At the time, some 30 years ago, Plasy in rural Czech Republic was able to attract hundreds of creative minds from all over Europe and beyond its borders. 

Why shouldn’t it be capable of doing a similar thing in our current days in France or any other country with similar qualities?

Recently, in Berlin, I was a guest at a WG (communal living community) of wood crafters, electricity and sustainability experts, cooks, film scholars and post-doc lecturers, art and music festival organizers, musicians and DJs, and social workers. Now, I am in a metal and wood sculptor's atelier and home in the middle of the countryside amongst farmers, cows, woods, lakes, and the bright sky above me.

I realized that all of these people would be interested and can gradually build a ‘Hermit Meta Creation’ space (or any other name you would want to attribute to it) and invest into it by workforce, knowledge, financially and communally building a semi-permanent space to live and work in.

I do have an idea for an initial exhibition and short film project between Brussels (B), Metz (F), Amsterdam (NL) and the town of Avallon (F).

A massive, well-organized artist in residence project RHIZOME in Avallon has drawn my attention in particular:

https://rhizomeassociation.org

This former factory is called le Tannerie.

Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed.

These large spaces resemble the Plasy monastery in many, many ways. And I feel compelled- yes- that we create an artist exchange there between various countries to breathe some fresh air into our decades-long communal efforts. ‘Le Tannerie’ is run by the artist couple Laure and Antoine, whose aim is to create and stimulate art and design and dispersing the works of young and talented people from all areas. Obviously starting with their French colleagues, a wider perspective will enhance their influence. Avallon is only two hours away from Paris and towns like Metz, Strasbourg and Geneva are relatively close.

Tangible and ‘le Tannerie’- a tangible (f)act

I will work out a first exchange between e.g.Brussels, Amsterdam, and Metz first.

Work, short films and photographs from that exchange can travel to various short film festivals and exhibitions. If that works out fine, I would love the MUO museum—along with affiliated artists of MUO- to allow us to exhibit our designed works and short films as an example, a tangible (f)act, of how ‘PLASY’ still lives on in our current times. The creations, or studies – in short ‘works’- in AVALLON could be transferred and shown to and at MUO. Obviously, we can discuss the themes on which to create, develop, think and feel.

2026 and onwards

To start off such a 30 to 35 years back in time meet-up and a forecast of a shared future exchange and exhibition, I would by then need a written statement that clarifies what MUO will be able to contribute in terms of exhibition space and time. I would suggest the newly built wing and buildings, hopefully ready in Olomouc, within a few years from now.

In SHORT:

Package
As Milos said, we need to create ‘a package’ that can travel. 

In the 1990s, quite many participating artists came from all over the world, and I believe many- truly- would be interested in participating nowadays, either Plasy veterans or total newcomers to this idea.

A whole new generation, if you wish.

Flashback

At MUO in the morning after the terrace session, some ideas came up, amongst which:
IVAN MEČL mentioned we should attempt building a new location and pointed out a massive location in Rumania.
MICHAEL DELIA mentioned entire villages in Spain and Italy on sale for a single euro and reviving the area through art and music.
TOMÁŠ RULER mentioned that writing a text and supporting ideas helpful in generating new options, plans.
MILOŠ VOJTĚCHOVSKÝ said he had kind of failed to consolidate a coherent future location for the ‘Hermit’ legacy.
We all said in return, which also made us laugh: We simply did not succeed, yet.

I find the latter a proper way of putting it.

Many regards,

ALEXANDER ROBERTO MOUST

Octobre 2023, Avallon, France
&

May 2025, Amsterdam, The Netherlands