I was immediately amazed by the diversity of corn grains and seeds, but it took a whole series of steps and encounters to bring me to showcase them and, in my own way, disseminate their richness and preciousness.
I moved to Saône et Loire in 2020.
Already familiar with this region through emotional ties I had there, the Saône et Loire region imposed itself on me, after thirty years of living in Lyon. Véronique Chatard and Denis Dez of the Lion d'Or in Simandre were notably important figures in this choice.
The Golden Lion in Simandre, a former hotel, also houses the Accords du Lion d'Or collective, founded in July 2015 following the writing of a project to create a Third Place with a cultural dimension by Véronique Chatard. Over the days, connections have been forged with the residents, jobs have been created, artists have joined the organization, and around thirty volunteers are now active there.
Upon my arrival in 2020, Véronique took me on a journey to the Simandrine farms. She entrusted me with recordings of farmers to create a sound presentation for an exhibition.
I first "met" Martin Häfeli of the Anhalonium farm in Vincelles (71500) through his own voice. In this recording, he gives a tour of his farm, explaining at each stage his various activities in the project he has been leading since 1987 for the preservation and development of maize in organic farming.
At the Golden Lion, there is also a shared garden, created in 2017, on land loaned by the town hall: the town's garden of curiosities.
Martin supports the community garden project by donating his corn seeds and monitoring the work of the intergenerational group's gardeners. He maintains correspondence and helps compile a catalog for the Lion d'Or's small corn conservatory.
Seduced by the diversity of these grains, their colors and shapes, Véronique invited me to grow some seeds from the small conservatory in my garden. In exchange for these grains, it is appropriate to bring back an ear in the fall, the grains of which will in turn find their place in the small collection. It was during an evening of shelling and sorting the harvested seeds that I met Martin.
One last step in 2023 and this one will be decisive to get me moving:
a workshop proposed around the spirit of the book for which I had notably brought acorn cups, a material that I like to use. During this workshop and our creations, Véronique said that these cups would make magnificent cases to showcase seeds… and I got to work.
FROM BRESSE TO MEXICO AND FROM MEXICO TO BRESSE
FROM THE ANHALONIUM FARM (La brevette-Vincelles 71500) TO THE JARDIN DU BOURG (Simandre 71290)
FROM THE GARDEN TO THE SMALL CORN SEED CONSERVATORY OF THE LION D'OR (Simandre 71290)
FROM THE SMALL CONSERVATORY TO THE RESIDENTS
FROM CORN TO THE GARDEN
RESIDENTS AT THE LITTLE CONSERVATORY
CORN IN EXCHANGE
FROM GARDEN TO PLATE
CORN ON THE PLATE
PEARL CORN IN ACORN CUPS
CORN IN EXCHANGE AND DIVERSITY
Martin Häfeli and the Anhalonium farm
http://www.anhalonium.com/
a film made on the farm by Pascal Paul
The Golden Lion Chords
https://www.liondor.org/
Photos are by Valeria Pacella
