It is documented: In 1915, Albert Einstein received a mud-stained envelope containing the solution to the equations of his theory of relativity. Finding this precise solution was a fundamental step that not even Einstein himself could have taken, and the person who sent it to him was the German physicist Karl Schwarzschild, who had been in the trenches for months. This scientist, who served as a commander at the beginning of World War I, went down in history for using his free time at the front to develop these calculations. Also in an unusual way, the American Lucia Berlin managed to write the stories of her handbook for cleaning women while traveling around her country with her children and changing increasingly precarious jobs. But for every historical exception, thousands of talents in science, literature, music, or the arts were lost because those who could have exercised them encountered insurmountable barriers (most often based on class, race, or gender). In other cases, these barriers are not insurmountable, but daily life requires different rhythms than those required to develop an artistic project (e.g. there is a dependent family member or a parallel job that pays the rent). In recent years, essays such as “El Enthusiasm” by Remedios Zafra have been published; Don’t Be Yourself: Notes for a Weary Generation, by Eudald Espluga; or Gozo, by Azahara Alonso – one of the words most often repeated by young artists is “fatigue”; And the dozens of notifications that hit emails and phones every day don’t help either.
Creation has always been accompanied by some degree of weather. But there have also been personalities and institutions for centuries that have aimed to alleviate the problems and provide writers and artists with the resources they need to develop their work without distractions or additional worries. There are currently more than 50 artist residencies and more than 20 literary residencies spread across the peninsula. “These residences give time and provide a comfortable space for creators,” said Nicolás G. Botero, director of the Finestres Literary Residence, which was inaugurated last summer. But they also offer advice and mentoring, contact with other artists and generally everything you need to accompany you on an often lonely and uncertain path.
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“I applied to the Antonio Gala Foundation residency to not have to work or deal with family matters for a year,” recalls Mariña Prieto, playwright and 21st grade resident of the aforementioned residency, to the nationwide most famous. “I don’t have much privilege and in my daily life I have to earn a living and take care of my parents, so my writing usually fluctuates between domestic tasks, care and work.” “In the monastery of Córdoba,” the author continues, referring “They do absolutely everything for you: they wash your clothes, they prepare your food and they tidy your room… they create pleasant situations for writing.”
Marta Jiménez Serrano is also an author (in her case, novels and short stories) and is recognized in Prieto’s case. “Years ago, women were responsible for household chores and effectively acted as their husbands’ secretaries.” [son conocidos cientos de casos de hombres, empezando por los célebres Dostoievski y Juan Ramón, que no habrían salido adelante sin sus esposas]. “In addition, there were jobs from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. that left the afternoon free for writing,” states the author of “Not Everyone.” “Now there are so many hours of food work involved that it’s not easy to find time to write,” he continues. And once those hours or minutes arrive, “it’s difficult to legitimize writing time.” I see it with my students, it seems that writing is never a sufficient excuse, even to oneself, to reject a plan or a lesson to sleep less,” reflects Jiménez, also a lecturer in creative writing workshops. “That’s why it’s necessary to find the time to write, but also to legitimize, preserve and nurture it.”
In the small municipality of Blanca in Murcia, next to the Ricote Valley (a landscape characterized by irrigation ditches and hot springs), is the headquarters of the AADK platform, which offers artist residencies from one to six months. Abraham Hurtado is its director and explains that for her time is also one of the most important factors: “There are residency models that are exclusively dedicated to research. We encourage the artist to experiment with their universe without worrying about the completion of the project. In this way, we give space and time to question their way of creating, legitimize their creative processes, think about their concepts or what they really want to convey with their creations.”
Although literature and art are professions in almost every sense (although they find it difficult to fit into the Treasury’s census of economic activities), Nicolás G. Botero recalls that their practice also entails existential difficulties: “Everyone has his problem solve.” own personal problems when trying to write. This is a job or task where you are confronted with the absurd, there are no shortcuts or escapes.” If these difficulties arise, for example in the form of a creative block, the residence halls have strategies and resources to overcome them. “Mentors are crucial in our programs to support artists in their creations. The AADK team works here as on-site experts and supports and enriches the concepts and research of our residents,” says Hurtado. Although Prieto managed to establish a routine and write every day, he remembers that during his stay at the Antonio Gala Foundation there were colleagues who faced blockages but who (which would be unthinkable in another environment) ” “A lot of help was given to get out of them.” From his tutor and also from writers with solid careers who visited us.”
Escape the rent and get closer to your colleagues
In contrast to utopias, which by definition will never be realized, a heterotopia, according to the philosopher Michel Foucault, is a space that follows its own rules and, with its existence, questions the functioning of the outside. Residencies for artists are heterotopias that bring our time and work management into crisis, but not only that. “A residency is much more than a place where the domestic needs of guests are taken care of so that they can devote themselves to their work . What happens in these places is pure experience among like-minded people, exchanging ideas, enriching perspectives,” says Botero. The competition that is so easy to see in other areas also disappears, and all artists work together and become involved in each other’s projects. “This job is very lonely and if apartments are well planned, they are also meeting places. Going to dinner with another writer is not the same as living with him for a while: this way you get to know his processes and his way of working,” says Jiménez. For his part, Hurtado, with more than 10 years of experience at the helm of AADK, has also confirmed that “the most fruitful thing for artists is the exchange of knowledge and the development of ideas that can be exhibited and contrasted in temporary communities” “that arise during the residencies. “
Anyone who has been in a residence or works there agrees that the coexistence of guests is essential, but regarding the relationship with the outside world there are two center models: the one proposed by Finestres, whose residence is located in an isolated house in one located bay near Palamós in Girona (Truman Capote lived and wrote there) and that of the Antonio Gala Foundation with integrated residence in the city of Córdoba. “The first has a somewhat platonic idea: we will gather the artists and drive them out of the city,” notes Prieto. “I think it is very important for the artist to be in society. In addition to correcting my texts with my classmates, I had a lot of social life in Córdoba and that doesn’t mean that my writing was worse; On the contrary, it inspired me,” the playwright continues. Staying in the town of Blanca is an intermediate option: in a town with fewer than 7,000 inhabitants, the resident immediately takes in the landscape and Hurtado realizes that the romantic myth of the artist who walks and thinks has some basis: “The Solitude in the mountains of the valley or concentration between fruit trees are part of everyday life for our artists.”
Without knowing it, we repeatedly read or appreciate works created during a residency. There are many authors and artists who have had such an experience, from Sally Rooney of the Santa Maddalena Foundation in Tuscany to Andrés Barba, who wrote República Luminosa, his most ambitious novel, at Queen Mary University of London. Almost invisibly, residencies play a fundamental role in the production and dissemination of contemporary work. In addition, they go to them not only to complete an ongoing project, but also often generate new proposals and strengthen the cultural fabric, as Hurtado explains: “From here, exhibition projects and festivals have emerged that were not foreseen in the projects. “Initials. Above all, thanks to the artists who accompanied us, a very extensive and multiplying network has emerged that works with other institutions and international spaces.”
Although most residence halls depend on private foundations, there are also public ones (such as those offered by the Madrid City Council in student residence or those organized by Acción Cultural Española throughout Europe) and which are accessed after a selection process evaluated by a jury both the candidate’s CV and project. The Blanca Center publishes the prices per stay on its website, but its director makes it clear: “We try to ensure that it is not the artist who pays, but a scholarship granted in his country of origin.” When we choose an artist, we accompany him in obtaining help, that is something we have in common.” In other cases, such as Finestres, the foundation covers all costs. These mechanisms attempt to reduce a class bias that is particularly pronounced in the creative industries, where there are many unpaid jobs.
Like a sanctuary or refuge, creative residencies help you complete projects or experiment with new methods. But above all, they serve to strengthen vocations in those years when, before being able to pay the bills with his production (if he ever manages to do so), the artist doubts himself, grapples with other obligations and looks for people in one looks for a similar situation and is always on the verge of giving up. Finally, Mariña Prieto draws a very positive balance of her experiences: “When they told me that I was selected, many friends and family were happy because they saw that I could finally dedicate time and passion to my theater project.” And that was it In fact: My best text is the one I wrote there because I had the necessary material conditions to reach a successful conclusion.
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