London, United Kingdom

Art and Architecture

when 24 July 2017 - 5 August 2017
language English
duration 2 weeks
fee GBP 450

Students will be immersed in a two-week collaborative design and construction project. Through material testing and immediate engagement with an active urban site, we will explore architecture, art practice and performance to understand the dynamics of public space while developing the skills to intervene effectively, creatively and sustainably.

For the third consecutive summer, Dalston’s Gillett Square in London will be our site, our classroom and our workshop. Students will be challenged to closely observe the daily shifts in the social, physical and immaterial environment of this uniquely animated space, and to consider these against long-term patterns of change and development.

Building on our understanding of diurnal cycles, we will go on to orchestrate a one-day festival, bringing together a range of community groups and local performers in a programme that is at once playful, inclusive and provocative. Working with thin shell structures, casting and composites, students will create a suite of mobile architectural interventions. As well as facilitating our climactic festival, these will be designed with a view to their enduring use and long-term adoption by users of the Square.

The Summer School gives students the opportunity to learn from and work alongside STORE’s diverse community of experienced practitioners, including artists, architects, set designers and writers. This allows us to offer a programme which considers architecture in terms of urbanism, performance and craft while giving students the chance to test their ideas in a real public environment.

The course will focus on design through full-scale prototyping and on-site testing. This year, we will be explore techniques for creating lightweight composite structures, using textiles, fibre-reinforced concrete and (non-toxic) resins. Students will also be instructed in basic wood-working and use of small power tools.

Through engaging in an ambitious group build, students will develop the confidence to lead and enjoy working with others. Throughout the two weeks, students will document and present their process and work through design critiques, photography and portfolio tutorials. It is our intention that students should leave the Summer School with the capacity to independently initiate and develop socially engaged design projects.

Course leader

Gabriel Warshafsky, Greg Nordberg and Viktor Westerdahl

Target group

This course is open to students of all ages and with varying levels of experience. It will be of particular benefit to students interested in studying art, architecture or design at university level but also those currently enrolled in further education. Equally the course will provide an introduction to ambitious beginners with no design background.

STORE’s ethos of design through making ensures accessibility to those without extensive experience. Each and every student will be challenged imaginatively and creatively by set themes and by the scale of activities undertaken.

STORE’s ethos of design through making ensures accessibility to those without extensive experience. Each and every student will be challenged imaginatively and creatively by set themes and by the scale of activities undertaken.

Course aim

Participants on the course will have the rare opportunity to develop a project all the way from concept through to construction and in doing so will develop a variety of skills from draughtsmanship to hands on making at a large scale. STORE will also produce and provide all students with a portfolio document following the completion of the course. This document will help students to demonstrate relevant experience when applying to architecture, art and design courses at university.

Fee info

GBP 450: The cost of the course will cover the students materials and tools. The fee however will not cover accommodation or travel. For more information on accommodation in Warsaw please contact school@storeprojects.org