Les Marroniers, Aix-en-Provence France
In 1975, we acquired the Les Marroniers property to serve as the ecotechnic Mediterranean biome project and I.E. conference center. The Heraclitus arrived in Marseille harbor in 1976, and the ship’s crew helped with the restoration of the main 18th-century farmer’s large house, then subdivided into small apartments.
Les Marroniers is located 5 km north of Aix-En-Provence, France. Les Marroniers was architected in an integrated ecological system incorporating the elements of farming, grazing, woodlands, orchards, artisan atelier, and residence. The Louis Quatorze maison and attendant buildings house up to thirty persons and provided versatile facilities for workshops, conferences, dance, and theater.
The 7-hectare (17-acre) property was a beautiful example of the richness of the traditional small mixed farms of the region. It had a woodland area, fields for row crops like corn or wheat, animal yards, a fruit orchard, and vegetable gardens. Like was customary in this region because of the force of the strong “mistral” winds that blew in from the Alps, fields were protected by windbreak pines of poplars, cypresses, and pines. These kinds of holdings were falling victim to higher land taxes because of nearby towns’ rising residential real estate valuations and other economic pressures. The size of the main house was testimony to how well small farmers could live centuries ago.
Main house and front pond at Les Marroniers, Aix-en-Provence (photo Rio Hahn).
Organic vegetable garden at Les Marronniers, with windbreak trees.
View of part of Les Marroniers’ gardens, fruit trees, a small woods (bois) and windbreak protection against the mistral winds.
Les Marroniers also had an interesting history. A well-known potter, Georges Jouve, built his studio in back of the main house. A collaborator with Picasso, they explored whether ceramics could be used to soften the lines of modern high-rise buildings. After IE helped investors buy the property, his studio was converted into a theater space and conference venue. The property also included a Roman water basin, which was hauled from Aix-en-Provence.
Buckminster Fuller and IE Director, William F. Dempster, at Les Marroniers during the 1982 IE Galactic Conference.
Les Marronniers became one of the principal venues for annual conferences organized by the Institute of Ecotechnics. In 1976, the Ocean Conference started a series which included the 1977 Desert Conference (held at Synergia Ranch), the 1978 Mountain Conference held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in cooperation with a group of Tibetan refugees IE was working with, the 1979 Jungle Conference in Penang, Malaysia. Then the conferences returned to Les Marronniers for the 1980 Planet Earth Conference, 1981 Solar System Conference, and 1982 Galactic Conference and concluded with the 1983 Cosmos Conference.
The 1980 Planet Earth Conference was published by Synergetic Press, London, as “Man, Earth, and the Challenges.” It included presentations by Dr. Thor Heyerdahl, Dr. Alexander King (Club of Rome), William Burroughs, Sir Ghillean Prance, Dr. Bernhardt Lotsch, Dr. Edwin McKee, Dr. Gregory Khozin of the Soviet Academy, and others. Later series focused on the Biosphere and, by the late 1990s, alternated between Synergia Ranch in New Mexico and Les Marroniers. Starting in 1979, these annual conferences included the yearly get-together of people working on the various IE-consulted projects in a “synergist” gathering.
Studio III, the Les Marroniers Theater of All Possibilities (TAP) ensemble, produced two shows a year from 1980-1985. These were a mix of original plays, French classics, and avant garde productions for performance in the LM theater and for touring in Provence.
Capt. Gregg Dugan first visited Les Marronniers in 1976, when the R/V Heraclitus was docked in Capt. Gregg Dugan first visited Les Marronniers in 1976, when the R/V Heraclitus was docked in Marseille. He returned in 1980 and served as general manager of the project through 1985.
Molly (Cyclone) and Cesco Rimondi in front of the maison.
For several decades, Molly and Cesco Rimondi managed Les Marroniers. The last conference IE convened there was the 2011 Mediterranean Conference at the conclusion of the Heraclitus’ Oral History project in the Mediterranean. The property was sold in 2018.