The music of tomorrow.

The "Polarities" association (formerly the Pôle Musical de Quimper) is a regional organization which promotes contemporary music in South Finistère. Keeping in line with its ideal, Polarities has put together a new edition of the Hivernautes Festival.

Dedicated to modern music, as you would imagine, this festival is dedicated to revealing the best up-and-coming musicians. Its program, organized like a musical laboratory, presents samples of what "the music of tomorrow" will sound like.

Nature through the looking glass…

The Living Boundaries series represents the views from inside modern houses in Florida, creating a contrast between habitats (all so similar and standardised) and the wild, unpredictable natural landscapes outside.

The photographs are framed by window frames, giving the impression that the view outside is no more than a painting on a wall, the motif of a strip of wallpaper…

The window is the boundary between the two worlds -- the inside is seen without, and the outside crosses over to the inside; household elements are outside the frame, while the exterior is framed, nature becoming another decorative element within the house.

Antique-amateur heaven.

The Forêt Fouesnant culturel centre will be organising this major fair for all those interested in antiques and precious items with a bit of history. Exhibitors will have a wealth of items for you to choose from, and who knows you might find a rare item and buy it for a fraction of its original worth!

Pump it up!

The Vieilles Charrues family is continually expanding: now a newborn is taking his first steps… Get ready for Les Vieilles Charrues remettent le son!

After the Vieilles Charrues tour (which covers Brittany, the Pays de la Loire and Normandy), this new branch of the event will take over the city of Carhaix to punctuate the end of winter with a massive exclamation mark! The mission statement is simple: to connect with the public and offer a high level of variety: hip-hop, rock, folk, slam poetry and a range of performances.

Its going to be loud!

Two novelties for Fanfares 09!, a festival born of the collaboration between Brest, Quartz, the Fanfare Zébaliz and Ouessant: an indoor programme that is not yet completely finalised to allow time for the unique projects to ripen and avoid last minute changes as well as to open up to celebratory music from around the world.

This year, the SpockFrevo Orquestra, an explosive Brazilian big band will be the guest of honour on 19 May. Fans be reassured, in the second half of the week there will be parades, trips to islands, competitions, banquets, balls…

A clash of colour and sound.

Here is festival that breathes colour, a passionate celebration of language and body-motion. A celebration of the senses.

New creations and shows, innovative pieces and emblematic works… The festival's energy is telling, a hub of dynamic development proving that performing arts still have a place on the world's stages.

The Antipodes festival brings together those talented choreographers who made Quartz a hub for contemporary art and helped run the centre over the years. Both old associates and new teams have made Brest their home town for the occasion.
The festival is all about choreography and written creation, dance and literature, thought and movement. They are intrinsically linked and forever contribute to this revival of performing arts.

Most members of the team are European, exploring cultures and traditions, tracing a line from North to South, particularly Africa. They blend established forms and invent new ones, addressing the issues of a troubled world. And this they do with more than a little mischief…

Yo, Leeroy!

Sporto Kantes is a wild one, a mysterious new player on the international electro-pop scene. Made up of two insane musicians who are totally unafraid to mix anything with everything, this new act brings you tropical rhythms, mystical vocals and wicked electronica for some insane experiences on the dancefloor.

Their hit song "Lee" was a major sucess, and their first elbum, Three at last, is a promising first step…

Classics revisited.

Pina Bausch's ex-playwright Raimund Hoghe decided twelve years ago to "throw his body into the battle" quoting Pasolini and he has since created a dozen minimalist and deeply moving plays.

Making his deformed body a central element to this play, the German choreographer has composed a world of slow and repetitive rituals that poetically expresses the fragility of our world.

This double-bill is an occasion to discover his very personal vision of the two music and ballet classics, Bolero and Swan Lake.

His Bolero is a study on the choreographic weight suggested by the primal, repetitive and insistent music. As for the performers in his Lac, they allow themselves to be crossed by the memory of the dance's steps and become a picture whose rare beauty transcends myth and overthrows existing codes.

A mature artist.

Keziah Jones is no newcomer, he has a long career behind him and probably a great deal ahead of him as well.

Originally from Nigeria, this guitar virtuoso has nothing to prove to the world, his talent is unquestionable, and is never questioned indeed. His new 2006 album, Black Orpheus, is a moving collection of 12 powerful tracks. Don't miss out on this musical pearl.

Sailor's fashion…

This exhibition is dedicated to Brittany, and in particular historic Brittany with its unique and unusual costumes. A well known Breton aphorism stated: "a hundred countries, a hundred fashions" - each burg had its own traditional garb which was different from that of its neighbour.

This tour/expo will be an opportunity to discover the various garments of Breton country.

Elvis was one of their fans!

The Golden Gate Quartet is a gospel and spiritual music formation of international repute. They have been singing and inspiring audiences since as far back as 1934, the year the formation was created.

With two tenors, a baritone and a bass, the group has been invited to perform in more than 60 countries throughout the world. Their 2007-2008 tour will be a farewell tour, so if you'd like to see this group perform, its quite literally now or never!

Rock with a capital R.

Mogwaï is an unusual quintet. Formed in 1995, they decided to avoid dealing with the sharks in the industry: they produced their own label, Rock Action, and their first album came out a year later.

Mogwaï has since honed its distinctive style over four albums, a sort of apocalyptic madness tempered with just the right dose of warmth and humanity. Their trademark "noise/calm" contrasts will without a doubt influence later generations, or at least leave a welcome, colourful scar on the face of music history.

Mr. Beast is their fifth album and the name itself betrays their intentions to go back to basics, revisiting the gritty old-school of Rock with a capital R.

Two years later The Hawk is Howling came out, an album which deals with the harsh lives of working class youth. It would seem that form mirrors content in this masterpiece, as the instrumentals start out light and innocent and gradually descend into rage and madness towards the close.

What's hot in Spain today.

The first time the Sillage and Taller Sonoro ensembles came together was during a concert in Paris. The Andalusian ensemble proved eager to collaborate and found they shared a great deal in common with Sillages. Their musical work as a group came naturally thereafter. Sillages travelled to perform in Spain in December, while Taller Sonoro will be Brest this January.

This collaboration proved more than fruitful: it was a revelation for both who in the process extended their repertoires to new styles. Working with compositions signed Ramón Lazkano, José María Sánchez Verdú, César Camarero, David del Puerto, Thierry Alla and Yoav Pasovsky, Taller Sonoro will be bringing contemporary Spanish music to France.

Digging into the past…

For 20 years now, archaeological research has been taking place at Mez Notario, located at the centre of the Isle of Ouessant. The excavation site, managed by Jean-Paul Le Bihan, director of the Finistère Centre for Archaeological Research (CRAF), required 400 professional and volunteer diggers to help bring to light many fascinating details about the origin of Ouessant.

The Armoric Regional Natural Park and the CRAF have organized an exhibit which retraces the history of the digs at Mez Notario to be presented at the Museum of Phares and Balises ("Lighthouses and Beacons"). Numerous objects, scale models and preparation materials will be on display. Visitors will be able to easily reconstruct the history of this fascinating island by visiting the site.

A fine church organ into the bargain.

The church of Saint-Rémi was first built in 1778, then rebuilt in 1930 after suffering damage. It was at the time of its reconstruction that it was consecrated to Saint Remi. Consisting mainly of a broad nave and a square sanctuary, the church is remarkable for a number of ancient paintings and statues, but more particularly for its modern stained-glass windows. These represent the battle of Camaret and also the defeat of the English at Trez Rouz.

Museum and laboratory.

The Marinarium in Concarneau is a laboratory museum, exhibiting the work of researchers in the fields of marine life, the environment and marine resources.
The marinarium is housed in the world's oldest marine research station, built in 1859, which still features the original vivariums. The exhibition now on display recounts the scientific adventure of exploring the world of the sea: the first experiments in marine aquaculture, the identification of the many organisms that make up plankton, the discovery of potentially therapeutic compounds or new species of fish. The oceans cover two thirds of the total surface area of the Earth. Estimates suggest that the diversity of life forms in this ocean world is between 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than on land!

Exploring the heritage of religion.

Rosporden and its environs is dotted with fine churches and chapels ideally suited for a delightful round of visits.
First is the church of Notre-Dame de Rosporden, on the banks of the first lake. This listed church dates from the 14th century. The interior contains a very fine retable and a large painting of the Assumption by Nicolas Loir.
Next is the chapel of St-Eloi which stands on the ancient Roman road from Cascadec to Locmaria, then the church in the small town of Kernével, the Moustoir chapel, also in Kernével, the chapel of Locjean and, finally, the little chapel of Sainte-Yvonne, dating from 1706.

Authenticity intact.

The Domaine de Kerazan estate was bequeathed to the Institut de France in 1928 by Joseph Astor, the last of an eminent Breton family.
The estate consists of a manor house surrounded by 5 hectares of parkland and a vast expanse of farmland and forests. The land is farmed and maintained in accordance with the wishes of the testator, who stipulated that it should be inalienable.

The manor stands in the Finistère département, halfway between Pont-l'Abbé and Loctudy and some twenty kilometres south-west of Quimper, in Cornouaille, part of the "Bigouden country".
The heart of the estate is the manor house itself, its commons and its park, and the adjoining farm of Grand Kerazan: this was the "big farm", occupied by the "big farmer".
The most striking aspect of the estate is its authenticity: the buildings have remained intact, the manor house retains all its furnishings and collections, as if Joseph-Georges Astor had left it only yesterday.

Natural local flavours!

Quimper, one of the key towns of Finistère, offers a splendid range of markets.
Connoisseurs of Breton produce will appreciate the best of Brittany's vegetables like the cauliflower, as well as salty Breton caramels for those with a sweet tooth...

The memory of a historic place.

Housed in the Montbarey Fort, built by the architect Vauban, the Memorial Museum explores the history of the Finistere during the Second World War. In the fort, you will be able to see how the place was organised and in each room a theme is developed.

A wagon reminds us of the conditions in which people were deported to the camps. The bunker, well and collection of vehicles complete the exhibition.

Long before Obélix.

On the Kernéléhen peninsula in Finistère-Nord, the Barnenez cairn (a large tumulus) is one of the earliest traces in Europe of construction using permanent materials. The gigantic megalith dates from the Neolithic period, which saw the first appearance of polished stone, animal husbandry and farming in Europe.
On the crown of a hill overlooking the Channel, this curious construction from the dawn of time is remarkable for its elongated shape and for its age, somewhere between 4,500 and 3,500 B.C. The long corridors leading to the funerary chambers may be interpreted as funerary spaces or for purposes of initiation.
The sheer size of the monument is intriguing: 72 metres long, some 20 to 25 metres wide at different points, and 9 metres in height. Added together, the stones represent a volume of between 6,500 and 7,000 cubic metres and a weight of 12 to 14,000 tonnes.
In reality, it is made up of two juxtaposed cairns, saved at the very last minute from destruction in 1955. The stone is decorated with figures of idols carved inside shields, carved signs forming V shapes and knapped axe-heads. The monument has also yielded up a number of flints, pottery shards and polished axe-heads.

In the land of the irreducible Gauls.

The Park extends from the confines of the Côtes-d'Armor in the east to the Molène and Ouessant archipelago in the west.
There are two main components of the Park: one, land-based, covers the Monts d'Arrée massif. The other looks to the sea and encompasses the Ria de l'Aulne and the Crozon peninsula which separates the waters off Brest from the bay of Douarnenez.
The isles of Sein, to the south off Cap Sizun, and the Molène-Ouessant peninsula to the north, mark the western confines of the Park.