Residency Program

Self-Topography on Paper
Svetvinčenat, Croatia

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Conceptual Framework

Self-Topography on Paper

As we navigate our lives, we accumulate a rich inner topography, layers of memory, emotion, and identity.

In this process, the artist becomes both explorer and subject. Paper is the vessel, an open surface that receives and holds what we uncover. There is no prescribed technique; instead, each mark, impression, or gesture becomes a unique testimony.

Location & Working Environment

Svetvinčenat, with its historic heart and welcoming community, becomes more than a backdrop, it’s an open canvas. The village has generously offered us its spaces whether quiet corners, streets, or the castle itself to be part of your exploration. While your self-topography will lead the way, we are there to support you. Paper does not stand alone it interacts with the space around it. Whether you create in the streets, in performance, in collaborative dialogue, or produce finished works, the residency offers you that freedom. We invite you to engage, both inwardly and outwardly, crafting not just on paper but within the living space around you.

Residency Program

Self-Topography on Paper
Svetvinčenat, Croatia
Residency: May 10–15, 2026
Exhibition Vernissage: May 16, 2026

These traces are the evidence, reflecting not only moments of insight but the subjective journey itself. Over time, paper transforms into a layered document a map of what has been felt and reflected.

The artist’s presence, subjective and authentic, is captured in this topography, a testament to the ongoing dialogue between inner self and outward expression. In the end, what remains on paper is more than a record it is a personal cartography, a topography of being, where every reflection is left behind as lasting evidence.

  • Svetvinčenat, with its historic heart and welcoming community, becomes more than a backdrop—it’s an open canvas. The village has generously offered us its spaces—whether quiet corners, streets, or the castle itself—to be part of your exploration. While your self-topography will lead the way, we are there to support you. Paper does not stand alone—it interacts with the space around it. Whether you create in the streets, in performance, in collaborative dialogue, or produce finished works, the residency offers you that freedom. We invite you to engage, both inwardly and outwardly, crafting not just on paper but within the living space around you.

  • Every participant will begin with a proposal, outlining their concept or field of exploration—whether deeply personal or engaging with the wider space. Once we align, we provide the scaffolding—both structured and flexible. The Paper Lab team supports you technically, conceptually, and artistically. We offer space to work, materials to aid your process, and continuous dialogue. Whether guided or independent, your vision leads, and we ensure both the physical and creative environment carries you through the process.

  • While the residency stands as its own process, those who feel ready are welcome to propose their work for the culminating exhibition. This exhibition centers on the very theme of self-topography on paper—a shared exploration of personal maps. It will present works that reflect identity, memory, and place, shown in both intimate and shared spaces. Whether subtle or expansive, individual or collective, this exhibition invites you to make your inner topography visible. Should you wish to share, We’ll guide you from proposal all the way to presence in the public eye.

Svetvinčenat, Istria

The residency takes place in Svetvinčenat, a small Renaissance town in the heart of Istria, also known as Savičenta or San Vincenti, three names for the same place, all deriving from Saint Vincent, its patron. The town developed around an abbey bearing his name, and over centuries became a layered settlement shaped by religious, military, and civic life.

At its center lies the main square, Placa, dominated by the Morosini-Grimani Castle, one of the most important and best-preserved Venetian fortifications in Istria. The castle, continuously rebuilt, transformed, damaged, and restored from the 13th century onward, stands today as a physical record of time—architecture carrying memory, adaptation, and survival. Its walls, towers, inner courtyards, and surrounding public spaces form a strong spatial presence rather than a narrative backdrop.

Svetvinčenat is not experienced as a monument, but as a living village. Its streets, courtyards, churches, and open fields coexist with everyday life, agriculture, seasonal festivals, and contemporary cultural activity. The town has long hosted events rooted in performance, non-verbal theatre, and communal gatherings, making it a place where public space is naturally activated.

For the residency, the village and its community offer us access to a range of spaces—inside and outside the castle, within the square, and across the village fabric itself. These spaces are not assigned meanings in advance. They function as sites for presence, testing, observation, and response. The place does not dictate content; rather, it holds and supports the work as it unfolds.

This setting allows participants to think of paper not as an isolated object, but as something that exists in relation to space—to architecture, distance, movement, and encounter. Whether working quietly or visibly, temporarily or durationally, the environment remains open: a host rather than a framework.

Beyond its architecture, Svetvinčenat carries a particular rhythm. The village is surrounded by gently undulating land, dry stone walls, vineyards, olive groves, and open fields shaped by agricultural life. Sound travels slowly here. You hear footsteps on stone, wind moving through vegetation, distant church bells, insects at dusk, and the low hum of daily activity. There is space for silence, but also for resonance. This natural and acoustic environment supports concentration, attentiveness, and presence—allowing work to unfold without urgency, held by the pace of the place itself.

 

Introductory Zoom Session

Date: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Time: 19:00 (Berlin time / CET)
Location: Online via Zoom

This session serves as the first shared space of the residency. We will present the conceptual framework of Self-Topography on Paper, explain the structure of the residency week, clarify working conditions, and speak about the exhibition context. It is also an opportunity to understand the rhythm of the program, the level of independence expected, and the kind of support the Paper Lab team provides throughout the process.

The meeting is not only informational—it is a moment of alignment. We open space for dialogue, questions, and first reflections. Whether you already have a clear proposal or are still forming your direction, this session allows you to sense whether the residency resonates with your current artistic field of inquiry.

Participation in the introductory session is strongly recommended for all applicants. The Zoom link will be shared upon registration.

Proposal Submission & Timeline

All applicants are kindly asked to submit their residency proposal by 10 March 2026.

This allows us to carefully review each application, engage with the intentions behind the work, and ensure a meaningful alignment between your field of research and the residency framework. Confirmations of participation will be sent within approximately 10 days after the deadline.

  • Your proposal does not need to be long or overly formal. What matters most is clarity of intention. We ask you to describe:

    • Your current artistic field of research or inquiry

    • How you understand Self-Topography on Paper in relation to your practice

    • The direction you wish to explore during the residency (conceptual, spatial, performative, material, or process-based)

    • Whether you envision a personal investigation, a site-responsive work, or a dialogue with the village and its spaces

    • If relevant, your interest in presenting the outcome in the final exhibition

    You may include sketches, reference images, previous works, or short visual documentation that helps us understand your trajectory. The proposal should communicate where you stand now and what you seek to examine during your time in Svetvinčenat.

    The residency is not about arriving with a finished plan—it is about articulating a clear field of investigation. We are looking for authenticity, focus, and readiness to engage deeply with both paper and place.

  • The residency program begins before we physically meet in Svetvinčenat. In the weeks leading up to May, we will hold a series of online sessions, both individual and group-based.

    These sessions are an essential part of the process. They allow us to refine your proposal, clarify your field of research, and deepen your conceptual direction. In the individual meetings, we focus closely on your practice—your questions, your material approach, your spatial thinking. In the group sessions, we create a shared field of exchange, where participants become familiar with one another’s trajectories and intentions.

    We consider this preparatory phase extremely important and helpful. It builds trust, alignment, and clarity. By the time we arrive in Svetvinčenat, you will not be starting from zero—you will arrive already engaged, already in motion, already in dialogue with your work and with the group.

    The residency therefore unfolds in continuity: preparation, presence, and manifestation are part of one coherent process.

  • We begin the residency process online for a clear reason: the context in Svetvinčenat is layered, spatial, and conceptually demanding.

    The residency does not take place in a single neutral studio. We work across different locations—within and around the castle, in public and semi-public spaces, inside and outside architectural structures. Each site carries its own scale, acoustics, light conditions, history, and spatial logic. To engage meaningfully with these environments requires preparation.

    In addition, Self-Topography on Paper is not a purely production-based residency. It involves conceptual positioning, spatial awareness, and clarity of intention. There are practical questions to consider—format, installation approach, temporality, interaction with space—but also deeper reflections regarding meaning, presence, and responsibility toward the site.

    The online sessions allow us to think through these dimensions together in advance. They help avoid superficial responses to place and instead support a grounded, thoughtful engagement. By the time we arrive, we are not reacting—we are already in dialogue with the work, the context, and the process ahead.

Practical & Structural Information

Below you will find essential information regarding the structure, conditions, and practical framework of the residency. These points clarify how the program operates, what it includes, and how we position ourselves as an independent platform working in collaboration with the local community.

We believe transparency is part of respect—toward the artists, the place, and the process itself.

  • Paper Lab Berlin is an independent, self-initiated platform. It is not funded or sponsored by any institution, foundation, or external body.

    Your participation and contribution make this residency possible. They allow us to keep this platform alive—as a place where artists can meet, share, reflect, research, and create together. The residency is not built on external funding; it is built on commitment, exchange, and mutual support. Your presence sustains the structure that supports all of us.

  • The official residency days (May 10–15, 2026) are the period during which the Paper Lab team can personally and continuously support your project—conceptually, technically, and spatially. This is the timeframe in which structured guidance, dialogue, and on-site facilitation are fully active.

    If you feel the need for additional time—before or after the official dates—and you are ready to work in a more self-paced and independent manner, you are welcome to reach out. We will do our best to host and accommodate extended participation whenever possible, treating each request individually and according to its subjective and practical circumstances.

    We are especially committed to supporting artists from the region and will do our best to make participation accessible, particularly for local practitioners.

  • The residency is developed in close collaboration with the Municipality of Svetvinčenat, Istria, Croatia, and with the local community.

    Our intention is to work together respectfully and meaningfully—activating space without imposing on it, engaging with the village as a living environment rather than as a backdrop. This collaboration allows access to various locations and ensures that the residency exists in dialogue with its context.

  • Please note that we are unable to provide accommodation as part of the residency program. However, our team will gladly assist you in finding options that suit your needs, preferences, and budget. We will share local contacts and recommendations to help you arrange your stay comfortably.

  • The participation fee for the residency is 400 EUR.

    This fee covers the conceptual framework, preparatory online sessions (group and individual), on-site support during the official residency days, coordination with local partners, and inclusion in the final exhibition context (for those who choose to present their work).

Get in Touch

Registration for the residency is now open.

If you feel aligned with the framework of Self-Topography on Paper, we warmly invite you to get in touch by filling out the registration form. Share your interest, your questions, or your initial direction of research with us.

We will respond personally and guide you through the next steps.