About our Laboratory

Mas Els Gorgs is a Laboratory for Experimental Living in the Alta Garrotxa Natural Park. We're an international group of people living in an old cement quarry. Our doing springs naturally from the core of our authentic being and expresses rather than seeks openness and love. For us it is all about being experimental, gardening, building, maintaining, developing, playing local, thinking glocal.

Our Laboratory does not emphasize the old paradigm of keeping things going like before for sake of tradition or lack of a broader perspective. It is a space that has its particulars. At best the result of our experiments are a strong collective vision that people are willing and able to commit to, out of profound conviction and recognition of divine brother and sisterhood. Yet it happens here without mentioning or classifying it. In it's most modest expression it provides us with lessons in life, for no experiment is without learning.
The aim is to further establish this place as a self-sustaining, self-regulating laboratory and a platform for exchange of knowledge and experience to make new possibilities visible. It's success can be measured in the effectiveness of nurturing and providing for it's inhabitants and inspiring the world-at-large.

Work is mainly needed in the garden, and in construction. A lot of other things including wood/forest working, cooking & preserving, mechanics and metalworking, taking care of animals, etc. Lot's of opportunities for hiking, biking, yoga, swimming, and climbing. So if you want to experience life in the Catalan mountains, come stay with us for a while.

Accommodation is rudimentary. We are focusing on creating more places to facilitate visitors. Now our options are mainly a caravan in an amazing location (anywhere here we find amazing) or an anti-architecture room in old factory. Camping is also an option.

We live in simple abundance. We do have plenty of electricity, hot water, and unlimited internet. Heating in the winter is done with wood-stoves and we get our own firewood from the forest.

We´re developing small permacultural projects and are open for experiment. We tend our gardens well. We cultivate bees and are developing woodland forest. We are constructing a 5 x 15 m greenhouse to extend the growing season.

There are several animals; 2 donkeys (Billy & Holly), 3 dogs, 5 cats, and chickens and ducks. We have a large (400 sq m) garden, which we´re expanding, and lots of space to make more. We have 72+ hectares with two ruins (one being developed) and a small stream.

There are opportunities for just about anything.

We speak English, Spanish, Catalan, Dutch, German, and some French.

Feel free to ask questions. We´re here year round. In the winter it can get quite cold. But by then we have focused on collecting firewood to stay warm. And working outside during the day in the fresh mountain air...amazing!

We welcome all, but we are not a holiday destination. Pro-activity and an inquisitive mind is a must for successful co-creation.

We live 5 km from the nearest village, and 20 km from a large town. If you don´t have a car you can come to town with us when we go.

Thank you for your consideration.

Xa Ta Zac Xa Ta Amac [Maya]
-May the road rise to meet you