26 June 2010 In traveltime by aslihan

traveltime is an international summer workshop that will take place in the island of Imvros/Gökçeada between 7-15 August. The intensive 9-day design workshop is open to all architecture students who are interested in relationships between theory and practice. Participants will investigate ways of understanding a place with its history, memory, geography, nature and culture through travels, readings, and performances on the island in order to develop individual and group design work.

traveltime refers to the spatiotemporal character of travel which we aim to explore in this workshop. Throughout history, Imvros/Gökçeada has been a place of traverse as a result of migration, exile, and tourism. For example, the Greek population in the island fell dramatically after the 1960s. The half-open prison on the island caused another population flow until the 1990s when the prison was closed. In the summer, there happens another community circulation on the island as visitors search experiences and emotions as diverse as relaxation, pleasure, remembrance, and exploration. Some spend the summer in their seasonal home; others visit the island for the yearly celebrations of the Panagia Festival; some stay at the numerous hotels on the island for a short holiday; others come to the island to visit the places their migrated families once lived. This workshop will provide an opportunity to consider these different acts of travel that suggest different time frames in which one experiences a place.

traveltime will initiate participation, active involvement, and creative production. We intend this event to evolve around daily performances, readings and discussions from architectural discourse and other fields such as art, music, gastronomy, philosophy, and literature.

The language of the workshop is English. The number of participants will be limited to 20.