Pictures from FestivaL´and 2025
From June 25 to July 5, the sixth international summer school of temporary architecture and urban design, “FestivaL'and 6.0”, took place in Valmiermuiža, Valmiera. The summer school was organised by the Institute of Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture (Art Academy of Latvia) in collaboration with the cultural and creative association CAMPOSAZ (Italy), the Valmiermuiža Cultural Society, the Faculty of Architecture and Design at RISEBA University of Business, Arts and Technology, and the Valmiera Summer Theatre Festival.
The “FestivaL'and” summer school is a special practical education program dedicated to the creative synergy of art, design, architecture, crafts, and wood construction—an urban environment laboratory for temporary spatial interventions in public outdoor spaces. It was attended by an international group of participants – 15 architecture and design students from Germany, Austria, Georgia, China, the USA, Italy, Belgium, Lithuania, Turkey, Hungary, and Lithuania, as well as participants from Latvia.
The summer school was led by experienced and professional mentors: architect Jonathan Roditi (France), architect-designer Mariella Gentile (Italy), and carpenter Davide Tagliabue (Italy) from the Italy-based international creative culture association CAMPOSAZ, which promotes and stimulates collaboration, self-construction, and woodworking. The process was supported and ideas were helped to be realised by scenographer, designer and carpenter Rudolf Bekic. The summer school program was developed by architect, LMA researcher and project manager Dina Suhanova.
The summer school included theoretical lectures, practical construction, and an introduction to the history and local culture of Valmiermuiža and Valmiera, exploring the city, visiting the recently renovated theatre building and the DeWoldemer exhibition, the new Latvian Forest Office building, which was constructed using modern technologies from wood materials, as well as experiencing the Ethnomusic Festival. Working together, the participants gained new knowledge, skills, and experience by participating in the design process from research and idea generation to 1:1 scale construction in wood in the public outdoor space of Valmiermuiža Park.
This year, bachelor's and master's students in architecture, design, urban planning, and audiovisual arts from 10 different universities participated in the summer school: Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Georgia, University of Trento, University of Pisa, as well as RISEBA University, the Art Academy of Latvia, and Riga Design and Art Secondary School. Ten participants in the summer school received Latvian state scholarships from the State Education Development Agency (StudyInLatvia) through a competitive selection process.
Until now, the summer school has been implemented in close cooperation with the Valmiera Summer Theatre Festival, creating a special festival centre layout and installations in the urban environment of Valmiera. In 2025, the summer school was organised by expanding the circle of cooperation partners, establishing a partnership with the Valmiermuiža Cultural Society. The Valmiermuiža barn and park became the base of the summer school and the venue for lectures and workshops. During the “FestivaL'and”, ideas and sketches were developed for a spatial installation for an environmental object and landscaping elements, which architecture and design students, with the help of mentors, built in the Valmiermuiža park area using wood materials from sponsors, the company BITUS.
The outdoor CLASSROOM pavilion, a (FOOT)BRIDGE for gathering and LOUNGERS for chilling, were created as part of the summer school in Valmiermuiža park and inaugurated during the Ethnomusic Festival, which took place in the park on July 5. It is planned that the objects will remain in Valmiermuiža Park at least until November this year, but preferably longer, potentially transforming into a venue for various events and outdoor activities, as well as a thematic light installation during national holidays. At the summer school closing event on July 5, attended by Antra Priede, Vice-Rector for Studies at the Latvian Academy of Art, and Rūdolfs Dainis Šmits, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at RISEBA, participants received certificates confirming their participation and 6 ECTS credits.
The summer school was financially supported (in addition to funding from the State Education Development Agency in the form of scholarships) by the Valmiera Municipality, the State Culture Capital Foundation, SIA Valmiermuižas alus, SIA Bitus Latvia, and SIA Gandrs. The summer school is a cultural event of regional significance in the Valmiera region.