Center de l'Imaginaire Arthurien
The Center de l'Imaginaire Arthurien (German about Center of the Arturian Fantasy ) is a cultural center that deals with the " Matière de Bretagne ". It was founded in Rennes in 1988 with the support of various Arthurian legend specialists, local figures, artists and writers. It is based in the castle Comper in the forest of Paimpont ( Brocéliande ) since 1990. It organizes each year one of the Arthurian legends dedicated exhibition and a cultural week with numerous events, including "The Pentecost of King Arthur," the "Encounters of the imagination of Brocéliande ”and the“ Week of the Dragon ”. His efforts to spread the art, culture and history of the Arthurian legend as well as his work for the benefit of the students earned him recognition. Its members founded the Artus Verlag to publish the works dedicated to these topics. Claudine Glot is president of the center, which has many personalities. The writer Philippe Le Guillou is co-president, the “elfologist” Pierre Dubois is chancellor, and Hervé Glot is secretary. Nicolas Mezzalira has headed it since 2008. An average of 30,000 people visit the center each year; almost a third are students.
Foundation and tasks
The Center de l'Imaginaire Arthurien has set itself the task of being a mediator for the general public of the Arthurian legend; disseminate the relevant works of art; to promote the “Matière de Bretagne” among contemporary creators so that they can deal with it and maintain it; and finally, to enhance the heritage of the legend. Claudine Glot sums it up by saying: “The center is called to gather lovers of the Celtic, Medieval and Arthurian worlds and to speak of all works that relate to them. It is seen as an association that cultivates the myth ”. Claudine Glot attaches great importance to “the forest of the soul” that surrounds us and where “the legend blows”.
history
The first exhibitions are dedicated to King Arthur in 1988 (in collaboration with Louvain University); 1989 Brocéliande and the forest: 1990 the megaliths and the stones. In 1990 the exhibition moved to Comper Castle. New activities arise like the guided tours through the Paimpont forest. After the fire that devastated it in September 1990, the Arthurian Center helped with the restoration.
In 1991 the exhibition is dedicated to film, and above all to the film "Excalibur". Director John Boorman is Comper's guest. In 1992 the exhibition is dedicated to comics; from 1993 to 1996 the center collected and evaluated information about Merlin , the queens and sorceresses and the knights of the round table. In 2006 the exhibition shows the relationships between fairies and knights in the medieval novels and the more recent works. The Celtic and medieval fairies, the warriors of Ireland are represented, especially Lancelot and Viviane . Stages, costumes and objects are creations of artists and hand-workers. In 2007 the exhibition shows the knights of the round table. In 2008 the exhibition is called “From the Celts to King Arthur”. It describes the Celtic legacy of legends and medieval novels since the Irish epics. In 2009 the theme is “In Merlins Forest”; the exhibition describes the different facets of the magician and his forest. In 2010 the exhibition is dedicated to the legends and the fair; an occasional exhibition and a book dedicated to the Lanvallied are created in collaboration with artists from Devon (England) . The exhibition shows works by Breton and English artists. A partnership with “Chagford Filmmaking Group” allows the realization of a film: “Sir Lanval”. In 2011 the exhibition is interested in two fairies: Morgane and Mélusine . The Breton singer Nolwenn Leroy arrives on television to shoot a report on the Arthurian legend and Brocéliande. The association that manages the Arthurian Center has around 300 members. He's campaigning for the restoration and opening of the “Little House of Legends”. The Little House will officially open at the end of November 2012 thanks to the “Breton Cultural Heritage” foundation, private donations and grants from the Morbihan department and the Brittany region .
Places of activity
The center is mainly active in Comper Castle, from the beginning of March to the end of November and since the end of 2012 in the "little house of legends" during the annual closure of Comper. Both are on the commune of Concoret ( Morbihan department , Brittany). Since 2009, the center has been outside Brittany in Provins (Champagne) for the medieval festival "Spring of Legends".
Comper Castle
“It's the most magical place you can have. Comper actually did the Arthurian Center. The castle stands at the crossroads of legend and history ”(Claudine Glot). The center has occupied this castle since 1990. The center rents the entire west main wing. The ground floor is set up as a bookshop with hundreds of works on legend, the Celts and the Middle Ages; also for permanent and occasional exhibitions. The video room (room of pictures) also allows you to look at documents (films, reports ...). The castle is the starting point for guided tours in the forest. Various animations (fairy tales, conferences, craft market, encounters, dedications) are organized as part of special days: “The Pentecost of King Arthur”, the “Encounters of the imaginary” and the “Week of the Dragon”, among others. The castle itself is linked to a legend about the fairy Viviane, which is told to visitors to the place and to anyone who likes to listen to her.
The little house of legends
The little house of legends has been open since the end of November 2012. A permanent bookshop is located there. Occasional events are organized in-house by the center; during the annual closure of Comper Castle (exhibitions, animations, information). It is also used as an artists' home. The house, built from the typical red slate of the area, has been restored thanks to the help of the Cultural Heritage Foundation and public and private donations.
Events of the Artus Center
The three most important are: Pentecost of King Arthur, the meetings of the imaginary of Brocéliande and the week of the dragon. The medieval market in August is the opportunity to take in craftsmen and organize a “parish fair”. King Arthur's Pentecost is the opportunity for a medieval spectacle with jugglers, fairy tales, knight camps ... It is a celebration of spring, the adventures and encounters that take place; but also and above all a reminder of the day when King Arthur was crowned (as Robert de Boron tells it in the thirteenth century) and of his commitment to the Church. Pentecost is also the day on which the grail appeared to the knights of the round table. The idea of “encounters” goes back to 2002. They were created in 2004 with an exhibition and festival in Concoret and Comper and then only in Comper. Every last weekend of July, the Center organizes these meetings between authors, comic strip artists, writers, illustrators and their audiences. It is mainly a meeting / dedication, accompanied by conferences, horse shows , fairy tales. Above all, this little festival wants to be cozy.
Dragon Week has been held every two odd years since 2009; End of October or beginning of November at the same time as the Celtic festival " Samhain ". Various animations are organized by cultural associations in the area. On the evening of October 31st, a special beer will be brewed in the “Lancelot” brewery. In the even years, a smaller event is organized for only three days.
Reception and broadcast
The center of the Arthurian imaginary is known as a place for those interested in the Arthurian legend. The center has been featured in documentaries. The first was about the forest of Brocéliande: it contains an interview with John Boorman , two conversations with Christian-J Guyonvarc'h and one conversation with Claudine Glot. Between 1988 and 2010 the center received more than 300,000 visitors.
Notes / individual evidence
- ^ Andrée Corvol, Paul Arnould: La forêt: Perceptions et représentations. coll. Alternatives rurales, éditions L'Harmattan, 1997, ISBN 2-7384-5352-X , p. 260.
- ↑ Jacky Ealet: Dictionnaire de la Table Ronde. Éditions Jean-paul Gisserot, 2007, ISBN 978-2-87747-909-7 , p. 19.
- ↑ Interview accordée à Wikimedia France
- ^ Anna E. Brooke, Nathalie Jordi, Lauren Sommer, Anna Sussman: MTV France. (= MTV Guides. Vol. 6). John Wiley & Sons, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7645-8770-2 , p. 248.
literature
- Arturus Rex: images du roi Arthur et des chevaliers de la Table ronde: guide de l'exposition organisée par le Center de l'imaginaire arthurien au château de Comper à Concoret, du 1er juin au 31 août 1989. Center de l'imaginaire arthurien , Ploërmel, Morbihan 1989.
- Claudine Glot, Arturus Rex: guide de l'exposition organisée par le Center de l'imaginaire arthurien au château de Comper (Morbihan), from 28 avril au 30 septembre 1990. Center de l'imaginaire arthurien, 1990.
- Anne-Sophie Fesselier-Haguet, Brigitte Becaert, Jean-Paul Labourdette, Jérôme Hervé: Bretagne 2010–2011. Petit Futé, 2010, ISBN 978-2-7469-2689-9 .
- François Le Divenah, Thierry Jigourel: Bretagne, terre d'enchantement. Petit Futé, Paris 2010, ISBN 978-2-84768-209-0 , p. 91.