Help revive an artists' house and tend its wild garden, Burgundy, France

Infos

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  Description

  I'm Gisela, a German artist and curator, specialising in painting, graphic art, shadow play and art education. I love organising creative gatherings. After a series of strange and meaningful coincidences, I settled in the Morvan Regional Park, Burgundy, France, with two other artists 10 years ago. Here, with many helpers, in a former sawmill that was abandoned for 20 years, we founded a small art centre on a wild terrain. The artist's house facilitates encounters between creative people from different cultures and of different ages. It is also an encounter with wilderness, with plants, animals, and most of all with yourself.
  You are invited to apply if you are inquisitive, ask your own independent questions about the world, and make up your own mind. We are artists. There is more to life than the evening news. We welcome visitors of all religions. You are allowed to be different. You must also be comfortable with people living with autism, are perhaps neurodivergent, or just don't think like you. If you love that, welcome. I do too.
  
  If you want to apply, please put in some effort to think about why, and be specific. A copy and paste request will get a copy and paste response.
  
  You must also know that we limit our use of digital telecommunications technology here. We live on the edge of the forest. There is no Wifi and the mobile signal is weak. We have chosen to keep it like this because it creates time for the work that matters to us. It allows us to be more present and have meaningful conversations face to face.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Compagnie pour pers. âgée

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Petits travaux d'entretien

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Ferme

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Culture

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Langues

  

  Écriture

  

  Arts du spectacle

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Jardinage

  

  Livres

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Art et design

  

  Architecture

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée

  

  Nature

  

  Cyclisme

  

  Camping
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We came here to learn to be with the wilderness. You can discover things here that you would not normally, when you become quiet. You can choose whether you like to be on your own or want company. You might be sent off to practice your French while you buy bread, croissants or pain au chocolat at the excellent local bakery. If you know how to cook, chop wood or make a fire, you're a bonus! Often, friends and neighbours stop by with some goat's cheese, onions or lemons. We might end up speaking English, German, Dutch, Spanish, and of course French. Take walks alone in the local village and forest. Ask questions and learn about art and artists. You will also be on top of an ancient Roman Gallic archeological site. We'll offer to take you along when we visit events like local cultural festivals, or evenings at the local Bibracte museum, or Cultural Centre. We might go shopping in the small city of Autun. For a rural area, there is an enormous amount going on.

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  Aide

  Calling all gardeners, cooks, cleaners and curious creative people of all ages. Artists and nature-lovers are especially welcome. Our place is a wild terrain with artist studios, a community room, and (probably) the most unusual shower in the world — still unfinished, always evolving.
  
  We are slowly learning how to leave the garden wild while caring for it at the same time. There is now a vegetable patch, with three sunflowers. We are a very small team — one active resident artist and a lot of helpful visitors — and together we have made this place what it is. It gets to be too much for one person, and that is where we would love your help.
  
  My offer is simple: help in the garden or around the house, and I will give you an art class in return. You do not need special skills, but to stay with us you do need to tidy up after yourself and help with the dishes.
  
  Typical help:
  - Light gardening: clearing grass and brambles, tidying fallen wood, tending the vegetable patch.
  - Light DIY and painting around the house, and general tidying.
  - Cleaning: an old house by the forest gathers dust and the odd bit of wildlife, and keeping it clean is a real help.
  - Cooking and sharing family meals together.
  
  Who we are looking for: we tend to get on best with people over 25 who bring a bit of life experience and a genuine work ethic — helpers who can finish a task on their own, take the initiative, and happily stick to the suggested four hours a day without needing to be policed. If that sounds like you, you will fit right in.
  
  This is a non-profit project. Workawayers are never asked to help with paying guests, or to do the skilled jobs we hire local professionals for.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Allemand: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire
  Turc: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I am a German Native Speaker, always open to improving my French and English, which I both use daily.
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  Hébergement

  In the summer you can choose to sleep in a garden cabin or under the stars. You will also have the choice of two peaceful rooms in a ramshackle house covered in mosaics looking out onto the forest. The rooms are painted with colourful crazy childlike illustrations. We are completing another guest room in the house opposite our library, but it might not be finished when you come to visit. There is enough bedding, there is nothing you need to bring except clothes and toiletries. Please note it can get very cold in winter, and at night.
  
  The toilet and bathroom are in the main house, and electricity is limited. You can use your phone as a torch or light a candle. There is no Wifi, and mobile reception is limited, but you're not coming out into nature just to spend all your time online, are you?
  
  We all share a kitchen and communal space, and take turns cooking. You can share our meals and we will do our best to accommodate you. Vegans and diabetics will have to be disciplined, we do eat things like ice cream and bacon, so you might need to do additional shopping. A supermarket, bakery and two restaurants are within 10 minutes walk.

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  Autres infos...

  Please arrange your own transport well in advance — we recommend Trainline or Blablacar. Our nearest village is St Léger sous Beuvray, with train stations at Étang sur Arroux and Autun. You cover your own travel costs, but we will fetch you from the station and drop you off.
  
  Still reading but not sure? Just like you cannot say yes to every workaway that looks interesting, we get a lot of applications and we cannot accept everyone. Only say yes if your heart is calling you. We love travelling and seeing new things too, so we understand it may be hard to make a decision. If we say yes to hosting you, you are not our second or third choice. We expect you to say yes to being here fully. It makes no sense to come here for less than 14 days, so if its a maybe or you think you might cancel, rather don't write to us. A lot of time, care and personal effort goes into getting to know each other, teaching you new things you might not yet know, and making you part of our small world here. Workaway hosts are also doing work!
  
  Finally, this is a wild, hands-on place, still very much a work in progress. If you hate camping, a bit of chaos and unfinished corners, it isn't the right fit. But if that sounds like adventure, fresh air and good company with creative thinkers, send us a message — we look forward to hearing from you.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  There is a suitable parking spot in the road below us.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

Sécurité du site

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