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From 17 to 21 August, Jaunmoku Palace hosted the 3rd International Professional Doctoral Summer School, which was dedicated to artistic research in music, film, the performing arts and interdisciplinary fields. The summer school was organised by the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LAMT) in collaboration with Jaunmoku Palace. Nineteen doctoral students from seven countries and nine higher education institutions took part in the summer school.  

The aim of the summer school was to support the professional development of PhD students in the arts, to provide support for the progress of their doctoral theses, and to foster international interdisciplinary collaboration, creativity and the exchange of ideas. This year, doctoral students from various European art universities were invited to apply for the summer school, thereby expanding the school’s participant base beyond the Baltic region for the first time and strengthening inter-institutional collaboration, which will continue both in future summer schools and in other types of projects. The summer school was attended by students from the LAC and LAMT, as well as from the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow (Poland), Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU, Slovakia), Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU, Czech Republic), Istanbul Technical University (Turkey), Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF (Germany), Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and the Art Academy of Latvia. 

The summer school’s lecturers and mentors are experienced practitioners from various artistic disciplines who base their practice on artistic research and who work, or have worked, in the field of artistic research pedagogy. The summer school’s lectures and masterclasses were opened by Dr Agnė Jurgaitytė-Avižinienė (Lithuania), who invited participants to reflect on the well-being of doctoral students and the habits that help them work more successfully on their doctoral theses, whilst also drawing attention to ethical aspects of the research process. Film producer, director and FAMU lecturer Dr. Radim Procházka (Czech Republic) spoke about the use of autoethnography as a method in the artistic research process, sharing his experience as a film producer and exploring the boundary at which a chosen research approach might become too personal. Theatre director, playwright and lecturer Dr Olga Lapina (Denmark/Lithuania) focused primarily on theatre improvisation techniques, encouraging participants to seek clarity amidst the uncertain, whilst also broadening the summer school participants’ understanding of just how far artistic research can extend. On the final day of the summer school, improviser, composer, percussionist and educator Assist. Prof. Christian Windfeld (Denmark) offered participants a reflection on the significance of empty space and silence in the creative process and introduced them to the ‘docu-reflection’ approach, which helped to summarize the impressions gained throughout the week. The summer school programme was curated by Prof. Dr Dāvis Sīmanis (LKA) and Assoc. Prof. Dr Ramunė Balevičiūtė (LMTA), who also acted as mentors to the participants. 

An important part of the programme consisted of individual mentoring sessions, during which PhD students could book a meeting with the summer school lecturers to discuss issues relating to their research, receive feedback and obtain recommendations for their future work. A large proportion of the summer school participants rated this as the most significant benefit of the summer school programme. 

The summer school’s academic programme was complemented by a free public cultural programme in the evenings in the Column Hall of the Manor House at Jaunmoku Palace – a screening of Andrejs Verhoustinskis’ documentary film “Score Diggers” (2026, 82 mins) with commentary by the director, a concert by summer school participants entitled “Summer Evening Gathering” (featuring Marcin Koziak, Julia Błachuta and Elif Özen). The audience also had the opportunity to watch director Dāvis Sīmanis’ feature-length film “The Year Before the War” (2021, 95 mins) with commentary by the film’s co-producer Radim Procházka. 

Informal discussions amongst participants were also an important part of the summer school. The programme included time for research presentations, creative work and informal networking activities, as well as a tour of Jaunmoku Palace, walks and outdoor activities. Overall, the summer school succeeded in fostering a sense of community and support, and we are confident that the doctoral students involved will continue to keep in touch, follow each other’s creative work, and develop new networks and projects. 

As the participants noted in the summer school evaluation: 

“Perfect place to get away from your everyday troubles and share thoughts and experiences about artistic research.” 

“It was a great time, full of inspirations for me. I took care of my “artistic needs”. Lectures, discussions, workshops, movies – all perfectly well-balanced. And it all happened in a beautiful space of Jaunmoku Palace. I wish every artist to spend time (often!) in such place, environment, during such well-balanced events. All the best to the organizers! Thank you!” 

The International Doctoral Summer School is organised by the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in collaboration with Jaunmoku Palace. The summer school is organised as an Erasmus+ BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) project and is co-funded by the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, the State Culture Capital Foundation, the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme and the Social Fund. We would like to thank the staff at Jaunmoku Palace, in particular the director, Uldis Mākulis, the environmental projects specialist, Vita Zimerte, and the customer service specialist, Nataša Porfirova, for their support in organising the summer school. 

 Photo: Uldis Mākulis