In this immersive camp, students are introduced to the key characteristics of Gothic architecture such as the pointed arch, flying buttress, vaulted ceiling and the gargoyle by learning about castles from both the real and fictional world. Each student will build their own unique a Gothic castle from the ground up in four sequential projects with a moat, secret tunnels, underground chambers, dungeons, shifting walls, draw bridges and a poison garden. To top it off, we'll create our own fantastic beast, gargoyle or moat monster to inhabit our brand new world.

Monday - Project 1: Create a Site with a Moat 
Our first project introduces students to the key elements of castle architecture such as hidden rooms and tunnels, thick walls, multiple layers of defense, draw bridges and the iconic moat.  We'll talk next about how the thick walls of castle architecture were later  transformed during the Gothic period with the technological advances of the pointed arch and the flying buttress. We'll visit Alnwick Castle, Mont San Michel (the real Minas Tirith from Lord of the Rings), Dracula's Bran Castle in Romania and explore the literary inspiration for Howl's Moving Castle. Armed with a ton of inspiration, we'll start building from the ground up; focusing in on creating a site for our castle that includes a moat. From grassy ditches to real moat monsters, we'll learn about a 700 year old castle moat in Czechia that is now home to four brown bears.

Project 2: Build a Castle with a Secret Room or Tunnel 
With our site completed and ready for a new castle, we'll start Project 2 with a short presentation of hidden rooms, secret passages  and tunnels in numerous castles around the world. We'll take a look at the castle that inspired Cinderella's castle and go underground to see what secrets lie in the service tunnels at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. With this inspiration, we'll start building our castle walls, towers and turrets.

Wednesday - Project 3: Add a Draw Bridge and a Poison Garden 
Our third project takes a deep dive into the finishing touches of our castle by adding a drawbridge and a poison garden.  We'll learn about the draw bridge in more detail and then head back over to Alnwick Castle to visit their poison garden. The "deadliest garden in the world" features plants under lock and key; many of which are also caged to protect unsuspecting visitors from harm. Using this garden as a launch point, we'll talk more about garden design and how to add some amenities such as hedge mazes, cascading waterfalls and bamboo tunnels.

Project 4: Create a Gargoyle or Mythical Creature
With a finished castle complete with a site, a drawbridge and a lovely garden, we will focus on creating a few inhabitants. We'll take a much closer look at gargoyles and sea monsters and their origins from the illuminated manuscript. We'll make mythical creatures of our own choosing - perhaps a winged serpent, a chicken-goat, water unicorns and mermaids?

Friday - Finish up any loose ends + Show & Tell

What to expect:
Each class features a Project Video (10-30 Minutes), then we will build together for the remainder of the hour.  Learners will continue outside of our class time to embellish or finish up. After each class, the instructor will upload links to both the Project Video and a Demonstration Video for students who miss a day, would like to revisit the images or information or just prefer to work independently and forego the zoom meetings.