| Recidency center | |
|---|---|
| Recidency type | |
| Art form | |
| Time of residency | July 2025 |
| Country |
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| Contact info | -- |
| Definition of artistic practice? | My artistic practice is rooted in presence, play, and relational exchange. As an artist-parent, I approach creation not as a fixed agenda but as an unfolding dialogue shaped by the needs, rhythms, and curiosity of my child. Rather than imposing structure, I practice listening, adapting, and letting go of predetermined outcomes. This often means following where my child leads—into drawing, walking, or moments of spontaneous play—and recognizing these shared experiences as meaningful acts of creation. My practice values care, slowness, and the everyday as fertile ground for art-making. |
| Title of the investigation at the residency | Traces of play |
| Description of investigations and findings | I arrived at the residency intending to collaborate with Thelma and Sara, but our paths diverged as our children’s interests differed. Nemo, my son, was drawn to another family’s activities and to his own impulses—playing, walking, or repeating familiar routines. His constant “no” to my proposals felt like resistance, and I questioned if I was doing enough. Gradually, I let go of my plans and leaned into his choices. By walking, drawing, and playing alongside him, I discovered that creativity does not need framing to be meaningful. His spontaneity and absorption revealed process as presence rather than product. The residency became less about outcomes and more about perspective: valuing play as art, care as a creative gesture, and child-led rhythms as central to my practice. |
| What are you most curious about or invested in in your own practice? | I am most curious about how creativity unfolds when led by children—their rhythms, resistances, and ways of playing. I’m invested in exploring how care, presence, calmness can shape artistic practice, and how letting go of control opens new possibilities for shared authorship. |
| What questions did you bring to investigate and what questions are you leaving with? | I came asking how to collaborate with my child through artistic frames and how to balance structure with freedom. I leave wondering: What does co-creation mean when a child resists frames? Can everyday play be understood as art? How do we, as artist-parents, embrace the value of simplicity and presence as creative outcomes? |
| Transformative, creative moments at the residency | At the residency, we found a piece of soft, chalk-like stone left behind from a previous group. Nemo and Thelma spent a long time quietly playing and drawing with it, fully absorbed. That moment revealed how creativity can emerge from the simplest found material and how presence itself becomes the work. |
| Keywords for the work done at the residency | Clay, Co-creation, Family/kids, Play |
| Research locations | Black Space (BIRCA), Forrest |
| Further documentation | |
| Photos documenting the research |
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| Videos of work in progess or reflections | |
| Webside links |
Sofia Bellucci and Nemo
