the alternative reason, art-card action - English

As if with facts, there is also an alternative reason why I have started this Art-Card Action.

I am building a house in France, when finished, it will function as an artist residency with a focus on Photography, Land- and Performance art.

My goal is to create a ‚Maison SoToDo‘.  The house will be build in Bouffanges France circa 100 km east of Limoges.  It is located in an area of France known as ‚La Creuse‘, at an elevation of 800 m.  The area has little transportation infrastructure. There are no freeway, canal or railroad connections nearby.  Hence autos and trucks are its only means of connecting this area to the outside world.

This makes this place special.  The inhabitants of La Creuse are independent, resourceful and community oriented. 

A brief history:

Over the centuries, the land in La Creuse has been divided until most of the plots are too small and unable to sustain an entire family.  Thus the men of La Creuse were forced to find work elsewhere and became a force of brick-layers and builders. Since the 17th century, they were the ones responsible for building the cities of Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux and the castle at Versailles.

After WWII, La Creuse lost its population.  The failed revolution of 1968 in Paris created a group of ideological people who searched for an alternative lifestyle and found it in La Crease.  The remaining inhabitants welcomed this new group and gave them the pet name of ‚Sixty-Eighters‘.

Since then, their children have grown up and they are now tending the cafés, boutiques and restaurants or are following their parents in tending the organic fruit, vegetable, sheep, cow and chicken farms.  From cheese to sausage, soap to cosmetics, the whole palette of organic products has grown up in this area since 1968. 

With the purchase of the Art-Cards, it will help in the realization of Maison SoToDo.  The first building phase occurs in spring 2024 with the preparation of the foundation. Trees will be cut down, their wood dried for later use.  The roots will be removed and a cellar dug. Twelve concrete cylinders will be poured to support the foundation and in the spring of the following year, the construction of the house will occur.  

This is my personal criowd-funding appeal.  I thank you in advance for your participation in making this alternative reason a reality.

Theodor di Ricco