ON THE TRAIL OF WALKING ARTISTS

State-qualified mountain guide certified by the Musée Gassendi, active member of the association l'Art en chemin, whose mission is to showcase works of art outside the walls of the Musée Gassendi.

9am: Meet the mountain guide at the Tampinet parking lot (opposite the Digne tourist office). During the 20-minute bus journey to the start of the hike, the mountain guide presents the day's activities to the students: the approach of the walking artists in the context of the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence, the sensory experience, the notion of in-situ work...

9:30 am: arrival at the Vélodrome parking lot (3 km after the hamlet of Esclangon in the Bès valley). Topo on the sensory experience to come, in resonance with the artist Andy Goldsworthy, who considers the walker to be as much an integral part of the work as the trail itself. 9:45 am: start the climb at a very slow pace, breathing heavily and in silence for at least 15 minutes. Once a little higher up, students will be invited to observe the immense landscape offered to them through careful listening (notion of soundscape). They may also be asked to consider their inner feelings (heartbeat, sensations of heat linked to the effort....). A few hundred meters higher up, the discovery of the clay that served as the raw material for the work created in the Art Shelter will serve as the basis for a special tactile experience. Arriving near the ruined village of Old Esclangon, students will be invited to sit or lie down for a sensory relaxation session in preparation for the sensitive discovery of the work of art they will later discover in the Refuge d'art. 11am: arrival at the Refuge d'art du vieil Esclangon. Students are divided into small groups. Each small group discovers the work through a sensitive approach led by the guide. A secret is hidden at the very heart of the sculpture! 12pm: picnic in and around the Refuge d'art. 12.45pm: climb up to the "belvedere" for a breathtaking view of the surrounding geology: Vélodrome and lame de Facibelle, summit and ridge of Blayeul, braided valley of the Bès river... On the way down, observe the pectens scattered along the path. 2pm: visit the ruined village of old Esclangon with the "traces" of herman de vries: the palindrome, the infinite sign and "je suis dans tout ce qui vit" (in Provençal) engraved in the ancestral washhouse. 4pm: return to the bus, which awaits the group at the hamlet of Esclagon, and descend into the pastures, the memory of a human heritage still very much in evidence. Note: this program may be modified at any time by the professional in consultation with the teacher in charge of the group, depending on weather conditions and the physical and technical abilities of the participants.

Picnic lunch, small rucksack (20-liter minimum) to carry the day's essentials, water bottle (1-liter minimum), waterproof jacket, cap or hat, sunglasses, sun cream, choice of low or high hiking boots or good sneakers (local paths are quite rocky).