Residency

The Creative Residency program is an opportunity to live and work in the town of Messejana for a period of up to two months.

Buinho currently oversees six distinct houses, each designed with unique purposes and features in mind. Among these, three houses are exclusively designated for the Creative Residency program, providing a selection of single and double bedrooms, both shared and private studios, as well as communal living amenities. The remaining houses grant all residents access to well-equipped working laboratories, facilitating the advancement of their respective projects.

1

Casa da Avo is located at the heart of Messejana, offering two spacious studios that overlook the main town square, along with two private bedrooms discreetly positioned at the rear of the house to ensure optimal privacy. In addition to its small courtyard and terrace, the standout feature of this house is its compact – and still in progress – jewelry laboratory. Being located in this
small town’s main square, its an opportunity to have more closeness with the daily social upbeat of Messejana.

2

Casa de Sao Joao is an XIX century shepherd’s house, remodelled in 2019 to offer a unique charm. It is located in the street of the museum, on top of a hill, offering from its garden a unique view over Messejana. It’s studios with high white walls and quiet environment offer the perfect setting for visual artists and writers.

3

Casa da Padaria, the last house to be added to our creative ecosystem, used to be a traditional Bakery. It features a cozy living room connected to the kitchen, along with a small patio perfect for enjoying a morning coffee. Offering more privacy, it’s well-suited for visual artists, writers, or researchers.

4

Casa Buinho embraces a modern, open-space design, featuring a central studio in the main building and a workshop located in the backyard. In 2015, this entire interior space underwent a comprehensive redesign and reconstruction, marking it as the inaugural house within this project and granting it the privilege of its distinctive name. Serving as Buinho’s primary headquarters, this house is home to the Fablab and Precious Plastic facilities.

5

Buinho Educativo is an extension of Buinho’s main fablab, with a specific focus on our educational and social initiatives. Within its confines, you’ll find two spacious rooms, one equipped with a comprehensive array of digital fabrication tools, including laser cutters, 3D printers, and vinyl cutters. The other is a textile lab, equipped with sewing machines, digital embroidery, tufting equipment, and other textile dedicated equipment that serves not only a local sewing club, but also for textile experimentation. Its distinctive capabilities are also accessible for residents use, positioning itself as the central hub for workshops and social engagement.

Buinho also acts as a local intermediary, offering its residents the possibility to use and exhibit their works in other spaces in the town.

Buinho organises two types of residencies:

Visiting residents

Visiting residents are individuals who receive a direct invitation from the Buinho association, and they are not required to submit applications. The costs associated with visiting residents are covered through external funding sources.

During their stay, visiting residents actively engage with the local community and contribute to the advancement of internal projects and/or product development.

Spontaneous Application

Individuals have the opportunity to submit a Spontaneous Application for consideration.

Residents who gain entry into Buinho via a Spontaneous Application are responsible for a weekly or monthly fee, which assists in covering the maintenance expenses of Buinho.

How to Apply

Applicants should send an email to info@buinho.pt with the following information:

  • A brief description of the work you intend to create during your residency and your reasons for applying
  • Biography / CV
  • Small portfolio in PDF format or a link to portfolio site
  • The dates which you intend to stay

The selection will be done by the Buinho’s curatorial committee. We will take in consideration the creative´s portfolio and biography, the motivation, the viability of the proposal and its adaptation to available resources.

Fees

In Buinho we differentiate the value of the residency fees according to the characteristics of the accommodation. By differentiating the fees we are establishing a more fair criterion between residents, and also enabling those with fewer incomes to come to Buinho.

As of May 2023, the monthly fee is the following:

1. São João larger bedroom with private bathroom and shared studio – 900€;
2. São João other two bedrooms with shared bathroom and shared studio – 800€;
3. Casa da Padaria two bedrooms with shared bathroom and private studios – 900€;
4. Casa da Avó two bedrooms with shared bathroom and private studios – 900€

An accompanying person has a 50% discount but has to share the accommodation.

The minimum duration of each residency is two weeks and the maximum is two months. Residencies should start either on the 1st or on the 15th of each month. Please note that after the acceptance into the Creative Residency program, we will ask for an initial deposit of 50% of the total value of the stay. The rest of the value is to be paid during the first week of residency.

Fees include the private bedroom, use of all shared spaces, the studio and workshop facilities, and all of the available equipment. Buinho will issue a receipt and send a formal acceptance letter if requested.

Cancellation requests with a full reimbursement of the deposit should be made by writing within 5 months before the start of the period of stay. All other cancellations will not result in the refund. Deposits are non-refundable and residency dates are non-transferable.

For more information please download the Creative Residency Guidelines. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Projects

A selection of projects developed by our creative residents.