May 29 — June 3, 2024

Urban Camp

European Youth Exchange, Georgia

Project Overview

Urban Camp was part of the "WARning the City/Zens" project dedicated to discussing the challenges that cities are facing today due to wars. The project aims at rethinking the possibilities and actions of young active citizens and urbanists in this situation. The Camp was based on an interdisciplinary approach and non-formal education methods. It welcomed initiative, active participation and peer-to-peer learning.

Project team

Lilia Voronkova

Dr. Oleg Pachenkov

Anastasia Puschkarewa

Urban Camp aimed to inspire participants:

— to share their ideas, experiences, plans and resources with each other

— to provide them with new perspectives and tools, showing different approaches to city research & action

— to initiate new projects and spark collaboration

Program contained:
— 3 creative directions to dive in and explore

— 8 experienced team members to guide you in the program

— 20 participants with diverse backgrounds
— 5 days of creative cooperation

Program Timeline

Location: Urban Camp takes place in Tskaltubo, Georgia

May 29
Arrival of participants

May 30 — June 4
Urban Camp program contains workshops, peer sessions, lectures, guided walking tours, etc.

Workshop on filmmaking & storytelling

The hands-on filmmaking workshop of Sasha Semkina aimed to showcase various storytelling techniques and approaches. While filming, participants were able to put theory into practice by incorporating considerations of context and location. Sasha guided participants, dissecting classical narrative structures and offering insights on thinking outside the box. Through a series of engaging exercises and collaborative discussions, participants explored the nuances of storytelling, uncovering the unique stories each of them could tell. Each narrative has the potential to serve as a catalyst for change.

Performative workshop

In this workshop led by Natasha Borenko, participants artistically explored ourselves in the new town through performative practices, dérive methods, small (and careful) interventions, and participatory art techniques. By the end of the workshop, each participant could choose or invent a suitable artistic practice for themselves and had the opportunity to share it with the rest of the group at our summer meeting.

Artistic research workshop
The particularity of the places like Tskaltubo among many other things implies the following: we know already before arriving that we come to leave after a few days; just like (trans)migrants do. And we know, that our status of presence in such a place will „include the exclusion": we could be excluded from our own "normal' everyday life, but also - from the daily life of local inhabitants. Being IDPs we could be excluded in one way, being artists – in another; we could be excluded being poor or mentally deviant, etc. How to act and interact during cruising in such a situationistic context of presence with an artistic awareness? Together participants could undertake an artistic research that included collecting audial, visual and other types of data, participant observation, sensual impressions, artistic forms of (interactive) presence as a witness of time and others. The methods applied were modified to the site and the context, participants were working in. The workshop was offered by Prof. h.c. Wolfgang Knapp.

June 5 — Departure of participants

The Context of Tskaltubo

We believe that the context of Tskaltubo holds much to inspire and work with. The city reflects the consequences of Soviet colonial policies and the effects of war. We are inspired by its history, politics, aesthetics and by its potential future. And we are sure it can inspire you too! By exploring the city's context, we can apply some new approaches and tools to work in a complex and vulnerable urban environment.

During the Soviet era, Tskaltubo was one of the largest health resorts in the country. At those times significant complexes of buildings in the style of Soviet neoclassicism and Soviet modernism were built. After the collapse of the USSR and Georgia's independence, the resort began to decline. After the war in Abkhazia in 1992/93, around 10,000 displaced Georgians were accommodated in Tskaltubo. The IDPs were settled in former spa hotels and sanatoriums, which were transformed into gardens, cattle pastures, etc.

In recent years, there have been efforts to revitalize Tskaltubo, to attract visitors and investors to the area with the aim of restoring its former glory as a tourist destination.

Our Participants

We invited to take part in the Camp:

young people living in Georgia, Armenia and Germany
individuals interested in urban issues and willing to share their experience with others
active citizens, urbanists, researchers, artists, learners
those who would like to explore new approches and tools, have an idea for a new urban project and are looking for inspiration and new cooperations
age limit 20 - 30

Terms of participation:

the working language was English. Language mediation was provided.
all costs of the Camp (accommodation in double rooms, flights, local transfers, alimentation, program activities) were covered by the organisers.

The project is implemented within the EU Program Erasmus +.