The Centre of Applied Research for Art, Design and Technology (Caradt) invites Avans students to apply for participation in the second edition of the Stuttgart Summer Camp 2026. This Summer Camp offers an intensive and collective learning experience in the heart of Stuttgart. Together with students and teachers from across Europe (Norway, Germany, Romania, Serbia and Switzerland), you will explore new ways of understanding and transforming the contemporary city centre.
This year we will explore Stuttgart’s inner city, which may appear ordinary at first glance. Shaped by post-war reconstruction, it is dominated by shopping centres, service buildings and highways cutting through the urban fabric. Yet beneath this surface lies a largely hidden world. Extensive underground systems of basements, tunnels, car parks and storage spaces connect buildings into one continuous structure: the guts of the city.
During the camp, you will work in interdisciplinary teams to uncover and reinterpret this hidden dimension. What happens if we no longer see the city as a collection of separate buildings, but as a single, interconnected spatial body? And what new possibilities for use and public life might emerge from this perspective?
The programme combines on-site research and exploration. For two weeks, you will live and work closely together in an intensive learning environment, sharing daily routines as well as ideas. You will take part in workshops, lectures, group discussions and presentations, all rooted in the specific conditions of the site.
This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in art, architecture, urban design or spatial practices, and for those motivated to engage with pressing questions about the future of cities. Get ready for a unique learning experience!
Location: Stuttgart, inner city
Dates: 30 August to 12 September
Participants: 3rd and 4th year BA students, and MA students from Avans
Selection: 5 to 7 students
All costs for travel, accommodation and meals will be covered by the organizers: the Wüstenrot Foundation
in co-operation with urbanes.land gGmbH Stuttgart and Belius GmbH Berlin.
For more information and to get an idea, take a look at the previous edition: https://caradt.nl/2024/07/31/learning-and-collaborating-at-the-river-summer-camp-in-stuttgart/
To apply, send a short motivation letter (max. 1 page A4) and a portfolio to Renée van Oploo, rjc.vanoploo@avans.nl,
and to Rob Leijdekkers, rfa.leijdekkers@avans.nl
Deadline: Friday, 22 May
If you’re invited for an interview, this will take place in the last week of May and the first week of June together with Rob Leijdekkers & Renée van Oploo
‘Within my practice I create spaces for introspection while exploring ethical dilemmas. ’
In 2017, I graduated from St. Joost in Den Bosch, and I hold a Master’s in Applied Ethics from Utrecht University. Presently, I work as an artist, am an active member of the YAFF art collective, and concurrently serve as a lecturer.
‘As a result of my current research, I ask the students the questions “what is your work” and “what works for you.’
Rob Leijdekkers is a researcher at the Cultural and Creative Industries research group and a tutor at the Art & Research programme at St. Joost School of Art & Design.
The research group Cultural and Creative Industries investigates the role of artists and designers as creative innovators and drivers of social and economic change. Affiliated researchers analyse the cultural and creative industries from a critical point of view and examine the conditions under which timely forms of aesthetic expression and social connectedness can actually take place within the precarious reality of this field. What economic models are required by artists and designers to create a meaningful practice within the aesthetic, social, and economic intentions of the cultural and creative industries? What skills sets are required for those artists and designers who don’t just want to follow movements, but actually shape novel social and economic models of the future?
Read more
Thank you for your subscription! Please check your email inbox to confirm.