Aylin Gürel is an alum of the AA, where she received an MA in architectural theory and history. Her current research is on migration and displacement in relation to the built environment, visible in forms of cultural growth of societies, collective labour and art. Aylin is a visiting researcher for the UNESCO Chair on International Migration, where her research examines histories and contemporary conditions of human movement as means for cultural processes and political expression.

Ömer Selvi is a city and transport planner. He completed his MA and PhD at IYTE Department of City and Regional Planning in Izmir and worked as a postdoctoral researcher for the EU Commission in Italy. He is a cofounder of the Kapılar project, a solidarity project that emerged in Izmir when the number of refugees reached its peak. He currently provides consultancy services for city and transport planning research and application projects.

• Understanding contemporary methodologies to house migrants
• Participating in lectures and seminars on spatial reflections of displacement
• Learning about the effect of historical events on migration in the Mediterranean
• Finding cultural elements embedded in the social and built environment
• Conducting field research to understand self-made and informal community spaces
• Visiting historical sites, including preserved structures of Sephardic Jewish architectural heritage and the Roman ruins of the Agora of Smyrna
• Observing traces of traditional Greek architecture in contemporary migrant neighbourhoods
• Production and projection of migration films and video documentation
• Experimentation with various recording methods and mapping techniques

• £595 – Full Fee
• £250 – Scholarship (two places available) 

Fees do not include flights or accommodation, but accommodation options can be advised. Limited places for accommodation are available for £240. For more information, please contact latitudes@aaschool.ac.uk.

A laptop is recommended for use throughout the programme. Participants may bring any preferred materials for documentation, sketching or other media.

There are two scholarship places available to support applicants from economically disadvantaged contexts and geographies, including those for whom international tuition fees represent a substantial expense. To apply for a scholarship, email a 300-word statement and two page portfolio to latitudes@aaschool.ac.uk. 

Applications close 1 June 2026