WATER & ROCK ART RESIDENCY 🇬🇷 GREECE
Our visionOpen since the summer of 2023, the Water & Rock artist residency invites creatives and writers in the traditional and picturesque village of Kazaviti on the island of Thassos. The village is nestled in the mountains, surrounded by forest and natural springs, bursting with history.
We want to bring awareness to the beauty and importance of the fauna and flora of the island in an aim to build a greater sense of interdependence, for now and for future generations, human and non-human. The long term aim, in collaboration with other residents of the island is to bring a more eco-conscious awareness to the local government and to the visiting tourists which would help guide mindfulness in decision making for the health of the environment and the living creatures it supports. Like everywhere in the world, the island is experiencing a number of environmental threats which for the most part are there due to a lack of awareness. We believe that part of the solution to building a better future is through art, writing, communication and learning. |
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Your part in the vision 👈
This is where you come in! We invite you to spend some time here and soak up the beauty and energy the landscape has to offer. There is no doubt that the scenery, wildlife and history will inspire you to create something beautiful.
The island will be generous to you, and your gift back to her will be your creativity which in turn will inspire others to look at nature differently and cherish the richness, beauty and life that it brings. Currently the residency can take 3 to 6 creatives at a time who will live in a shared house. REQUIREMENTS: The residency is open to creatives, artists, writers, researchers and scientists who work with the themes of nature. |
Check out our past residents work and impressions of their stay:
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The house and facilities
The house is a beautifully preserved traditional stone house with original carved doors and features. The property is located at the top of the village, at the edge of the forest, with a spectacular view across the valley to the sea.
There are three double bedrooms, each with a small desk. The bathroom is shared and comprises of a toilet, sink and shower. The kitchen is a fully functioning and equipped with a gas stove and fridge, freezer and larder room with washing machine. There is a very large comfortable shared living room space. The shared, indoor art studio has multiple work tables, and a wood stove for the winter months. There are multiple outdoor stone terraces with work tables and beautiful views and shade. There are three wood burners in the house (1 in the lounge, 1 in the studio and 1 in the Fern Spirit room). The house has double glazing and roof insulation, but you have to bear in mind that this is an old traditional stone house and that it will not be possible to keep it at a constant temperature all day through the winter. |
Wood is quite expensive as it is becoming more scarce and we have to carry it all up by hand from the center of the village to the house. Therefore, we would advise you to only use the woodburners for a few hours in the evenings in the winter months and to wear a few layers in the day. You will only likely need to use it daily from December to March and on cooler days in November and April.
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Your host Leah lives in a small house adjoining the property so is always available for any needs or questions.
You will also have access to our large terraced garden and of course the surrounding forest which you can just walk into once you step out of the house. It is a short walk up a steep stone path to the house from the small car park. Unfortunately the house is not accessible with a wheelchair as the house is located at the top of the village up a steep uneven stone path and steps. It could be possible to arrange a residency in another house adjacent to the main village road, however, the houses are generally two stories with uneven stone paths and steps. There are two tavernas and a café in the village which are open in high season. In the winter months only one taverna and the café are open at the weekends. The village is 5km from the small town of Prinos which has all the essential facilities like green grocers, bakeries, butchers, fish mongers, health center, doctor, pharmacy and cafes. Every Monday there is a food market with local producers on the main square. We are 7 km from the coastal village and beautiful beaches of Skala Prinos. |
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Other opportunities
We are working on permaculture vegetable garden project so you will have the opportunity to learn about permaculture, help out growing food and processing seasonally harvested wild foods and medicinal herbs as well as learning how to collect, process and store seeds from wild plants and vegetables. We can offer many guided hikes in the mountains and trips out in a jeep on the mountain paths and remote beaches. We can also organise sketch and plein air days in various villages and nature locations. There are many beautiful mountain hiking trails connecting all the mountain villages which are being restored by the active 'Environmental Movement of Thassos'. Along these trails there are beautiful gorges and waterfalls to bathe in. Not very far on the mainland, you have the town of Kavala, if you feel the need to reconnect with 'modern life'. Further up you have the Nestos river where you can go kayaking and the Rhodopi mountain range which supports a large virgin forest where you will find bears and wolves. |
Kazaviti - The village
Kazaviti is the old Roman name of the village which the locals use, translated as 'House of wine'. The village was once know for it's wine which in ancient Greek days was exported to Athens for all important parties and festivities. The modern village name is Megalos Prinos, named after the 'Prinos' tree which is abundant in the valley.
The houses are exceptionally preserved in the old style architecture of Northern Greece with thick stone walls, stone roofs, narrow paths and limited access to cars. The whole village is surrounded by ancient Roman terraces and aquaducts, once cultivated and allowing the villages to be self-sufficient. The terraces have now mostly been over taken by forest but you can still see evidence of past cultivation with nut and fruit trees and vines growing wild everywhere, creating a real food forest. Depending on the season, you will be bathed in different beautiful sounds of wildlife. In the spring you can hear many migrating birds and nightingales. In the summer, the ciccadas take over the soundscape whereas the autumn is filled with the shriek of the edible doormouse (once a Roman delicacy) and the winter makes way for the owls. |
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The back story...
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The Water & Rock artist residency was originally created by artists Abigail McDougall and Leah Heming. An idea born from the Water & Rock art gallery (formerly know as Bristol Contemporary Art) which they ran together since 2011.
From the beginning, they had a vision of a gallery that worked with artists passionate about nature and whose work would inspire the spectator to reconnect with their natural environment. They felt the limitations of the gallery for artist and spectator to fully express their creativity, and so was born the idea to create immersive courses and residencies where the artist, writer, wellbeing practitioner would be fully able to explore their different passions and merge them into a harmonious experience. Leah now runs the artist residency and Abigail manages the art gallery. Leah Heming who will be your residency host, is an illustrator, art director and qualified nature guide. She has experience working as a local tour guide and has a self-taught passion for ethnobotany and ecology. See her illustration here. |
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Both Leah & Abigail write regular essays on their thoughts and experiences of moving abroad and sowing the seeds of new ideas. You can read and follow their writings here.
Getting to Thasos
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BY PLANE • Kavala: The closest airport is Kavala with flights managed by Tui, Olympic Air and others. Tui flights only operate in high season. • Thessaloniki: The next closest and possibly cheapest with flights by Easyjet, Aegean, Ryanair & Wizz Air and more • Athens: Possibility to fly to Athens with a connecting flight to Kavala with Olympic airline (all year). This seems to be a good option if coming from the US. ✈️ ➡️🚖➡️🚢 FROM KAVALA AIRPORT • Option 1 🚖 Taxi: there is a taxi service costing approximately €20 from the airport to Keramoti port. 🚢 Ferry: From Keramoti there are regular 35 minute ferry crossings to Thassos town/Limenas. See ferry schedule here. • Option 2 🚘 Hire car: see below for hire car suggestions ✈️ ➡️🚖➡️🚢 FROM THESSALONIKI AIRPORT • Option 1 🚖 Taxi: there is a group taxi service from Thessaloniki airport to Keramoti port costing €45 per person (this discount is if there are multiple people) which takes 2h30. This is a good, stress free option. 🚢 Ferry: From Keramoti there are regular 35 minute ferry crossings to Thasos town/Limenas. • Option 2 🚌Bus: from the airport you must either get a taxi to the Makedonia bus station (€25 per person) or a city bus (approx €4 per person - 1 hour). At Macedonia bus station there are regular buses to the city of Kavala. See timetables here. 🚢 Ferry: The ferry crossings from Kavala port to Skala Prinos are less frequent than from Keramoti port and take 1h15 mins. See ferry crossings here and click on the Skala Prinos - Kavala tab, but once you reach the island you will be half an hour closer to the village than the ferry crossing to Limenas from Keramoti. • Option 3 🚘 HIRE CAR: see below for hire car suggestions - it is a 2h30 drive from the Thessaloniki airport to Keramoti port. 
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Hire Car / TransportThere are many local hire car, bicycle and scooter companies that offer good prices outside of high season (July-August).
There is a local bus that goes around the island a few times a day as well as a local taxi service. Hitch-hiking is also quite easy and common on the island although it is worth noting that it is illegal in Greece. If you want the freedom to move around at your own leisure then perhaps you would like to hire a car. Otherwise, we will pick you up to and from the island ports and take you around on specific organised excursions and shopping days. All big main hire car players are around, but we find the local companies much more amenable and better value. Here are some suggestions: https://www.rentacarpotos.gr/ https://www.chalkidiki-cars.com/ https://www.citycars.gr/thessaloniki-airport/ |
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