Other Lands Other Sounds 2024
An Intensive Residential Course for Collaborative Cross-Arts Practice
in Alentejo, Portugal
August 27 - September 08, 2024
A selective cohort of international musicians and artists come together to share practice, explore collaboration across disciplines, and immerse themselves in the artistic regeneration of a rural Portuguese town. Over thirteen days, course leaders will foster a vibrant creative community through movement sessions, ensemble workshops, skill shares, local field trips, creative briefs, mentoring and more. The course will culminate in the curation of a public sharing of new works combining photography, moving image, music, and sound art.
Other Lands Other Sounds offers a supportive environment for advanced musicians and artists (professionals, amateurs, students) to develop their practice through cross-arts experimentation and collaboration.
We bring people together to create temporary communities based on play, inclusivity, curiosity, and creativity. Away from the distractions of normal life, we hold a carefully curated space in which we imagine into being a world where people can be themselves, inspire each other, and learn from one another. We see every moment as an opportunity to practice noticing, listening, and transforming experience into art.
We do this in specific connection to place. We think that context matters: land, nature, culture, language, and its people. We connect locals and outsiders to come together as co-questioners, seeking to make art that grows from a unique place and moment in time.
GET RID OF THE BOXES
create unique artistic works that integrate art forms, challenge yourself to learn from difference
STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
this is a space in which to take artistic risks and create from a place of play and inquiry
CO-CREATE & CO-LLABORATE
you're not alone here! become part of an ensemble, learn from and with each other, dive into group creative processes
RECONNECT WITH YOUR WHY
we play a lot, we work quickly, we foster a supportive group dynamic - so that you leave inspired, awakened, & re-connected to why you make art in the first place
Day 1 (August 27): Arrival after 16:00, Welcome Dinner
Day 2-5 (August 28-31): Workshops, Ensemble Building, Skill Shares, Material Gathering, Short Creative Briefs
Day 6 (September 1): Day Off!
Day 7-10 (September 2-5): Small group collaborations making for the final sharing, Mentoring and Curation
Day 11 (September 6): Public Sharing
Day 12 (September 7): Reflections and Wrap Up, Goodbye Dinner
Day 13 (September 8): Departure by 12:00
THE ELEMENTS
Daily Schedule
8 morning movement study
9 breakfast
10-13 morning session
13-14 lunch
14-17 afternoon session
* As the week progresses, this schedule adapts according to the needs of the group
Movement Sessions
Connect to the body; encompassing mindful movement, yoga, authentic movement, contact improv, meditation and more
Skill Shares
Learn about each others' practices, ways of thinking and approaching making work; benefit from the exchange of ideas, experiences and backgrounds
Creative Briefs
Week One - Strengthen collaborative skills through joint creative tasks, working quickly in small groups
Social Activities
Pizza and a film night; a day off to visit a swimming spot; dinner in a nearby town
Ensemble Building
Theatre-based workshops on building trust, complicite, spatial, body and group awareness
Local Immersion
Collect inspiration, gather material, meet the land, the people, the history through sound walks, visits to interesting sites, visits with community members and more
Collaborative Projects
Week Two - go deeper with a select group of collaborators to create new works to be part of the final public sharing
Public Sharing
Create a range of possible performance outcomes including installation, performance art, film, live music etc.
Music Workshops
Workshops on composition, improvisation, and collaborative music-making processes
Happenings
Daily short creative play sessions created by a team of participants for the whole ensemble; a space to explore, play, and connect
Mentoring & Curation
Deepen critical reflective practice through one-to-one tutorials and group discussions; learn creative methods and techniques to expand the artistic practice
OUR HOME, HOST, & INSPIRATION
Casa Branca
This year, Other Lands Other Sounds makes its home at Casa Branca. Founded in the 1860s to accommodate railway employees and their families, Casa Branca developed in direct dependence on the railway station, along straight streets, parallel to the railway line. With buildings for primary education, professional training, storage spaces and maintenance workshops, the station became a important junction for steam locomotives, agriculture and mining. At its peak in the early 1900s, the town accommodated up to 800 people who lived and worked on the railway line or in surrounding farms.
As mining and agriculture in the region slowly declined, so did the village. With the closure the railway workshops in the 1990s, and the primary school in the 2000s, the village has become a location representative of the erosion and desertification of the Alentejo, with disused industrial sites, closed schools and uninhabited houses. In a land where once streams flowed with water all year round, today the streams swell only during the rainy season and many of the buildings have fallen into ruin. Casa Branca currently has only around 80 inhabitants.
Estação Cooperativa
Enter ESTAÇÃO COOPERATIVA, a cultural cooperative based in the village of Casa Branca, established in 2021. Composed of a consortium of around 55 people and 10 entities, the cooperative works towards the regeneration and revitalization of Casa Branca through laying the foundations for a participatory, collaborative and empowered collective intervention.
To do this, Estaco Cooperativa is establishing Casa Branca as a creative community and an experimental laboratory center. They program cultural activities, work to rebuild abandoned structures, and act as a creative hub for participatory and community processes, promoting the social and cultural dynamism of the region, attracting visitors and revitalizing the population.
We are proud to be partnering with Estação Cooperativa to become part of this collective of artists, creatives, architects, educators, contributing to the recovery of the village.
The railway and its history form the fundamental context of life in Casa Branca. As a collective of artists living and working within this context, we will be taking the space, its history, and its relevance to the present as the basis for our creative work.
We invite the ensemble to ponder questions of sustainability, regeneration, nodes of connection, and the re-enlivening of spaces. Not only will our final sharing open our investigation to the community, we also hope to leave behind a lasting contribution to the space and the life of the village.
OUR BRIEF
LIFE IN A RAILWAY TOWN
Meals
Breakfast will be simple help-yourself set-up with bread, jams, butter, cheese, yoghurt, fruit, tea, coffee etc. Lunch will be traditional Portuguese food catered by a local restaurant (vegetarian options will always be available). We will provide five dinners over the course of the residency; our welcome dinner, two home-cooked meals mid-residency, a pizza night, and our celebratory good-bye dinner. There are two kitchens where participants can cook other meals.
Workspaces
We will have access to many of the recovered buildings and spaces in the former railway compound, including two large rooms in the Primary School, and several rooms in a newly renovated buildings. We are welcome to explore and work in some of the abandoned buildings.
We are also supported by the Convento of Montemor-o-novo and Pode Vir A Ser Ceramics, which can share access and recourses to support metal working, sculpture, print making, and ceramics.
Lodging
Private apartments with single or double occupancy (single beds), bathroom, kitchen, shared balcony and pool.
Dorm rooms in the top floors of the Primary School, with 1-2 bunk beds per room (2-4 occupancy), and 3 camping or campervan spots. Showers and toilets for both these options are hosted in a separate building.
Sheets, towels, and linens will be provided.
Transportation
Casa Branca is accessible by a direct train from Lisbon, which also goes on to Evora, the largest city in Alentejo.
Otherwise, we are far away from anything! Casa Branca has one restaurant/cafe and one small shop, so to get to anywhere else with restaurants, bars, or shops, you'll need to organize a ride with someone who has a car.
MEET THE TEAM
Our guides for the course are experienced leaders and facilitators of creative process and cross-disciplinary work. Filipe and Kate started Other Lands Other Sounds in 2016 (then called Makers' Collective). Bea and Henrique joined the team in 2018 and 2019. While each has specific skill sets in their field, they collaborate closely and flexibly in determining the flow of the course and how best to support the participants.
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HEAR FROM OUR ALUMNI
HANNAH
Visual & Sound Artist, UK
The residency was life-changing, life-affirming, and simply wonderful from beginning to end. It was intense and energizing, each moment a source of inspiration waiting to mature into something extraordinary. The experience has built an incredible community of people around me due to the trust and love we have developed through exercises and time shared together. I have grown so much as an artist and a person.
Francis
Bassist, UK
If you’re an artist looking for inspiration or a change of scene, this programme is a relaxed yet impeccably well-run environment, hosted by some of the nicest folk you’re likely to meet.
INVESTMENT
If tight finances would prevent you from joining us, please let us know in your application. We will happily support with applications to the Creative Europe Mobility Funding if you are based in Europe.
We have two half scholarships for Portuguese artists living in Portugal.
We have spaces for 15 participants max, and are aiming for about 10 musicians, and 5 artists.
Apartment
Dorm
Camping
Early bird before June 15th
1.500EUR
1.200EUR
1.300EUR
Early bird before June 15th
1.000EUR
1.100EUR
Early bird before June 15th
800EUR
Single or double rooms (single beds) in an apartment with bathroom and kitchen, shared balcony and pool
Dorm rooms hosting 2-4 people in bunkbeds, shared toilets and showers in a separate building, shared kitchen
3 spaces available for tents, shared toilets and showers in a separate building
2 SCHOLARSHIPS
500EUR
for Portuguese Artists Based in Portugal
The price includes: tuition and leadership (workshops, mentoring, support), lodging, breakfasts, all lunches, five dinners, space and equipment
Price does not include travel to and from Casa Branca.
We require a €250 deposit to reserve your space.
Please note, your deposit is non-refundable. However, if you find someone who is able to take your place on the residency (pending application), then you can transfer your payment into their name.
APPLY!
We accept applications on a rolling basis. However, spaces are limited and if you will need to apply for funding, we recommend you apply as soon as possible.
To apply, please fill out the simple form below.
FAQs
1. When are arrivals and departures?
Arrivals are on Tuesday, August 27th after 4pm. We will host a welcome dinner that night, and the workshop will begin on August 28th. The last day will be September 7th. You will have to leave our housing by 12pm on Sunday September 8th.
2. Should I bring instruments and art supplies?
Please bring your instruments to the workshop. If you are worried about transporting your instrument or size makes it cost-prohibitive, please give us advance notice and we will check with local orchestras about borrowing one.
Visual artists, please bring the materials and supplies that you work with. You can also purchase arts supplies in Montemor-o-novo, a 20 minute drive from Casa Branca.
3. How do I get to Casa Branca?
From Lisbon, you can catch a train to Casa Branca Station. It is about an hour and a half drive from Lisbon.
4. What else should I bring?
We advise you bring a beach towel and swimming suit as we may visit the ocean on our day off. Bring enough spending money to cover extra dinners, drinks, ice cream and any souvenirs you'd like to purchase during your trip in Portugal.
5. Do I have to speak English fluently?
The workshop will be led in English, but you do not need to speak English fluently in order to participate. Our team is also fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Mandarin, and are happy to assist with any translation questions.
6. Is this course right for me if I have a particular project I'd like to work on?
This course intends to provide participants with the guidance, support and space to collaborate with new people and across disciplines. While participants may bring elements of their practice to the interaction (for instance recordings or video), all the inputs of the group will be combined to create new work that belongs to everyone. Therefore, this course is not like artists residencies intended for established artists, bands, groups, or collaborators to work on their own projects.
7. Can we come as an ensemble?
Participants who may have worked together in the past are very welcome, however we will ask everyone to work together in new combinations and on new material.
8. Can I bring my partner or child?
At this point, due to our housing arrangements, we are unable to accommodate partners and children. We will update this as and if new developments occur.
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