Listen to the Silence. Grow in the Wild. Reinvent Yourself.

WHO Artists, writers, sound explorers, ritualists, herbalists, cultural & occult practitioners / one – two people at a time / 2 weeks – 2 months

WHERE Silba Island, Croatia

WHEN Autumn: Octobar — December 2025 / Spring: January — April 2026

APPLY by August 8, 2025 – but spaces are filled on a rolling basis as applications arrive. Early birds have the widest choice of dates!

To apply, please fill this form by August 8th 2025

ABOUT

Silba Environment Art (SEA) is a platform for creative experiments on a remote Croatian island, offering immersive residencies that invite artists and practitioners into a deep relationship with the nature and redefining everyday life, resources and sustainability. Rooted in practices of slowness and deep listening, we foster sacred experimentation and a subtle attunement to the wisdom of the land, the sea, and the silence. Building on over two decades of work at the intersection of contemporary art and ecology, SEA was formally established on the island in 2015. Since then we have hosted several hundreds of international creatives to experiment with environmental art and sustainable practices.

SEA AIR invites artists, researchers, healers, writers, sonic explorers, ritualists, herbalists, cultural and occult practitioners to apply for our residencies on the remote Adriatic island of Silba, in the blue heart of the Mediterranean. This is an invitation to slowness, solitude, and sacred experimentation. It is an offer of deep, transformative rest from the demands of hiperproduction and overpresence, and an opportunity to recalibrate your rhythm, reconnect with your senses, and create in attunement with the natural cycles within and around you. Proposals in all forms are welcome, but especially those open to the process of art, soundscapes, writings, rituals, documenting, healing, and everything in between.

SEA AIR is not an art center or a retreat—it is an invitation to sacred rest, deep listening, and elemental creation. Here, the house runs on solar power and rainwater; the nights are deeply dark, pierced only by starlight. The forest is your studio. The silence is your collaborator. Result is inner change.

WHERE

WHAT RESIDENTS RECEIVE

Solitude sancuary on Silba – a unique, car-free island oasis. The SEA home is about 15-minute walk along a gravel path from the ferry port and village center, with few cafes and simple grocery stores (bicycles and a stroller are available).

Accommodation in a wooden, off-grid house (40 m²), surrounded by oak forest, wild herbs,insects and small animals (depending on a season) and the Adriatic Sea.

Studio/workspace and garden, with wi-fi,basic tools for daily living and creative practice, few instruments and a record player with small but peculiar record selection (feel free to fill in with your favorite music).

Support from the SEA team and opportunities to connect with the local community.

Freedom and peace for deep work—no pressure for results, open to all disciplines and phases of process.

Important to know

This is a real wilderness and solitude experience.

Active participation is expected in maintaining the house:

In winter: taking care of firewood, heating, and general household needs

In summer: careful water use and sometimes helping to organize extra water.

This residency is not for those unprepared for independent, simple, low-tech living, or life outside the comfort zone.

This is not a “tourist” accommodation—it is a genuine test of independence, presence, and respect for the island’s nature.

You’ll be welcomed with a personal orientation and practical support to settle in, and then gifted the deep time and space you need for your work, your rituals, and your rest. There is no fixed schedule—just an open horizon for your own rhythm, curiosity, and quiet discovery. Forest paths lead you from your door to wild beaches and hidden coves—a short walk into the blue heart of the Mediterranean.

Along the way, you’re warmly invited—never obliged—to help build, fix, or improve small parts of the house and garden, to leave your artistic blueprint and to connect with Magia Botanica, a living project of herbal magic and ritual ecology just taking root here, ready to grow with each new pair of hands and ideas.

How It Works: A Philosophy of Reciprocity

Basic donation is required – this covers household maintenance costs (utilities, water, firewood, basic supplies).

Additional exchange by agreement – your personal contribution can be in the form of sharing knowledge or skills, helping with house or community projects, giving workshops, barter, creative exchange, etc. Everything is arranged in advance, tailored to each resident.

Our residencies are rooted in the principle of reciprocity, shaped by a simple, honest agreement with each guest. We are open to barter, skill-sharing, creative trade, or any combination that feels meaningful. Everything is possible if it nourishes both guest and place.

How to Apply

We welcome process-oriented stays. You do not need to have a predefined initial project or a specific outcome in mind. This is a space and time for your rest and conecting with yourself and the nature around you – for exploration, incubation, and gentle unfolding, where you are free to follow your intuition, respond to nature, and allow your practice to evolve organically during your time here, or just be on hold.

To apply, please fill this form by August 8th 2025

For any additional questions and / or magic revelations, please contact Natasha mavena@mavena.hr

This program is co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.

We’re already looking forward to your arrival and all the magic you will unfold beneath these trees and stars in secret silence.