans evolve.)
While on campus, your time is your own. La SOURCE is ideal for self-motivated and autonomous creators. Residencies are self-directed.
However, all residents and staff are encouraged to make and attend propositions (to be posted on the proposition board in the library). Propositions might include: walks, workshops, studio visits, feedback and collective editing sessions, outings to local cultural or historical sites, interviews, shared practices, discussion groups, and reading/study circles.
We will host, once a week, time for everyone who is interested to gather in the library and share what’s happening in the evolution of their work. (most likely on Fridays afternoons)​
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WHAT WE ASK of residents​
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to submit a contribution of 5 - 20 images or pages created while in residency, plus a brief bio, for the yearly publication
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to be interviewed (audio-recorded for transcription) and photographed for the yearly publication prior to departure
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to participate equitably in collective domestic care to maintain a hygienic & harmonious environment in shared spaces
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an attitude of open-minded curiosity and utmost respect for all others here (others on any level, including: fellow residents, staff, our animals, visitors, neighbors, wildlife, vegetation, both interior spaces and the biosphere, etc.) as well as a profound willingness to stay engaged in open communication with any needs, wishes, or concerns that may arise.
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An intense and fundamental focus on your creative process or research while here in the residency.
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Residents are always welcome to help out in the garden or with the animals if they find a call to connect with the land.
GETTING HERE
Residents are responsible for organizing their own travel to La SOURCE (though we can assist with organizing pick-ups at the train station of Morlaix, the airport of Brest, and the ferry port of Roscoff).
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GETTING AROUND
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There is a bus stop 20-minutes walking distance from campus with 1-2 buses a day into the city of Morlaix (including the train station). Buses depart in the morning and return in the late afternoon. The ride is free, but must be reserved at least 24 hours in advance (we can help with this).
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There is a train stop 30-minutes walking distance from campus with 2 trains a day into the city of Brest. Weekdays only.
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There are no shops within easy walking distance (it’s about a one-hour walk into the village of Saint Thégonnec). By bicycle it takes about 20 minutes. We usually have one or two bicycles available to borrow.
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Many residents choose to rent a car during their stay. The local grocery stores, Leclerc and Super U, provide car rentals as low as 6€/day (excluding kilometers and gas).
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Coordinators are sometimes available to assist with providing a lift, pick-up, or drop-off for approximately half the cost of a taxi.
{PRACTICALITIES}
SPACE
In addition to their own lodging here on campus, residents have continuous access to a number of inviting spaces and areas for collective use. These collective spaces indicate some fundamental beliefs about the environmental conditions that might best support the creative process.
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The Library (includes the “library of love” collection of books donated to assist love-studies; a large private collection of books related to art, art theory, theater, poetry, theology, philosophy, cultural studies and psychology; a projector and cinema screen; a wood-burning fireplace, lounging area and large tables for conferences and workshops)
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The Greenhouse-Dôme (a space for individual or collective alignment, performance, and movement practice)
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The Stables (a collective atelier/studio for creative practices - especially material processes in the visual arts; unwelcoming in colder weather as it is not insulated.)
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The Hearth Kitchen (a wood-fired outdoor kitchen, sheltered, with a view of the valley - also an inviting space for exploratory culinary art, traditional craft-work, or eco-creative practices
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The Wellness Area (a space to see how care of the body can impact the state of the mind and heart. Includes a pool, wood-fired sauna, nordic fire-bath, and a hidden outdoor shower).
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The Valley (a protected natural habitat for wildlife, enveloped by forest and tree-line, with a stream and a bridge for crossing to visit our oak-elder. This is also a space available for land art and site-specific installation, with respect to the ecosystem.)
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The Forest (the neighboring forest, with its several rivers and bouldery hillsides, is accessible from the property and includes well maintained paths for easy and safe walks day or night (as well as plenty of wilder corners). This forest will lead you on a walking loop of about 90 minutes to and from “The Forgotten Village” - a 400 year old settlement of stone ruins in the center of the wood.)
And lastly, Our Animal-Family and their various habitats:
Living with animals can invite a powerful reminder to return to the most essential aspects of connection. Observing, bonding with, and caring for animals can increase inner-conditions for creative ‘fertility.’ Presently La SOURCE has on property a family of 10 goats, 3 sheep, a goose, a duck, chickens, and a dog; our neighbors also often pasture their horses on our grounds.
Also included with your stay:
Open wifi
Provision of new sheets every two weeks
Weekly cleaning of collective spaces, and access to cleaning supplies for the care of personal spaces.
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SEEKER
RETREATS
"Seeking" is a practice of listening. We define "seekers" as researchers working specifically to understand and cultivate love within and for themselves during a period of crisis. We provide a space to listen-in.
As humans, things happen in life that throw us into a state of crisis from time to time. The 'over-culture' tells us to avoid crisis at all costs because it interrupts functionality. Well, needless to say, we feel differently. At La SOURCE, we see crisis as an opportunity for profound learning, growth, wisdom, and insight... insights that can benefit not only the one in crisis, but all of us.
Crisis - is defined etymologically as “a turning point”; it is a state of the suspension of beliefs, of disorientation, of the dissolution of habits, and can also be a moment of reevaluation that creates space for rebirth - the re-conception of a new order, a new way of being, a new reality. Crisis, if supported and embraced, can be an act of research and creation, in and of itself. La SOURCE recognizes its value, not only as a fundamental human experience, but also as an instructive and generous presence for others. Inviting people "in crisis" to stay on campus enriches the whole community. Seekers are contributors by their very presence - because their experiences can help to reveal hidden expectations, projections, rigidities, assumptions, self-deceptions and entitlement - all of the "should's," "must's," "never's," "always," and other inherited or conditioned stories that we call 'the rules of life.' Crisis has the capacity to ask all of us to revisit 'the fundamentals' with a different level of openness that comes only through shattering, and what is more fundamental than love?
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing, there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.
What you seek, is seeking you.
- Rumi
What kind of crises are we talking about? for example:
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the recent loss of a loved one; grief and mourning
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receiving a challenging health diagnosis
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spiritual crisis
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post-retirement disorientation and ‘empty nest syndrome’
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following a trauma, an accident, act of violence, or shock
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general loss of life direction
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loss of livelihood
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overwhelm and burn-out
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identity confusion or transition
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existential crisis...
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We proceed with the belief that those in crisis benefit strongly from an environment of love; and also that being in crisis summons the search for love within. We call this "inner-connective" research.
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Historically, in many traditions throughout the world, it was possible for people in a state of crisis and transition to leave their daily lives and be supported by the community until they were ready to re-emerge. This has included many forms of hermitage or retreat into monasteries and temples, or other forms of sanctuary and refuge.
"Retreat spaces" are available today thanks to emerging spiritual centers, but they are often accompanied by certain belief systems or require a substantial amount of financial investment. La SOURCE provides this chrysalis without expectations of payment, because "well being" and "safe space" should be accessible to everyone, regardless of wealth and creed.
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Inner-connective research at La SOURCE is a time and space to listen deeply, to observe, to explore, to question, to open, to release, and to just..... be. We can provide the sometimes much needed silence and stillness, natural and peaceful surroundings, creative and inspiring exchanges, and a community built on love.
WHAT WE OFFER
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Seeker Retreats last between 1-4 weeks, during the Fall & Spring Research Semesters.
(with a possibility of extension on a case-by-case basis)
We provide private and shared rooms, as well as continuous access to collective spaces - on a donation-only basis (pay what you can and as you feel).
(this includes ongoing and open access to: the wellness area with sauna, jacuzzi, pool, and botanical fire bath; meditation dome, greenhouse, our future food-forest, and all other on-campus amenities.)
Possibility to meet with and receive support from our Coordinators & Researchers offering healing, coaching or therapeutic practices through booking private sessions. (fees for these sessions is person and practice-specific - but will only be based on suggested donation)
Open participation in local excursions and community activities (trips to the beach, foraging walks, talking circles, sweat lodges, movement classes, etc.)
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{SPACE
WHAT WE ASK
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1 brief daily check-in with our Director or another Coordinator on campus; and participation in our weekly sharing circle. (this helps us know where you are in your process and how best to support you; it also keeps you grounded in the community.)
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Openness to explore and engage with the research and practices of other residents. (there is obviously no pressure here; we ask only for the spirit of curiosity whenever possible.)
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Participation in collective domestic chores to maintain a heathy & harmonious environment. (the usual stuff - cooking, cleaning, laundry, dishes, etc. as you are able.)
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A general attitude of generosity through contribution.
(We ask that everyone on campus comes in the spirit of support and participation. No one should feel pressured, and limits of personal health and balance will be respected.)
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Please note that Seekers will be asked to contribute to the collective food budget. We ask for a donation of 10-15 euros per day.
TO BE}
We ask each seeker to sit-with the question: What is Love? and to create a response for us to include in our annual publication WORKBOOK/PLAYBOOK.
(There is no obligation, but this is strongly encouraged. This annual publication allows us to share your definitions of love, and the fruits of your experience with the world at large. This question can also provide an anchor during your stay.)
Individual support and private sessions during a Seeker Retreat are based on the offerings of Coordinators on campus at any given time. This can include: Elemental Medicine, Archetypal Analysis, Initiation Coaching, Epistemological Mentoring, and other diverse practices. Please contact us for more information about what is offered during your period of application.
Please note that we are not a treatment center, and though we will do everything possible to offer an environment of support, compassion and love, we are not qualified to receive people in need of medical or psychiatric assistance.