Infos

Self-managed & self-funded action-research workshop
16 - 23 August 2021, Groix island

As a continuation of the action research work that Lost&Find has been carrying out on the island of Groix since 2019, we organized the second summer edition of a workshop and collective island life there. New year, new format, we were permanently based in the village. On the program: a week of exploration and major investigation of the military heritage of Groix, meeting the eyes of groix inhabitants, and participants from the continent to discover "the stone".

The Strongholds workshop gave everyone the objective of documenting the uses of the military heritage of Groix, their history and their evolutions over the ages, to understand the way in which these unique architectures have adapted to the contemporary challenges of the island. Each participant chose his experimentation tool: photography, drawing, narration, testimonies, collecting material etc ... and let himself be guided through the discoveries.

The theme of forts and military heritage intrinsic to the history of Groix unites and engages in debate, intrigues and attracts curious visitors to the pub where we had the permanency. Around the major themes of governance, users, histories, experiences, impacts on the island and outside and utopias, this collective and incremental survey allowed us to identify concrete and sensitive data on four emblematic sites of the island: the Fort du Gripp, the Fort du Haut-Grognon, the Fort du Bas-Grognon and the Batterie du Mené.

The Lieux Forts workshop allowed us to test new parameters in the research-action methodology, and represents one more step towards a larger collective project, around the fourth fort on the island, the Fort Surville…. We will tell you more soon!

The narrative of this experience and the data collected are the subject of a small booklet in progress, and for which we are looking for funding and publishers.

Thanks to Oréa, Lauriane, Orlane, Sofia, Gaël, Denis, Etienne, Jade, Lise, Elze, Théo, Simon, Hélène, Robinson, Jeannine, Catherine, Christian, both Pierre, and the entire Ancre de la Marine team, and of course the Lieu Fort association, for their joyful and enriching contribution!