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 from December 4 to 8. Application deadline November 1st
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 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.
Over five days and nights, we will do more and probably less than as follows:
- reflect on architecture and urban tendencies to push away darkness with artificial light
- stare directly into the abyss of pitch blackness
- debate whether Valga is the town of light or the land of darkness, and map out which places in the urban space have been deemed necessary to illuminate and why
- look at satellite images where islands of darkness are increasingly flooded by oceans of light
- have a nap
- consider darkness as an endangered species in need of protection and advocacy
- attend lectures
- watch an unjustly lesser-known Estonian political thriller in which a city gets unplugged
- read horror stories
- take turns on night watch to observe and narrate what happens while others sleep
- contemplate which is safer: being invisible or illuminated in darkness
- reflect on ecosystems that have adapted to natural light rhythms over time and are now perplexed
About Us
The winter school is organised by VARES, Valga’s architecture residency. Our initiative 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 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 magazine “Ehituskunst.” The next issue of “Ehituskunst” will be dedicated to the darkish conditions of the local winters and architecture’s relationship to them.
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 Tartu2024 main programme.
How to Apply
If you wish to participate in the winter school, please send us:
- Your CV and a brief description as a spatial practitioner (portfolio is optional)
- Your expression of interest as a motivation letter (max 400 words), a short video (max 3 minutes), or any other creative format
Please send your application by November 1, 2024, to info@vares.space with the subject line “Hello darkness *your name*”
The 10 participants for the winter school will be selected from among the applicants by VARES curators (Ulla Alla, Merilin Kaup, Mari Möldre, Margus Tammik) by November 8, 2024.
Participation in the winter school is free for selected participants, and VARES will provide shared accommodation, meals, and travel support.