The Refuges d’Art project turns the remote hills of Haute‑Provence into a living gallery where the celebrated land artist Andy Goldsworthy has transformed abandoned shepherd huts, chapels and stone shelters into site‑specific sculptures. Hikers are invited not merely to view the works, but to spend the night inside them, blurring the boundary between artwork and everyday life.

The journey begins in the bustling mountain town of Digne‑les‑Bains, the gateway to a ten‑day, 150 km trail that winds through the UNESCO‑listed geopark. Goldsworthy collaborated with local craftsmen to restore the structures and embed his art within them, creating a network of free, off‑grid cabins that serve as both shelter and exhibition.

Along the path, towering cairns rise like mysterious eggs, their stone balances achieved without mortar, while the surrounding landscape bursts with wildflowers, drifts of sagebrush and panoramic valleys that feel ancient and timeless. The hike is gentle enough for newcomers yet offers moments of surprise—steep goat tracks, marked grand‑randonnée routes, and the quiet thrill of discovering a sculptural sentinel perched on a ridge.

Inside the refuges, the installations become intimate spaces: a cylindrical stone obelisk that channels daylight into a porthole sky, a serpentine mud form that mimics a river’s flow, and interlocking stone arches that suggest a dragon coiling through the earth. In the glow of candlelight or fire, these pieces shift with the weather, inviting visitors to linger, eat, play cards and share stories while the art lives and breathes around them.

The experience leaves a lasting impression, echoing Goldsworthy’s belief that “to sleep in a sculpture is a wonderful idea.” By inhabiting his creations, hikers discover a rare intimacy with land art—one that turns a simple trek into a contemplative dialogue between nature, history and the human body.

View original article