Open Call for Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) Visiting Summer School in Samshvilde

The AA Visiting School: Archival Land(e)scapes is a multi-year programme, aiming to research and reconstruct the material structures, forgotten living conditions, and silenced histories of the ruined fortified city of Samshvilde in the South Caucasus, dating back to the 3rd millennium B.C. The research territory, located about 65 km from Tbilisi, has undergone archaeological excavations and studies. While archaeologists are interested in findings within the layers of the earth, architects, writers, and spatial researchers can contribute by rediscovering and reinterpreting what is scattered on the surface.

The first year, in 2026, the programme, subtitled 'Material Fragments of Samshvilde', focuses on material artifacts and ruins found within the research field, composed by a carved-out road system, elevated gardens, megalithic structures, menhirs, graves, a citadel, churches, and other remnants.

During the programme, participants will live and work at the University of Georgia’s archaeological base, engage with archaeologists and local communities, and join excursions to museums, stone quarries, local wineries and agricultural school. They will be teamed-up in four groups, working on following topics: Land Art, Mapping, Writing and Micro-Scale Intervention, framing the common research theme. The results will be exhibited in Tbilisi.

The programme will be concluded with the construction of micro-scale structures using local materials, presented publicly on the penultimate day. The aim is to disseminate results through publications, exhibitions and public events, unearthing forgotten histories and addressing questions around the politics of time and neglected landscapes.