As we navigate the intriguing history of Domaine de Boisbuchet, in the heart of France, Mathias Schwartz Clauss sheds light on its transition from an agricultural domain to a multifaceted space combining agriculture, architectural preservation, and cutting-edge design workshops. The interview offers a glimpse into the ongoing architectural and conceptual evolution of Boisbuchet, touching upon its topography, architecture, and the unique community-building and learning methods employed.
Is Boisbuchet a model that can be exported? Mathias clarifies that while it may not be replicated identically, the inspiration derived from Boisbuchet has sparked the establishment of similar workshop centers globally, each with its own distinct character and approach.
Amidst discussions about horses enjoying the vast fields of Boisbuchet and reflections on challenging installations and workshops, Co-Founder Mathias Schwartz Clauss reveals the organic growth of the Boisbuchet community. The interview also explores the concept of “growing with the flow” and its significance in the practice of Object of Common Interest, the design duo who was guest in the latest edition of the workshop.
In a closer look at teaching methods, Object of Common Interest shares insights into their workshop at Boisbuchet, held during summer 2023, where the focus extended beyond the physical structures to encompass themes of equilibrium, inner peace, and spirituality. The contemplation park created during the workshop aimed to merge individual projects into a collective spatial experience, highlighting the power of collaboration and the unique narrative each participant brought to their work.
Join us as we unravel the captivating journey of Boisbuchet, where design, nature, and community converge in a harmonious exploration of creativity and innovation.
Can you describe us this year’s workshops and guests, what was the main focus?
Mathias Schwartz Clauss – The workshops this year were a feast of design experimentation shared by people of all ages and cultural or professional backgrounds. Their competences in food, architecture, product design, or wood-working crafts, in the powers of solar energy, mycelium and algae turned Boisbuchet into an immense open-air laboratory. With our season’s main focus on human’s relation to nature, participants explored particular stewardship of organic resources, the behavior of living matter, and the use of sunlight, wind and water.
Domaine de Boisbuchet is an ongoing project by itself: how is it evolving? What is the state of the art and what will be the next steps?
Mathias Schwartz Clauss – Domaine de Boisbuchet evolves continuously into a holistic research center. From the 16th century until the mid 20th century it has mainly been an agricultural domaine. Then, until the late 20th century it had been used mainly for recreation of the former owners. With Alexander von Vegesack’s acquisition in the mid 1980’s, agriculture started again yet combined with architectural preservation. From the 1990’s onward, the workshops for design and architecture had been established and recently we added research and development in forestry.
Day 1: Objects of Common Interest – A Contemplation Park
Domaine de Boisbuchet is an ongoing project by itself, both on an architectural and conceptual point of view: how is it evolving? What is the state of the art of its topography and architecture, as well as the concepts behind its community making and learning method? What are the difficulties that you found lately (if any) and what will be the next steps?
Mathias Schwartz Clauss – Boisbuchet’s community develops very organically from the heterogeneous mix of people. There is an international team of various ages running the place year round, then there are students and young professionals of design related disciplines helping to organise all larger activities such as the workshops, and last not least we are part of a growing network of alumni and tutors, companies, universities, journalists, researchers and museums that nurture the activities.
Is Boisbuchet a model that can be exported? If yes, how?
Mathias Schwartz Clauss – No, it can not be exported 1:1, of course. However, many people have been inspired by Boisbuchet’s model and started building their own workshop centers in Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, France, and elsewhere. Naturally and luckily they are all different from what we are doing at Boisbuchet.
Day 2: Objects of Common Interest – A Contemplation Park
How are your horses doing?
Mathias Schwartz Clauss – Our five lovely horses are enjoying plenty of freedom on Boisbuchet’s fields. Lately it’s been very hot and despite the plenty of shadow and water it’s been tough for them as well as for us humans, I guess. Well, some cooler weather has been announced…
What was the most challenging installation/workshop you hosted since the Domain was born?
Mathias Schwartz Clauss – The most challenging installations/workshops had been generally the ones in an architectural scale and more specifically the Techstyle-Haus and the Polycare-House, where new technologies had been implemented within the constraints of limited resources, of a remote environment, and of collaborators with very different levels of competence.
How do you “grow with the flow”? What means to you, within your practice?
Object of Common Interest – We would argued that grow with the flow attributes to a constant awareness of what is going on in the world, sustainability, technology, tools and means to strengthen our abilities to perform. We want to maintain an artistic practice that has a personal identity and flows intuitively and conceptually but also pragmatically in terms of materializing these ideas in the field
Day 3: Objects of Common Interest – A Contemplation Park
Regarding teaching methods: what paths did you decide to explore with your group of participants at Boisbuchet, as your workshop investigated much about equilibrium, inner peace and, somewhat, spirituality?
Object of Common Interest – This workshop and methods followed were about process and cohesiveness through all stages, from conception to realization. The general topic chosen was about awareness of the context and the participants reaction to it, through exercise of spatial structures that has to do with responding to this reaction. Intentionally there was no specific direction in requesting for a specific use, more so talk about contemplation in open terms, as contemplation is more about a feeling rather than the structure itself.It was important to support each one of the participants choice of site, materiality and concept and empower them to support their narrative conceptually and structural to achieve a flow from initial sketches through final presentation.As a method it is not tied specifically to this theme of project, but rather builds up the analytical thinking, confidence and reality checks along the way to be able to convey a message, an idea in clarity. A project success is as much about the final outcome as it is about the cohesiveness of the idea through presentation.Improvisation and problem solving was an important part of the process as we had to respond to ideas on the spot with limited resources and alter or manipulate concepts to become feasible.
Day 4: Objects of Common Interest – A Contemplation Park
What was the main focus of your contemplation park? What was your goal and how did it evolve throught the workshop week?
Object of Common Interest – The goal was to create a collective project our of many individual ones, so that the works at the end are experiences as a whole creating a spatial experience throughout the Boisbuchet area. Each one of the installations was a stand alone, but all together become an experience, and as such this was considered a group project. Each participant worked independently, but there were group meetings and ideas exchange in order to support each of the projects constantly looking at the big picture situating each project within the collective project map.We made sure that there are no two projects alike, as the starting point was rather open, and that all projects had a personal note, which ended up being very natural, some projects referencing childhood memories that were sparked by the experience of the context.It was amazing how during the last presentation everyone, the participants included saw the total amount of work at the same time, walking through the property and presentation after presentation, this collective identity came afloat and tied everything together.
Day 5: Objects of Common Interest – A Contemplation Park
