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[written by humans]

Ladies & Gentlefish,
Ministers of Mischief,
Scientists, Scallywags,
and Instruments of the Way:

Welcome to our small prototype:
a living research institute & centre for the unknown.
This is an advanced space,
for lovers & hackers of culture, technology, nature, art, and life.
Our genius loci is a culture of washing dishes, saying the hard-to-say things, doing that which is meaningful and increases possibility, all as play along the way.

Season III: The Existential Residencies – APPLY

The Garden, poorly explained:

We are cultivating a new scene: a network & creative cauldron for embodied genius, art, world builders, nerds, black sheep, (nature) lovers, & cultural activists. We swim in the edges of possibility, where the path from imagination to reality is short & sweet.  

We are pragmatic, caring, & utopian. 

This is a strange attractor & living research institute. Our earnest attempt to build a world more compelling than the screen you're looking at now.  
We are exploring new ways of cohabitation, coordination, creation, and connection.
This project is run by a non-profit association & is a decommodified space. There is generally an abundance of fun, focus, & feeling. We welcome big sexy brains. This is a unique high-trust environment and primary a referral network. We maintain a strict standard of character here: this immersion is by application only & curated for curiosity, care, courage, and an orientation away from identity.

Our metrics of success are # of stays extended, no dishes in sink, good things being built (on and offline), and everyone leaving more clear, embodied, and agentic than when they came. 

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2025 Season Calendar

Some weeks unfold with special themes and guest facilitators (just follow the frog) — they're embedded in your time here, but optional to engage:
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OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS

We’re looking for committed artists to inhabit our 22 acres of wild forest to reimagine its bones & leave a lasting mark through permanent installations. From May to September, architects, designers, builders, photographers, and land artists are invited to bring vision into organic form. We’re offering grants, a mix of funded and at-cost spots. Applications close July 1st, 2025. Submit your project here.

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The Garden is ephemeral, min stay one week, max 3 months. We recommend at least two weeks for a proper landing. It's a place for un(t)raveling. For focus, but not always on what you planned. For creation & connection with self, community, and nature. We're surrounded by spacious nature, and right out the back gate is hours of forested hiking. Frequent activities include collaborative art projects, playtesting new workshop ideas, conversational salons, cuddles, karaoke, serious nerding out, foraging, contact improv & partner dancing, meditation, open mics, book clubs, board game nights, music jams, yoga, spa sessions, beach trips, social experiments, waterfall adventures, circus arts, raves, masterminds, and more. This is co-created, the world is yours.

You're welcome to come for one to twelve weeks. We are 40 minutes from Porto Airport, 20 minutes from beach & waterfalls, 10-15 minutes from most civilizational needs.

Your Attractors & Passions: This experimental program is a co-created, multidisciplinary ecosystem.

(this is just a fun, meaningless thing to click. You are, naturally, welcome to find intrinsic meaning in your actions.)
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Amenities include a pool, sauna, private spring fed lake, established orchards and groves, 12 person hot tub, granite villa, fitness center w/ power rack, 2000 Mbps dual fiberoptic internet, embodiment space, four kitchens, sundecks & wooden platforms, big squishy dance floor, co-work zones, yoga & meditation studio, two swimming springs, jam space full of instruments & soundsystems, two aerial silks, lyra, arts & crafts zone.

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Installation at SYNESTHESIA
Installation at SYNESTHESIA
Effigy at Somewhere
Effigy at Somewhere

This is an ephemeral co-living, co-created community on 9 hectares of private paradise.

As of today, our community consists of 15 team members which, together with volunteers, maintain and improve the space.

Our target is ~25-75 humans on-site at all time. We expect a slow ramp-up as the season begins. Our capacity is 150 beds in the summer, and we have hosted a 500 person gathering this year, so expect plenty of space & privacy.

Those who end up here typically range between 25-40 years of age, and all ages 18+ are welcome. We make sure there aren't too many people from any one country. This is new. This is forming. Third season is taking off & fourth year of the project. Some edges are still rough. Much of it is co-created. Most of the core operations are run by a local & international paid team. This will not be a perfect journey. This is life. We invite your agency & participation.

p.s. we are hiring! p.p.s. this is not a spiritual community™ p.p.p.s. if you want to organize a gathering, festival, or retreat here, it's possible. We are best suited for 40-300 people.
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Would you like to join the mischief? This experience is by application only.

map
map
Bandwidth is split to ensure stability.
Bandwidth is split to ensure stability.

We are remote work friendly & all biorhythms are welcome.

The estate was chosen for its total privacy, close proximity to Porto Airport and amenities, fiber-optic internet, and exquisite nature. While there is some fantastic infrastructure here, please understand that we are building the ship as we are sailing it & this is a paradise in progress.

We want The Garden to be a space that is socially sustainable & are exploring what the minimum viable stack of communal practices, rituals, and responsibilities are. Some examples include:


Authentic Unrelating: While you are wearing headphones or earbuds in a public space, it signals to everyone to ghost you — no eye contact or conversation.

Expressing Your Desires™: If you want a common space be more tidy, proclaim it loudly, put on some music, and inspire a 5 minute clean-up party like a good citizen.

Or, if more words are your thing, read our vision & values metadoc & agreements.

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🖤 FAQ:

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If you made it this far, you are our kind of curious. Apply here :)

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