August 2023: Welcoming Sara and Erika from Italy

For the first time, La Magnanerie de Séraphin welcomed two contemporary dancers in residence for a fortnight this summer.

Sara and Erika worked on the creation of a brand new choreography and gave a superb end-of-residency performance at the Maison de l'Eau theatre, in Allegre les Fumades.

September 2022 : Introducing Thérèse from Australia

Therese’s testimonial :

In September 2022, my husband and I had a memorable 3 weeks stay at La Magnanerie de Séraphin in Navacelles. Our accommodation was private in the Appartement de Séraphin, with a beautiful ambiance. Our artist/hosts Kristine and Geoff anticipated every need including delicious meals, croissants and coffee. The gardens, the pastoral views of the magnificent Cévennes and the sunsets were an inspiration. The studio, set in a barn, was spacious and provided a great working space. As an artist I was able to work at my own pace and the environment gave me both the physical and mental space to explore many concepts. Kristine and Geoff were very supportive and made themselves available for mentoring and advice. I was able to take some works to completion and others will form the basis of further work and exploration. For artists, there are many resources available within half an hour drive (for example stationery, printing, art supplies, book and fabric shops etc ). There are also many places of interest nearby including Nîmes and Uzès. And of course, Rocky the doggie and “concierge” was an added bonus.

August 2022 : Introducing Elva from Iceland

Late July 2022, we welcomed Icelandic artist, Elva Hreidarsdottir, for a 2 weeks residency at La Magnanerie de Seraphin. She was accompanied by her graphic designer /writer husband, Halldor. They had chosen the option to stay in our newly opened self-contained apartment, “L’Appartement de Seraphin” located within the building of our magnanerie, so that they would be able to prepare their own meals and keep a more independent life. They had also opted to rent a car and this way they were able to do their own food shopping and to explore the many touristic spots our area has to offer.

Elva’s testimonial :

My residency at La Magnanerie de Seraphin in Navacelles was quite good. My husband and I arrived at the end of July for two weeks and it was quite hot during our stay, at least for us coming from Iceland. Kristine and Geoff are extremely kind and helpful hosts and we had many nice evenings with them, chatting about art and more. The self-contained flat, where we stayed, the studio and their home are really great and beautiful. We can see that Kristine and Geoff have put their heart and soul in this project. The area around Navacelles is inspiring and quite beautiful.

April 2022 : Introducing Christina, our first artist in résidence coming from Denmark

Note: In April 2022, Séraphin's apartment was not finished and Christina was welcomed on a full-board basis in Séraphin's Bedroom, which is a guest bedroom located in Kristine and Geoff's house.

Christina’s testimonial :

Here is my testimonial of my 2 week artist residency at La Magnanerie de Séraphin.

Even though my train was very late, Kristine and Geoff still had no problem waiting for me and I was met at the Alés’s station where they picked me up, in their original 2CV. My 2 weeks have been formed by a mixture of my plan from home and all the inputs and talks I have had with Kristine and Geoff. With Geoff, I could pull on his knowledge as a curator and fellow visual artist and with Kristine I was invited to join her walks with local French ladies who knew several places that were of interest specifically to me and my inspiration for water. I have used my time to dig into my thoughts surrounding my art. I have tested colours and new sounds for my videos and had time to think about how to go about my next solo exhibition. During the residency mealtime, talks with Kristine and Geoff have been filled with knowledge, and exchanges of ideas. We have had evening video sessions, talking about and analysing our respective video works, looked at previous exhibitions and works and even talked about where to go from here. Geoff and Kristine live an interesting life. They have travelled the world and have had several exhibitions in the East, Australia and France. The surroundings are fantastic – there are mountains, beautiful small towns and the residency is amazing, a small piece of heaven for an artist. I didn’t use the studio, but have used my little desk in my room when working on the computer. However, the living room, the garden and the studio are all for use – they have opened up the whole house for their artists.

http://www.christinalundqvist.com https://www.instagram.com/christinamajlundqvist/