Located at Camp Nomad, the Serai Residency is an annual 3 week retreat for artists, writers, educators, community workers, and peacebuilders from across the Global South.
25 November - 15 December, 2024
The 2024 fellows have been announced! Click here for more details.
Across South and West Asia, the concept of a Serai goes back centuries. Constructed as gestures of hospitality for travellers, a serai is many things to many people: a rest house, place for pause, a place for gathering and sharing, a warm meal and time to replenish, a quiet moment in an ongoing journey.
The Serai Retreat and Residency seeks to offer this mix of rest, companionship, and nurture to artists, writers, educators, community workers and peace-builders from across the Global South. We seek to be a place where folks can gather in community, share their journeys, deepen their work, and find new friendships; just as much, we strive to offer a sanctuary where folks can be alone if they choose, can daydream, can experience wonder and rest and deep communion with nature.
Ultimately, we seek to offer a place of pause and connection, with all the possibilities therein, and then to support our guests as they dig deep into their work of building a just and joyful world.
The Offering
Each fellow will have a private cottage with a comfortable bed, desk, window seat, wood-burning stove, and private bathroom. All meals will be provided in our shared dining area, and fellows will also have access to a small library and co-working space.
Outside of meal times, fellows will be free to spend the majority of their day as they see fit— working on their projects in their cottages, going for walks into the Deodar forest, gathering with other fellows under an apple tree, or whatever they believe will most support their work and well-being during the time they are with us. We will meet every evening for meals and sharing work.
Once a week, we will gather informally around a campfire with snacks, drinks, and anyone from the nearby towns and villages who would like to meet our fellows. All fellows will also be be asked to spend one afternoon during their residency on a workshop, talk, or other public sharing of their work.
There is no cost to the fellows for the Residency. The fellowship also pays for travel for domestic fellows and includes a travel stipend of up to USD $1000 per international fellow.
Funding for the 2024 residency comes from Indiana University's School of Education Creative Pathways to Peace Grant.
Selection Process
In 2024, we will host 4 artists, writers, educators, community workers, and/ or peacebuilders for a 3 week residency in our mudhouses.
Fellows will be asked to submit samples of past work, details about the projects they wish to pursue while in residence, and a statement about why they need this space at this moment in their personal and professional journeys. Our finalists will be selected through an open application cycle and chosen by a panel of professionals in all three fields.
Throughout the process, our outreach will be specifically focused on the Global South. Even today, the vast majority of residencies and arts funding is located in Western Europe and North America, but we seek to become a space for a rich South-South dialogue. We believe that there hasn’t been nearly enough dialogue and shared world-building amongst the postcolonial countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and we are committed to building a collaborative space that decenters the Euro-centric worldview in favour of something more truly global.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
APPLICATION RELATED
Do you accept applications in languages other than English?
Once selected, you can work in any language but the application jury will only be able to read in English. So, if your work or portfolio is in any other language, we request you to please submit a translation of the same as a part of your application
Can I still apply if I am in the early stages of my practice and don’t yet have published / exhibited work?
Yes, you can.
What kind of work sample can I submit?
This is a unique, interdisciplinary residency that is looking to bring together artists, writers, educators, community workers, and peacebuilders. We understand that not all the work that you do in these various fields can be standardized, and we're open to a wide variety of materials that might cut across these contexts. Therefore, while we cannot provide you with an exhaustive list of what you can submit as work samples, here are some examples: if you are an artist or a writer, a sizable sample of your work is good; if you work with young people or in a community, we would love to see your curriculum plans or your student work; if you work in peacebuilding, you might send us papers, briefs, case studies, or whatever other materials that you may feel are necessary in showcasing your work to the jury. In case you feel like your work falls outside all of these categories, and you are still unsure about what to submit, feel free to write to u at contact@campnomad.net, and we will do our best to help you figure it out!
If I work with a collaborator, do we both need to apply separately?
Yes. Our jury would prefer to award the residency to an individual rather than to a project, so we encourage you to both apply separately; however, we cannot guarantee that both collaborators will be accepted.
If you absolutely cannot work separately, and/or there is a very important reason to collaborate, then you may apply jointly and let us know the reason in your application. Do keep in mind, though, that if we accept such an application, you will be required to share accommodation and the travel and supplies budgets for the residency.
Why is the residency only open to participants from the “Global South,” and which countries does that include?
At Serai, we believe that a rich South-South dialogue, unmediated by Europe or North America, has the potential for transformative collaborations and new ways of knowing and being. This guideline is less about excluding folks from certain parts of the world and more about actively nurturing a long overdue conversation amongst postcolonial and other so called “developing” countries.
Typically, the Global South is understood broadly to comprise Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia excluding Israel, Japan, and South Korea, and Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand. We are, however, also open to first nations peoples from other parts of the world as well: If you think you qualify for the residency, please apply (and, if needed, please feel free to explain more in your application).
Do you require references?
No. We do not need to know who you know. Your work is our guide for the selection process.
Who is the jury?
The jury comprises 5 wonderful folks from different areas of expertise and different communities across India, and they all share our passion for building a just and joyful world. In the interest of a free and fair selection process, however, we will be keeping them anonymous for now.
Can I get feedback on my application?
As much as we would love to talk to you about your applications individually, considering the volume of applications and the depth and precision with which the jury members will go through each one, it will be impossible for us to respond with individual feedback
LOGISTICAL
What are the dates for the residency?
All fellows would be required to be in residence from 25th November to 15 December, 2024. It is not possible to do only part of the residency -- please apply only if you are able to be there for the entire 3 weeks.
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What are the accommodations and food like?
You will be staying in a comfortable mud hut with an ensuite modern washroom. The hut contains a bed, a desk, two window seats, and a wood-burning stove. There is an electric kettle in the room for tea and coffee, and all meals are served in the shared community dining area. There is good mobile connectivity everywhere but Wifi is only in the dining hall. Food is mostly homestyle Indian food cooked on the premises, with occasional treats from other cuisines.
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Are there any costs I need to bear?
Serai will cover your accommodation and meals, group activities, domestic travel within India, and a stipend towards international travel if needed. You will also have access to a printer, projector, and a small fund for supplies. All other personal costs will be borne by the fellows themselves.
What kind of weather can I expect?
The residency will take place at the beginning of winter at Camp Nomad, Days are usually bright and sunny, averaging at about 15 degrees celsius, and nights can get cold at about 4-5 degrees celsius. There will be a fire in the common areas every evening, and our staff can also build a fire in the stoves in your cottage if you would like. There will also be electric blankets and hot water bottles to keep you even cosier at night.
It is very unlikely to snow during your time at Camp, but you will be treated to stunning views of the snow peaks in the distance.
Can you accommodate medical needs, allergies, or disabilities?
Absolutely. Camp Nomad works hard to be an inclusive and accessible space, and we would love to work with you regardless of illness or disability. Our common dining area, shared washroom, and two of our mud huts are fully wheelchair accessible, although the mountainous landscape means that a wheelchair user could need assistance navigating some of the slopes and ramps around the site (our staff is happy to assist you with this).
Camp Nomad also prides itself on catering to a diversity of dietary needs, and we will be able to accommodate gluten free, vegan, nightshade-free or other medically required diets if we are given adequate prior notice. Please note, however, that we only have one kitchen, so we will not be able to ensure zero cross-contamination of ingredients; in case you have a severe food allergy, please write to us beforehand so that we can realistically let you know if we will be able to support your time with us.
Do bear in mind that we are in a somewhat remote location in the mountains, and specialized medical care may not always be available. If you have specific concerns or questions regarding this, please email us.
What happens if I need to reschedule my residency or leave early due to an emergency?
At this moment, rescheduling will not be possible. We ask you to inform us at the earliest possible date in case you need to cancel, in which case your residency will be awarded to someone on our waiting list instead.
In case you are already at the residency and need to leave early due to an emergency, we shall make every effort to get you back home at the earliest. However, any additional expenses incurred as a result of such travel will have to be borne by the fellow in question.
Is there an application fee?
No. We wanted to keep the application as accessible and inclusive as possible, so there is no application fee.
How and when are notifications sent?
The notifications will be sent via email in the second half of September, 2024
Can I opt out of having my participation and information on public forums?
We would love to be able to celebrate all of our fellows publicly, but we understand that there may be safety considerations for some of you in terms of not having your location in the public domain. You can let us know if you would rather we do not publish any information about your stay with us, either indefinitely or until after your departure.
Can I bring family members or pets?
The residency is meant to be a deep dive into solo-time to focus on your work and community-time with other residents; visitors and companions are therefore strongly discouraged. However, if there are extenuating circumstances which make it impossible for you to attend unless you can bring another person or pet along, such as if you need a caregiver or a support animal due to a disability, or are a single parent to a young child, please let us know in your application. We will do our best to accommodate you.
PROGRAM RELATED
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How will the working day be structured?
There is no set pattern for the day, you are welcome to spend it as you would like – work in your hut, read in a hammock, go for a walk, or spend time in our shared community spaces. All meals will be shared in the dining hall, and we encourage all residents to gather around the fire in the evenings to share the day’s work and connect with one another. There will also be a few community events, such as a live music night or a field trip, but none of these are mandated, only encouraged.
Will I be required to share my work?
You will be expected to do one workshop/ public talk regarding your work and one online post on the official platform of the residency. We may also do an informal interview with you about your creative process, which we would include as part of creative documentation. Other than these, no other sharing is required, although we of course encourage cohorts to share their work and processes with one another.
Are there any deliverables at the end of my time there?
Apart from attending the residency and sharing your work as mentioned above, there are no further obligations: while you are encouraged to share, you are not required to submit anything at any point.
Can you clarify what ‘no further obligation’ means?
The Serai Residency is committed to empowering all participants to develop/sustain their own creative process with regards to their work. There are no restrictions on how you use the time at the residency: for example, you are not required to come out of the residency with finished work, or to report back to us on how your time was spent. Also, everything you create at Serai will belong to you. If you do publish, exhibit, or otherwise publicly share your work, we request you to please acknowledge the residency.
How can I use the funds allocated for me?
You can use them for any supplies you may require for your work.
