Valga’s architecture residency VARES invites architects and spatial practitioners living, studying, or working in the Nordic and Baltic countries to participate in a winter school on the theme of darkness, taking place in Valga, Estonia from December 4 to 8. Application deadline is November 1.
As the long, dark nights increasingly replace the bright stretched-out days, it’s a good time to ponder our regional characteristics as well as historical and contemporary responses to darkness.
This year’s VARES winter school consists of a workshop, lecture, discussions, and experiments with daily life, all gathered under a cozy blanket of darkness. The workshop will explore the conditions of darkness and light in a personal space close to the body, resulting with spaces that balance between a house, furniture, and a costume. The workshop will be led by Pablo Encinas Alonso, an architect, spatial and performance artist living in Gothenburg. The lecture will be given by Eik Hermann, an Estonian philosopher, lecturer, and editor of the Ehituskunst magazine. The next issue of Ehituskunst will be dedicated to the darkish conditions of the local winters and architecture’s relationship to them.
Over five days and nights, the following is planned:
- reflecting on architecture and urban tendencies to push away darkness with artificial light;
- staring directly into the abyss of pitch blackness;
- debating whether Valga is the town of light or the land of darkness, and mapping out which places in the urban space have been deemed necessary to illuminate and why;
- looking at satellite images where islands of darkness are increasingly flooded by oceans of light;
- having a nap;
- considering darkness as an endangered species in need of protection and advocacy;
- attending lectures;
- watching an unjustly lesser-known Estonian political thriller in which a city gets unplugged;
- reading horror stories;
- taking turns on night watch to observe and narrate what happens while others sleep;
- contemplating which is safer: being invisible or illuminated in darkness;
- reflecting on ecosystems that have adapted to natural light rhythms over time and are now perplexed.
To participate in the VARES winter school, you need to submit your CV and a short description of your spatial practice (portfolio is optional), as well as an expression of interest in the form of a motivation letter (up to 400 words), short video (up to 3 minutes), or other creative form. Applications can be submitted until November 1 by sending an email to info@vares.space with the subject «Hello darkness *your name*».
The ten participants for the winter school will be selected among the applicants by VARES curator by November 8. Participation in the winter school is free for selected participants, and VARES will provide shared accommodation, meals, and travel support.
The winter school is organised by VARES, Valga’s architecture residency, which aims to seek and create alternative spatial practices that are not based on market logic but rather on the desire to create spaces that enrich everyday life, empower the local community and town of Valga. The winter school is supported by Nordplus Horizontal, Nordic Culture Point, and the Estonian Ministry of Culture. VARES is a part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 main programme.
Viedokļi