"Joya: AiR was simplicity but also complexity in terms of exploration, adaptation, discovery, space and time. It's its own dimension. When I first got there and entered this small galaxy I felt overwhelmed, curious, spaced out but also relieved. A silence that can be weird to many at first, I found to be really calming, grounding and invigorating. It really helped me find the time to think. The colours of the landscape match the peace of the silence.

Time felt slow in the beginning, then suddenly really fast. The initial discomfort turned into a true appreciation of a simpler and slower pace: the conversations, meals, serene moments and the walks complemented the time spent working. The different sections of the day and their rituals became all really special and hold a warm place in my memory, which I hope to partly repeat in the future.

The environment, the care with which the place has been made as well as the stories associated with it gave me that kind of detachment and change that is needed for new ideas, self development and general views of the world.

While my main practice is something I am keen on continuing to grow, exchanging with different artists and hearing their stories was a reminder to continue expanding beyond one medium. To me this is what makes a residency and experience most valuable: learning from and being inspired by others. Simon and Donna have been able to create this physical as well as creative space that is unique and my work and overall mindset strongly benefited from. I will be excited and looking forward to visiting again!"

Sabina Plamenova

Sabina is an 'Interactive Media' postgraduate (Goldsmiths) and 'Sound and Media" graduate whose work was primarily in music production, vocals and audiovisual projects.
Although becoming involved in music at a pretty young age, she was previously also dedicated to photography, a field which she never completely abandoned.
She is currently a user researcher in music software, which has widened her perspective in terms of understanding the tools we use from both sides. 
As a musician and DJ she has performed at large scale festivals as well as smaller venues across Europe. She has also worked on different kinds of sound design projects (adverts, music for film and more).
She has lived in Berlin where she was active as a performer in the fields of both music as well as, for a short period of time, dance.