I am currently researching the methods and approach of a site-specific artist residency in an industrial park in Barreiro, Portugal together with Tim Ralston, artist and director of PADA Studios.

PADA Studios is a not-for-profit artist-run residency and gallery situated in a post-industrial site near Lisbon, Portugal. PADA is unique in the art residency terrain. Located within the historical Companhia União Fabril (CUF) industrial complex in Barreiro, resident artists live and work in the heart of a significant cultural and industrial heritage site. The residency program has a unique pedagogical approach that includes open studios, studio and gallery critiques, and peer mentoring that culminates in a group exhibition. PADA Studios has been operational since 2018 and has hosted over 50 groups of international artists working in a range of media and practices.

Drawing on Tim’s practical experience in founding and leading PADA Studios and bringing in my expertise in cultural geographic research, we are working together to articulate the philosophies and values behind PADA and explore its impact. In our writing, we weave together the story of PADA Studios with narrative descriptions of integral moments in the artist residency, demonstrating how leading with alternative, community-oriented, non-commercial values can nurture deeper engagement with place, encourage more sustainable art practices, and benefit the professional development of contemporary artists.

Our first essay collaboration draws on practical experiences of PADA Studios from 2018–2025, artist and curatorial statements, exhibition catalogues, media, and photographic documentation, and in-depth qualitative interviews with artists and curators associated with two residency groups: PADA 50 and PADA 51. In this work we incorporate our insider and outsider perspectives, Tim as director and me as the first artist-in-residence in the newly launched Research Residency program.