Open Call for Summer School: Inventing Sauna: Playing with Fire, Smoke and Water

Inventing Sauna: Playing with Fire, Smoke and Water

→ Residency period: July 13 – September 5, 2026 → Opening event: August 29, 2026 → Support: stipend + travel support + production budget → Application deadline: April 19, 2026

VARES is looking for architects, builders, engineers, inventors, artists and cultural researchers to co-create a two-month interdisciplinary sauna school. Together we will explore, experiment and build – resulting in a floating sauna that will emerge on the Pedeli river by the end of the summer.

The residency combines hands-on construction, collective discussions and independent research and experimentation. It is a full-time program and participants are expected to be actively present throughout the entire period.

In our Baltic-Nordic region, the sauna is an important social and ritual practice, shaped by its own spatial logic, rhythms and customs. At the same time, it is not unique to this place – across the world, different cultures have developed their own forms around heat, steam and purification. During the summer school, we will look into these traditions: where saunas come from, what kinds of typologies exist and why they take the forms they do.

Within the residency, we will explore the core of sauna rituals and speculate on what other forms might accommodate them. We will also engage with the performative dimensions of the sauna experience – how one enters, inhabits and acts within the space. We will prototype chimneys and heaters, learn masonry and test ideas through making.

The group residency distributes roles and responsibilities across participants. We will involve others and assign roles such as the firekeeper, whisk maker, water carrier, or body washer – approaching these both as practical tasks and as playful or performative elements.

Alongside the construction process, residents are invited to contribute to a public programme – including workshops, reading sessions, performances and community events – that helps establish a support structure around the sauna for its future use. Participation in the public program is encouraged, but its format will depend on the interests and initiatives of the residents.

The completed sauna will remain in public use after the residency, becoming part of the local community infrastructure.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR We welcome applications from Europe-based or Europe-affiliated architects, interior architects, builders, engineers, inventors, artists, performers, researchers and theorists interested in exploring the nuances of sauna typology.

Alongside playful experimentation with fire and water, the residency involves a serious – though experimental – construction process. Practical skills and experience with tools are an advantage, but we also welcome applicants who are motivated to develop these skills during the residency.

WHAT WE OFFER VARES provides a focused living and working environment in Valga. Each participant is offered a private bedroom, shared spaces in the residency house, basic working conditions and access to a workshop equipped with essential tools and machinery. A small storage of leftover materials is also available and can be expanded as needed.

The construction process will be mentored by Päär Keedus, an experienced builder who has previously constructed several saunas. VARES will prepare the overall spatial framework of the sauna, provide the primary construction materials, secure the necessary permits and help establish connections with the local community.

Applications are open to individuals as well as small groups (preferably 1–2 people applying together). Up to five participants will be selected. In most cases, each resident will have a private room; group applicants will share accommodation.The residency includes a stipend and travel support and covers costs related to construction and public programming.

We are looking for participants who can fully commit to the residency. If you need to be away during the period, please inform us in advance – days spent away will be deducted from the stipend.

HOW TO APPLY To apply, please fill out the application form (you'll find it on our webpage) and include: 1. CV (and portfolio, if available; max 25 MB) 2. A statement of interest in a format of your choice: a motivation letter and/or a description of how you would contribute to the construction of the sauna (max 10 MB)

The application deadline is April 19, 2026. Only applications submitted through the official application form will be considered.

The selection will be made by VARES curators (Ulla Alla, Merilin Kaup, Mari Möldre, Margus Tammik), and results will be published on the website by early May 2026.For questions, please contact: info@vares.space Source: https://vares.space/en/open-call-for-residency-inventing-sauna/