July 2026
L’Art au Lavoir 2026
L’Art au Lavoir is a community street art project featuring mail art in the form of postcards submitted by artists from around the globe. It was conceived and is curated by two artists, Helen Burgoyne (who is also my sister) and Julian Foster, both of whom primarily work in collage.
Each year, professional and amateur artists make and send postcards inspired by a chosen theme. The works are exhibited in a historic lavoir located in Dun-le-Palestel, Creuse, France.
Now in its sixth year, L’Art au Lavoir has become an annual exhibition with a strong environmental focus, using art to encourage creativity, community engagement, and awareness of environmental issues.
Lavoirs were built in villages throughout France during the 18th century as public outdoor washhouses, at a time when homes did not have their own water supply for washing clothes. They were located beside natural water sources and covered by a roof, allowing them to be used throughout the year.
Today, many of these historic water sources continue to serve their communities, providing water for livestock.
The lavoir in Dun-le-Palestel, where L’Art au Lavoir is exhibited, is particularly beautiful. It remains in use by residents and farmers preserving both its practical function and its historical significance.
The week before the vernissage of L’Art au Lavoir, France and other European countries recorded their highest-ever temperatures. Creuse, normally a lush green lanscape, was brown and dry: a tinderbox. It was appropriate that the theme of the exhibition this year has been the plant world. The past themes have been: water, earth, fire, air, and time and space – these making participants and visitors think about the environment and its importance for our human survival.
For my entry, I decided to upcycle four different postcards that I had previously printed with my lino-cut designs. Each postcard featured the same botanical imagery and a butterfly. The focus of the artwork was not on the accuracy or realism of the images, but on the concepts of reuse and repurposing, intending to inspire others to explore creative ways of reusing materials.I embellished each postcard using different reclaimed or repurposed materials. One was stitched using offcuts of thread, another was decorated with nail varnish from an old set I had purchased from a charity shop, a third incorporated dried herbs, and the fourth was enhanced using old acrylic paint pens that I already had.
I was in ‘scorchio’ France while Helen and Julian curated the mail art in the lavoir, ready for the opening evening on 1st July.
My sister and I thought it would be wonderful to have a predominantly green installation within the exhibition. We created very large paintings, then divided our images into smaller, postcard-sized sections and displayed them in panels on either side of the rear doorway of the lavoir.
I am a little obsessed with working in sections and wanted my image to be played with and jumbled up like a puzzle. I am really happy with my installation. I think that, together with Helen’s, it looks fantastic, especially with the reflection in the water.
In my art installation, I am saying that if we do not try to solve the puzzle of climate change before it is too late, we will lose our environment. However, trying to work out this looming catastrophe can be beautiful rather than a chore. Small changes can make a major difference to both our planet and our personal wellbeing.
A large crowd attended the vernissage. The atmosphere was filled with admiration for the art and a strong sense of community. People came from across the region in France, and some, like me, had travelled from England to be there. We were treated to homemade ginger beer and home-baked snacks.
During the early evening, we were told that this year’s exhibition had been dedicated to my father, Ray Burgoyne, who passed away earlier this year and had always contributed to the art in previous years, as well as to local resident Marie Ancel, who cared deeply for the plants and the environment.
L’Art au Lavoir is very respectful of this unique site, and this free, always-open exhibition will run until the end of August 2026. If you’re in the area, do go and see it. You can also follow L Art au Lavoir on Facebook or @lartaulavoir on Instagram.
Throughout the last week of June, there will be a series of ateliers exploring the theme of plant life, all led by professional artists. Visitors can also take part in an ongoing interactive art project and share their thoughts in the comment box.
And don’t forget to look out for the theme early next year and send in your mail art for the next exhibition!!
My sister Helen Burgoyne’s Instagram: ouimec7 and you can find Julian Foster on Instagram: fiercehamcutnpaste.
16th July 2026.