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 Eligibility
Residency Experience 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