Intertale/Eutopia Stop 13: Collège des Écossais

Tea time at the Collège des Écossais

Patrick Geddes came to Montpellier in 1924 where he created the Collège des Écossais, an educational think tank that would bring all the theories together that he developed in his life. The gardens were created for meditation, experimentation and the production of fruit & veg.

The Collège includes and Outlook Tower that offers a panorama to the Cevennes in the north and the Mediterranean to the South. It was established as an international residence for students of diverse disciplines, to exchange cultures and foster a synergy between knowledges. Today, a historic monument, the college serves as a teacher training place.

I was delighted to be invited to the 100-year celebrations, where scholars from near and far came together to discuss Geddes’ work from their various angles of knowledge. Architects, geographers, biologists, teachers, economists, urbanists, gardeners, philosophers, anthropologists and town planners all shared their ideas and understanding.

Geddes was also very fond of artists. If everyone could see through the mind of the artists, we would have a less compartmentalised and therefore a better world – is what he thought. As an AnthroProducer, my discipline is less defined. Instead of looking into the past, I see my role to think of what Patrick would do today? What would he think about Edinburgh’s tourist busy Old Town? What would be his reaction to making a city in Palestine today? I introduced the idea of the ‘town is the venue’ created during my time at Deveron Projects – which Murdo MacDonald once defined as Geddes’ Art Organisation. Impersonating Patrick, my first ever talk in French was then followed by a group walk in the garden, where we collected seeds, stones, grasses, flowers and whatever else we could find.