O Castro Art Village · Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain 

Supported by Culture Moves Europe · Creative Europe · European Union

Open Call: Sound Artist in Residence

Eight stone houses. Two hectares of forest. A village that time left behind.

O Castro de Mourelos sits in the Ribeira Sacra region of Galicia. Granite walls, old growth, water nearby, wind moving through spaces that once held daily life. The acoustic character of this place is inseparable from its history. The ruins amplify, absorb, and transform sound in ways no built studio can replicate.

We are inviting one sound artist to listen to it, and to answer.

The proposition

We are building a sound installation across the village; one that visitors will access through QR codes placed at specific points in the landscape and ruins. This is not a guided audio tour. It is a permanent sonic layer added to the site: a second presence, audible only to those who seek it out.

You will develop and produce this installation during your 30-day residency, working with the acoustic and atmospheric properties of O Castro as your primary material. The work will be created in direct dialogue with the visual artist and architect in residence, and with artistic director Davoud Gerami as your mentor. Field recording, composition, spatial audio, generative sound, or any other approach rooted in your practice are all welcome. What matters is that the work is genuinely of this place.

The installation will remain permanently at O Castro after your departure..

The residency

30 days at O Castro Art Village during October 2026.

October changes the sound of this place. The forest floor softens with rain and fallen leaves. The river valleys fill with morning fog. Migrating birds pass through. The village holds a different kind of quiet than summer; deeper, more interior. You will be recording in a landscape at the height of its seasonal transition.

You will live in a climate-controlled geodesic dome with a full bathroom, inside the same forest you will be recording. Meals are prepared and shared collectively. There is a community of artists, neighbours, and passers-through to draw from. You will also have the silence you need.

A mentor will accompany your process throughout the stay.

Who we are looking for

A sound artist or musician whose practice is rooted in place, landscape, or the acoustic memory of human habitation. Experience with field recording, site-specific installation, or sound in architectural or natural contexts is highly relevant. As important as technical experience is an attentiveness to the particular; an ability to hear what is specific about a place rather than imposing a pre-formed vocabulary onto it.

• You must be a legal resident of a European country other than Spain.
  
• You must be available to stay and work at O Castro for the full 30 days, uninterrupted.
  

What you will receive

• A travel allowance of €400 per round-trip (€800 for distances of 5,000 km or above).
  
• A daily allowance of €30 for each day of the residency, for food, local transport, and personal expenses.
  
• Accommodation in a furnished geodesic dome on site (Private or shared depending on availability).
  
• Mentorship and full integration into the life of O Castro.
  
• Accessibility top-ups available upon request.

To apply

Send the following to info@ocastroartvillage.com before midnight of 5 July, 2026:

• A short letter of interest (max. 400 words) explaining why this residency and this site (in English)
  
• Audio documentation or links to recent work (max. 20 minutes total)
  
• A brief CV or biography (in English)
  
• One proof that you are legally residing/live in one of the 41 Creative Europe countries: Including your full name and address. Such as:
  • ID Card or passport
  • Work/House/Insurance contract
  • Gas/electricity/water bill
  • Bank statement
    
• Proof for accessibility support (if applicable)