Organizer Information
AVISTAVULCÃO is an independent artist residency and contemporary cultural space located on Faial Island in the Azores, Portugal, near the iconic Capelinhos Volcano. Established in 2021, the organization transformed the historic Casa da Missão—once home to scientists documenting the 1957–58 Capelinhos volcanic eruption—into a center for artistic research, experimentation, and international cultural exchange. Through year-round residency programs, exhibitions, workshops, performances, screenings, and community engagement initiatives, AVISTAVULCÃO connects artists with the unique volcanic landscape and local communities of the Azores.
The residency facilities include the restored basalt-stone Atafona residence for accommodation, the Temple of Inspiration, a multidisciplinary studio and exhibition space overlooking the volcano, and Vídeo-Tasca, a community micro-cinema dedicated to video art and experimental screenings. The organization welcomes artists across disciplines and encourages projects that respond to the region's geology, ecology, cultural heritage, and social context. In 2026, AVISTAVULCÃO was selected as one of only 150 host organizations under the Culture Moves Europe residency programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut, further strengthening its position as an international hub for artistic mobility and research.
Title & Description
Culture Moves Europe Artist Residency 2027 – Research & Creation Residency in the Azores, Portugal
AVISTAVULCÃO invites applications for its Culture Moves Europe International Artistic Residency 2027, a one-month research and creation residency taking place in March 2027 on Faial Island in the Azores, Portugal. Supported through the Culture Moves Europe programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut, the residency is open to one individual artist or an artistic duo from countries eligible under the Creative Europe programme.
Located near the dramatic Capelinhos Volcano, the residency provides artists with an immersive environment where geological history, island life, and contemporary social realities become catalysts for artistic investigation. Rather than emphasizing the production of finished artworks, the programme encourages research-driven creative processes that explore themes such as landscape, memory, environmental change, geological time, resilience, mobility, isolation, local history, and the relationships between communities and their natural surroundings.
Artists are encouraged to develop context-sensitive projects rooted in observation, dialogue, and engagement with place. Throughout the residency, participants will connect with local residents, cultural practitioners, and community organizations while gaining insight into the unique identity of the Azores. The programme concludes with a public presentation sharing the artistic process, research outcomes, or completed work, fostering dialogue between artists and the local community.
The residency reflects AVISTAVULCÃO's commitment to supporting experimental contemporary artistic practice where time, collaboration, research, and territorial engagement are valued as essential components of artistic production.
Categories
- Residency
- Visual Art
- Installation
- Multimedia
- Performance
- Video
- Video Art
- Photography
- Sound Art
- Sculpture
- New Media
- Environmental Art
- Land Art
- Site-Specific Art
- Public Art
- Architecture
- Design
- Creative Writing
- Literature
- Research
- Interdisciplinary Arts
Eligibility
- Open to artists from countries eligible for the Creative Europe programme.
- Applications are accepted from both individual artists and artistic duos.
- Open to practitioners across all artistic disciplines.
- Emerging, mid-career, and established artists are all eligible.
- Applicants must be available for the entire one-month residency during March 2027.
- Proposals should demonstrate a strong interest in research, experimentation, and engagement with the local environment and community.
- Projects should respond to themes connected to landscape, geology, memory, environmental issues, local history, or contemporary cultural contexts.
Program Benefits & Awards
- One-month international artist residency in Faial Island, Azores, Portugal.
- Accommodation in the fully equipped Atafona residency house.
- Access to the Temple of Inspiration, a multidisciplinary creative studio overlooking Capelinhos Volcano.
- Use of the Vídeo-Tasca micro-cinema for screenings, presentations, or video installations where appropriate.
- Studio facilities suitable for multidisciplinary artistic practice.
- Access to tools for visual arts and crafts.
- Library specializing in Azorean culture and volcanology.
- Technical and logistical support throughout the residency.
- Assistance connecting with local organizations and community members.
- Opportunities to conduct artistic research within the unique volcanic landscape.
- Public presentation of artistic process or outcomes at the conclusion of the residency.
- Community engagement opportunities through workshops, conversations, open studios, or educational activities.
- International visibility through participation in the Culture Moves Europe residency network.
Funding for travel, accommodation, visa support, and mobility is provided through the Culture Moves Europe programme in accordance with its eligibility rules and funding conditions.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Artistic portfolio.
- Statement of intent.
- Research and creative project proposal.
- Description of expected outcomes.
- Technical and material requirements.
- Biography or updated Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- Confirmation of availability for the full residency period.
Applications should clearly demonstrate the relationship between the proposed project and the residency's geographic, environmental, and cultural context.
How to Apply?
Submit all application materials by email to: avistavulcao@gmail.com
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 1 August 2026
- Selection Period: July–August 2026
- Notification of Results: September 2026
- Residency Period: March 2027
- Residency Duration: One month
Location
Faial Island, Azores, Portugal
Additional Details
Projects are evaluated according to three principal criteria:
- Artistic innovation and originality.
- Overall quality and feasibility of the proposal.
- Capacity to engage meaningfully with the local community and natural environment.
The residency emphasizes artistic autonomy while providing strong production support and opportunities for cultural exchange. Participants are encouraged to immerse themselves in the island's landscapes, history, ecology, and communities, using the residency as a platform for experimentation rather than solely for producing finished works.
Residents are expected to share their creative process through at least one public activity, which may take the form of an open studio, workshop, presentation, exhibition, screening, artist talk, or another participatory format. AVISTAVULCÃO also provides ongoing support for project production, local networking, community integration, and dissemination of artistic outcomes.