We are in the middle of summer. It's a good time to slow down, relax, take care of your body and mind. Some of us are just returning from vacation, some are eagerly awaiting the longed-for vacation. This year, participants and attendees of the National Meeting of Architecture Students (OSSA) will embark on a unique summer camp, it will last from August 24 to September 1. OSSA 2024 under the theme Sanatorium will be held in Podkarpacie, more precisely in Iwonicz-Zdrój, one of the oldest Polish spas.
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The OSSA workshop, a grassroots and informal student initiative, has been organized since 1997. The transitory nature of the event means that both the organizers and the venue of OSSA change each time. The idea, in which students decide on the theme of the workshop, allows them to respond on an ongoing basis to the issues most relevant to them. This year it is care.
Matylda Wolff, one of the organizers of the workshop, talks about the theme and program of this year's OSSA, as well as concern for the mental condition of those studying architecture
Ola Kloc: The motto of this year's edition is Sanatorium, and the turnout — as you yourself write — will take place in Podkarpacie. Where did you get the idea for this theme, and why did you choose this particular location?
Matylda Wolff: OSSA, since we met it, has been for us not only workshops or meetings, but also a place to nurture our inner sensitivity. For many of us, our first ever OSSA even had a therapeutic effect, giving us motivation to keep going and showing us that there are committed and creative people in the academic community and industry. The OSSA Sanatorium is all about emphasizing this therapeutic quality of the workshop, taking the burden of unproductivity off the mere need for leisure and engaging in individual and mutual care. We believe that by distancing ourselves from the stresses of everyday life, we will unleash the creative potential dormant in participants and teachers.
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In such a context, the choice of a spa town for the location of this year's OSSA was actually a matter of course. Our search began — looking through the photographic archives, we were charmed by many localities, but the one that captivated us the most out of all of them (also thanks to the persuasion of our friends from the Subcarpathian region) was Iwonicz-Zdrój. An additional factor in this decision was the fact that OSSA had never been in this part of Poland before. We decided it was high time to bring OSSA to the Podkarpacie region!
Ola Kloc: There's a lot of talk these days about concern for mental health, and attention is paid to the experiences of those studying architecture, as reflected in the report Zawód na A. Do you plan to address this topic during OSSA? If so — in what way?
Matilda Wolff: In the context of the Sanatorium, it is important for us to work on better well-being, both physically and mentally. For this year's edition, like last year, we have entered into a cooperative with the Zawód na A initiative, and the program we have prepared together will flow freely through the workshops. At OSSA, we want to create an atmosphere of openness, get to know the thoughts of those taking part, discuss and support each other.
Ola Kloc: What does the program of this year's OSSA look like? Which tutors will you be working with this time?
Matylda Wolff: This year's OSSA will last as long as 9 days. However, it will not be 9 days of workshop work, but a longer OSSA turn will be full of various activities. There will be 6 groups of participants in the workshop, and their tutors will be: Archipolo, Ola Gordowy and Gosia Zmysłowska, Archigrest, Adamiczka.Broma, Ferwor, and Ola Gryc and Zuza Kasperczyk-Brodecka. In addition, there will be three lectures — by Marta Czachorowska, Maciej Czarnecki and Robert Skrzypczynski. Walks, both grassroots and organized, will also be an important part of OSSA — a sightseeing walk with the Society of Friends of Iwonicz-Zdrój, or a microclimate walk with the Centrala group. OSSA Sanatorium is OSSA dispersed, diverse and provides space for reflection. Therefore, this year we are returning to the tradition of Entropy Day. On this day, participants will break the workshop, the groups will be shuffled and put under the care of guest tutors! In conclusion, we envision care, relaxation and movement within OSSA and we want to get rid of fatigue, routine and apathy.
Tutors during OSSA will include Ola Gordowy and Gosia Zmysłowsk, and one of the speakers will be Maciej Czarnecki
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