PARA SPACES
A one-week immersive design retreat on ceremonial practices
16–22 March 2026, Aedes – Architecture and Space, Berlin
PARA SPACES invites participants to explore ceremonial architectures across ancient, indigenous, and contemporary traditions, focusing on how spatial form, materiality, atmosphere, and energetic conditions shape experience. Structured as an immersive design retreat, the program brings together spatial investigation, design experimentation, spiritual inquiry, and collective work.
Over the course of the week, participants learn to attune to the subtle qualities of ceremonial space, test ritual frameworks, and develop a spatial proposal for a practice of their own.
Timed with the spring equinox and the astrological new year, PARA SPACES unfolds within a consciously crafted learning environment. Through group rituals, embodied practices, sensory fieldwork, and critical dialogue, participants expand their spatial perception and examine how ceremonial events rely on specific atmospheric, material, and energetic conditions.
Design retreat in the context of the Aedes Academy
Design retreat in the context of the Aedes Academy
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What You Will Experience
– Daily guided practices engaging diverse ceremonial practices with experts
– Exploration of historic and contemporary ritual forms, including virtual worlds
– Meditation, sound-based exploration, and energy-informed approaches fostering heightened attention
– Communal dinners and shared rituals supporting collective presence and exchange
– Development of a prototype or performative structure designed to hold ceremonial action
– Daily presentations and interdisciplinary feedback supporting iterative refinement
The group will also explore Berlin as a city of thresholds and historical layers, encountering sites charged with cultural, spiritual, and transformative resonance. The week culminates in a Spring Equinox Magic Circle — a collective intention-setting gathering that brings together the insights, experiences, and relationships formed during the program.
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Who Should Apply
PARA SPACES is open to students and early- to mid-career practitioners working across architecture, art, design, technology, performance, ecology, writing, healing and embodied or spiritual practices. Applicants typically have at least one realized project, exhibition, performance, or publication and wish to deepen their engagement with space as a ceremonial and transformative medium.
Participation Fee
Standard: €690
Early Bird (by February 16, 2026): €640
Access Rate (need-based): €590 (limited; short statement required)
The fee includes lectures, guided ceremonies, communal dinners, field trips, materials, and program-related activities. Limited scholarships are available.
Dates & Location
Aedes – Architecture and Space, Berlin
16–22 March 2026Daily sessions run approximately 10:00–18:00, with optional evening rituals and experiential formats.
Aedes – Architecture and Space is a non-profit cultural institution in Berlin. Founded in 1980, it presents a continuous public programme exploring the intersections of architecture, the city and society through exhibitions, publications and events. Aedes collaborates with an international network spanning culture, research, politics and industry. Aedes – Architecture and Space is a non-profit cultural institution in Berlin. Founded in 1980, it presents a continuous public programme exploring the intersections of architecture, the city and society through exhibitions, publications and events. Aedes collaborates with an international network spanning culture, research, politics and industry.
Aedes Architecture and SpaceChristinenstraße 18–1910119 Berlin
Aedes – Architecture and Space is a non-profit cultural institution in Berlin. Founded in 1980, it presents a continuous public programme exploring the intersections of architecture, the city and society through exhibitions, publications and events. Aedes collaborates with an international network spanning culture, research, politics and industry. Aedes – Architecture and Space is a non-profit cultural institution in Berlin. Founded in 1980, it presents a continuous public programme exploring the intersections of architecture, the city and society through exhibitions, publications and events. Aedes collaborates with an international network spanning culture, research, politics and industry.
Hosts
Lukas Feireiss
is a Berlin-based curator, coach, and educator with over two decades of experience in the international cultural and educational field. Working across art, science, and holistic inquiry, he focuses on transdisciplinary approaches that bridge critical reflection and creative experimentation. He has curated major exhibitions, edited widely recognized publications, and teaches at universities worldwide. As a founding member of the International Society for Arts and Medicine, he fosters dialogue between artistic and healing practices. He is also a trained Reiki Master and supports individuals and organizations through his coaching practice CURA VISION.
Dr. Rainer Hehl
Rainer Hehl is an architect, educator and seeker working in the expanded field of spatial design between art, architecture, and environment. He holds a PhD on spatial transformation and has taught and researched for twenty years at institutions including ETH Zurich, TU Berlin, and universities in Japan, Italy, and Hong Kong. He is co-founder of TRANSFORMA, a studio for transformative art and design practice and founder of POLYCOSMOS, a new school for transformation and co-creation.
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