I.N.S.E.C.T. Summercamp 2026
Reciprocal f(r)ictions:
The give and take of living with others
About
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the I.N.S.E.C.T. Summercamp. We warmly invite you to join us in co-creating this special edition together. Initiated by alumni and organizers now gathered under the NGO Insect Worldings, the summercamp brings together people from diverse backgrounds to explore and connect with insects, their sensory worlds, and their local habitats.
We understand the camp not as a predefined program, but as a shared process of inquiry—an opportunity to learn with and through each other, and through encounters with more-than-human beings.
Theme
This year’s theme, Reciprocal F(r)ictions, emerges from multiple layers of friction and reciprocity:
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the friction between insect bodies and substrates that enables vibrational communication in and among more-than-human assemblages
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the give and take present in all human, non-human, and multispecies relationships
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the friction that stabilizes materials and holds structures in place
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the longing to create relationships that are meaningful, resilient and sustaining for all involved
We approach friction not as conflict alone, but as a generative force—one that enables perception, connection, and transformation.
Research collaboration
From 2025 to 2027, the summer camp is closely connected with the research project Weaving as Worlding Practices with Earth Beings (WeB), funded by the Swedish Research Council. This project fosters exchanges between the I.N.S.E.C.T. community and the Sarayaku people of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Each year, we welcome collaborators including a representative from the women’s crafts association Kuriñampi and youth activists from the collective Samaruta. Through shared engagement with materials such as clay, wood, and textiles, we create artefacts that serve as shared objects of inquiry—carriers of knowledge across cultures, species, and ways of sensing the world.
Location
The summercamp takes place at a scout camp in Hvalsø, Denmark, surrounded by the Bidstrup Forest. Here, we connect with the local ecosystem and its companion species, grounding our explorations in place-specific encounters.
Methodology
Co-creation is at the heart of the summercamp. The theme serves as a starting point and shared frame, but the content emerges from participants’ questions, practices, and curiosities.
Over the years, we have developed a methodology that supports connection with specific ecosystems while weaving together human and more-than-human perspectives. Embodiment and co-creation form the foundation of how we relate to each other and to the environment.
Our process is supported through three interconnected focus groups:
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Mapping Ecologies — observing and relating to local ecosystems and their inhabitants
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Becoming — exploring embodied, sensory, and relational ways of knowing
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Critical Making — engaging with materials to generate artefacts and situated knowledge
These approaches are inspired in part by multispecies storytelling practices such as those proposed in Donna Haraway’s Camille Stories.
Commitment and timeline
Participation involves both online and in-person engagement:
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May–July: Bi-weekly online meetings to co-create the program and activities
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July 19–25, 2026: In-person summercamp in Hvalsø
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Autumn 2026: Optional online reflection meetings, often including collaborative writing and research dissemination
The camp typically hosts between 15 and 30 participants, allowing for meaningful exchange and shared responsibility.
Application and registration
If you would like to join, please apply via the registration form;
https://forms.gle/av1srYP1LAQiuKS48
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Alumni priority registration deadline: March 15
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Final application deadline: March 30
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Confirmation and next steps: First week of April
Please indicate in the form whether you are an alumni or a newcomer.
Accommodation and practical information
The scout camp offers bunk beds for up to 35 people. Mattresses are provided; participants should bring their own pillow, sleeping bag or duvet, blankets, and towels.
You are also welcome to stay in your own tent or van.
The participation fee is on a sliding scale between 300–600€, based on income. This includes accommodation, three vegetarian/vegan meals per day, and snacks
Fees must be paid by May 21, 2026. Travel and insurance are the responsibility of participants.
Accessibility and inclusivity
The scout camp is not fully barrier-free and may present challenges for people with limited mobility. We recognize this limitation and remain committed to supporting diverse forms of participation.
Previous camps have included participants from many countries and cultural backgrounds, including young children, people living with deafblindness, and participants without a shared spoken language. These experiences have been deeply meaningful, while also requiring care, patience, and collective responsibility.
If you have specific access needs, we warmly encourage you to contact us so we can explore how to best support your participation.
Membership and community
By joining the Summercamp 2026, you automatically become a member of our newly founded NGO Insect Worldings. The NGO provides a framework for sustaining the community, supporting member-initiated projects, and enabling applications for national and international funding.
Membership connects you to an evolving network of practitioners, researchers, artists, activists, and multispecies companions.
Publications
Check out our publications if you want to read more about our methodology and past activities:
Parker, Dan, Asya Ilgün, Ariel Cheng Sin Lim, Hana Vašatko, Dan Vy Vu, Natalia Piórecka, and Svenja Keune. “I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin: Designing for and with Insects, Fungi, and Humans.” Temes de Disseny, no. 39 (July 27, 2023): 228–47. https://doi.org/10.46467/TdD39.2023.228-247.
Keune, Svenja, Asya Ilgun, and Colleen Ludwig. “I.N.S.E.C.T—Summercamp: Developing Multispecies Design Perspectives, Practices, and Discourse Through Co-Creating (in) Community.” In Design for Inclusivity, edited by Magda Mostafa, Ruth Baumeister, Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen, and Martin Tamke, 701–15. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36302-3_52.
Keune, Svenja, Colleen Ludwig, Katka ÄŒerná, Anneke ter Schure, and Julia Tabet. “Staying with Complexity through Multispecies Companionship at the I.N.S.E.C.T. Summercamp 2023.” In More-than-Human Design in Practice, edited by Anton Poikolainen Rosén, Antti Salovaara, Andrea Botero, and Marie Louise Juul Søndergaard. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY: Routledge, 2025.
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