how does the week fit together ?
© Jacques Thomas, 2008
On the Sunday evening, there is there is « Le Coup de Bleu » , an informal outdoor gathering in the « chemin des évêques » at the top of the village. Local drinks and food are served to welcome both new and returning participants.
Our conferences take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Each day starts with a 15-minute summary. This overview is often light-hearted, linking each day’s content as the week unfolds. Each conference brings its own particular light and colour to illuminate the year’s chosen theme.
Presenters are asked to share with their audience a point of view, a work project or an experiment. There is always time at the end of each presentation for discussion and exchange with the audience.
Wednesday provides a break from the conference room. In the village there are workshops, graphic art forums (the well-known « parasol » mini-gatherings), or perhaps you will take the opportunity to skip school altogether and explore the open air of the surrounding Provençal countryside, carrying on conversations started on previous evenings ?
On Wednesday evening, and again in keeping with the year’s theme, other activities such as a film night, or local music and dancing may be offered, giving participants a chance to end the day as a group.
In Lurs, the evenings are peaceful, traffic is (literally) kilometres away. The village is an ideal place for relaxation. Out of consideration for the other residents, we respect the local custom of avoiding noisy outdoor activities after 10 pm.
Tim Ingold, interprète Samuel Goyet ©Benoît Carré, 2015
©Michel Balmont, 2012
how do I get there ?
By train : The nearest station is La Brillanne-Oraison. A number of participants usually arrive on the Sunday afternoon train, and if you know of anyone travelling to Lurs by car, please do not hesitate to arrange for them to collect you (and perhaps others) at the station. We can also help by arranging a Sunday afternoon transfer by car to the village in time for the « coup de bleu » ; just let us know when booking your place for Les Rencontres.
By car : For your GPS or internet route-planner, the postal address is:
Rencontres internationales de Lure
La Chancellerie
04700 LURS
There are two car parks ; one as the road enters the village, and the other near to the château (Parking des Marronniers)
pour consulter une carte Google Maps de la région, cliquez içi
enfin arrivés ! © Nicolas Taffin, 2012
accommodation ?
The association can provide a limited number of places at La Chancellerie, and at the village municipal gîte. Please ask for details when making your initial registration. Otherwise, participants make their own arrangements.
There is a campsite10 minutes’ drive from the village, and the website of the Mairie has a list of B&B and gîte rentals.
where do we eat ?
The Salle Luria (see plan) is set out for dining at long tables, which enables groups to continue discussions (which often start during the downhill walk from La Chancellerie) over lunch or dinner. Participants can order either six or ten meals at the start of the week.
The association works with a local caterer to provide meals at a reasonable price in order to allow as many members as possible to attend. In Lurs we have found that many exchanges and discussions develop over « la soupe au pistou »
© Adeline Goyet, 2014
Calligraphie Julien Priez. © Nicolas Taffin, 2014
what else does the village have to offer ?
All we need ; a bookshop, and two cafés with beautiful outdoor areas ! There is no tobacconist’s, no cash dispenser, no grocery shop. The bakery (closed on Mondays), sells delicious local orange-flower cakes called « navettes »
© Michel Balmont, 2006
what is included in the cost of the week ?
The price the association charges for the week goes mainly towards paying for the week’s invited presenters, and the costs involved in getting 20 or 30 of them from France, Europe or elsewhere, to Lurs. We pay for their travel expenses, a night’s accommodation and two meals.
Our guests are usually curious about the week’s programme, and are genuinely touched to be invited. They give generously of their preparation time, having been attracted by the uniqueness of our formula.
Our presenters and our organisers receive no payment. We are all volunteers.
Each typography event is unique, having its own particular qualities. Les Rencontres week is no exception to this. However, we do not seek to be different simply by charging higher prices than other events in our field (ATYPI, Typo Talks…). Rather we aim to charge a fair price which reflects the quality and spirit of our ambitions.
The price paid by participants includes entry to all conferences and evening activities, as well as an annual subscription to the association.
Transport, accommodation and meals are not included.
do we receive any financial aid ?
For our graphic culture weeks, we receive some financial assistance from the Lurs town council, from the Provence Regional Council and from the DRAC PACA. We value the consistent support from all of these, even though these subsidies cover only a small part of our budget.
We are self-funding for the majority of our activities ; this we consider to be the price of our independence.
The association continues to exist thanks to a different wealth of resources : the time, energy and skills of successive teams of volunteer members who have built Les Rencontres internationales de Lure, and helped our association to flourish for more than 60 years.
©Nicolas Taffin, 2010