THE SOUND OF SILENCE [ARTIST RESIDENCY]

This is a long-format residency at LABIRINTO ECLÉTICO, a 20-hectare olive estate near Elvas, Portugal. The residency is designed for researchers, artists, and other creative practitioners who want an extended period of independence, solitude and uninterrupted time to work—surrounded by ancient olive trees, animals, open landscape and very little noise.

There is no prescribed artistic outcome or program. You bring your own practice.

As an artist and researcher myself, when I am on the farm I look forward to informal exchange with residents around our respective practices—whether through conversation, feedback or occasional light mentoring, if useful.

📅 DURATION 8 weeks - 12 weeks — Available dates: Nov 24 2026 - Jan 24 2026 (possibly longer) Feb 1 2027 - March 31 2027 (possibly longer) April 1 2027 - March 31 2027 (possibly longer) Later dates also available on application form.

🌍 LOCATION 20 ha Olive Farm near Elvas, Portugal

🧞‍♂️ WHO CAN APPLY? Researchers, writers, photographers, performers, musicians, architects, designers, curators, landscape practitioners, guerrilla gardeners and other creative practitioners are welcome to apply. Curators can also find additional information on the curator-specific page.

🎨 THE RESIDENCY This is largely a self-directed residency. While you have all the freedom to create your own art, ritual, or performance, the residency concludes with a small, non-profit salon for approximately 20 guests, hosted in the main house. Each resident presents their practice—who they are, what they do and why they do it—and may share work developed during the residency or work still in progress. The format can be discussed in the first week of your residency and is largely up to you: an exhibition, reading, performance, concert, artist talk, screening or another format appropriate to your practice. The salon is not intended as a presentation of a finished outcome, but as an opportunity to share your work and open a conversation around it. The salon may be recorded for documentation purposes. The resulting material can be made available to you for your own portfolio or promotion.

🌳 THE ESTATE The estate is secluded but not completely isolated: neighbors are visible and within walking distance. When I am here, I am happy to share occasional meals, conversations and knowledge of the farm and surrounding region. When I am away, you need to be genuinely comfortable with solitude. Much like a silent retreat, most of the time you will only have the plants and animals to talk to or listen to, especially during the periods when we are not on the farm. The resident cat Lillie will be your feline companion during that time.

🏡 YOUR SPACE You will live in an independent 55m² loft-style outbuilding with its own kitchen & bathroom, and an independent 12m2 studio, both with open views across the landscape. The farm is semi-off-grid but comfortable and well connected, with good Wi-Fi, a pool, sauna, pergola, shaded arcades and ancient olive trees.

🤝 EXCHANGE

The residency is unpaid & self-catered, with accommodation provided free of charge. Partners or children may accompany you by prior agreement. Other guests must be discussed in advance. In exchange, when I am away you will take on approximately 15–30 minutes of light daily caretaking: feeding the resident cat 🐈, basic pool maintenance 🏊‍♂️, and keeping an eye on the property. This mainly means letting me know if neighboring horses, goats or sheep have wandered onto the land, or if you notice anything unusual.

🦎 ALLERGIES Please keep in mind that the residency is on a farm, not an urban studio complex. You should be comfortable with cats, insects, plants, dust, pollen and the other realities of living close to nature. If you have animal or environmental allergies, the residency may not be suitable for you.

👄 LANGUAGE SKILLS Some Spanish or Portuguese is useful, as many people locally do not speak English.

🪂 GETTING HERE & AROUND Nearest airports: Badajoz/Spain (35 min by car), Lisbon/Portugal (2h by car, 3h by bus). Pickup: If you fly into Badajoz, I can pick you up from the airport. If you fly into Lisbon, you will have to take the bus to Elvas, and I can pick you up at the local bus station. E-Bike: The farm is 6 km from town and not realistically walkable for everyday errands. If you do not bring a car, an electric bicycle is available for your use.

💶 DEPOSIT A refundable €300 security deposit is required on the day of arrival. It covers negligent damage to equipment including the e-bike, lost keys or remotes, and substantial cleaning needs beyond normal use. Normal wear and tear is expected and will not affect your deposit, which will be refunded on the day of your departure. If you are a visual artist, occasional paint marks are perfectly understandable; we simply need to discuss appropriate protection for the space beforehand.

📫 APPLICATION LINK

Google Docs Sound of Silence | Artist Residency

PAST RESIDENTS

ABOUT THE SPACE

In 2021, I stumbled upon a magnificent piece of land that had been neglected for decades: a 20-hectare abandoned olive grove in Portugal that was more jungle than farm. One could not distinguish one tree from the other. The land was so overgrown that the road had vanished and I had to leave my car at the gate and trek 150 meters through the brush just to reach the house. Over the following years, and with the help of many people, I cleared and rehabilitated the land as well as the buildings, and began bringing the ancient and overgrown olive grove back into cultivation. This also marked my transition from a city person to a farmer, and it taught me the perverse economics of traditional agriculture: the hidden costs of protecting nature in an economic system that devalues it. I wrote about it here & here:

SOCIALS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labirinto.ecletico/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/labirinto.ecletico/

PICTURES

EVENTS