APPLICATIONS CLOSE 26 OCTOBER 2026
The Buinho Residency program is designed for individuals from diverse creative and research backgrounds. Located in the Alentejo region of Southern Portugal, Buinho's creative hub was established with the support of a curatorial team with over a decade of experience organizing residency initiatives across Portugal. Since 2016 it has become a sought-after residency programme, thanks largely to its unique affiliation with the FabLab, which amplifies creative experimentation opportunities.
We now offer two funded six-week residencies for neurodivergent artists at Buinho, Messejana, Portugal — 11 January to 21 February 2027.
Invisible Cartographies (Creative Europe, 2026–2027) documents how schools, museums and public spaces are experienced by neurodivergent people, and turns that experience into maps that can change how those spaces are built and run. Its premise: neurodiversity is a value, not a deficit — we map with neurodivergent communities, not for them. The consortium brings together Veljko Ramadanović School (Belgrade, Serbia), FabLab Cuenca (Spain) and Buinho (Portugal).
At Buinho, in the village of Messejana (Baixo Alentejo), two artists work with students of the Agrupamento de Escolas de Aljustrel, mapping the sensory reality of their school and the places they move through daily: sound, light, texture, smell, crowding. The resulting work is the artist's to shape, in any medium. The artist is the expert: the residency is a method of research, not outreach attached to it.
Duration — six weeks, in person: 11 January – 21 February 2027
- 11–29 January: working with the school
- 1–10 February: studio and production time at the FabLab (school semester break)
- 11–19 February: final school sessions and a public presentation
- departure 21 February
Artists must be present in Messejana for the full period.
Support
We provide both curatorial and production support to each artist, together with other events that compose the residency: artists' presentations/talks, encounters and engagement with the local community, workshops and tutorials in several disciplines. Due to the characteristics of this project we also provide school liaison, translation support in school sessions and transport to the school — although knowledge of Portuguese or Spanish would be preferable. Free private room in one of Buinho's houses (shared kitchen; meals not included), with access to Buinho's studios, FabLab and Precious Plastic workshop.
Expectations towards the artist
- Work with students of the Agrupamento de Escolas de Aljustrel — indicatively one to two sessions per week, agreed with the school and adapted to your practice; develop an individual artistic project on sensory experience, neurodiversity and space;
- contribute to a sensory map or an intervention in a learning environment;
- record methods and reflections for the project's guidelines;
- take part in one public moment at the end, in a format agreed with you.
Artists keep authorship and copyright of their work. Selected artists follow Buinho's safeguarding, consent and data-protection procedures for work with minors.
Co-funded by the European Union (Creative Europe, project 101255804 · CREA-CULT-2025-COOP-1).
Residency Eligibility
Residency Experience Summary
Application Information
Eligibility
- Artists who work within the topic of neurodiversity — preference will be given to artists that also identify as neurodivergent (self-identification is enough — no diagnosis or documentation is asked for);
- any discipline and career stage — applications are judged by the quality of the portfolio, adequacy of the proposed project, and motivation;
- open to artists from any country — preference will be given to EU countries due to potential visa requirements;
- able to work in English — preference will be given to applicants that can speak either Portuguese or Spanish.
Apply through the form at invisiblecartographies.eu/apply.
Deadline is 26 October 2026. Online conversations with shortlisted applicants 3–6 November; results by 10 November 2026.
Questions and access requests: info@buinho.pt
No application fee and no residency fee.
Due to the Creative Europe Program we are able to offer per artist:
- €1,200 artist fee for the six weeks;
- free private accommodation;
- up to €300 towards travel, reimbursed against receipts;
- support for materials and production;
- full FabLab access.
Funded by Invisible Cartographies, co-funded by the European Union (Creative Europe, project 101255804 · CREA-CULT-2025-COOP-1). Per artist: €1,200 artist fee for the six weeks; free private accommodation; up to €300 towards travel, reimbursed against receipts; support for materials and production; full FabLab access.