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The Garden | Artist Residency Program

Overview

Take over a 22-acre enchanted forest for an immersive residency that intertwines interior design, permanent land art, photography and curated craft(wo)manship..

Limited spots available.

Deadline for submissions: 01.06.2025

Residency details

- Duration: May to September, with flexible stay (arrival every Tuesday, departure Monday).

- Disciplines: Buildings/Interior Design, Nature/Exterior Design, and Lighting.

- Cost: A mix of free spots and at-cost contributions for your stay.

Who we seek

If your soul demands to embellish the world, if you see sacredness in the rebellious layers of artistic expression, we call on you. Come get your hands dirty.

We are summoning architects, landscape and interior designers, set designers, painters, carpenters, builders, and all visual artists eager to breathe life into uncharted beauty.

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Not a professional artist but still feel drawn?

The Garden Existential Residencies is a living lab experiment of creativity & community. It’s a space for both established artists and those with creativity in their hearts to cross-pollinate in a nurturing environment.

➯ Sign Up for the Existential Residencies

The tale of the space

Once a sanctuary for Portugal’s unions of the heart, this former wedding venue lay abandoned for twelve years, reclaimed by moss, natural springs, hydrangeas, and chestnut trees. Three years ago, we became its stewards, reviving its structures and spirit. Today, it is a haven for a new culture — still finding its name — one that fuses art, technology & nature. It’s also home to the intimate Portuguese Burning Man, Somewhere.

Now, it's a playground for the visionaries—a space waiting for your touch.

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Your canvas & resources

Indoors: 2,000m² main building with panoramic 180-degree windows.

Outdoors: 93,000m² of forested estate & wild nature. Tools & Materials: Budget for art supplies, a metal & wood workshop, and a team of skilled craftspeople (electrics, carpentry) to help bring vision to reality.

Collaborative Opportunities: Monthly farm-to-table, aesthetic film screenings, excursions to historic flea markets, visit to the Serralves Foundation, ancient roman hot springs, waterfalls, and the ocean (just 20 minutes away).

Inclusivity: A commitment to financial transparency and diversity.

*Please ensure that you account for material ordering timelines in your submission. If your artistic project requires specific materials, consider that delivery can take up to a month in Portugal. All necessary materials must arrive on-site before the start of your residency. This is mandatory. Thank you for your understanding.

Here's granit posts and chestnut planks waiting for your artistry

The philosophical map

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Interior Design: An alchemy of simplicity and opulence, wood, clay, granite, luxurious fabrics, and a playful dance with light, chandeliers, candles, retro, vintage, luxurious elements, live edge wood, antique chests, etc.

Exterior Design: Japanese garden elegance, minimalism, local materials (chestnut, oak, granite, moss), emphasis on harmony with nature // showcasing nature & organic forms.

Lighting: Edison/tungstene bulbs, lots of candles, creative & discrete use of LEDs, projection mapping.

Priority will be given to applicants proposing projects in the following areas: - Tea house construction - Pan's Labyrinth-inspired arch

- Tree net installations - Outdoor lighting installations - Landscaping & waterscaping permanent installations - Moss-based creations or - Photography series or short film for The Half-Life of Nós, a photography exhibition exploring themes of ephemerality, human connection, and grief.

Location & amenities:

Proximity: 45 minutes by car from Porto airport, 20 minutes from Viana de Castelo.

Amenities: Starlit hot tub, cold springs, dance hall, sauna, chef-prepared meals [Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, from Monday to Friday] and a forest teeming with botanical wonders.