In partnership with the crafts cooperative Werkraum Bregenzerwald, the University of Liechtenstein is offering a Summer School of Arts & Crafts for the first time, to be held from 6 to 18 July 2015. The objective is to reinforce and improve artistic and craft aspects on architecture degree courses.
In partnership with the crafts cooperative Werkraum Bregenzerwald, the University of Liechtenstein is offering a Summer School of Arts & Crafts for the first time, to be held from 6 to 18 July 2015. The objective is to reinforce and improve artistic and craft aspects on architecture degree courses.
The Summer School of Arts & Crafts has been launched as a cooperative venture between the Institute for Architecture and Spatial Development at the University of Liechtenstein and the Austrian crafts cooperative Werkraum Bregenzerwald [Bregenzerwald Work Space]. The summer programme for international students runs for two weeks, one dedicated to the arts and the other to the crafts. The workshops will be supplemented by visits to artists’ studios and excursions to contemporary architectural highlights of the region. One of the innovative features of the programme is that those taking part will have the opportunity of working with established local craftsmen on their own production premises, so learning will not be just restricted to computer study and the lecture theatre.
Summer School of Arts & Crafts in the creative atmosphere of the Atelier of the University of Liechtenstein
Regional und international
Here’s what Hugo Dworzak, Head of the Institute for Architecture and Spatial Development at the University of Liechtenstein, has to say about the Summer School: ‘The workshops are embedded in the daily life of a region which is noted for its high standard of arts and crafts, as well as for architecture of international standing and its intelligent use of resources. All these aspects form the foundation for sustainable building.’
Werkraum Bregenzerwald functions as an interface between architecture and the crafts.
Week 1: Creative Work in Liechtenstein
In the first week, at the University of Liechtenstein, the students will work to improve their skills in sketching, drawing and sculpture – all three serving as direct media for design and communication in the field of architecture. They will be taught by internationally active architects and artists coming from Spain, Hong Kong and Austria. ‘The University of Liechtenstein is a valuable interface between regional awareness and talent on the one hand, and international supply and demand on the other,’ Carmen Rist-Stadelmann, Coordinator of the Summer School, is firmly convinced.
Practical work experience at one of 14 craft workshops during the Summer School of Arts & Crafts / ©Peter Löwy
Week 2: Learning Bregenzerwald Crafts
In the second week, in the Bregenzerwald region, students be assigned to one of 14 craft workshops for a practical work experience. In the view of Renate Breuss, Director of Werkraum Bregenzerwald, the essential thing to be emphasised here is ‘that craft skills cannot be learned from a manual, but can only be passed on from the master to the apprentice. The exchange of ideas between craft workers and architects is equally important, and should be promoted from an early stage.’ Here architecture students will have a unique opportunity of learning from and with craft workers, and acquiring familiarity with materials and production methods on a one-to-one scale. The event will be hosted at the Werkraumhaus, a building created by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, where the results of the Summer School will likewise be exhibited at the end of the course.
Arts & Crafts Summer School
Workshops: 6 to 18 July 2015
Bookings
• Early bird discount (up to 26 April 2015): EUR 1000.-
• Regular bookings up to 24 May 2015: EUR 1100.-
Online bookings and further information at www.uni.li/summerschool.