Launch of Les Sentiers de l’Utopie
As the global financial crisis surfaced in 2007, Fremeaux and Jordan journeyed for 7 months across Europe to investigate and experience examples of post-capitalist living - from a direct action Climate Camp set up illegally on the edges of Heathrow airport to a hamlet squatted by French punks, an off grid low impact permaculture community to occupied self-managed Serbian factories, a free love commune in an ex Stasi base to a farm where private property had been abolished, they shared different ways of loving and eating, producing and sharing things, deciding together and rebelling. They were not looking for escapist Neverlands, blueprints for a perfect future or universal systems, but communities who simply dare to live differently, despite the catastrophe of capitalism.
From this experience came a film-book, fusing reflective travel writings with an attached DVD. Whilst the book is a rich travelogue, analyzing the communities, their practices and their histories, the film is a magicorealist road movie set in an imagined post-crash future but shot in the style of a fictional documentary during the journey. Watch the trailer: http://vimeo.com/18815492
The Paris launch of the film-book will involve film showings and discussions in three locations that are in the spirit of the project:
Saturday 12 Feb. 19.00
Le 56, a neighbour-run culture and ecology project set in an urban garden. A project by l'atelier d'architecture autogérée.
56, Rue St. Blaise, 75020
Monday 14 Feb. - 19.00 (also the press night)
La Générale, A squatted laboratory of artistic creation
14 avenue Parmentier, 75011
Tuesday -15 Feb. 19.00
Green Rush, part of a regular night of artists, farmers, urbanites,interventionists, advocators, provocateurs, green lovers/haters, eco friends/enemies
Le CHAPON ROUGE - 60 Rue Chapon, 75003
Isabelle and John will also be Joseph Confavreux's guests on his France Culture programme, Le Champ des Possibles, on Friday 11th at 6pm.
The film-book will be coming out in English next year. Find out more at: http://lessentiersdelutopie.wordpress.com/
