The Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien (English:The Centre for the Arthurian Imaginary, but often referred to as the Centre Arthurien, English:The Arthurian Centre) is a cultural centre dedicated to the Matter of Britain. It was founded in 1988 in Rennes through the influence of different specialists in Arthurian legend, local politicians, artists and writers. Since 1990 its headquarters has been at the Château de Comper, in Paimpont Forest.
It organises an annual exhibition with the theme of the Arthurian legends and a cultural season with many events, including the Pentecôte du Roi Arthur (Pentecost of King Arthur), Rencontres de l'imaginaire de Brocéliande (Encounters with the Imaginary of Brocéliande) and the Semaine du dragon (Dragon Week). The centre's investment in publicising the art, culture and history of the Arthurian legends and its support for open access to education has brought it public recognition. The members of the centre also founded the publishing house Artus, which publishes books on those themes.
Claudine Glot has been the president of the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien since its foundation. Its membership includes numerous personalities like Philippe Guillou, Gilbert Durand and Michel le Bris. The elficologist Pierre Dubois, artists Séverine Pineaux, Bruno Brucéro and Didier Graffet and academics Philippe Walter and Bernard Sergent are also among the centre's mainstays. Nicolas Mezzalira has been the director since 2008. The centre receives an average 30,000 visitors per year, nearly a third of whom are scholars, but also among them have been celebrities such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Nolwenn Leroy and Patrick Poivre d'Arvor.
Foundation and objectives
The foundation of the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien met the needs of the people of the Ploërmel area and the visitors to the forest of Brocéliande (which has been identified with Paimpont Forest) who were looking for a source of information on the legendary King Arthur. It owes much to the contributors of the journal Artus, a publication devoted to the Celtic countries, including specialists such as Gilbert Durand.Tsaag Valren and Harmonia Amanda, Interview with Claudine Glot, specialist in the Arthurian legends, Wikinews, 13 November 2011
The Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien has the objectives of reaching out to the general public on the Arthurian legends, disseminating artistic works (writing, visual arts, music, street arts, storytelling...), promoting the Matter of Britain to contemporary creatives so that they understand and perpetuate it, and enhancing the legendary cultural heritage. In an interview with France 3, Claudine Glot summarised the aims of the centre by saying that it has a vocation to attract enthusiasts of the Celtic, medieval and Arthurian worlds, and talk about all the works that they inspire, including Heroic Fantasy. It disseminates all that is artistically or historically related to the Arthurian legends and the Forest of BrocéliandeAndrée Corvol et Paul Arnould, La forêt: Perceptions et représentations, coll. Alternatives rurales, éditions L'Harmattan, 1997, , p. 260 Jacky Ealet, Dictionnaire de la Table Ronde, Éditions Jean-paul Gisserot, 2007, , p. 19 and is seen as an organisation that "maintains the myth".Samuel Bertrand et Jacky Ealet (ill. Samuel Bertrand), Les personnages de Brocéliande, éditions Jean-paul Gisserot, 2001, , p. 27 Claudine Glot attaches great importance to the surrounding "forest of the soul" where "legend breathes.".
History
From its inception in 1988, the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien has led in multiple areas. Its eclectic exhibitions include modern works as well as Pre-Raphaelite paintings. It organises (and hosts) spectacles, storytelling, concerts, conferences, guided tours in the forest and educational presentations for school groups. The centre participates in drafting catalogues, educational projects, journées du patrimoine (heritage days) and outreach in schools and universities, assists in documentary research, and compiles bibliographies and iconographies. There are many scholars from different countries among its members.
In addition, members of the centre publish books on these themes through their publishing house Artus: fine art books on Brocéliande, Brittany, Ireland and Scotland; essays (Le Gant de Verre, Les Guerriers de Finn by Michel Cazenave) and theatre with La Légende de Deirdre.
1988–1990 In 1988, the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien was officially established in Rennes, thanks to the willing efforts of several academics, regional politicians and writers. Michel Le Bris was among the principal founders, with Claudine and Hervé Glot. The International Arthurian Society and academic writer Gilbert Durand were supporters of the project.
The first exhibitions were devoted to King Arthur (Arturus Rex, in collaboration with the Université Catholique de Louvain, 1988), Brocéliande and the Forest (1989), Megaliths and Stones(1990) with the participation of Pieter-Paul Koster. These were mounted at various locations in the region, including Ploërmel, Rennes and colleges. In 1990, the exhibition was installed in the Château de Comper and opened throughout the summer. At the same time new activities commenced, such as tours of the Paimpont Forest. Following the fire that raged over 500 hectares of Brocéliande from the 7 to 11 September 1990 the centre had to begin again and rehabilitated itself.
1991–1996
In 1991, the exhibition was devoted to cinema and especially the film Excalibur, and the director John Boorman was welcomed at Comper. France 3 Bretagne produced a documentary, then the centre was involved in planting the l'Arbre d'Or (golden tree) at the entrance to the Val sans retour. It was also in 1991 that the first spactacles were organized in the park at the Château de Comper.
In 1992, the exhibition focused on graphic novels, with the participation of François Bourgeon. In addition to spectacles, music and storytelling were hosted. The centre was invited to exhibit in Paris, and to participate in conferences between December 1992 and March 1993.
From 1993 to 1996, the centre collected and highlighted information about Merlin, monarchs and magicians, and the Knights of the Round Table. School groups were invited, Michel Le Bris, Michel Cazenave, Christian Guyonvarc'h or Philippe Le Guillou held conferences. It organised the exhibits at the Festival des mythes et légendes (Festival of Myths and Legends) at the Château d'Amboise (2 to 5 March 1994), and exhibited in the area to the south-east of Rennes for a period of six months. In 1995, the municipal library at Rennes organised the literary event, Un Automne Arthurien (An Arthurian Autumn). In April 1996, the book Hauts-lieux de Brocéliande (Significant places in Brocéliande) - born from the work of Centre members - was published by éditions Ouest-France.
1996–2005
On 8 and 9 March 2001, the symposium Le monde et l'autre monde (The World and the Other World) was held in Rennes with the participation of members of the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien.Denis Hüe and Christine Ferlampin-Acher, Le monde et l'autre monde: actes du colloque arthurien de Rennes (8-9 mars 2001), Paradigme, 2002, , 457 p. The 2005 exhibition Les Enchantements de Bretagne (The Enchantments of Brittany), described the adventures experienced by the characters the Arthurian legends. The year 2005 also saw the establishment of a live action role-playing game and a treasure hunt.
2006–2007 In 2006, the exhibition presented the relations between faeries and knights in the medieval romance and in more recent works. Celtic and medieval faeries, the warriors of Ireland and the Knights of the Round Table were featured, including Lancelot and Viviane. Sets, costumes and accessories were created by artists and artisans.
In 2007, the annual exhibition was devoted to the Knights of the Round Table. The season was marked by the Knight's Pentecost, a temporary exhibition Naissance de la féerie (Birth of Faerie) with texts by Pierre Dubois and photographs by Hervé Glot, stories, music (harp), three lectures by Claudine Glot, a medieval kermesse and a show devoted to the Forest. The guest of honour at the Rencontres de l'Imaginaire was Olivier Ledroit. The last event of the season was the European Heritage Days.
2008–2010
In 2008, the chosen theme of the exhibition was entitled Des Celtes au roi Arthur (From the Celts to King Arthur). It demonstrated the Celtic heritage of medieval romances and legends from the Irish epics. During the months of May and June, a photo exhibition devoted to Scotland was mounted. The guests of honour at Rencontres de l'Imaginaire were Barbara Canepa and Alessandro Barbucci. The theme of the 2009 exhibition, Dans la forêt de Merlin (In Merlin's Forest), focused on the different facets of the enchanter and his forest. To celebrate the publication of the graphic novel Merlin by Soleil Celtic the guests of honour at Rencontres de l'Imaginaire in that year were Aleksi Briclot and Jean-Sébastien Rossbach.
In 2010, the centre's exhibition was devoted to Arthurian legends and magic. An exhibition and a book dedicated to the Lai of Lanval were created through collaboration with artists from Devon in England. It included works by Breton and English artists such as Terri Windling. A partnership with Chagford Filmmaking Group based in Exeter brought the realisation of the film Sir Lanval. The centre was also invited to be the guest of honour at the 27th Médiévales de Provins.
2011–2012
In 2011, the exhibition focused on two faeries: Morgana and Melusine. Pierre Dubois and René Hausman were the guests of honor at the 2011 Rencontres de l'Imaginaire.Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien, Programme 2011 At the end of June, the singer Nolwenn Leroy came with a team from France 2 to shoot a documentary about the Arthurian legends and the Forest of Brocéliande with the help of the centre. According to the director Nicolas Mezzalira, in November 2011 the association that manages the centre comprised about 300 members. It launched a campaign to restore and open La Petite Maison des Légendes (The Little House of Legends) in Concoret on 14 December.
In addition to the usual days of storytelling, musical events and lectures, 2012 was punctuated by signings with Séverine Pineaux and Jerome Lereculey. During the Printemps des Légendes en 2012 (Spring of Legends organised at Monthermé the centre was guest of honour, making camp and mounting an exhibition. According to the French newspaper L'Union, this festival in the Ardennes was a great success. The guests of honour at the Rencontres de l'Imaginaire 2012 were Arleston and Guillaume Sorel.
At the end of November 2012, La Petite Maison des Légendes officially opened, thanks to a grant by the Fondation du Patrimoine (Heritage Foundation) in Brittany, to private donations and to subsidies from the Communauté de Communes de Mauron en Brocéliande, the Conseil Général du Morbihan and from the region.Voir le scan de l'article « Pas d'hiver pour l'imaginaire » The first event was organised with the Congolese storyteller Jorus Mabiala, and the second marked the publication of the Chats, le livre secret (Cats, the Secret Book)by Séverine Pineaux.
Annual exhibition themes 1988 : Arturus Rex Le roi Arthur 1989 : Brocéliande et l'obscur des forêts 1990 : Mégalithes et pierres 1991 : Excalibur (de John Boorman) 1992 : Les Compagnons du crépuscule (de François Bourgeon) 1993 : Souveraines et Magiciennes 1994 : Merlin 1995 : Chevaliers ! (Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde) 1996 : Les Guerriers d'Or 1997 : Tristan et Iseut 1998 : Le roi Arthur 1999 : Charmes et Chevalerie 2000 : Légendes de Brocéliande 2001 : La quête du Graal 2002 : Merlin 2004 : Légendes Celtiques 2005 : Les enchantements de Bretagne 2006 : La fée et le chevalier 2007 : Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde 2008 : Des Celtes au roi Arthur 2009 : Dans la forêt de Merlin 2010 : Légendes et féerie