Belega Eco-School Resident Artist Program

Three-week grassroots bamboo and natural-building residency

Applications NOW OPEN!

Residency dates: Thursday 17 September to Thursday 8 October 2026; Tuesday November 9 – Monday November 29, 2026.
Location: Bamboo Creative Bali Eco-School, Belega, Bali, Indonesia
Program cost: Rp450,000 per day, including basic meals
Accommodation: Shared dorm with a shared bathroom
Places available: Four

We have just shared an update on our blog about the next chapter of Bamboo Creative Bali and our emerging Vital Light Villages vision.

As part of this next stage, we are inviting applications for a three-week Resident Artist Program at our grassroots Eco-School in Belega, Bali.

This is an opportunity for artists, makers, designers, craftspeople, natural builders and practical creative people who want to learn bamboo skills by working alongside our local team on a real, evolving community site.

The Belega Eco-School is not a polished resort or a finished campus. It is a living workshop and demonstration site where bamboo building, traditional knowledge, natural materials, creative reuse and inclusive community design come together. Participants will learn through hands-on contribution while helping us move the site into its next phase.

Depending on the work underway, the residency may include:

  • introductory bamboo handling, preparation, tools and safety;
  • practical bamboo building and joinery skills;
  • earth walls, light-clay-straw and ecobrick applications;
  • lime and natural floor finishing;
  • roofing, stairs, pathways, landscaping and site finishing;
  • creative use of local and recovered materials;
  • exploration of accessible, sensory-friendly and inclusive spaces;
  • documentation, design, art, craft or storytelling connected with the project; and
  • cultural exchange and learning with Balinese craftspeople and our wider community.

We are particularly interested in applicants who are curious, adaptable and willing to participate in everyday site life. You do not need to arrive as a bamboo expert. We value genuine interest, practical engagement, respect for local knowledge and a willingness to learn and contribute.

The residency may suit:

  • visual and installation artists;
  • architects, designers and design students;
  • craftspeople and furniture or product makers;
  • natural builders and sustainability practitioners;
  • photographers, filmmakers, writers and storytellers;
  • educators and community-development practitioners; and
  • people exploring regenerative, inclusive or circular-economy projects.

This is a small, grassroots residency rather than a conventional institutional art program. The cost is Rp450,000 per day and includes basic meals and accommodation in a shared dorm with a shared bathroom. Only four residency places are available. Transport, payment arrangements and any other practical details will be discussed clearly with shortlisted applicants before a place is confirmed.

To apply, complete the application form below and include links or a small sample of relevant work. Applications are open from Mon 14 September 2026. Residentcies are available to begin on Thursday 17 September 2026 and through to Thursday 8 October 2026; and, November 9 through until November 29, 2026.

Read the story behind this next phase: https://bamboocreative.org/2026/09/08/newadventure/

Residency Program Details

Why this residency exists
Belega Eco-School was always meant to be inclusive. Freyr is living here now, so every finishing job on this site is a real decision about whether she can use it: move through it, wash in it, rest in it, and be part of what happens here.

That’s the heart of the residency. We’re not asking you to make art about inclusion from the outside. We’re asking you to help build a place where people with different abilities, families, carers, craftspeople and visitors can actually live and take part together, and to tell that story from the inside.

This is the first step towards what I call Vital Light Villages: a network of living communities where culture, care, ecology and enterprise grow together. In these villages, traditional craft becomes part of the care economy, and visitors pay the maker directly for what they learn.
Your question

Every resident takes on one real question from the site as their brief. You’ll work on it with our team, help build the answer, and document what you learn in your own medium. That could be film, photography, drawing, writing, sound, an installation or something we haven’t thought of.

The four questions for this round:

Earth walls. What makes a healthy earthen wall, and what does it feel like to build one?

Floors. How do you make a beautiful natural lime floor that survives real community use?

Water. How do you build an accessible bathroom in a regenerative setting, and where does the water go?

Getting around. How do pathways, ramps, gardens and sensory spaces change who can actually take part?

You don’t need to be an expert in any of these. You need to be curious and willing to get your hands dirty. At the end of the three weeks we’ll share all four pieces together, here on site and online.

After the three weeks

This residency is the start of something longer. We’re working towards a pathway that starts with learning bamboo and natural building skills, moves on to teaching them, and grows into helping new villages start.

Residents will be invited to stay connected as the first members of our learning circle (Kvasir). This is a small group who carry this work forward: telling the story, running sessions, and bringing the next people in. You wouldn’t do it for free. Contributions to the circle earn Bamboo Bank Notes, which you can use towards future programs, stays and workshops with us.

Nobody has to commit to that now. We’ll talk about it together in the last week.

How contribution works

The standard rate is Rp450,000 per day, covering basic meals and shared dorm accommodation. That money goes straight into materials, our local team and finishing the site. (It doesn’t go to shareholders).

We also want this to be open to people who can’t pay the full rate. One place each round is offered as a scholarship / contribution place. If that’s you, tell us in your application what you can bring and what you can manage. We’d rather have a conversation than lose someone who belongs here.

You can also pre-purchase Bamboo Bank Notes to support the build now and use them towards a future stay.

Typical Daily Schedule

The residency day is structured around two focused three-hour activity blocks, with shared meals, daily site responsibilities and time for rest and informal creative exchange.

Program Timing

  • 8:00–10:00 am Breakfast shift, shared cleaning and/or yoga
  • 10:00 am–1:00 pm Morning activity block: bamboo skills, building, making or project work
  • 1:00–2:00 pm Lunch
  • 2:00–5:00 pm Afternoon activity block: practical work, collaborative projects or creative development
  • 5:00–7:00 pm Rest, shower and personal/free time
  • 7:00–9:00 pm Dinner, craft session, local outing or film night
  • After 9:00 pm Personal time and quiet hours

The exact activities may change according to the stage of work, weather, materials, visiting craftspeople and the needs of the group. Participants should be ready for a practical and flexible rhythm rather than a rigid classroom timetable. Our diet is fresh Indonesian-fusion food with vegan/vegetarian options. Our in-house stays include basic meals and accommodation.

Our team consists of local bamboo builders, craftsmen, and artisans. We are currently developing a versatile building design model suitable for community schools, home-stays, and waste management centers. Our ultimate goal is to establish an Eco-school network focused on sharing bamboo and natural building techniques. fostering inclusive economic opportunities for elders, women, youth, and people with disabilities, and supporting authentic, locally-owned tourism through meaningful cultural exchange.


Application Form

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Can you participate for the full residency from 17 September to 8 October 2026?(required)

The program costs Rp450,000 per day, including basic meals and accommodation in a shared dorm with a shared bathroom. Can you meet this cost?(required)

Are you comfortable staying in a shared dorm with a shared bathroom?(required)

Which areas most interest you?

Have you participated in a collaborative building, art or community project before?

Are you comfortable working on an active site, following safety instructions and participating in practical tasks appropriate to your ability?(required)

Do you have travel insurance suitable for the activities you intend to undertake, including working at heights where applicable?(required)

Do you have appropriate permission or a visa for your stay and activities in Indonesia?(required)

Do you have reliable transport to and from Belega, or will you need help arranging transport?(required)



How we work together

We rely on people sharing what they know, and on good will. We try to work from gratitude and to pay it forward.

This site runs on Balinese craft knowledge that has been handed down for generations, so please come respectful and ready to learn from our builders. Come ready to help with the everyday stuff too, like cooking shifts, cleaning and looking out for each other. That’s village life, and it’s part of the residency, not a break from it.

If you have access, communication, dietary or wellbeing needs, tell us. Working things out together is exactly what we’re here to practise.

The story behind this

I started this project in 2017 so my daughter Freyr could have a place where she belongs, and I’ve been learning bamboo hands-on with local craftsmen ever since. Along the way we built Freyr’s Bamboo Home in Denpasar, ran bamboo programs here in Belega, and took the training to Kenya and the Philippines.

Now we’re back where it started: a place for Freyr, and for everyone who wants to build this kind of life with us.

Read the full story of this next chapter: Building Inclusive Community

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Our longer history: Our Story