THE RESIDENCY

We look forward to hosting you at A L T O. Additionally to being provided a work space, possibilities exist to create land art and/or objects around the house and surroundings. In your application you will be asked to define a project or goal for your residency and summarise your professional achievements. Within a few days we can let you know whether we can accommodate you.

the place

A L T O Art Residency is located at Mariri Jungle Lodge, a private home, permacultural retreat which is one of the jewels in Alto, lovingly built by its founder Marianne. The lodge is located only 13km from town, a half-hour drive along an exciting unpaved road cutting through the Cerrado hills and about 8km from the nearest waterfall. There are no cars around, just hiking trails and beautiful raw nature.
The local town offers necessary amenities – restaurants, shops, internet cafe, laundry etc. but you would need your own car to come and go from the house.
Please note – the residency is not inside town – It is therefore reccommended to have your own vehicle if you want to be visiting other sites. We have a jeep and can arrange for pick up from town or a day-trip to a waterfall for an extra fee, which can be discussed with the founders in situ and there are also taxi rides available.

residency

Although the general rule is that much of your time at A L T O is yours to organize, we are always available for advice, support or feedback. If you would like we can make an appointment with you for a weekly meeting to discuss your plans, the progress in your work, desired contacts, the possible organization of a show and so on.

checking in

Upon arrival we will show you your quarters and once you have settled in, we arrange a meeting with you to show you the spaces and direct surroundings and to talk about your project and expectations. Also at the beginning of your residency we request two telephone numbers of relatives who we can call in case of an emergency.

eco vision

At Mariri we live daily by a permacultural ethic where we take responsibility for as much of our rubbish as possible by composting and recycling, plant our own organic vegetables, use bio-construction techniques to create inspiring and eco-friendly living spaces, use solar panels for our energy and generally think of how we can step more lightly onto our dear earth.
The lodge has been built thinking of our environment using mostly natural materials and organic forms. There is a traditional toilet with a flush in the main house but the other toilets are all dry toilets which we consider a more evolved way of dealing with our own “organic matter”. We always have people from all over the world visiting as volunteers wanting to experience and learn about permaculture, agroforestry and a more sustainable way of life away from the city.

extra comfort

We have a few extras that really make the difference:
– a vast collection of incredibly interesting and beautiful books which most residents delight in borrowing during their stay.
– a large rock mineral water pool fed by a sculpted flowform.
The lodge is lucky to be the first to receive these blessed untouched waters from the mountains which we can drink straight from the tap and bathe in.
– a Dry Finnish Sauna, purification tradition for good health and longevity. Visitors end up forgoing the electric shower altogether choosing the sauna & pool combo as their cleansing and
relaxation end-of-day ritual instead.
– a Jacuzzi bath.

house - living

The jungle lodge is shared with Marianne the land founder who built Mariri Jungle Lodge and one of our founder resident artists, Rafael Perez Evans or Karolina Daria Flora. During the week we sometimes do yoga in the temple, and you are welcome to join this practice. We also share the Finnish sauna for cleansing and swimming pool after our day’s work which is a very good way to unwind, and as a resident you are most welcome to join this too. We also have a shared living room and library spaces.
The land and some of the spaces are also shared with volunteers who are working on the permaculture project and other paying guests.

studio

As a resident you have the possibility of working within a studio set–up if you wish or to work more privately from your own room or other spaces.
We have a 9-metre diameter open round 3.5m tall ceiling shared bamboo temple which can be used as a studio space. It has a great roof and open sides.
We have an art studio (Frida Studio) with a terrace to the jungle and an open atelier and artists will get to choose where they would like to work once they arrive.

You also have the possibility of working and constructing outdoors within most parts of the land including jungle, gardens, stream and other areas. If you require to build your own work space or structures we have the help of workers that can facilitate any construction at local prices.

permaculture - land projects

If residents are interested in adding an extra activity to their stay, they can partake in helping with the land’s sustainability. In the back gardens there are forests where we are currently cultivating the healthy superfood Shiitake mushrooms which we sell at the local organic market, so residents will get a chance to watch us at work and learn about this fascinating process, as well as taste the final product prepared in many different delicious recipes.
There is also a series of gardens in which we have various veggie and agro forestry patches, composting piles and recycling stations in which residents can help out if they desire to do so to connect with the land further.