When

20-27 of August 2023.

Where

Gardening community "Sputnik", Sillamäe, Ida-Viru county, Estonia.

Apply to participate

14 participants in total will be accepted.

Applicants will be accepted based on the submitted work.

Application deadline is June 16, 2023.

Applicants will be notified about participation by June 26, 2023.

Fee and what that includes

Participation fee for the summer school is €290.

The amount includes:

> transfer Tallinn-"Sputnik"-Tallinn;

> food (prepared collectively);

> workshop fees, visiting guests fees and guided tours;

> bicycles to move around the area;

> accommodation;

> sauna.

Why we organize ??? Summer School

??? Summer School’s roots lead back to typography and design. Through a timely growth over the past two editions we’ve reached into a state of a garden where nature can thrive. We’re excited to discover the speculative—the in-between of art, design and architecture. What seeds could it plant? What could grow out of that?

??? Summer School remains an experiment. It began with many question marks and so far it appears to remain in the same sphere. For this edition we’re taking a step back, letting go of some of the ‘ground rules’ and seeing where it takes us—and you, our participant. The territory is unknown for us all. How could we navigate it all together?

The organisers responsible for managing the summer school and well-being of the participants are Aimur Takk, Ran-Re Reimann, Mathias Väärsi & Vello Lutter. All four met at the graphic design department of Estonian Academy of Arts and share a special interest towards self-initiated design projects in their own ways. Of course there are many more contributors who will help make ??? Summer School truly a unique experience, one of them being Eleonora Šljanda with her unique design language that visually manifests the vibe of ??? Summer School.

Living conditions

The summer school will be held in a dacha garden cooperative ‘Sputnik’ which is neighbouring an old Soviet era military town Sillamäe in Ida-Viru County, Estonia. We will stay at a nearby farmstead ‘Orava Talu’—founded in 1892 and is said to be one of the best camping places in East of Estonia. There are 3 cottages on the site with beds in each of them, but those who fancy more privacy can bring their own tent. For hygiene, we have at our disposal a toilet, shower and a sauna with a refreshing water barrel. Participation fees involve food three times a day that we’ll cook collectively. There is also a possibility to use a grill at all times.

Pack a lot of warm and waterproof clothes as August weather in Estonia might be unpredictable. There’s a shop 4 km away in the town Sillamäe where we can buy various kinds of supplies. You might also want to refresh a recipe or see if there’s some kind of food you’d like to share during one of the cooking sessions.

We also want to point out that you will probably not need a laptop, paper or pen throughout ??? Summer School – if possible, don't even bring them along! As we are not in total wilderness nor jungle then we still have indoor facilities where you can safely keep laptops and other electronics or even charge your phone battery.

Participation disclaimer!

Please read the text below before registering to the summer school.

??? Summer School will be held in a rural area where all the participants experience close encounters with nature, forest, water, bugs and insects. Please inform us if you have allergies to bees, flowers or any other elements of the wilderness. The summer school will be taking place in a dacha garden cooperative ‘Sputnik’ and we will stay at ‘Orava Talu’ in Ida-Viru county, Estonia. Transportation is possible by bus, train and by car. The nearest shop, in Sillamäe, is 4 km away from the workshop site. First aid is also nearby. Tutors and participants will be living, eating and sleeping together for the whole week in a camping-like setting – please pack accordingly. Sleeping is organised in collective camping houses but everyone is welcome to bring their tent if more privacy is preferred.

Contacts

info@qoqoqo.ee

aimur@qoqoqo.ee

ran@qoqoqo.ee

mathias@qoqoqo.ee

vello@qoqoqo.ee

Graphic design by Eleonora Šljanda

??? Summer School is supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia (Eesti Kultuurkapital)

Introduction

??? Summer School is a week-long experimental form of education with a focus on practices of care, collectivism and shared knowledge in the fields of architecture, art and design. The school takes place in an allotment gardening community called “Sputnik” close to a small town Sillamäe, Estonia from 20th—27th of August. Our goal is to provide the space and time to work on a self-initiated project and to explore embodied research practices.

??? Summer School is being held for the 3rd time and we welcome designers, artists, architects, theorists, curators and everyone else interested to participate.

Our mentors are Lilian Pungas & Annela Samuel + guest visits by Kuidas.works and Sandra Kosorotova & kreenholm_plants.

Lilian Pungas

Lilian Pungas (Lilli) is currently about to finish her PhD in environmental sociology at Jena university in Germany. Dachas and babushkas along with care, decolonial ecofeminisms, human-nature relationships, degrowth and more have been her research interest since years. Dachas in Eastern Estonia provide in her opinion an inspiring model for a good life with a low footprint.

Annela Samuel

Annela Samuel is PhD candidate at Tallinn University. Her research is focused on migratory experience from the viewpoint of cultural psychology. She has investigated the identity processes and place making of young people and older citizens with the history of migration, by looking at their everyday routines, individual and collective memory. As a documentary photographer, she has participated in several personal and group exhibitions in Estonia and abroad.

Kuidas.works

Kuidas.works is a research-based design studio located in Tallinn, Estonia. The studio is currently investigating the potential applications of earth and construction waste as a building material in a site-specific context.

kuidas.works

Sandra Kosorotova

Artist Sandra Kosorotova lives and works in Haapsalu. She graduated from the Fashion Design department of the Estonian Academy of Arts (MA, 2016) and was awarded the Young Applied Artist Prize by the academy the same year. She also holds a BA degree from the Graphic Design department of the same institution. In 2020 Kosorotova established an open garden near Narva Art residency, which she has been until recently co-running together with artist Sille Kima (in 2023 the management of the garden was taken over by a team of Narva locals). Kosorotova works across many media and topics, but more often than not she is engaging with – and ideas around – weeds

sandrakosorotova.com

Keep up with ???

This website is very static and barely will be updated. So to keep up with ??? Summer School news and latest activities then follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

@qoqoqo_summerschool

Facebook qoqoqosummerschool

Schedule

*This is an initial program of the ??? Summer School and organizers take the liberty to change it if necessary. Only to make it even better.