21 Mar 2025

Open Call_2026 Collective Creation Laboratory

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Laboratories and Residencies
Geowritings, Sensorial Wanderings, Landscapes
Call for Applications for the January and February 2026 Program

 

 

These laboratories/residencies of collective experimentation invite creators from different disciplines (arts, writing, humanities, science) to practice and reflect on the processes of collective creation: expanded creation, the concept of authorship, listening, collaboration mechanisms, language, the challenges of collective decision-making, and the role of the individual within the collective. It also invites residents to share their interests, strategies, and experiences with these types of processes.

For the 2026 edition, we propose a new, intensive two-week format designed to focus and amplify the collective creative experience. The program will be offered twice for two distinct periods, providing participants the opportunity to choose the dates that best suit them.

Both programs will be held at Can Serrat and will feature the participation of Paola Caballero, collaborator and founder of the contemporary writing residency, guion bajo. Can Serrat and Paola Caballero propose a semi-structured program with a series of dynamics that connect the group with the landscape of the Montserrat mountain through walks, contemplative experiences, movement activities, and writing exercises. Participants will also propose activities based on their own practices and experiences, providing a valuable opportunity to share resources and creation tools, find inspiration, and build networks.

The Geowritings, Sensorial Wanderings, Landscapes labs are contextualized by the impressive natural environment of Montserrat, a central character in the narrative possibilities that we will weave together.

Over the years, both at Can Serrat and at guion bajo, we have facilitated more than fifteen collective creation and writing programs. The first versions of these residencies were carried out in collaboration with Cajón de sastre. During these editions, each group has expressed different desires, objectives, and questions, and thus many aspects of this laboratory/residency will be constructed and defined collectively. Throughout the program, we will reflect on what emerges from these activations and contemplate both the collective and individual outputs that will be generated.

 

OBJECTIVES

  • Share methodologies and exercises that promote collective creation actions through a multidisciplinary approach.
  • Experience the collective through shared living (dialogue, cooking, cleaning).
  • Reflect on and question the singularity of the individual author, and consider the significance of the individual within the community.

 

PROGRAMS

The proposed schedule for each of the collective creation laboratory/residency programs for 2026 is available at the following links.

RESIDENCY I_ 11-28 January 2026

RESIDENCY II_ 2-22 February 2026

 

IMPORTANT DATES

Application Period: March 24, 2025 – April 19, 2025
Publication of Results: May 2025
Residency Dates

  • Residency I: January 11-28, 2026
  • Residency II: February 2-22, 2026

 

CRITERIA AND SELECTION

The jury will select 15 proposals to be part of Residency I and 15 proposals to be part of Residency II, based on the following criteria:

  • The experience and relevance of the applicant’s work in relation to collective creation processes.

  • The quality, style, and originality of the applicant´s individual work.

 

CONDITIONS

OPTION 1: Stay in a shared room €830.30

OPTION 2: Stay in a private room €1124.04

Both options include the following:

  • Accommodation at Can Serrat.
  • 2 communal dinners or meals prepared by our cook, along with coffee and tea available in the house for communal use.
  • Shared workspace during the residency.
  • Access to all common areas.
  • Access to all equipment.
  • Promotion through social media.
  • Human and technical resources.
  • Connections with the local territory and the networks of Can Serrat and g_b.
  • Publication in Can Serrat’s digital project archive.
  • Collective production grant of €150 per program.

The actual value of the residency in 2026 is estimated at €2567/month, covering all the conditions mentioned above. However, thanks to the partial subsidy from Can Serrat, residents will pay a reduced cost (detailed in the options above). Please note, we understand the house as a community, a space that must be collectively cared for, which is why all residents and users of the residency must participate in weekly tasks (these include cleaning common areas such as the kitchen, garden, dining room, bathroom, etc.)

WHO CAN APPLY

Everyone from all backgrounds and all ages (if under 18, a parent or guardian authorization is required). It is not necessary to be an artist or a writer. Individuals, duos, and collectives are welcome to apply.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

– Fill out the FORM

– You will also be asked for a .PDF file titled: “lastname_firstname_GEOESCRITURAS2026”

This document must include:

  • A statement from the writer/artist written or recorded in audio or video (a brief summary of your work, research interests, themes, references, and/or process within a contemporary context, along with some information about your current research field) and a brief explanation of why you are interested in participating in the collective creation residency*.
  • A video* (max 3 min) or a series of images (max 10) or a voice note (max 3 min) or a 1-page sample of your writing project(s).
  • If you have experience in collective processes, describe a collaborative dynamic that you find interesting (one paragraph).

*Please include an embedded link in the .pdf for us to access the reading on SoundCloud or YouTube.

Applications may be submitted in Catalan, Spanish, or English. We cannot accept other languages at this time.

 

JURY

Sarah Goodchild Robb. Activities Coordinator at Can Serrat.

She received her Bachelor’s degree in Art History and French from Bard College at Simon’s Rock and completed a Master’s in Studio Practice at The City College of New York, CUNY. There, she was nominated for a Master of Fine Arts scholarship from the Dedalus Foundation and received the Therese Ralston McCabe Connor Award for a study abroad scholarship, which allowed her to undertake a residency at Picture Berlin, Germany. While completing her Master’s, she completed a research internship at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Before her studies, she worked as an arts administrator and educator at a nonprofit organization in Portland, Oregon. In 2018, she co-founded MODS with visual artist Maria Kim (2018-2023), an international virtual support initiative for active artists.

Paola Caballero Daza. Cultural manager and Director of the guion bajo foundation.

She studied literature (UniAndes), a Master’s in Asian and African Studies (El Colegio de México), a diploma in Expanded Writings: Language, Science, and Art (José Emilio Pacheco Chair, UNAM), and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Literary Creation (UPF). She has served as a pre-reader, reader, and juror for various national and international scholarships, awards, and grants, and among her publications is Voy y vengo with El Peregrino Ediciones. Camas gemelas, edited by Cajón de Sastre, was part of the Reading Colombia 2022 and 2023 catalog and was a finalist for the National Published Novel Award 2022 from the Ministry of Culture. She is currently working on her second novel.