AMAZONIA - AMAZON IMMERSION PROGRAM
AMAZÔNIA: AMAZON SESSION is a multidisciplinary artist immersive residency program taking place in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Designed to gather creatives of all disciplines, the program fosters exploration, experimentation, connection and deep research. By engaging with the Amazon rainforest’s unique biodiversity, inhabitants, rhythms and forms, participants are encouraged to stimulate their artistic process and forge new and deeper creative connections on their fields.
Set in Alter do Chão, the blue heart of the Tapajós, we see the forest not just as a backdrop, but as a mirror. Through ‘artistic foraging’ and deep immersion in the Amazon rainforest, we strive to reconnect with the territory and our inner selves. This residency provides a space where creatives can develop ideas, ground their practice in the soil of Alter do Chão, and engage meaningfully with the local community.
At a time when the global whirlwind leaves us feeling adrift and disconnected, this special immersion session CNI AMAZÔNIA: AMAZON SESSION was conceived from the same core premise: a visceral need to reconnect with nature, with the territory, and ultimately, with our own essence. We believe art is the ultimate tool for navigating our place within the living world. This edition is designed as a deliberate intervention, a pause, to silence the noise and allow the creative self to rise, to further deepen the creative process and our connection with the natural world.
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
SESSION DATES
November 2026: November 9 to November 30, 2026
3 weeks (2 weeks availability, please contact us)
ELIGIBILITY
We invite artists and practitioners from all disciplines to apply. We welcome a diverse global community of thinkers and makers, including—but not limited to—visual artists, photographers, filmmakers, curators, writers, poets, musicians, sound artists, performers, botanists, scientists, activists, and researchers. We seek individuals who wish to deep dive into their creative process, using the unique context of the rainforest to expand their practice and explore new investigative paths.
Our program is designed for professionals at every stage of their journey, from emerging voices to established practitioners. While our heart is in arts and culture, we believe that the most vital breakthroughs happen through cross-disciplinary exchange; therefore, we actively encourage applications from those with non-traditional backgrounds who wish to bridge their knowledge with the forest.
The Amazon is a rhythmic and exhaling landscape that challenges us to consider the boundary between human life and the intricate, more-than-human systems of the jungle.
APPLICATION PROCESS & DEADLINES
Application form is available upon request to info@casanailha.org. We operate a rolling application process throughout the year with various deadlines. You will receive a decision on your application within 7 days of submission. If you haven’t heard from us within this timeframe, please check your spam folder or contact us via email to ensure your application was successfully received.
This residency operates through a participation fee. We are an independent, artist-led, non-profit platform and we do not receive regular institutional funding. Contributions cover the real costs of this programme working in a remote environment and sustain our collaborations, accommodation, shared resources and on-the-ground coordination.
Full value of the residency: 2590 USD (3 WEEKS)
Commitment & Financial Coordination
To maintain the integrity of our small-group dynamics, we observe the following phases:
Initial Confirmation: A 50% deposit is required within 10 days after receiving your successful application letter
Final Balance: The remaining 50% must be fulfilled 60 days prior to your arrival in Alter do Chão.
Grants & External Funding: We recognize that many practitioners rely on institutional support. We are fully prepared to synchronize our administrative deadlines with your funding cycles. Because our capacity is strictly limited to 10 participants, it is vital that you outline your funding roadmap (including agency names and expected decision dates) in your initial application. This transparency allows us to reserve your place while your grant is being processed.
If you can not meet these deadlines and need more time or installments, contact us.
WHAT IS INCLUDED:
- PROGRAM PARTICIPATION: Our program integrates independent practice with field trips to cultural and ecological sites. There will be two curators on site and you will be able to share insights with peers and locals in a setting designed to deepen your creative inquiry. All activities, included or not, are optional, to respect the flow of each participant. Every session is unique, evolving alongside the seasons and the specific synergy of each group.
- FIELD TRIP: Through organized group trips to key local sites, participants gain a firsthand perspective on the region’s heritage and ecology. We emphasize time for quiet reflection and landscape immersion, ensuring these visits directly support your personal inquiry and creative process. There will be one guided boat tour and small immersion, activities and talks daily. There will be other tours we can organize not included in the final price. All are optional.
- ACCOMODATION Accommodation in facilities with direct contact with the diversity of the Amazon Rainforest. More than just a house, it is a living laboratory where the architecture breathes with the forest. Is a refuge specifically designed for creation, woven into the intimate fabric of Alter do Chão. Accommodation are shared (2/3 artists). Private can be available upon request.
- WORK GUIDANCE Two curators will be on site to offer guidance, support and feedback within the context of the residency, as each participant work on their project.
- SHARING EXPERIENCE, WORK & PROJECT PROGRESS Organic and organized optional talk and sharing will be held to offer participants the opportunity to share works-in-progress and engage in informal group conversations, creating space for mutual reflection and exchange within the group.
- WELCOME AND FAREWELL DINNER A welcome dinner and a farewell dinner will be prepared and shared with the group and curators on site. The rest of the meals are not included, but there will be a kitchen available for participants to prepare their food as well as the many restaurants and cafes in town
- TRANSFER FROM SANTAREM Transportation from Santarem airport to the venue will be available on the starting day of the residence, at one time, arranged to match all the incoming participants. This is one transfer, at one time, for all participants, from the airport of Santarem. Other airports, cities, location, dates or times different than the official an organized one will not be covered.
- ELECTRICITY AND WIFI
- WORKSPACES
- KITCHEN AVAILABLE
- PRE RESIDENCE SUPPORT AND PLANNING Both by e mail, WhatsApp and a formal call before arrival.
NOT INCLUDED:
Please note the residency fee does not cover international travel costs, visa fees, or individual materials, production, or shipping expenses. Any additional activities, excursions, guides, or translators outside the pre-programmed schedule are not included and should be compensated. Participants are also responsible for theiR own snacks, alcoholic beverages, and any other personal expenses beyond the basic provisions mentioned.
External Funding Support
As an independent, non-profit, artist-led organisation, we cannot currently provide full funding for everyone. However many past participants have successfully obtained external funding to attend. We can support your efforts by providing:
Letters of support
Budget templates
Other relevant documentation
Accessibility
Housing & Accomodation
Facilities place residents in direct contact with the diversity of the Amazon Rainforest. More than just a house, it is a living laboratory where the architecture breathes with the forest. Is a refuge specifically designed for creation, woven into the intimate fabric of Alter do Chão.Participants can encounter howler, capuchin, and squirrel monkeys, as well as various species of birds. The cabins boast a design that blends traditional architecture with local indigenous styles. The construction materials utilize reclaimed wood and organic matter, such as thatch and clay.
Accommodations are shared connected with natural surroundings, designed to breathe with the jungle and foster communal living, deeply connected to the local rhythms of Alter do Chão and the surrounding forest, offering a space that balances personal reflection with collective exchange. From your bed, the forest becomes a living wallpaper. Morning light filters through the foliage, and the nocturnal chorus of the Tapajós provides the soundtrack for your rest. and simple furnishings to support everyday living and working during their time in residency.
Private rooms may be available upon request, depending on availability.
Participants also have access to a shared kitchen, fridge, freezer, outdoor dining area, for self-catering throughout the residency. We provide basic cooking equipment (pots, pans, utensils), Participants are responsible for their own meals, kitchen supplies, and hygiene items outside the welcoming and farewell
Studio & Facilities
THE OPEN-AIR STUDIO: Working with the Jungle
Our program encourages you to step beyond the walls of a conventional studio and challenge yourself to learn directly from the living land. In the Amazon, the territory becomes your primary workshop, and the elements—water, mud, light, and humidity—become your collaborators.
Whether you are navigating an Igarapé in a canoe or finding stillness under the canopy of the primary forest, we invite you to develop open-air practices where your process is dictated by the rhythm of the tides, the shifting tropical light, and the profound silence of the trees.
Facilities & Resources
Communal & Private Workspaces: At our base, you will have access to outdoor communal workspaces, sheltered from the sun by a lush garden of native plants. Additionally, each room is equipped with a desk, providing a more intimate and private space for writing, sketching, or focused research.
Materials & Production: Participants are responsible for their own material budgets and specific production needs. We encourage "artistic foraging"—using the forest's natural offerings as your medium.
Connectivity & Power: The base is equipped with electricity for charging devices. Please be aware that in this rural Amazonian setting, occasional power cuts can occur. If your work is heavily dependent on technology, we recommend bringing a small backup battery or mini solar charger as a precaution.
Mobility: Our base is strategically located so that the entire village is accessible on foot, though local transport is readily available for longer distances or convenience:
- Nearby Beach: 400m / 5-minute walk. This quiet beach is just steps away and serves as a convenient point where traditional boats can pick you up for river expeditions.
- Village Center & Restaurants: 800m / 10-minute walk.
- Local Market (Colares/Mini-Preço): 700m / 9-minute walk.
- Main Beach (Ilha do Amor): 1km / 12-minute walk.
- FLONA (Tapajós National Forest): Accessible by a boat ride (15-20 mins) or by local taxi/transport.
- Taxis & Boats: Local taxis and boats are the primary way to navigate the region and can be pre-arranged to collect you from the nearby shore.