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Summer Design & Intervention Workshops
In Aldeias do Xisto Portugal
This up coming August the designers Daniela Pais (graduated master 2007 Design Academy Eindhoven, Men & Humanity) and David Luxembourg (teacher Design Academy Eindhoven, Men & Leisure) will direct special series of design workshops, aimed at the revival and renovation of old deserted & abandoned villages in the center of Portugal - through creativity & sustainable design development.
These will be interdisciplinary workshops which will provide the participants both with a design challenge and a platform to explore new ideas within rural context. The program for these workshops is a combination between creative thinking and creative making, all aimed at offering and developing new insights into design processes and the challenges involved in the creation of new and innovative concepts about crafts, nature, sustainability, social design & local development.
The project is a cooperation with the Portuguese project 'Aldeias do Xisto', or in English the 'Schist Villages Network'. This is a sustainable development project of a regional scope and context that is promoted by ADXTUR -Agency for the Development & Tourism in Aldeias do Xisto, in a partnership with 16 counties in the Central Region of Portugal and over 70 operators & businesses on this territory.
The main idea behind this cooperation is to provide the local communities of the region with creative and innovative input for their sustainable development and to support the efforts of local municipalities against the human desert, oblivion and abandonment of these villages - through the creation of touristic services and the preservation of the culture and the heritage of rural Inland Portugal.
Location, Stay & Traveling costs
Dates
Program
Participation & Selection
Participation fee
Application, Colofon & Links
Gallery
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Location, Stay & Traveling costs:
As mentioned above the 'Aldeias do Xixto' projects is a sustainable development project of a regional scope and context, which means that the workshop activities will spread over many locations.
However the village of Barroca (in the red circle - 28 Km from the city of Fundao, central Portugal) and its 'Casa Grande', an old 18th century manor that nowadays serves as the Dynamic Center for 'Aldeias do Xisto', will serve as the base of operations for the workshops from which the participants will launch their exploration and set out for the workshop's activities.
The organizers of the project have also arranged a staying location for the participants (free of charge) approximately 8 Km from Barroca, in a scenery of mountains and valleys and near the Zezere River at the 'Pousada da Mina' youth hostel, a 74 year old building previously used as a mess hall for local miners that has been converted into a modern, comfortable youth hostel with well-equipped facilities, including free WiFi internet access.
The tickets to portugal (Lisbon airport) and back are usually not that expansive, around the 200 euros with TAP (if you fly from either from Amsterdam airport or Brussels airport for example), but you can also get them some times for a 150 or even 100 euros if you look very good for it (again from the same destinations).
Then, from Lisbon to Fundao, it take about 3.5 hours by train and costs 15 euros for a return ticket and other wise you can get the bus which we assume will cost a bit more but may take even less time to travel.
And finally from Fundao to Barroca or to the hostel it is another 30-40 minutes and is free of charge- transportation will be provided by ADXTUR .
Dates:
Workshop 1 - 18th till 25th of August 2009.
Workshop 2 - 23rd till 30th of August 2009.
Program:
The program for these workshops is a combination between creative thinking and creative making, involving the local community & its artisans with national and international designers & design students while keeping the focus on the regional intervention program, its aims and its needs (a briefing will be given in the begining of each workshop as to what these are).
The program is distributed in terms of time and activities into 3 main periods:
1. The morning time - dedicated to visit local artisans and exploring the environment with series leisure related activities.
2. The afternoon - during this time the focus of the work in the field and hand on activities; mapping and analyzing the site, working with craftsmen and experimenting on location with future scenarios of intervention.
3. The Evening period- dedicated for dialog & data analysis provoked by lectures by invited guests and movie sessions.
As a platform the program is open to involvement of all interested and interesting parties, therefore the possibility is given to creative professionals & design students with a special interest or project (which is related to themes of the workshops) to combine their studies with this program and to continue and explore their ideas and concept within the workshops.
Also in order to help the participants understand the environment & culture of the region and the relationship between this project, sustainability and design the program will host a series of invited guests, from local initiators to international professionals in this field, who have been involved directly with this project or with similar projects, to share their experience and interact with the participants and their work.
Participation & Selection
Participation in these workshops is open for designers, design students and other creative professionals who are interested in sustainable design within the contexts of rural living & local development.
Nr. of participants: Max. 10 in each workshop.
You can ask for an application form for the workshops - either via danielapais@danielapais.com or through fortune_chickens@hotmail.com.
We also provide the following criteria for participation (more information on the application form):
- You must be 20 years old or older.
- In order that we will have a better understanding of who you are and how you work, we ask each participant to write us/send us a short C.V. or Bio (max 1 A4 long) with some details about themselves their work, study, education etc.
+ Also (this part is not compulsory) if you have any website or a small portfolio that we could look in please let us know where it is (URL) or simply send it it to our emails.
- If you have a special interest or an ongoing project you would like to continue and explore during the workshop, please attach a short power point presentation or PDF about it when sending back your application form.
Participation fee
245 Euros per person per workshop (of 7 days)
This price includes:
- Accommodation (in a shared room).
- Meals (full board).
- Materials.
Application, Colofon & Links
Summer Design & Intervention Workshops in Aldeias do Xisto Portugal
Initiated by:
David Luxembourg
www.yoad.info
Daniela Pais
www.danielapais.com
Organized by:
ADXTUR Agency for the Development & Tourism in Aldeias do Xisto.
www.aldeiasdoxisto.pt
To receive application form please email:
Daniela Pais & David Luxembourg
danielapais@danielapais.com, or fortune_chickens@hotmail.com
(c) All right of intellectual property are reserved. Yeah! All of them. +++ Yoad David Luxembourg & Daniela Pais 2009.
