ChirpNEST is a creative residency retreat
set within 47 hectares of mountain desert nature reserve in the Sierra de Almenara, southern Spain,
just 25 minutes from the Mediterranean coast.
PILOT WEEK: Thursday 1 October – Thursday 8 October 2026
PLACES: Up to 6 participants
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Monday 20 July 2026
DECISIONS COMMUNICATED: Sunday 26 July 2026
Outside Casa Chirpy
The Focus
This pilot residency is interdisciplinary and open to choreographers, dancers, theatre-makers, performers, filmmakers, installation and visual artists, designers, illustrators, and academic researchers.
The core focus is work in dialogue with land — site-specific approaches, landscape as collaborator, somatic practice rooted in place. Roughly half the week is structured shared time; the other half is yours, entirely.
Shared elements include somatic practice workshops in the landscape, sessions on site-specific approaches, excursions into the surrounding area (likely one coastal, one into ramblas or desert landscape), and communal meals. Yoga is available for those who want it. A massage practitioner is on site as an optional add-on.
“Susanne was a marvellous lecturer and mentor, bla, blah...”
x
The Place
Two houses on a shared nature reserve at 600 metres above sea level. Rooftop terrace for yoga and morning practice. Pool. Rolling hills and olive groves. Terraces with sail shades. Mountain desert landscape on the doorstep, Mediterranean coast 25 minutes away.
The residency is primarily landscape-based — with outdoor and open-air working spaces throughout. It may not be the right fit for artists who require a dedicated enclosed indoor studio for sole use.
xxx
Travel
By air:
Alicante (ALC) · Almería (LEI) · Murcia International (RMU)
By train (slow travel welcome):
Take the AVE high-speed train to Murcia, then the Cercanías C-2 regional train to Lorca (approximately 50 minutes).
We will arrange a pick-up from Lorca station for all arriving guests.
From Madrid: direct AVE to Murcia, then Cercanías to Lorca.
From Barcelona or further afield: AVE via Madrid or Alicante, then onward to Murcia and Lorca.
Recommended booking: renfe.com
Once the group is confirmed, we will also coordinate ride-sharing from airports where possible.
Note: we are between Lorca and Águilas, approximately 25–30 minutes by car from Lorca station.
Travel is not included in the residency fee.
xxx
Pricing
To make ChirpNEST accessible, we use a choice-based pricing model. Please read through the descriptions below and select the tier that best reflects your current financial situation. Thank you for your honesty — it helps us build something fair and sustainable for everyone.
In addition, the rates for this pilot residency are self-subsidised. From future rounds, we will signpost applicants to external bursary routes (Culture Moves Europe, Arts Council grants, university research funds).
Tier 1
Supported Rate: €750 per person (Twin Room A)
Select this tier if you face regular financial stress, are actively managing debt, or frequently find it difficult to cover your basic monthly expenses.
Tier 2
Standard Rate: €950 per person (Twin Room B)
Select this tier if your income is generally steady and you can be mindful of your budget, though you can occasionally plan and save for larger purchases or travel.
Tier 3
Supporter Rate: €1,250 per person (Double Room — solo occupancy, or shared with a partner or friend at the per-person rate)
Select this tier if you enjoy financial security, can comfortably build savings, and afford discretionary expenses and travel without significant stress.
Features Overview
Feature 1
Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec ac fringilla turpis. Mauris id fermentum nulla. Donec ac fringilla turpis. Maecenas non leo laoreet, condimentum lorem nec, vulputate massa. Aenean eu justo sed elit dignissim aliquam.