Olivier Geneste examines the church murals of the Brenne in an art-history talk. The paintings span Romanesque work and later decoration. The discussion also introduces Michel Maupoix’s book on this religious heritage, illustrated by Anthony Perrot. Perrot’s photographs are on display in a related exhibition, connecting the book’s images with the region’s painted churches.
Topic: events
Vienne Valley hedgerows: a talk with Dominique Mansion
Hedgerow preservation and care are the subject of this lecture. Dominique Mansion, a specialist in pollarded trees, illustrated Flore forestière française. The discussion considers hedges’ role in sustaining biodiversity and helping ecosystems withstand climate change. It also examines the arbres têtards that distinguish the bocage of the Vienne Valley.
Folk dance with Laurent Papon in La Châtre
Bourrée, polka, maraîchine, mazurka, chapeloise and rondeau make up this practical folk dance workshop in La Châtre. Laurent Papon guides participants through the steps and choreography. Dances for pairs, fours and groups offer different ways to join in, with cultural variations explored along the way. Everyone is welcome to learn, and an apéro Jam Trad follows the dancing.
Trali-Vari at Amies Voix in Mondoubleau
Magda Lena Gorska and Serge Tamas bring Trali-Vari to Amies Voix in Mondoubleau. Storytelling is accompanied by guitar and percussion. Their tales follow a tree that grows back after being cut and a young goat that was once a boy. The departmental media library presents this encounter with Slavic and Creole oral traditions. The performance welcomes audiences aged five and above.
Les cinq sens: Talk and Quatuor Béla Concert
Les cinq sens pairs a lecture on medieval sensibility with a string-quartet concert. Nathalie Koble explores ways of feeling, listening and perceiving in medieval culture. Quatuor Béla performs Musiques envoûtées, including works by Meredith Monk and Gavin Bryars. The programme draws on Noirlac’s long reverberation, with pieces conceived for resonance and a Bryars work co-commissioned by the abbey.
Wheel-Throwing with Maya Micenmacher at La Borne
Maya Micenmacher, a member of the Association Céramique La Borne, teaches an adult wheel-throwing course. Demonstrations introduce forms before participants practise at the wheel. The work on trimming, handles and spouts follows each participant’s goals. More experienced potters can explore open forms as they refine their technique within La Borne’s continuing pottery practice.
George Sand writing and reading workshop in La Châtre
Writing and reading aloud come together in a workshop led by Cie Un temps in La Châtre. The prompt is “If I were George Sand, I would say…”, asking participants to imagine speaking as the author. The workshop brings participants together for three sessions. A public reading completes the programme, bringing its literary activity before an audience.
George Sand at the Bourges libraries
The Bourges library network marks George Sand through exhibitions, talks, storytelling, screenings and participatory activities. At Médiathèque Leïla Slimani, one of its venues, in the programme, an exhibition with works loaned by the Musée George Sand et de la Vallée Noire explores the writer’s literary, artistic and political legacy. Her independence and engagement with equality run through the display. The network’s other activities span its libraries; consult the programme for each venue.
Les 2 Lucioles : George Sand, une plume à soi
Les 2 Lucioles, a professional theatre company, turns George Sand’s correspondence into a staged reading. The chosen letters pass between the novelist and Musset, Michel de Bourges, Maurice Sand, Victor Hugo and Flaubert. The reading treats that correspondence as her major work, ahead of La Mare au Diable, Indiana and La petite Fadette. Berry is marking 150 years since the death of its Berrichonne writer, and Moulins-sur-Céphons takes its turn.
Bulleberry : 30 affiches pour 30 éditions
Thirty posters line the Belvédère on Place Cujas, one for every edition of the Bourges comics festival. The 29 artists who signed them make the wall a graphic history of the event. One rule bound every contributor: each poster had to work in some element of the Saint-Étienne cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sheets show how the festival’s drawn identity moved from hand to hand.