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The Garden | Artist Residency Program

Overview

Take part in shaping a living site-specific experiment. Across 22 acres of forest in northern Portugal, The Garden invites artists to create permanent works across interior design, land art, lighting, and visual crafts[wo]manship.
Limited spots.

Deadline for submissions: July 1, 2025

Residency details

Duration: June to October, with flexible stay (arrival every Tuesday, departure Monday).
Focus areas: Interior/architectural design, landscape/intervention design, lighting concepts.
Cost: A mix of fully-funded and on-site-cost-covered participation tiers.

Who it's for

We welcome those with a visceral need to shape space — whether with wood, light, textiles, or narrative.

Open to architects, builders, visual artists, scenographers, craftspeople, experimental designers & photographers.

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Not a professional artist?

If you work with intention and are drawn to co-creating meaningful space, this may still be for you. The Garden Existential Residencies is a living experiment of creativity & community. It’s a space for both established artists and those with creativity in their hearts to cross-pollinate.

➯ Apply for the Existential Residencies

The site

A former wedding estate reclaimed by moss & natural springs. After 12 years of dormancy, it’s now a test ground for an emergent culture — still finding its name — at the intersection of art, nature, and technology. It's also home to Somewhere, Portugal’s regional Burning Man gathering. Since three years now, we became its stewards, reviving its structures and honoring overgrowns hydrangeas & chestnut trees.
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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. Infrastructure: Wood & metal workshops, budget for materials, support from in-house craftspersons (electricians, carpenters, etc.)
Cultural 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
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 minimalism meets local materiality — moss, granite, live-edge wood, and organic interventions. Emphasis on harmony with nature.

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 - Internal mail system for handwritten notes & small gifts - Landscaping & waterscaping permanent installations - Moss-based creations or - Photography series or short film for a future photography exhibition in Porto, 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.
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Selection process:

At least 1 fully funded project will be selected & a minimum of 5 artists total will be selected.
International artists & groups are welcome.
Artists will be selected by the curatorial board, based on relevance to the theme and the suitability of the project in local context, originality and artistic merit.
Artists will be notified of the selection by 30.07.2025.

APPLICATION FORM:

What is your name?

What is your email?

What is your phone number?

Artistic medium:

Website/portfolio link:

Tell us about your artistic journey and what drives your creative passion. (Max 200 words)

Briefly describe your art and its relevance to the Garden. (Max 100 words)

What aspects of the Garden resonate with you, and how do you envision contributing to the artistic ambiance? (Max 150 words)

Do you wish that your artistic practice will aligning with ongoing events at the Garden? If so tell us how you imagine it (Max 100 word)

Residency duration and schedule:

Preferred Residency Duration (2 weeks to 2 months):

Do you have a preferred month in mind?

*Select all relevant months
Do you have a preferred month in mind?
A
B
C
D
E

Let us know your ideal duration of your residency

Portfolio

*If you want to add a different one from you online portfolio

Letter of intentions

Project proposal + budget

Do you envision participating in the weekly workshops? (Max 100 words)

How comfortable are you with documentation?

Any additional thoughts or aspects of your practice you'd like us to know?