We're taking you on board for the 1st Kosmo'lettre!
If you'd like to join the mailing list, click here.
👀 KOSMOGONIA is a rather unusual multi-project. It's a committed 2-year odyssey, meeting schools, companies, NGOs and local authorities that are acting in favour of ecological tilts.
We are gathering their stories through different audiovisual formats and identifying the ingredients that make these shifts possible through an independent action-research project.
CONTENTS
Intentions of this format
Kosmogonia in detail
Focus on the first few months of the project
The itinerant lifestyle
How is the research going?
Our story capsules
The rest of the odyssey
A few anecdotes & nuggets
Hot showers
INTENTIONS of this FORMAT
Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, we test, we publish, we vary...
Sometimes we enjoy it, but let's face it, it's not our thing.
And then we remembered that we like to write, to take quality time with people, to have serious, funny, deep, heavy and light conversations, and to have our minds available to do it.
And time is something we often chase after.
Why shouldn't our digital practices embody this?
📃 So we thought the newsletter was a good format (it has a vintage revival feel that we like) and allows you to read while taking your time.
👉 This Kosmo'lettre will be a letter exchange, for people who want to travel, discover committed organisations, keep up to date, have their say and simply hear about our project and our adventures 😊
📈 LE COIN DATA: French people spend an average of 32 hours in front of their screens every week. That's (and watch out for the shock) almost 1/5th of the weekly time or just under a third of the time spent awake, says this report.
And an average of 3 hours a day on social networks!
KOSMOGONIA in details
When we talk about the project, what our interviewees most often remember is the subject of the cycle trip, or a "tour of ecological initiatives".
So... that's not wrong. But it's more than that. And what's more, we no longer have a bike!
❇️ Kosmogonia is first and foremost an international research project, and also an opportunity to feed ourselves, grow in humanity, knowledge, encounters and (self-)inspiration.
Since this project raises many questions and it would be too limited to talk about it here, we have prepared a dedicated note in FAQ format:
❓ WHY THIS PROJECT
❓ IT'S A ROUND-THE-WORLD BIKE TRIP
❓ YOU'RE DOING A THESIS
❓ HOW DO YOU FINANCE THE PROJECT
❓ YOU'RE ALSO MAKING VIDEOS
❓ WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH
As a bonus, you can ask us your questions!
Focus on the first few months of the project
"Haven't you left yet?!"
It's one of the questions we get asked the most
Well, actually it is. The project has been running for a while now! It's just that a large part of it is taking place in France at the start, and that's an integral part of the project.
🗓️ Let's rewind...
December 2021: we leave Paris and the Kosmogonia adventure begins
January 2022: arrival at the Caserne Bascule - we'll be here for 11 months
February 2022 - April 2022: framing of the research, validation of the team
May 2022: an epic journey to the Nordic countries and recording of the first interview in a long series to come
June 2022: audiovisual training and design of target formats
September 2022: Big celebration and launch of the project
October 2022: Production of our first story capsule and trip to London for a giant Climate Fresco workshop
November 2022: start of the train-bike tour of France to meet the project leaders
February 2023: writing week with the Bonne-vie collective
March 2023: residency at Les Amanins followed by CNV training in Belgium
👉 Since last September, we have conducted a total of almost 30 interviews with 15 committed organisations.
Here is the list of organisations we interviewed: 2tonnes, Auxilia Conseil, Biovallée, Blue Choice, Engage, Fertiles, HOP, La Caserne Bascule, La Fresque du Climat, Digital Collage, La Traverse, Les Amanins, Printemps Écologique, The Shift Project, Ulteria, Cargonomia
We tell you all about the background, the stages of the project in detail and a panorama of the first interviews with lots of photos.
THE ITINERANT LIFESTYLE
What's it like?
We've decided to live Kosmogonia in complete roaming mode, i.e. with no fixed residence where we leave our belongings.
Since November 2022 we've been fully low-carbon nomads (train-bike) and this will last until at least 2025, taking us all the way to Asia!
Read our testimonial below to find out how we're coping with these first few months, our approach to logistics and a few tips to share.
WHAT'S THE LATEST ON RESEARCH?
Since the end of last summer, we have conducted a total of 30 interviews.
We've had the pleasure of talking for around 100 hours with project leaders involved in confidential research interviews: it's fascinating! This new approach to listening and guiding qualitative interviews is a great learning experience for us, and has given us some particularly intense moments of inspiration.
Do you often have the opportunity to listen actively for 2 hours?
We're already seeing some initial signals that are highly relevant to our research question:
What are the ingredients that encourage ecological shifts?
Work on the theoretical framework is progressing well with the team of teacher-researchers. Our research group is very well balanced and we have a very good collaborative dynamic.
Over the summer, we plan to listen to the interviews again and read the transcripts carefully so that we can begin the first 'official' analyses.
The first analysed results can then start to be shared from September, and that promises to be very rewarding!
it's important to be patient!
We'll tell you more in the next Kosmo'lettre :)
OUR STORY CAPSULES
As well as being a research project, it was our intention from the outset to use this odyssey as a playground to develop a long-dormant interest in audiovisual production.
We want to try our hand at shooting, scriptwriting and editing in a variety of formats, so that you can :
discover the organisations we meet
follow our peregrinations draw inspiration from references.
So far, 5 story capsules have been broadcast on our Youtube channel, and other formats will follow.
You'll find chapters directly on the videos to make it easier to navigate between the issues that interest you.
THE CONTINUATION OF THE ODYSSEY
📍 April: We have 3 new interviews planned and want to take some time out to edit our first long-form audiovisual dedicated to our week in residence at Les Amanins.
📍 May-August: After 8 very involved months on Kosmogonia, our other voluntary commitments and the monitoring of certain services to finance this project, we want to take a step back and reduce our time in front of the screens and travel around Europe. We're planning further interviews and an initial study of the research data collected.
This will be an opportunity to write, read and pursue our audiovisual projects.
📍 September-December: Off to England, Scotland and Denmark to meet new organisations.
📍 From January 2024: We plan to head to Asia, starting with China via the Transmongolian...! 🤩
If you have any organisations to recommend or put us in direct contact with on these various destinations, that would be very helpful (you can do so at the end of Kosmo'letter).
ANECDOTES & NUGGETS
👏🏻 Anastasia's first puncture!
It was 8.30 am on a steep road in the Drôme, heading towards the town of Eurre for an interview with the mayor.
In the end, it was he who came to pick us up - how funny! 😂
🤟🏼 french Pension protests
While in Paris on Thursday 23 March, we went along to the demonstration starting from Bastille, to show our support for the converging struggles. It was also an opportunity to enjoy the great atmosphere provided by Alternatiba! "Pas de retraité-es, sur une planète brulée" (coming soon)
❇️ Mum, Dad, I went to Matignon
Last December, we facilitated a Climate Fresco workshop for the Prime Minister's Office and senior civil servants at the INSP (thoughts to the team present those days 💚).
As part of the government's commitment to training for the entire civil service.
👀 Our cultural nuggets
Coupures at the Théâtre de l'Oeuvre. A play that confronts us with the limits and contradictions of our society in the face of ecological challenges, and places the democratic issue at its heart. Brilliant, indignant, moving.
The play Deux Frères at the Comédie des Trois Bornes. Performed by Renaud Merviel and Julien Goetz. Touching, funny and raises questions about what makes us who we are.
The Foules exhibition at the Cité des Sciences, an immersive and interactive experience to understand group dynamics.
💚 Discovering new professions
At Les Amanins, we took the opportunity to discover some of the trades. We love it, and it makes the odyssey even more meaningful. A real treat!
🐑 We tried out an unusual morning routine
Still at Amanins, we had the chance to bottle-feed the little lambs. Particularly rejuvenating and moving moments of connection.
HOT SHOWERS
At the end of Kosmo'lettres, we'd like to share some thoughts and thanks, some 'hot showers', because it's essential to take this time.
To all the people interviewed, in order since last July: Eloïne, Cyril, Yvain, Phil, Anne, Pierre-Alix, Aurélien, Cassandre, Clémence, Emma, Félix, Alexis, Samuel, Isabelle, Daniel, Jean, Tommy, Laura, Christelle, Stéphane, Bruno, Jérôme, Bertil. These confidential discussions were very inspiring 🙏🏻
For the research team, with whom working on the project is a real pleasure, both professionally and personally: Arnaud, Céline, Michael & José.
To the team at the Caserne Bascule for all the happy moments spent in their company.
To our friends at La Badoumière (our former committed home), who regularly welcome us when we're in the capital: Anne, Pierre, Bertrand & Robin.
To those who occasionally or regularly put us up while we're out and about: Thomas, Isabelle & Damien, Lucie, Corentin, Lou.
To the Sparknews team, who have worked so hard with us to identify committed organisations (Alicia, Elvire, Alice, Elodie, Christian, Léna).
And of course to all the people who cross our path and confirm, through their words, testimonials and support, that this project makes sense!
Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this first dense format.
We'd be delighted to receive your feedback to help us prepare the next Kosmo'lettre.
Don't hesitate to share this Kosmo'letter!
If you'd like others to sign up, go straight to the website