Class 2023
The School of
Phyto-centred Design
The Design Campus summer program is a “School of Utopias”. It is a visionary design school set to explore complex problems, dream bold ideas, and collaboratively build new ways forward. Curated by a different Head of School each year, the curriculum will investigate a specific theme. The students and faculty will explore the research question through a series of workshops, lectures, talks, exhibits, and other public programs. The summer school will be a spring board for future projects in the museum, its environs, and its network.
CLASS 2023
THE SCHOOL OF PHYTO-CENTRED DESIGN
by d-o-t-s (Laura Drouet, Olivier Lacrouts)
In its traditional understanding and execution, design is a discipline focused on the satisfaction of human needs and wishes. The on-going Climate Emergency, however, reminds us that caring only for our species’ desires has had – and keeps having – unfortunate repercussions on the planet and the other beings that co-inhabit it with us. Changing direction is essential. Deconstructing the principles of design and supporting instead multi-specific relationships and pluricultural narratives is an urgency.
Within this shift of perspective, reconsidering our relationship with the vegetal world can play a key role. While the extractive methods of the globalised capitalist economy have conveniently allowed some cultures to view them as mere commodities whose availability is taken for granted, plants constitute, in fact, 99.5% of the Earth’s visible biomass and are far from being passive. On the contrary, they inhabit, create and design the planet as sentient living beings.
Applying a green filter to design – considering also the health and needs of the vegetal realm beside ours – can help us identify and rethink damaging practices such as monocultural production and the patenting of ancestral knowledge and nature. This effort makes more sense when we consider that design-related industries, like furniture making and fashion, rely heavily on plants’ productivity to prosper but are generally responsible for major habitat loss of both vegetal and animal communities (humans included).
Thought as a learning ground, The School of Phyto-centred Design* invites the participants to discover and get inspired by the vegetal world and to imagine new design approaches that could benefit all beings without distinction. Adopting The Manifesto of Phyto-centered Design** as a moral compass and informed by the exhibition Plant Fever on display on-site during the summer school at Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, the programme will value multidisciplinarity, multiculturalism, collaboration, and critical thinking; sowing seeds of disobedience and inclusiveness.
Led by a selection of experimental thinkers and practitioners, the nine day workshops will be further nourished by accompanying lectures from specialists (gardeners, scientists, philosophers…) and visits to pertinent sites surrounding the Design Campus at Pillnitz Palace & Park.
* Phyto-centered design
from phutón, meaning “plant” in Ancient Greek
1. An interspecific and holistic design approach that looks at plants as allies and not as mere commodities
** Inspired by ongoing initiatives and projects of contemporary international designers, engineers, artists and writers, The Manifesto of Phyto-centred Design consists of 7 points that call practitioners and the general public to establish a new sense of respect, responsibility and empathy towards plants
d-o-t-s
d‑o-t‑s is a nomadic curatorial practice founded by Laura Drouet [FR] and Olivier Lacrouts [IT/FR]. The duo’s investigations focus on the diverse and questionable relationships that – through design – human communities establish among themselves, with other animals, plants, and landscapes. Defined by the participatory and interdisciplinary approach, d‑o-t‑s’ work spans writing, exhibition-making, hands-on workshops, and design commissions. Their on-going and upcoming projects include: the touring exhibition Plant Fever (Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, 2023 & 2024); the book Greenhouse Stories (Onomatopee, 2023); the short movie & publication Stork Fictions (summer/autumn 2023).
TERM 1
20/7 – 28/7/2023
MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
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LECTURE 1
24/7/2023, 10:00-12:00 AM
RHUBARB AND OTHER STORIES: GARDENS AND MULTISPECIES MEMORY BY CATRIONA SANDILANDS
The Harvest
- Emma Bruschi
The Avocado Legacy
- Fernando Laposse
TERM 2
03/8 – 11/8/2023
SHIFTING PERSPECTIVE
TERM 3
17/8 – 25/8/2023
GIVING BACK
Costs
The participation fee includes: 1 Workshop (9-day duration), full-time-catering, accommodation (10 nights) and framework programme.
- 450 € — Early Bird Application (until 15.4.2023)
- 690 € — Regular Fee (16.4. – 15.6.2023) EXTENDED TO THE 30th June
All other costs such as travel costs, city transport and excursions at the weekend are to be paid by the participants themselves.
Additionally you can apply for financial support, which means a maximum discount of -100€ in total!
Accomodation
In the first term of the Summer School we are Glamping in Pillnitz-Dresden (20.07 — 28.07.2023). Our camp offers spacious tippi tents with comfortable huge beds, where you can wake up to the pleasant fragrances of nature, the alluring sight of the wine yards and dramatic sun spectacles.
// Please be aware to bring your own sleeping bag and towels! But don't worry we gonna provide you with all practical information right before your stay...
For the second and third term we stay in the newly renovated dorms at the academy for gardening (Fachschule für Gartenbau) just closeby the palace, at Söbrigener Straße 3a, 01326 Dresden. There are single and double bedrooms, prepared with linens and bedsheets for you, but please be aware that you have to bring your own towels! But again, don't worry we gonna provide you with all practical information right before your stay...
Arrival
By train/airplane:
We recommend arriving at the Design Campus by train via Dresden-Neustadt station or Dresden main station. The Design Campus in Pillnitz Palace can be reached from Dresden city centre at any time by public transport (bus stop “Pillnitzer Platz”).
The closest airports to the Design Campus are Dresden Airport (45 min), Leipzig Airport (1,5 h), Prague Airport (2 h) or Berlin Airport (2,5 h). From all airports there are connections to Dresden by public transport (train, bus).
By car:
Address: Schloss Pillnitz, August-Böckstiegel-Straße 2, 01326 Dresden.
There are two public (paid) parking facilities at Pillnitz Palace. The dormitory and the premises of the Design Campus in Pillnitz Palace are both within walking distance from the parking facilities.
Check-in & Workshops
Check-in is possible on Thursday afternoon from 3 pm to 5 pm. On Thursday evening there will be a small welcome event for all participants.
The workshops will begin on Friday morning, after a guided tour of the grounds of Pillnitz Palace and Park and the Green Forum.
After the tutors' introductions to their topics, the workshops begins. The schedule for the week is determined by the tutors, together with their participants.
During free periods, the extensive area around Pillnitz Palace and Park in Pillnitz is perfect for jogging and hiking in the vineyards or along the river Elbe. Day trips to the baroque city of Dresden or to the national park Saxon Switzerland are possible.
During the week there are a number of evening social events and on the last Friday a closing party.
Departure & Check-out
All courses end on Saturday. Check-out from the dormitory is 11 am and departure is organized by the individual.
GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The Design Campus is an organisation under the administration of the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
The Design Campus is open to anyone interested in changing the world through design, irrespective of age, nationality, training, or cultural background.
Participants at the Design Campus must be at 18 years of age or older.
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APPLICATION
The application for the Design Campus must be made via the application form available on the website www.designcampus.org. In submitting the application, you accept the general terms and conditions.
The application cannot be transferred.
A place in the workshop is only guaranteed once the tuition fees have been paid.
Only completed application forms will be processed. In the case where the maximum number of participants in the workshop (see below) is reached a place in the workshop will not be offered to additional applicants.
If the applicant does not meet the application requirements of the Design Campus, a place in the workshops will not be offered.
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PARTICIPATION
Participation in each workshop is limited to fifteen (15) participants and cannot be exceeded.
The prices appearing in the descriptions of services and products are prices inclusive of VAT in EUROS (€)
The fee covers the cost of participation in a nine (9) day workshop, with instruction by a qualified tutor, use of our studio and equipment during workshop hours, attendance at various events organised by the Design Campus, accommodation for ten (10) nights, and catering four (4) times per day for nine (9) days (not inclusing breakfast on the departure day).
The course fee does not cover the cost of excursions, travel to and from Dresden, and individual activities.
Workshops may be booked only for the full duration.
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TERMS OF PAYMENT
Once acceptance for a workshop has been confirmed, the course fee of 450/690 EUR including VAT is due immediately after you reseved the payment instructions via e-mail.
The course fee must be paid by June 30, 2023.
The course fee is to be paid via bank transfer. The details for the bank transfer for the course fee will be provided in e-mail to successful applicants. Upon confirmation of payment, electronic confirmation of participation will be sent to each participant through e-mail.
A place in the workshop cannot be held by partial payment of the course fee.
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CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS
The registration is binding - After the acceptance to participate in the Summer School, the corresponding course fee is due, which must be transferred by 30th June 2023.
Workshop participation can be cancelled without penalty up to and including Jun 29, 2023.
With a cancellation after 30th June 2023, 50% of the course fee will still be due.
If a participant wishes to cancel after the payment deadline, June 30, 2023, a refund will only be issued in cases of illness, accident, death (individual or family member), as long as there is acceptable documentation as determined by the Design Campus team. Cancellation should be made immediately.
All other reasons, including but not limited to dissatisfaction or programme changes, do not entitle a participant to a refund.
Should the Design Campus have to cancel a workshop, all payments will be refunded.
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INSURANCE
The Design Campus is not liable for accidents, theft, or any damages of any kind which occur during the workshop. Each participant is responsible for obtaining adequate insurance coverage for the duration of the workshop: Accident, liability, and medical insurance for travel abroad, including return transportation to your home country (evacuation), as well as theft insurance for your personal belongings.
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COURSE LOCATION
The course location is the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Schloss Pillnitz. All participants are liable for the duty of care. They commit themselves to respect the house rules of the respective locations and follow all corresponding regulations. The house rules will be provided via e-mail along with the confirmation of participation. Eventual deficiencies have to be reported to the team of the Design Campus.
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SECURITY MEASURES
Participants are advised allergens may be present in the studio spaces, in the museum, in the accommodations, the materials used. Participants are required to take the precaustions required for their own health and safety with respect to allergies.
Entrance to the Design Campus at Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden premises is restricted to participants, tutors, and members of Design Campus staff. Other visitors have access to the premises of the Design Campus only after registering beforehand via designcampus@skd.museum and accompanied by Design Campus staff. Exceptions may be organized by the Design Campus team.
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VALIDITY
These terms and conditions are valid from 01.03.2021. Verbal subsidiary agreements require written confirmation by the administration of the Design Campus, Kunstgewerbemuseum / Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, and have no effect on the general terms and conditions of the Design Campus.
Place of jurisdiction: Dresden
CONTACT
Design Campus
Kunstgewerbemuseum – Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Schloss Pillnitz
August-Böckstiegel-Straße 2, 01326 Dresden
designcampus@skd.museum