photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Julia Aurora Guzmán / DMA

‘Centers here, centers there, unidentifiable 

Navels to be found. 

I made them, molded them and left them on the land, as potential homes for insects. 

Navels for Grave-like, Ana-Mendienta-like silhouettes that became ephemeral earth works, mirroring (our) nature. 

Particularly wonderful was the silence and the fluid creativity that Joya: AiR allowed, uncontaminated by expectations’. 

Juliaurora.com

 

Julia Aurora Guzmán is a Barcelona-based Dominican artist, working in the interdisciplinary field of art, architecture, and ecology, often through site-specific installations. Her work orbits around water, physical and emotional support systems, and centering forces as analogies for our personal balance. Materialized through sculptures, textile-works, photography, sound and performance, Guzman’s work represents our transient cycles, honors births and deaths, and tends to the present. 

She received a BFA in Sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute (USA) in 2016, and an Associates degree in Fine Arts from the School of Design Altos de Chavón (DR) in 2013. Apart from JOYA : arte + ecología / AiR (Almería, Spain), Guzmán has had residencies at the European Ceramic Workcentre (Oisterwijk, Netherlands) and at Despina (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil). She has been a recipient of multiple work grants, including the Young Talent Award from Mondriaan Funds (NL), Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds (NL) and Stichting Stokroos (NL). Her work has been exhibited internationally, including solo shows in Santo Domingo (DR) in 2017, Amsterdam (NL) in 2019, and Madrid (SP) in 2021, and in multiple group shows including Brasil, United Kingdom, and United States and the Netherlands. 

Guzmán is represented by Galerie Fontana (Amsterdam, NL) and Galería Daniel Cuevas (Madrid, SP), and she is currently a resident at La Escocesa (Barcelona, SP) and co-curator of the independent artspace CasCaDas (Barcelona, SP). 

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Hannah Parr + Linus Maurmann / ENG + CHE

“We came to Joya: AiR to work specifically on a new video work. With reference to a dream, themes of consciousness, comfort, empathy, hard and soft powers, healing and nature, the story unties the restorative powers associated with hair and pine trees. The film unveils the potentials and paradoxes of the dream world, takes the role of seeing and observing as a vital part of world-making, and draws on sensation-based perception to engage with our natural surroundings.

The immediate land surrounding the house was more beautiful than anticipated, which made for ten days and nights of intensive filming. Nevertheless, working uninterrupted and intimately with the land that houses the residency was an immense pleasure”.

www.hannahparr.com

Hannah Parr (b. 1984, UK) is a Swiss-based artist. Her experimental practice in object art, design, sculpture, and installation questions formalism, social structures, consumer culture and addresses social survival and transformation strategies. Her works are based on specific self-developed working processes; for years, she has been collecting and sort-ing materials, typically from domestic or manufactured sources. Transforming ‘object’ to subject through the process of re-categorisation, displacement, and isolation, she speculates within a relative realm, where subtle interventions and quiet humour reaffirm the intellectual, virtuous, and emotional potential of materials, recovering their capacity as tools for critical analysis. 

www.maurmann.info

Linus Maurmann (b. 1997, Zuirch, CH) is an independent industrial designer. Trained as a carpenter and educated in industrial design at Zurich’s University of the Arts. His process-based practice relies on a close collaboration with artists and is often based on his interests in alpine sports and music. His design approach is driven by exploration and experimentation with materials, form and production methods, emphasizing the haptic qualities of production through materials. 

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Jessica Bonnie Winters / CAN

‘While getting over some serious jet-lag, I became increasingly concerned about how I would find inspiration for my work, which is based solely on a landscape and culture that could not be anymore different than my interpretation of rural Spain. I came to understand that despite these differences, my interest and love for the land still remained, and that’s what I focused on. From my daily walks I began collecting photos of lichen, comparing and painting the different species from both Joya and my home in Canada. These paintings and ideas have completely hijacked the trajectory of my work for the foreseeable future.

Thank you to the artists I spent time with for welcoming me, encouraging me and sharing your stories with me, and thank you Joya: AiR for giving me the time and space to connect with the land´.

Jessica Bonnie Winters

Jessica is an Inuk from northern Labrador and works with paint and seal skin. (Inuk are the indigenous people of the Arctic and Sub-Arctic occupying Labrador, Quebec, Greenland, Nunavut, North West Territories and Alaska)

Awards
2021 - Arts and Minds Canada Invitational Artist in Residency Award, Tilting, NL
2021 - UNAAN Artist Program Grant, St. John's NL

Exhibitions:
2020 - Of Myths and Mountains, The Rooms
2019 - Nunatsiavut: Our Beautiful Land, La Guilde

No formal arts training - I am a self-taught/traditional inuit artist.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Nadège Mériau / FRA

‘When I arrived at Joya: AiR, I was struck by the lack of sound and light pollution (with nights so clear you feel closer to the stars) and an unusual sense of stillness. The light was almost too bright, sunsets almost too unbearably colourful and the singing of insects and birds almost too loud. The biodiversity there was so rich it felt like an assault to the senses. There was an instant feeling of joyful connection to the place.

So on I went, recording sounds on my walks every morning and evening, breathing and listening attentively. But what took me by surprise was the work I did in response to the beautiful studio space I was allocated. Somehow I felt I had to inhabit this space, and time, which I had been given. First I became fascinated by the resident insects and the sound they made as they went about their daily business, then I started to look at the view and the play of light flooding in through the window at different times of the day. I filmed it all, and spontaneously began to perform in front of the camera, which was something I had not planned.

If in the Night it Rains Tomorrow / Nadège Mériau

I enjoyed the natural structure imposed by the changing light and temperature. It was simply too hot to go out in the middle of the day and this provided time to rest and review what I had recorded and filmed in the morning.

The evening meals and talks with other artists provided stimulating exchanges and encouraging feedback on the new directions my work was taking.

I had intended to explore issues of care, self-care and medicine in relation to nature, technology and the arts by immersing myself in the wild environment, recording my embodied experience of the land (through film, photography and sound), exchanging with other artists, and reconnecting with Europe, after a long period of isolation. I did just that, and more’.

Nadège Mériau

Nadége completed an MA in Photography at the Royal College of Art in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries and the Conran Award in 2011, nominated for the Arts Foundation Fellowship and the Arles Discovery Award in 2012 and the Prix Pictet 2014. In 2016, she produced a participatory sculpture and an artist film for The Aylesbury As Home exhibition at the Geffrye Museum, with the support of Queen Mary University and the Leverhulme Trust. In 2020 , she was commissioned to make a short artist film and stills work for Nothing To Look But The Past, Tulca Arts Festival, with the support of Arts Council Ireland and Galway City of Culture 2020. Other recent shows include Fire: Flashes to Ashes in British Art 1692-2019, RWA Bristol, Auto//Fiction, Exhibition and Symposium, Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art 2019, 209 Women at Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament and Impressions Gallery, Bradford 2019. Recent publications include xviii, stories of Tulca, Tulca publishing, 2021, SPUD published by Deirdre O’Mahony, Rot issue of The Learned Pig, curated by Julia Cavicchi, and Fire: Flashes to Ashes in British Art 1692-2019, Sanson & Company.

photo Simon Beckmann

‘My journey to Joya: AiR was applied for and planned all most 9 months prior. This gave me ample time and circumstances to strategize over what could be “achieved” and accomplished during my revered time there.

Very little of it came to pass, but was instead replaced by concepts, relationships, and revelations that were much more valuable. After the first few days of acclimating, work became much more organic and a natural flow of the days’ relaxed routine…ultimately renewing purpose. The spontaneous, authentic discussions and lasting friendships certainly have been the most valuable resource and will be packed away for future use. Donna and Simon have thankfully created a welcoming and necessary refuge that will have a lasting impact’.

Randy Akers

Randy Akers is a visual artist working on Skidaway Island, Georgia. He has shown at the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, University of New Mexico's Harwood Foundation, Brownsville Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Anchorage Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Valdosta University, Masur Museum of Art, SUNY Genesseo, Florida A&M University, Marietta / Cobb Museum of Art, LaGrange Art Museum, Ormond Art Museum, and Maryland Federation of Art among others. Akers wass honored with a 2021 arts residency at Cill Rialaig, Ireland. Past residencies include Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Wyoming in 2019 and 2015 and Foundation OBRAS, Portugal in 2017. His one-person show, Road to Canaan, was included in the VIVA Florida 500. Work was selected by the Office of the Governor for The Art of Georgia, sponsored by the Georgia Council of the Arts.

In his past career, Akers directed and designed international television commercials, movie titles, music videos, and print for Fortune 500 companies. He has been affiliated with Curious Pictures (NY), R/GA Digital Studios (NY), Broadcast Arts, (NY), Yarra Films (Singapore), Kessler-Irish Films (Toronto), and AFI Films (Miami). Akers is a member of the Director's Guild of America, the Broadcast Design Association, and served as an advisor to the Delphi Conference exploring the convergence of art and technology. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and Cazenovia College. He received his M.F.A. at the Savannah College of Art and Design; B.F.A, Chouinard Art Institute, California Institute of the Arts; additional academic work at Art Center College of Design, California State University Northridge and University of Oregon. Akers served on the board of Art Rise Savannah and Arts Georgia advisory council.

Akers is represented by Jane's Art Center, New Smyrna Beach, FL., L/Ross Gallery, Memphis, TN, J Costello Gallery, Hilton Head, SC, and Reinike Gallery, Atlanta, GA.

photo Simon Beckmann

‘Joya: AiR was a creative sanctuary. Being away from the hustle and bustle of daily life helped me gain perspective on many aspects of my artistic practice. The experience has been invaluable & provided me with the clarity needed to let ideas flourish. I engaged in stimulating conversations with fellow residents and was given the time & space to be productive in a non pressured environment.

During my time at Joya: AiR, I experimented with plans for a new body of work. Having finished a series of paintings before coming to the residency, I was at a creative crossroads.

The colours, forms and atmosphere of the desert have all influenced my work. I have brought back pigments, drawings & new ideas to my studio life in London. I now feel ready and prepared to begin a new series of paintings.

I feel honoured to be part of the Joya: AiR community and am so grateful to Donna & Simon.

I didn't recognise how much I needed Joya: AiR until I arrived. My only regret has been not staying there longer’!

Shayna Fonseka

Shayna Fonseka (b. 1994, London) lives and works in London. She received a BFA from Slade School of Art in 2017. Fonseka’s work is influenced by the urban and industrial landscape and explores a sense of place, displacement and placelessness. Her process involves taking photographs of deserted city squares and found objects in the urban environment during long walks, which she then transforms through various image layering techniques, digital studies and painting. Fonseka’s work expresses various emotional states through the use of vivid colour, texture, warping and shadow, to create a terrain that extends beyond the physical realm, into a hidden, more personal and mysterious one. In her work, highly textured surfaces contrast with defined forms to produce a flattened, distorted perspective. Patterns are duplicated and subject matter may appear familiar but displaced. The paintings reveal a profound approach to our everyday environment while investigating the tensions between our inner and outer selves. 

www.shaynafonseka.com

photo Simon Beckmann

‘There is something beautifully unexpected about Joya: AiR. Something that will surprise you each day whether it is the way time expands, or how it snows in mid April or the sheer vastness of the deserted paths you can venture on. There’s something to be said about the people you meet there too, the conversations you have over dinner, and the value of humans looking for a time and space to do creative work. There are many thanks to be awarded to Simon and Donna for providing a perfect location to get in touch with how expansive life, in all its many forms, can be.

Joya: AiR opens a door to connection, with oneself, with strangers and with the beautiful nature it is surrounded by. The two weeks I spent there gave me a lot of hope — and even if my path doesn’t take me there again, it will be a memory I will hold dear for a very long time. Thank you’.

Zade Boreas

Made Boreas has a background in biochemistry, environmental studies and food culture & identity. Her work for the past years has revolved around creating spaces that foster human interaction by bringing together people and their talents and so forth creating a community. She is the co-founder & owner of Lille Bakery in Copenhagen, she has been a part of the creative team of several events in Copenhagen (Grøent Market, Mercurial Sundays, Spring Together, Idle Spaces) and in Rio (Bananal, Junta Local etc). She is a reader and a writer, the non-DJ part of a DJ collective and have been living in several countries for the past 12 years.

photo Simon Beckmann

‘The 14th of April, I woke up at Joya: AiR to a cloudy sky that became more and more orange by each passing hour of the day. At around 4 pm, when it was tangerine in the atmosphere, we got the news that it was red Saharan sand blowing into Southern Spain from storm Cecilia. The next days, the rain washed away the sand creating beautiful patterns on the floor in front of the house. As an artist using mainly raw materials in my art, I couldn’t walk by without trying something. Handcrafted lokta paper pressed into the wet sandy ground became prints of the Sahara.

These last days tainted by this strange phenomenon felt surreal, but in retrospect, not as surreal as the place and the people I’ve met at Joya: AiR. Simon and Donna have created an oasis. An oasis for creativity and sharing that remained one, despite the desert winds and the rain.

Sarita Wallengren

photo Simon Beckmann

‘The space, to think, be and feel in such a pure environment. 

Founders Simon and Donna welcomed me into their little oasis. I have high praises for their commitment living off-grid, their ethos and life’s work related to art with sustainability, the environment, connection and history of species and people of the area is so inspirational. 

The works I have created here has been in pure flow, I had time and space to think and connect, to relate to my passion for the ‘leave no trace’ approach but creating three projects on site, on land and then removing them. 

These three projects surrounded the theme of Air and what it means in Ayurveda. As humans,  without Vayu ( air) we cannot breathe and this does not allow for Prana ( life force energy to come through).

The projects were painted on, printed creating memory with hands and paper appreciating the present moment, installed in a semi sculptural format. They included upcycled bed sheets soaked in acrylic water, dried, printed with washi paper, soaked in by upcycled paper form my studio, London which I brought up here, pastels, … Each project was filmed with me in and out of the context of my work , no words out loud, documented, written about in my notebooks, sketchbooks and on my online portal: Instagram. There will be an ongoing dialogue and continued approach to the SERIES: AIR practice online and if I am allowed back I would love to continue to explore it here again. 

Somehow and maybe unknowingly, Simon and Donna have helped to unlock the truest essence of me and my work without apology, with reverence for nature in a way I have only dreamed my work could be. 

It’s not surprising either than on this occasion all the creatives on this art residency were empowered, inspirational, leading women, living and being their truth. I have made beautiful friendships. We had fun each night, eating together as a Joya: Air family and then drinking red wine, talking, playing and watching movies together. 

Unforgettable. 

Thank you’. 

Crystal Fischetti

photo Tessa Roosenstein

‘Being two weeks in the Joya: Air residency felt like a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. Literally because you are surrounded by kilometers of raw nature. (I think I have never seen so few cars in 2 weeks’ time.) Figuratively because it was so refreshing to be in another environment for 2 weeks and spending so much time on your creative practice.

The project I worked on is about reconnecting to nature and reconnecting to the natural/wild characteristics in ourselves, and what other place is better to experiment with that than Joya: AiR?
I am still at the beginning of this project, so felt the need to experiment and be playful with this theme. At Joya I got the time and space to do that. The natural park of Vélez Blanco in which Joya is located, felt like a wonderful playground.

I collected rocks and soil to make natural pigments, I tried making land art, I added some embroidery work in the 'Barranco’ and experimented with doing a performance that is inviting to experience and feel nature instead of just seeing it.

All of this, and all the walks, the chitchats, and games I shared with the other artists and, not to forget, the enjoyment of Spanish January sun gave me a new perspective. A refreshing new direction for my project and life in general. Thanks to Simon and Donna for hosting such a beautiful and special place’!

Fleur Moerenhout

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Berk Icli and Zeynep Ercan / TUR

‘This testimonial would have been written in the perspective of ‘I’, if not for our experience in Joya: AiR that bent and later broke down our boundaries, enabling us to work together as a ‘we’. Through the urge to cross unknown territories caused by the grand landscape, we gained courage to stir things up in relation to our disciplines, hence we came home with a lot to unpack and even more to manifest. The little things such as conversations, hikes, dinners, games and laying by the fire, all can be easily taken for granted, but with a closer look one can realize how carefully curated Joya: AiR is. Our time is well spent, we are grateful for the memories. Love to Simon, Donna, Hassan, Fou Fou & Frida -’

Berk Icli & Zeynep Ercan

Zeynep Ercan graduated from Pratt Institute is an interior architect from Istanbul who works in home design, modular spaces and art curation.

Berk Icli graduated from The New School's College of Performing Arts: Mannes Conservatory - BM in Composition (2014-2018). He is a composer & piano player from Istanbul, who writes mostly modern classical, ambient & electronic pieces. You can see more here… Berk Icli

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2i2Cy1rrirCZdKiEZ4Q8H0?si=8rJ9NrL4StCWiNxFv32sgg

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Zahira Mous / NED

‘I came to Joya: AiR with the intention to create material for a new performance project. I am working on an absurdist, tragicomedy performance art solo about mental health that utilizes live art, physical movement, and vocals, creating a visceral experience and visible landscape for an intimate audience.

During my residence, I asked myself each day what I wanted to explore within the realm of my prompt. I loved carving out the time for just this project. It was a unique experience. I painted. I danced. I walked (and got lost – follow the dry river, folks). I thought. Many thoughts. I wrote. I spoke. I recorded some thoughts, which turned into poetry.

Within the space of nature and being amongst other creatives, I started to feel grounded again in myself and within my artistry. I thoroughly enjoyed our evening dinners (Donna is a fantastic cook!) as well as our game nights, especially when we played charades with Leanne, Alkie and Lourdes in one team and Zeynep, Berk, and I in the other. Later on, Stella, Giulia, and Jasper joined. We have made wonderful connections and friendships were built. I got to collaborate with Jasper Erkens on his new music video by dancing in it, which was an unexpected highlight.

Thank you, Donna and Simon, for all that you do, for creating a beautiful space to bring such diverse groups of people together. I absolutely adored celebrating my birthday with you. My residence still creates waves within. The creativity continues, the friendships blossom, and life has a more flowery fragrance. And, last but not least, I love FouFou and Frida!

Zahira Mous

Master of Fine Arts in Dance & Graduate Certificate in Women’s & Gender Studies, The University of Oklahoma (US) (2010)
Bachelor of Theatre in Education, Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden (NL) (2007)
Director, dance theater company Project Zahira in Amsterdam
Director, dance education outreach program Changing Lives Through Dance
Founder NGO Healing Arts Foundation
Choreographic works shown and workshops facilitated internationally in the United States, the Netherlands, Brazil, India and Greece

Zahira is a dance maker, performance artist, dance educator, and writer. Additionally, she is a certified Ayurvedic Yoga Massage therapist, aerial yoga teacher, and has completed training in art therapy, meditative therapies such as Mystic Rose and No Mind, Primal, and Path of Love. 

Additionally, she creates Energy Art; these are paintings created by meditating on and tuning in with her client’s energy, evolving into artworks that show the person’s aura and energy through colors and shapes. 

Beyond my artistic work, she is a writer. She wrote for Dans Magazine (NL) for seven years as a dance critic and dance reporter, having switched over to Theaterkrant in 2020. Currently, she is finishing her memoirs about trauma healing through art and spirituality, which are predicted to be published in 2022.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Jasper Erkens / BEL

‘My time at Joya: AiR has been one of beauty and contemplation in the sense that while I was there, I was able to disconnect from the larger society and nestle into a smaller community of likeminded people where we were pampered by the communal dinners every single evening, meanwhile surrounded by the vast landscape that we’d explore on our daily walks with Frida the dog and FouFou the goat. 

In between our own projects we even managed to shoot a music video for one of my tunes, with the help of fellow AiR ‘Zahira Mous’ featuring as the great dancer she is. Both Hearts on Fire made at Joya: AiR

In conclusion, this place is magical and it’s been a priviledge to be allowed to be a part of it, even for a short while. Joya: AiR is a truly pioneering project with a mission I fully support. Thanks Simon & Donna for recharging our batteries, you guys are incredible!

Jasper Erkens

spotify.com

photo Simon Beckmann

‘Arriving at Joya: AiR I immediately felt the peacefulness and the quiet the landscape gives. Even though I had in mind to work on alternative processes in photography, the landscape really gave me a project that I wasn’t expecting to focus on. Everyday I went out walked just anywhere without a destination in mind and by doing that I realised the importance of just being there and doing what comes instinctively. The incredible quietness, history and process of the place gave a meaningful reflection and inspiration to my work giving me space to reset my thoughts on my art practice and where I want it to lead me. This also was heavily influenced by the conversations with the inspirational artists that I met throughout my two weeks at Joya AiR. I am grateful to them and Joya: AiR for helping me realise what I am doing at the moment and where I would like to go. Coming out of it I miss the quiet in a noisy London and every day I try to remember the feelings I felt while I was at Joya: AiR’.

Leanne Wiggers

Leanne is a Dutch Photographic and Installation artist based in London.She has a BA in Photographic Arts from University of Westminster and in 2018 she graduated from MA Contemporary Photography at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her work has exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery as part of the London Grads Now, the 'Final not Over: Sesssion 3' at the Unit 1 Gallery London, 'What is the Ground' at Slash Art Gallery, 'A Thousand Normals' at Tension Fine Art Gallery and 'K Book Show' at International Photography Symposium in Nida. Her work has been published on F-Stop Online Magazine ands has been shortlisted for the 'Emerging Talent Award' at the CRS Art Awards and 'This Earth/0 Maison Award'.

photo Simon Beckmann

‘Somos dos colegas, Lourdes y Alkie, que trabajamos desde diferentes lugares del mundo y disciplinas artisticas el tema del paisaje y la naturaleza.

Decidimos ir a Joya: AiR para encontrar y trabajar desde la cercania un proyecto comun y desarollar nuestros objectivos personales dandoles mas riqueza, reflexion y analisis a partir del dialogo.

La bienvenida fue verdaderamente maravilloso, la tierra blanca que rodea Joya nos regalaba la explosión de los almendros en flor.

Trabajamos juntas y a la vez individualmente sin presión y ruido externo.

Al final decidimos realizar 4 collares que crecian con los objetos y materiales  que ibamos encontando por los caminos.

Sin herramientoas y materiales la idea desarolla una obra efimera que fue una expresion de nuestros trabajos

Joya ha sido un soplo de aire fresca a nuestra obra y nos ha encantado conocer y compartir el espació con los demas artistas.

www.alkie-osterland.de

Joya ha sido el paso para empezar el proyecto del collar infinito, un trabajo donde se une la joyeria y la huella de los recuerdos en forma de corto.

Os invito a participar

photo Simon Beckmann

‘I initially felt apprehensive of the chance to go on an artist residency and spend time focusing on my work when I didn’t have a clear vision of what exactly it was or rather where I wanted to go with it. Joya: AiR gave me the much needed opportunity to pause and think about this in a welcoming and encouraging space.

It was a joy to encounter the absolute quiet and awe of the landscape around Joya: AiR and the impact of this embeds itself in your work. When I first started writing I felt an immediate relaxation and disentanglement in my thoughts, clearing a path for me to take my next steps in my writing. At the end of only one week, I had made important steps in my project which I had struggled to do for previous months. This I owe to Joya, the time that was given to me and the time shared with the other artists. 

I am still unpacking the residency - going over the people I met, the conversations I had and all the notes written, but I am confident that being at Joya: AiR was an invaluable opportunity and a special experience’.

Joseph Clark

Joseph is a writer, artist and designer based in London. Currently he is writing a fictional story relating to his fascinations with science-fictions, memory, surveillance and the supernatural in technology. He attended Glasgow School of Art: BA Fine Art Photography 2016-2020 and the University of the Arts Helsinki: Time and Space Art - Study Exchange 2019

photo Simon Beckmann

‘Before I arrived at Joya: AiR, I had an idea in my head about how my stay was going to go: isolated from society and my everyday cares, I was going to hunker down, be disciplined, and write a lot of pages. 

But soon after I arrived, I came to see this wasn’t going to happen. Not because of the place itself - Joya: AiR is an oasis in the desert, beautiful and spare, and my studio space could not have been more ideal for writing - but because the days had their own rhythm: waking to conversations over breakfast with my fellow residents, going for long walks in the crisp air, sharing beautiful, nourishing meals in the evenings, relaxing by the fire at night with games and a bottle of red and endless laughter, letting the darkness and the silence cradle me as I slept. 

I resisted at first, determined to make progress, but when I gave in my writing gained its own rhythm. I’d write in my studio for one or two-hour spurts throughout the day, soaking in the view of breathtaking valleys and mountains when I’d get stuck, taking occasional naps and sharing delightful little moments: a spontaneous studio visit from my fellow artists, a long chat with Donna in the kitchen, Frida’s footsteps shuffling by. 

In the end, I got more work done than I expected but not as much as I’d hoped. But that’s ok, because I got something so much better: a warmth to sustain me through cold, lonely days, and laughter I’ll always remember.’

Bernadette Roca

Bernadette is a writer currently based in Barcelona. She holds a BA in English literature from UCLA, an MA in Modern Literature and Culture from University College London (UCL), and a second Master of Information Studies from the University of Toronto.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / David McGovern / IRE

‘Joya: AiR was just what I needed in January. It was a place to have peace and clarity, but also get stuck into some challenging work. I loved the structure of the day: chatting with other artists over breakfast, periods of focused work, and lots of walks and fresh air to keep myself well. In the evening it was always a pleasure to let go of the work, enjoy unbelievably delicious food, and chat by the fire.  

I was working on something that was quite laborious and sometimes frustrating. It was great to be able to step away from the work and be in a beautiful and welcoming environment. I felt supported by the other artists, and of course by Donna and Simon. You have the opportunity to speak about and show your work if you wish, but it is not an obligation. 

It’s hard to pick a highlight of my two weeks there. The fresh, healthy meals really stand out. But perhaps the most enriching thing was the exchanges with other artists. We were able to reflect on our practice, and share it with each other if we wished. We also had lots of fun, and got to know each other outside of our work. I feel completely renewed after my time at Joya: AiR.

David McGovern

David is an artist and educator currently based in Ireland. He is a visiting lecturer in moving image at University of the Arts London, including Central St Martins and Chelsea School of Art and Design. He runs a variety of workshops that reimagine our relationship to film. Thinking Through Moving Image uses video-making as a tool to unblock the thought process, much like you might use a sketchbook when you are stuck. He has delivered this session in a variety of environments outside the university, including schools and studios in Nepal and Japan.

At London College of Fashion he is the head of the fashion film short course. Using both theory and practice, the course plays with the ambiguity of fashion film, encouraging the students to widen the definition rather than narrow it. He believes that fashion films should have a conscience and a purpose, even if that purpose is escapism and wonder. His expertise of the topic has led him to judge and speak at a number of fashion film festivals globally.

Previously David was Senior Video Creative at The Future Laboratory. He used his penchant for experimental film to examine and abstractly communicate the trends and shifting behaviours. He developed site-specific video installations of future scenarios that were screened across London; including Barbican’s Milton Court, Shoreditch Town Hall and the Southbank Centre. He directed work for a number of international clients including Design Hotels, Jameson and Gucci.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / poet / Guy Russell / ENG

‘I was here in late January for just over two weeks. For me, Joya: AIR has been a terrific place to work on long fiction. There’s been nothing to distract me unless I really wanted to be distracted, so that long periods of uninterrupted concentration have been easy to secure. The comfort of the set-up (with my own studio, no less) has made me feel spoilt and valued. The fantastic food and wine more than sorted the trophic side of things. The well-organised and untroublesome covid processes made me feel kept safe. And the kindness, discretion, efficiency and warmth of the dueños has been something only way better writers than me could do justice to. 

What’s more, it’s been for me an inspiring place in its own right: the surrounding mountains, the almond orchards, pine forest and ravine. The bird-song, wild animal prints, land art, olive trees, morning frost and afternoon heat. The moon and stars. The silence. The house itself: simple and sophisticated, warm and cool, uncluttered and relaxing. Not to forget walking the goat, watching the sunset, and admiring the various eco systems (solar and wind power, waste-water treatment, hydraulic engineering, new planting). All these things have generated material that’s crammed my diary while I’ve been here. 

Last but far from least, it’s also been fun, thanks also to the exceptionally nice and interesting people (hello David, Sabina, Glen, Bernadette and Fleur) who were here at the same time as me. How great after a tough day at the typeface to sit round the wood-burner and then the dinner-table talking not just about literature and art but hosts of other stuff. And listening to presentations, playing Bananagrams, and enjoying Simon and Donna’s hilarious tales of everything and everywhere. Who knows if the 20Ks’-worth of dodgy novel that I wrote here will ever see the light of publication day? But it’s 20K under the belt, and produced in the most congenial of circumstances I’ve ever come across’.

Guy Russell

Guy has a Masters degrees in Classics and Creative Writing. Stories in Brace (Comma Press), Madame Morte (Black Shuck), Somewhere This Way (Fiction Desk), No Spider Harmed (Arachne Press), To Hull And Back 2018, Liars League, Prop, Scheherazade, Northern Stories vol.3 (Arc) and elsewhere. Poems in Troubles Swapped For Something Fresh (Salt), The Iron Book of New Humorous Verse (Iron), Poems on the Buses Guernsey (displayed on Guernsey buses), Spirit of Bradford (Redbeck), The Affectionate Punch, Aireings, Blade, Braquemard, Envoi, Fatchance, The Frogmore Papers, Headlock, Helicon, The Interpreter’s House, Iota, Krax, Obsessed by Pipework, Orbis, Other Poetry, Poetry Nottingham, The Projectionist’s Playground, Ramraid Extraordinaire, Red Lamp, The Rialto, Rustic Rub, Scratch, Seam, Smiths Knoll, Staple, The Yellow Crane and elsewhere. Competition 1st prizes: HE Bates Award; Leicester Poetry Society (judged Jackie Kay); Ware Sonnet Prize (judged John Mole); Cannon Poets; Flash500. 2nd prize in Poetry on the Lake Competition, sonnet category (judged Carol Ann Duffy). He reviews poetry for Tears in the Fence, and has done for Stride, Thumbscrew and Poetry Quarterly Review. Journalism in New Statesman (on Irvine Welsh).

A few links:

 https://www.thefictiondesk.com/anthologies/somewhere-this-way.php 

 https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-competition/results-2018.php#GuyRussell

 https://tearsinthefence.com/blog/ 

https://www.liarsleague.com/liars_league/2016/04/asking-friends-by-guy-russell.html

photo Simon Beckmann

"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.