Looking for a trail head and wondering if the clouds darkening above us make it a really stupid time to start a hike, we stumble upon this strange sight out in the farm lands north of Barjac (northern Gard). At first we think it’s some sort of demolition job, but that makes no sense at all considering the towers look like they were never solidly put together in the first place. We circle back around to try and find a better vantage point and come to a highly secured compound complete with an electrified fence and security cameras. Even stranger.
We decide it must be some sort of art installation, because who else would build something so crazy looking out in the middle of nowhere? Sure enough, the compound is the abandoned studio of the German artist Anselm Keifer who left the area in 2008 after some conflicts with the locals.
For more information on the site check out Hunting down Anselm Kiefer in Barjac, France (Updated) by Jan Zuppinger.
The best views, across the cultivated fields, are from the small farm road that parallels D979 to the east.
May 19, 2013
For links to all the posts in this series see the South of France page.