Who is invited to apply? 

This retreat is for trans* BIPOC artists to rest, create together, share practices and form new connections. We’ll have opportunity to focus on our art without pressure to justify our experience or existence, where we are not othered, but can co-create a nurturing, safe space just for us. 

This retreat is NOT for white and/or cis people, so please be aware of your positionality. We recognize that not all non-cis people identify as trans, but we use this word anyway as an umbrella term to include folks outside the cis-tem. All genderf*ckers welcome. 

This retreat might be of interest if: 

Play is central to your art practice; you work in multiple mediums; you keep your work private or; you love to share/perform; you want to try new creative approaches and want to teach us some of yours; you want to collaborate with fellow TBIPOC artists; you have a need to rest and ground yourself in nature. 

Rest and connection are the center

While the retreat certainly offers workshops to try new practices or revisit old ones, and a space to continue existing projects, you don’t have to make work while you’re here. We aim to slow down, rest, enjoy and share our processes, and make meaningful connections with fellow artists. 

What we’ll do together

We will write in any language and any genre, make large and small drawings, move our bodies, record sound and song, film ourselves and eachother, and any combination of these and more.We’ll get curious about dreams, memories, and mysteries. We will work alone, in pairs, and as a group. We’ll get inspired by each other’s work. And we’ll slow down, be kind to ourselves and each other, and get lots of luxurious rest. 

Workshops 

Everyone’s ideas are welcome, so at any point, there is opportunity for YOU to facilitate activities & share skills and resources. If you have a workshop idea, please propose it! 

The space we want to create

We want to respect and accommodate the various accessibility needs of each artist as much as we can. On Day 1, we create our Community Agreement and agree on how we will make a caring environment together. We may designate Quiet Spaces/Quiet Hours and have volunteer Awareness Persons. All activities are optional, and there will always be alternative ways to participate, including nonverbally.

Unfortunately, the house itself is not fully wheelchair-accessible. 

For parents and caregivers: it is possible to bring young ones with you to the retreat. We need to know in advance so we can develop care plans together, as there will likely be activities for adults only. 

Finally, we intend to make the space as non-elitist as possible. This means we especially want to invite artists who are poor and working class; are migrants and refugees from the Global South; and work primarily in languages besides English. We understand that offering the space exclusively to Trans* BIPOC does not automatically make it a safe or non-classist space. It is our collective responsibility to make it so. 

As of now, the retreat is not funded and we are not able to pay for your food or travel costs. We aim to reduce financial barriers as much as possible in the future by getting funding! 

Accommodation, food & travel info

• Food: We will share shopping, cooking and cleaning duties. Please bring specialty foods and spices you crave. The cost of groceries will be split amongst ourselves taking into consideration the individual financial situations of everyone.
• Travel: La Bassa Mar is located 2h away by train from Barcelona. Info on accommodation and travel options can be found on https://bassa-mar.org/en/house-and-land/
• Accommodation: There is room for up to 20 people. Rooms are all shared

About La Bassa Mar

La Bassa Mar is a wonderful seminar house surrounded by olive trees, in walking distance to the mediterranean sea. Have a look: https://bassa-mar.org/en/

Hosts

Blue is an afro-carribean photographer, filmmaker & poet, exploring different media of oral poetry on topics of intimacy, labor and transmission. They are a trans black queer solo parent living in Berlin, they grew up in the French and Dutch colonies. Languages spoken : French, Kréyol, English

frān (they/them) is a Nicaraguan audiovisual artist & producer, whos work explores the intersections between formats, language, identities, and individual memory. They are a non-binary person of color with a stable migration status in Germany.

Languages: Spanish, English, German

Mata is a Filipinx writer and visual artist making poetry, puzzles, zines, textual drawings and performances combining poetry with drawing. He facilitates the Trans BIPOC Writers Group at Casa Kuà. He has a US American passport. 

Languages: English, Tagalog, basic German

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Questions? Please write to x@franltx.net

With much love, 

Blue, frān, Matagumpay