About our residency program
Send your application to culturaenrutacast@gmail.com
The program is designed as a space for research, exploration, and creation in dialogue with the local area. It seeks to welcome proposals that work from:
The observation of the social and cultural context of La Calera and its relationship with Bogotá and rural Colombia.
Direct contact with high mountain and moorland landscapes and ecosystems.
Research-creation processes that articulate methodology, practice, and reflection.
The exchange of knowledge with local communities and creators.
The residency offers curatorial, conceptual, and practical support, aimed at strengthening creative processes rather than demanding finished products. Territory, experience, and dialogue are central components of the proposed work.
About Culture on the Road and the El Colibrí House-Workshop
Cultura en Ruta is a cultural platform that connects creation, research, and production to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas through pedagogy, research, and artistic practice. The project is developed by Salomé Restrepo and Samuel Peña, who have fostered ongoing dialogue with communities, artists, cultural managers, and independent spaces.
Within this ecosystem operates El Colibrí Incandescente, a house-workshop for artistic production and thought located in the mountains of La Calera, on the outskirts of Bogotá. From there, technical processes, material experiments, tool production, and research-creation processes are developed.
This practice opens residencies for artists and researchers of any discipline interested in developing projects in which ideas grow from exchange, material exploration and dialogue with the environment.
Spaces for creation and exploration
The residence is located in La Calera (Cundinamarca), in an environment that combines rurality, proximity to the city and access to high mountain ecosystems.
Included facilities:
House-workshop (work areas and common areas).
Dormitory for residents.
Kitchen and dining room (food included according to conditions).
Access to El Colibrí Incandescente and its work areas (according to modality).
Available workshops and work areas: (See the section on expanded creative areas below)
Territorial exploration: Residents will be able to take tours along rural and urban roads, cultural mapping processes, exploratory walks, contact with nearby moorlands and nature reserves, photographic and sound recording, and other field practices that feed the research-creation.
Modalities and duration
Format 1 — Research and Exploration
Duration: 2 weeks to 1 month
Focus: exploration of the territory, conceptual development, preliminary research and initial creation processes.
Format 2 — Research, Exploration and Creation
Duration: 2 to 3 months
Focus: territorial research, conceptual development, curatorial support and workshop production/experimentation.
Times and conditions can be negotiated with the Cultura en Ruta team at the time of booking.
As part of the residency, the participant must share their experience or progress on the Cultura en Ruta platform with:
Conversation or interview on the podcast.
Audiovisual or photographic record of the process.
Text, blog or publication on the house-workshop website.
Activation or open workshop for the local community.
The residency prioritizes documentation in process and exchange over the delivery of final products.
Participant profile
Aimed at individuals interested in research, exploration, and creative processes, such as visual artists, photographers, writers, actors, musicians, researchers, and interdisciplinary creators. Projects that engage with territory, cultural memory, local narratives, pedagogical processes, or artistic research are especially valued.
Language and application process
The primary language of the residency is Spanish. There is flexibility to complete it in English when the proposal requires it; documentation can be submitted in either Spanish or English.
Applications are open year-round and are scheduled according to the resident's and space's availability. Selection and programming are agreed upon with the Cultura en Ruta team once the application is approved.
Conditions of participation
The residence includes:
Private accommodation in the residence's workshop-house.
Quality food with local ingredients (included under the rules of the space and prior information on dietary restrictions).
Weekly conceptual and curatorial support during the stay.
Access to the El Colibrí Incandescente workshop and its tools according to the modality and needs of the project with the safety equipment.
Activities in the territory (guided outings, walks, community contacts).
Social space in the workshop house.
Responsibilities of the resident:
Manage your arrival and return transportation.
Manage your transportation during your stay.
Respect the rules of the space and the safety measures in the workshop.
Participate in the final socialization of the process.
Value and application process
1 month: 2,500,000 COP or 670 USD. Payment can be made via PayPal or bank transfer if you are a Colombian citizen.
(The price may be adjusted according to the modality and needs; payment conditions and scholarships are agreed with the Cultura en Ruta team).
Applications are submitted by sending the following information to the Cultura en Ruta email address in a single PDF file of no more than 10MB:
Applicant's CV of no more than 3 pages.
Residency proposal: statement, objectives, methodology, technical needs and suggested duration.
Approximate availability dates.
Information on technical requirements or dietary restrictions.
After submitting your application, you will receive a response via email to schedule an interview with the Cultura en Ruta team.
Contact: culturaenrutacast@gmail.com
Our Creative Spaces.
Welcome to the Hummingbird. Discover the workshops and creative spaces available in our center for artistic creation and thought.
