Lepetit (Sophie),

In her weblog Les grigris de Sophie Sophie Lepetit had a nice article about an outsider environment in Brittany, created by Alexis le Breton. This environment only recently (from 2010 on) has become known in France, and so far not much has been written about it in english. I had a post about this site in my blog Outsider Environments Europe.

So I am rather happy Sophie gave me permission to republish her text here, translated into english.

Sophie Lepetit, Alexis le Breton: Lord of the Peppered Pond

It is fascinating about Alexis le Breton that he has had two lives. Two distinct lives: the first one his professional activities, being a miller firstly, later on becoming a farmer, and being the father of his family. Not necessarily an orderly life, as for example in the seventies he got the innovative idea to introduce the kiwi. An original but well considered step, since Alexis le Breton went to Bordeaux to become familiar with the way to grow this exotic fruit ...

Then, when he retired from work, he bought a plot of land, a peaceful place, named Mare au Poivre (Peppered Pond), this name being a little wink at the locality's name Mare au Sel (Salted Pond). There he has given free rein to his creative passion.

Is it possible to see early signs of this late and devouring passion?

Marie-Therèse Pasco, his daughter, recalls he would set off millstones with pickets when he was a miller, and she remembers she made her father aware of a root that looked like a goose. But nothing special.

However, in 1990, the break is complete. Alexis le Breton finally seems to live the life he secretely has dreamed about. He wears traditional trousers, an earring, wooden shoes, has long hair and spends most of his time in his "Seigneurie" {i.e. manor}.I admit I was surprised by that designation, this claim that he was the "Lord" of the place, but Alexis le Breton was proud of what he was doing and knew he was the designer of this timeless space

Fernand Chatelain has created his castle, because "a chatelain without a castle is not possible", Alexis le Breton has created from scratch a park of some 12 acres, where thanks to his talents as a dowser, he dug a fountain and a pond, built a chapel, a mill ... installed a bar to ensure that his friends would come to have a coffee (and his friends flocked because Alexis de Breton enjoyed entertaining and partying!) and he placed 200 sculptures along a trail of 1.2 miles..

He made these sculptures at home and then went to install them (sometimes with a tractor) with his family and friends.

They mostly have been made from stone, sometimes from wood. One will come along the theme of love (with the first couple Adam and Eve), religion (Sainte Anne {the mother of Virgin Mary}, Bernadette de Soubirous {from Lourdes}, Jacob {the patriarch}, "Lazarus arise"), mythology (Isis), politics (Ségolène {Royal}, the FARC, "vote right, vote left, the money always gets into the pockets of the big guys"), Brittany (the triskel {symbol}, a piper, a breton Christ), sexuality ("ha if my husband saw us", Madonna, topless women, "Maison Close" lingerie, copulating toads and goats), history ({Bertrand} du Guesclin, {Georges} Cadoudal).

Everywhere there are animals too: deer, owls, lizard, goat, bull, rooster, fish, rabbit, heron ..

As aptly has been noted by Michel Leroux in October 2010 "to walk along this trail of 2 km is like an initiatory journey, a journey that takes us from life (the pond) to death (the small cemetery)". I must say that this cemetery touches me particularly. Maria-Therèse Pasco says that visitors who at some moment of their visit arrive at this spot, no longer speak, they fall silent, so surprising is the place, so powerful is Alexis le Breton's text, which is kind of a testament.

Alexis le Breton has planted and shaped the landscape in his own way, transforming a hunting ground into a "mini Brocéliande forest", full of magic and mystery, but with humor and zest for life too.

This sculpture park is also an arboretum with many (about 200) and (rare) species of plants (eg the sweetgale). His daughter has identified each of them and has fixed nameplates at the foot of each tree with their Latin, French and Breton names..

For my part, during this visit I have heard "gazouiller les éléphants" {"elephants chirping"} and I have been thinking about this man who, struggling against his disease, told his doctor: "I have still many things to do", as if it was impossible to die, to give up ...

Thank you to Marie-Therèse Pasco, who does not hesitate to devote time to revive this hidden site, to tell stories and show photos of the family.

ALEXIS LE BRETON, LORD OF THE SITE, INDEED.

In recent months new sculptures have been added, made by Jean Pasco, the son-in-law of Alexis le Breton, who also works in stone.

The Seigneurie de la mare au poivre is located in Locqueltas, 56390 France, route de Bignan,and can be visited on saturdays and sundays in summer (1/5 - 31/0)