[Translation : EPALE France]

The number of "third places" in France has been increasing steadily for more than ten years. Each project is different, but all are based on the same set of values, in particular the return to "doing" and "communal spaces". All of this is combined with an acute awareness of environmental issues and managed according to a principle of shared governance.

Thus, the main idea of these new spaces, and above all of the communities that support them, is to make accessible to the greatest number of people the techniques and know-how that will enable them to become emancipated and to flourish within a fairer society, while contributing to the ecological transition. This is what the La Konk Créative project, in Concarneau in the south of Finistère, stands for. This future "makerspace" will be a place for exchanges, mutual aid and the sharing of know-how, and will focus on DIY (Do It Yourself), creative leisure activities and arts and crafts.

La Konk Créative has been in the pipelines since 2019 and under construction since 2020 in the Passage district. It is supported by a collective of more than 70 citizens from all over the Concarneau urban area. In this article, we will look at how this type of initiative, which is at the crossroads of economic, tourist and cultural issues, acts as a tool for social cohesion and living together.

A cosy shell for collaborative creation in Concarneau

The name "La Konk Créative" is a reference to Konk Kerne, Concarneau in Breton.

It is also a play on words with the term "conch" referring more broadly to a shell, a natural element whose symbolism is particularly relevant to the project. Indeed, the shell, as an exoskeleton, protects a mollusc, a vulnerable, sensitive creature. There is the idea of security, an indispensable condition for the expression of creativity. An image that fits well with the idea of creating a warm and caring space, where people feel good and confident, so that creativity can flourish and develop fully. The conch is also present in all cultures around the world. For many populations in Asia and Oceania, it was used as a musical instrument or horn to alert their community to danger or to call for a gathering. In ancient India, the call to morning prayer was made with a ceremonial conch shell. It could also be used to call for a party, a meal, or even work! In short, La Konk Créative is a call to create together.

The main objective is to offer the best possible conditions for each person to express and develop their creativity fully. The premise will include:

• coworking and meeting spaces open to all,

• a shared DIY workshop where creative materials will be made available with an annual programme of creative workshops and courses,

• exhibition and sale of arts and crafts reserved for local creators,

• a tearoom with a snack service offering local and organic products.

A project inspired by the needs identified locally

Development of work and entrepreneurship

In the first place, the development of the project was guided by the needs of the changing world of work. The Concarneau urban area features a growing proportion of self-employed and nomadic workers looking for shared workspaces. In addition, many employees travel several kilometres each day to reach their office when they could be eligible to work remotely and carry out their activity in a dedicated space. The idea of a coworking space, which had already been envisaged in Concarneau by other local project leaders a few years earlier, then became obvious.

Development and needs of the art and craft sector

On the other hand, among the profiles of workers identified in the territory, that of professionals in the arts and crafts is of particular interest to us. A few arts and crafts shops are beginning to emerge in Concarneau town centre, but are struggling to sustain their activity due to extremely precarious seasonal commercial leases. Through the La Konk Créative project, the aim is to offer local craftspeople and creators a chance to promote and develop their activities. They will be able to rent space to exhibit/sell their creations and/or offer courses. This type of space is currently difficult to find in Concarneau, due to the very high prices of commercial leases. In addition to raising awareness of the reality of so-called "manual" occupations, running workshops or courses is a significant additional source of income for these socio-professional categories. While waiting for its premises to be ready to receive their creations, La Konk Créative offers its professional creative members the opportunity to exhibit on certain dates at the town's market, providing them with a marquee and taking advantage of a space dedicated to associations.

© Konkcreative - Magali Renard

Tourism and social ties

Finally, Concarneau lacks informal meeting places, allowing a variety of people to meet, whether they are local or just passing through. As in all attractive seaside resorts, the pressure linked to tourist activity generates social tensions. Indeed, tourism, as it is practised today in the Blue City, turns tourists into consumers. Visits are mainly limited to the walled city and its network of souvenir shops, bars, ice cream parlours and restaurants. At the same time, national and international studies highlight new expectations in this market: tourists are increasingly looking for authentic experiences and the discovery of a local culture, beyond the folklore. Tourists have become more demanding, looking to get off the beaten track and wanting to play an active role in their own visit, with the possibility of exchanging with local people: inhabitants, artists, craftspeople, shopkeepers, students, etc. To meet this need, a new form of tourism has emerged in recent years: creative tourism. This is “a form of tourism that falls within the field of “know-how” tourism and offers travellers the opportunity to develop their creative potential by actively participating in courses or experiences characteristic of their place of stay”. Creative tourism is participatory in nature, transforming the tourist from passive to active. It allows for the generation of unique experiences, aimed towards mutual enrichment between locals and those visiting. Thus, La Konk Créative is conceived as a place of life and encounters that will appeal to both locals and tourists, who will be able to learn about different creative practices during their stay.

DIY and creative hobbies to (re)create and maintain social ties

Among the project's supporters are people from the fields of education and medical-social work who are convinced of the therapeutic value of artistic and creative practices and use them in their work. The main objective of La Konk Créative is to bring together a community of enthusiasts who love to create, get them involved and to interact, with on the one hand experienced creators wishing to pass on their know-how, and on the other hand curious people wishing to learn.

Once open, this meeting place will:

- promote access for all to training in arts and crafts and creative leisure activities, which are known for their benefits on psycho-emotional balance, emancipation/empowerment and the development of self-confidence and confidence in others;

- encourage "living together" through "doing together", by strengthening the intergenerational link between the inhabitants of the Concarneau community;

- revitalise the life of the neighbourhood in a sector of Concarneau, "Passage", located on the border between the industrial port area and the residential area, where shops and services have gradually disappeared since the 1980s.

Do-it-yourself: a militant ecological act

In addition to the satisfaction of doing something yourself, DIY often allows you to reduce your consumption and therefore your carbon footprint. At its level, La Konk Créative intends to contribute to raising awareness and educating the various audiences on good environmental practices through re-use and in particular "upcycling", a trend that consists of re-using objects or materials destined to be thrown away by giving them a different value and use in relation to their initial function. In this sense, partnerships have already been set up to recycle the waste and scraps of certain local companies (for example, a workshop on making your own mini purse out of Guy Cotten offcuts, or transforming Barillec's drums into garden furniture). Generally speaking, the workshops and activities proposed are systematically approached from the angle of zero waste.

© Konkcreative - Magali Renard

Third places: bringing the community to life in new spaces

Between now and the opening, scheduled for 2022, and in parallel with the project, the association is bringing the community together around events, meetings and creative activities.

Since 2019 and in particular with the health crisis, during which the volunteer seamstresses of La Konk Créative sewed and donated more than 800 masks during the first lockdown in spring 2020, the association has made a place for itself within the ecosystem of social-cultural actors in Concarneau. Although the health context and the fact of not having a fixed location did not allow for a very full programme of actions or for its members to meet as often as they would have liked, the association continued to take part in the events organised by the City, the Agglomeration and various local players (Festival des Filets Bleus, European Waste Reduction Week, 48h urban agriculture festival, etc.).

With creativity and collaboration as its main themes, La Konk Créative has also launched participative operations and actions such as yarn bombing (knitted fabrics to decorate urban furniture), an online raffle with prizes made by its members or a challenge based on the theme of the mermaid and the cod in collaboration with a similar project in Dinan (see: https://www.lakonkcreative.bzh/morue-mermaycod ). As of September 2021, many projects are also in the pipeline with the network of media libraries in the agglomeration and several associative partners all committed to the ecological transition.

More info: https://www.lakonkcreative.bzh/

Contact: Magali RENARD / Project leader, president of the association

Author : Roseline Le Squère, EPALE France Ambassador