The Doorway Effect Retreat
A nine-day retreat for poets and musicians in Porto, Portugal
Welcome to our retreat!
Our focus is divided equally between music composers and poets, with many possibilities for cross-pollination between art forms. Our idea is to put composers and poets together in an inspiring space (the winding streets of Porto), expose them to ideas, and give them plenty of time to dive into the creative process.
Participants will work directly with mentors in communal workshops, one-on-one conferences, and daily performances and readings in the incredible Cais do Fado music space of Vila Nova de Gaia. The performances will culminate in a concert/reading of work created during the retreat.
A "doorway effect" is the psychological phenomenon in which one suffers short-term memory loss when passing through a doorway (arriving in the kitchen and wondering what you were looking for). We like to think of making art as having a similar effect: creative transformation, like passing through a door.
What if the doorway were a creative space, and—having passed through it—you suddenly knew exactly the goal you were trying to achieve? The objective is suddenly clear. You find yourself creating intuitively, almost without thinking. And what if the doorway helped you to draw upon the energy of a new community?
These are the doorways we are developing.
More About Us
We are—we should say at the start—strongly anti-AI. Although there are many uses for AI in our world, we believe that art is not one of them. The beauty of the artistic process is that of a human mind puzzling through a problem (which often has something to do with a human body, its limits, its wounds and griefs). We encourage an approach to art which is not goal-oriented, or demands a quick answer to a complicated question. We prefer the questions themselves, and the delicious sense of not knowing. While avoiding AI entirely might not be possible in our current world, it’s critical that we hold onto our critical and artistic minds. Some things should not be offloaded.
Our goal at The Doorway Effect is to give artists an inspiring context to fully immerse themselves in their work. We purposefully leave space and time for walking the city, and the meditation that comes with going deep into an artistic project.
Workshops & Performances
Individual Mentorships & Scholarships Available
Open to Artists at all Stages of Development