Artist Retreat in Grand Popo

About

Starting out as a touring multimedia concept across poetry, film, performance, and installation, Finding Etherea has evolved into a dwelling and retreat space in Grand Popo, Benin Republic, that reflects upon and experiments with the practicalities of (re)instituting and democratising rest, as a critical and necessary step in the creative process. 

In the context of our realities that continue to demand high levels of productivity, continual growth, and gain, this concept is an invitation to consider how intentionality, care, and technical innovation can be applied to the act of resting.

With the boom in neuroscience, paired with the revival of ancient and indigenous spiritual practices, there now exists a wealth of information on rest. Yet, as with most contemporary phenomena, this information overload risks turning into a fleeting fad. Intersectionality is often overlooked, with much of the self-help guidance geared towards lived experiences in the global north, thus excluding Black and indigenous bodies. 

Finding Etherea draws influence from the work of The Nap Ministry and the Marina Abramovic Institute. A coastal forest town formed of several villages, sandwiched between the Atlantic, the River Mono, and a series of lagoons, Grand Popo provides an idyllic setting in which to embody rest and dream. 

An old bungalow set in a surrounding garden, the retreat space invites a holistic reflection on rest through all the senses, probing a focus on energy, which is at the base of all things. Over the past three years, the retreat has hosted over 50 artists, writers, filmmakers, curators, dancers, architects, designers, and other creative professionals. 

Practitioners in the disciplines of energy based practices such as yoga, tai chi, and massage; food and nutrition; mental and physical health; botany, herbalism and horticulture; and astronomy and astrology are also all encouraged to get in touch to connect, and commune in Grand Popo.

Indeed, all humans who have decided to make rest a priority in their lives.