Eight works of art-refuges to meditate on the way to Compostela

In the heart of the Causses du Quercy regional natural park, lost in an ocean of greenery, a strange construction stands at the top of a plateau beaten by the wind. Two small pyramids in flat stones connected to each other by a large shelf which forms a sort of door on which the sun falls perpendicularly, on the day of the summer solstice, as it sets. The building then takes on the air of a pagan altar, as if it were connected to the string of dolmens that line the park. Designed by the Encore Joyeux collective with craftsmen from the region who introduced its members to the local techniques of dry stone construction, it gives the impression of having been there for all eternity. “We sought to invent a vernacular heritage for the future”, Explain the architect Julian Choppin.

This shelter for travelers is reminiscent of the caselles or gariottes, these refuges for shepherds found in this part of the Lot. It is the first of a collection of works of art-shelter commissioned by Derrière le porthole, an association labeled national artistic scene which works to create links in rural areas of central France by bringing to light, where we don’t wait for them, artistic projects.

Minimalist architecture

They are eight, which punctuate, over nearly 300 kilometers, between Lozère and Gers, the route of the GR65, one of the ramifications of the paths of Compostela. “I have no appetite for hiking or for pilgrimages, precise Fred Sancère, the project pilot. But, all year round, I see people passing by on this GR65, who come from all over Europe. The routes to Compostela leave from Helsinki, Moscow, Bucharest… Since the Middle Ages, it has been said that all routes lead to Compostela. These paths are a very fertile source of stories for artists. »

An invitation to contemplation, to meditation, which is also an artistic proposal anchored in its context

Spartan, without a key or even without a door, the shelters are designed for sleeping on the ground. Their minimalist architecture – a roof and walls to roughly protect against bad weather – favors the relationship with nature, its sounds and smells. An invitation to contemplation, to meditation, which is also an artistic proposal rooted in its context.

In Golinhac, a town of 300 souls located in the foothills of the Massif Central, The Golden Room, by Abraham Poincheval, owes a great deal, according to the artist himself, to the stories that have been told to him. The shelter is revealed at the turn of a bushy walk, a concrete block with irregular reliefs covered with a coating made of materials gleaned on site, encrusted with pieces of quartz. A large rock, in short, which shelters a micro-cave with gold-painted walls, a fairy-tale cocoon that a bull’s-eye connects to the outside world.

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