Music, ritual & consciousness
Sound, repetition and altered states of consciousness.
Porano · Umbria
Artist Residency / Creative Stay
A place for music, research, retreat, sound research and shared artistic work in Umbria.
Invitation
Time and space for something to emerge
I invite people to Porano whose work carries a question – an album, a text, a research project, a method, a doubt. Whether you come from music, theatre, research or political education matters less than the wish to work with focus and keep thinking at the dinner table.
The stay is not a standardised residency programme. It grows out of an idea and a conversation about what makes sense here – developing, researching, practising, recording or writing.
Why Porano? I worked for a long time in cities where time was the scarcest material. Porano is the opposite: a village on volcanic rock between Orvieto and Lake Bolsena, with Etruscan tombs in the woods and a silence that is not empty. I hear differently here – and guests often say the same.
Possible fields of work
Themes that can find space here
Ritual space
Sensitivity and performative structure in the interplay of sound, body, space, atmosphere, action and dramaturgy.
Body, perception & resonance
Repetition, movement and transformation as bodily experienced processes.
Re_Connection
Secular ritual practice, social reality and collective experience.
Philosophy, history & relations to the world
Questions of perception, experience and different forms of being in relation.
Decolonial perspectives
Forms of perception and relations to the world beyond colonial and imperial orders.
The house
Between retreat, work and shared life
The house is located in the historic centre of Porano and extends over two floors. It is not a luxury retreat, but everything essential is there: a place to work, live, cook, read, practise and spend time together.
There are three bedrooms with space for potentially up to seven people, a bathroom, kitchen, dining area, living room, recording studio, laundry option and terrace. For a shared project context, one to four people at a time usually makes sense.
When I am working in Germany, a stay alone or with family may also be possible by arrangement.
- Two floors and three bedrooms
- Kitchen, dining and living room
- Terrace and garden/courtyard areas
- Recording and working studio
- Laundry option
- Project groups usually with 1–4 people
Studio & Resources
Working with sound, image and space
The house has a small recording/working studio with microphones, instruments, field recording equipment and a digital working environment. It can be used for musical development, recordings, sound research and shared sessions.
Camera equipment, a projector, a small library and rehearsal and working spaces are also available. Concrete use is agreed according to the project.
Note from the studio: The village church has a long, soft reverb – a gift for voice and brass. Rehearsing or recording there can be arranged.
Recording Studio
Microphones
Field Recording
Instruments from around the world
Camera & projector
Small library
Porano & surroundings
Landscape, routes and orientation
Porano lies in a central Italian hilly landscape between Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio.
Porano & Orvieto
Porano offers basic supplies within walking distance. Orvieto is a few kilometres away; a car is helpful for routes into the rural surroundings.
Landscape & excursions
The surroundings are shaped by former volcanic landscapes – from Lago di Bolsena to thermal baths, hot springs and Monte Amiata. The coast is also reachable as a longer excursion.
Arrival
Car: Via the A1 / Autostrada towards Orvieto.
Flight: To Rome Fiumicino, then onward by train towards Orvieto.
Night bus: From Munich to Florence, then onward by train.
Train: Via Florence or Rome; from there by regional train to Orvieto.
Free time & excursions
Place, landscape and shared everyday life
Between working phases there is time for walks in the historic centre, in the surrounding forests and for excursions into the Etruscan, medieval and volcanic landscape.
Duomo di OrvietoEtruscan necropolisesSacro Bosco di BomarzoVie Cave bei PitiglianoLago di BolsenaMonte AmiataThermal baths & hot springsForests & hollow waysCoast as a longer excursionGarden & shared everyday life
Proposal & agreement
Clarify in conversation
You can propose an idea, a project or a question. Then we look together at whether and how a stay makes sense.
Contribution by arrangement
The stay works on a contribution basis rather than fixed rent: from shared household costs to a contribution that helps sustain the house for future guests – matched to project, duration and means. For institutionally funded stays I issue a regular invoice. In conversation we clarify timeframe, setting, needs and whether the stay works for both sides.
Mentoring on site
Individual music/project mentoring or studio work on site is possible by arrangement. The detailed formats are on the page Mentoring & Live Looping.
Host & possibilities on site
I live in Porano in the historic centre. The house and studio are personal working and living spaces that I would like to open for fitting encounters, projects and development phases.
A nearby church may possibly be used by arrangement for rehearsal or recording with natural reverberation. A small theatre stage in Porano can also be rented if needed.
The motivation behind it is simple: to preserve and share spaces for artists, nourish ideas and let a small shared think tank emerge – a garden of friendship, loosely after Epicurus.
Contact & Availability
An idea for Porano?
Send me a short description of your idea, the desired period and the people who would be involved. We can best clarify the rest personally.
Request a stay or project