My residency at Residency Unlimited was a truly transformative experience, both artistically and personally. I arrived in New York with my research project The City Does Not Remember Us, but living and working in the city allowed the project to unfold in an unexpected direction, leading to I AM NOT ORANGE, a new performance and installation developed during the residency, together with two artist books. New York became more than the setting for my research; it became an active part of the work and changed the way I think about my practice.
What I valued most was the generosity of the people I met, the openness of the programme and the incredible diversity of artists, curators and professionals I encountered. The residency opened numerous opportunities for me, both in Portugal and internationally, and many of the connections I made are already continuing beyond my time in New York. I am deeply grateful for the people I met, the conversations I had and the many opportunities that emerged from this experience.
I grew enormously through this residency. New York felt to me like a city full of possibilities, and RU gave me the space, support and context to truly experience and engage with it. This has been a decisive experience in my career, and I know its impact will continue to unfold long after the residency itself. I loved my time at RU so much that I am already thinking about how I can return to New York next year — and, honestly, my wish would be to return every year. I came to RU to develop a project, but I left with something much bigger: a new direction for my practice, an international network, countless opportunities and a renewed belief in what is possible. For me, RU was not simply a residency I attended; it became a turning point in my career, and a place I hope to keep returning to.
