ADMISSION FORM

ELa²  Arles   2026

École Libre d’architecture

ARLES 2026 — ADMISSIONS FORM

Programme Dates (Arles Sessions 2026)

ELa will take place in two four‑day sessions aligned with the Arles Drawing Festival:

  • Session 1: Thursday 16 April – Sunday 19 April 2026

  • Session 2: Thursday 14 May – Sunday 17 May 2026

Applicants may participate in either or both sessions.

 

APPLICATION OVERVIEW

Participation is open to individuals wishing to take part as researchers and/or research facilitators.

Please complete the relevant parts of this form:

  • Part A & B for researcher participation

  • Part B & C if you wish to run a session as a facilitator only

  • Parts A, B & C if you wish to both participate and run a session

All parts of the application must be submitted in PDF format.

**Application Deadline: Noon (CET), Friday 27 February 2026

Submission Email: aela@stateofgrace.fr

Accepted applicants will be notified by Friday 13 Mars 2026.

ELa is free: no application fee, no tuition.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Minimum RequirementsA

  • Applicants must be between 22 and 101 years old.

  • Applicants must show experience—professional or otherwise—within a discipline connected to architectural practice.

Residency and Availability

Applicants must reside in or be able to travel to Arles during the 2026 sessions.

Languages

An understanding of both French and English is important. Presentations and discussions will vary according to the linguistic makeup of the participants, and where possible, translation or adaptation will be provided.

 

 

 

SESSION STRUCTURE — ARLES 2026

Each session runs over four full days. Programming includes:

  • Workshops

  • Urban walks & site explorations

  • Shared discussions & exchanges

  • Collective activities

Daily Schedule:
Morning: 09:00–12:00
Afternoon: 14:00–17:00

A communal lunch will be scheduled during each session.

Participants may propose workshops, talks, or other formats.

THEMES — PROVISIONAL 2026 OUTLINE

Drawing on Arles, participant‑generated themes are the core of ELa². The allocation of themes to sessions will be formalised after submissions. Here is a list of possibilities:

Possible Themes

  • If It’s Not Scalable, It’s Not Sustainable

  • Stone, Brick, Extraction — Roman Arles, thermes, théâtre antique

  • Transformations: Industrial & Craft Mediation

  • Paradox of Waters — Salt/fresh, drought/slow flood, island futures

  • Atelier: Flagging the Flood — Visual Mapping

  • Circularity & Waste — Waste not, want not

  • Arles as Future Island

  • Garden metaphors: sowing, grafting, propagation, re‑planting

  • City as palimpsest: recovery, dismantlement, interpretation

  • Idealisation in planning: utopia, paradise, myth

  • Origins: Local / imported / authenticity / plurality

  • Colonisation, migration, rights & belonging

  • Time & Legacy: garden time, building time, human time

  • Workshop: Gathering Around a Tree in Arles

  • Eight‑Year Love Letter (long‑form reflection)

  • Licit and illicit

  • Hidden and transparent

  • Homo‑ and hetero‑geneity

  • Other participant‑generated themes are welcome

Funding assistance for travel or accommodation may be possible but cannot be guaranteed.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

Send all documents in PDF format to: aela@stateofgrace.fr

Use this subject line format: APPLICATION / Your Name
Example: APPLICATION / Charlotte Perriand

Save each file using this format:

  • APPLICATION PART A_Lastname_Firstname.pdf

  • APPLICATION PART B_Lastname_Firstname.pdf

  • APPLICATION PART C_Lastname_Firstname.pdf

You will receive an automated confirmation of receipt.

 

PART A — STATEMENT (Researcher)

In 200 words (maximum), please describe your interest in participating in ELa. Your statement may be personal, philosophical, professional, or a reflection on architecture and its conditions.

This statement must contain no identifying information. Visual content may be included, but the statement must fit on one page.

 

PART B — APPLICANT INFORMATION

Personal Information

Name:
Address:
Telephone:
Primary Email:

☐ I confirm I am aged between 22 and 101.

Academic / Professional Information

Please provide evidence of experience (qualification or general/professional practice) relevant to architecture:

 

(Optional) Facilitator Information — for those linked to a group proposal

Proposal Title:
If part of a group:

  • Number of linked applications:

  • Names of other applicants:

  • Group contact name:

  • Group contact email:

 

 

 

 

PART C — CALL FOR FACILITATOR PROPOSALS (Optional)

If you wish to propose a session (workshop, seminar, lecture, walk, collective action, etc.), please provide a proposal of maximum 3 pages.

Your proposal should include:

  • Title

  • Description

  • Time requirements (one event/multiple; duration)

  • Resources needed

Visual material may be included.