Organizer Information
O Castro Art Village is an interdisciplinary residency and cultural research platform located in Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain. The initiative is based in a restored abandoned rural settlement composed of stone houses embedded within dense forest ecosystems. The site functions as a living laboratory for experimental spatial, visual, and environmental practices, encouraging artists and researchers to engage directly with themes of memory, ruin, ecology, and material transformation.
The program is supported by Culture Moves Europe, a mobility scheme funded through Creative Europe and the European Union, which promotes transnational artistic exchange, collaboration, and site-responsive production across Europe.
Title & Description
Open Call for an Architect in Residence – O Castro Art Village 2026 (Spain)
This Residency invites one architect to develop a research-driven spatial intervention study within an abandoned rural village in Galicia, Spain. The program is not focused on reconstruction but on critical reflection and conceptual exploration of what abandoned rural environments can become without erasing their historical and ecological memory.
The selected participant will work in close collaboration with filmmaker and artistic director Davoud Gerami, architect Oscar López Alba (Ola Estudio), and other resident artists from interdisciplinary fields. The residency emphasizes dialogue between architecture, landscape, and collective artistic processes.
The expected outcome is a documented architectural proposal that may include drawings, models, diagrams, written reflections, or hybrid formats aligned with the architect’s practice. This work will become part of O Castro Art Village’s permanent research archive and will contribute to long-term thinking about the future of the site.
The residency takes place over 30 days in October 2026, during which participants live and work on-site. The environment combines forest isolation with communal artistic life, enabling sustained engagement with the site’s physical and conceptual layers.
Categories
- Architecture
- Installation
- Research
- Environmental
- Site-specific Art
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Public Art
- Land Art
- Curatorial
Eligibility
- Open to professional architects and spatial practitioners
- Must be a legal resident of a European country other than Spain
- Must be available for the full 30-day residency period (October 2026) without interruption
- Practice should demonstrate interest in vernacular construction, adaptive reuse, ruins, or rural spatial futures
- International applicants from eligible Creative Europe countries
Program Benefits & Awards
- Travel allowance of €400 per round trip (up to €800 for long-distance travel over 5,000 km)
- Daily stipend of €30 throughout the residency period
- On-site accommodation in a furnished geodesic dome (private or shared depending on availability)
- Full access to shared facilities and communal meals
- Mentorship throughout the residency process
- Integration into an interdisciplinary residency environment
- Accessibility support available upon request
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Short letter of interest (max 400 words, English)
- Portfolio or documentation of recent work (PDF or link, max 10 pages or 10 minutes)
- CV or biography (English)
- Proof of legal residence in an eligible Creative Europe country, such as:
- Passport or national ID
- Work, housing, or insurance contract
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Accessibility support documentation (if applicable)
How to Apply?
Applications must be sent via email to: info@ocastroartvillage.com
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 5 July 2026
- Residency Period: October 2026
- Duration: 30 days
Location
O Castro Art Village – Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain
Additional Details
This residency positions architecture as a speculative and critical practice rather than a construction-driven discipline. The selected architect is encouraged to engage deeply with the site’s ecological conditions, abandoned infrastructure, and layered historical narratives.
The program fosters collaboration across disciplines, particularly with artists working in film, sound, environmental practices, and visual arts. The residency environment is designed to support slow research, embodied fieldwork, and conceptual experimentation.
The final output will be integrated into the permanent research archive of O Castro Art Village and may influence future site development strategies. The emphasis is on adaptive thinking, ecological sensitivity, and non-extractive approaches to rural transformation.