Basic Information
The Foundry is a collective and self-organized project, where we are all using and taking care of a shared space in a non-hierarchical way. We try to put this in practice through the following principles:
• Doers decide. You don’t need to ask permission to show a movie or plant a tree. Communicate, but feel free to develop initiative; that’s what the space is for.
• Make things possible for others. Leave space for others; don’t occupy all the physical space. Support other’s initiatives. Keep, help and take care of other people’s work, and work together to keep the space clean and organized.
• Act as host and guest at the same time. Some know the place better than others, but we all use the Foundry without difference in privilege or control. We all use and care for the place; nobody manages it.
Making a horizontal space like the Foundry work sometimes requires more communication rather than less, and a willingness to question your own position. Those who make use of the space take care of the space; they renovate it, maintain it, and pay for its expenses. If you want to spend time here, think of what you want to contribute, whether it’s physical labour, organizational work, a nice meal for everyone, or simply help out with the costs.
The Foundry does not receive public funding and is unable to provide financial assistance to its residents, but we are happy to support members that apply for grants to develop projects here (if you need an association to sign the application, for example). The space of the Foundry is available for events as long as they do not go against the ethos of the project, and the organizers take care of the space (which includes cleaning up after the event). Contact us if you want to organize something.
Racism, sexism and other forms of (physical or non-physical) violence are not tolerated at the Foundry. If, while at the Foundry, you experience something you would like to address with someone not living there, you can write Oli at lastresort@bravosfoundry.com. She lives nearby and is happy to provide confidential assistance.
Membership and costs
The Foundry is not a tourist lodging, but a space where people work, either on their own projects or on projects related to the Foundry. To stay there, you need to become a member. Membership costs 20 euros per year. As a member, you can participate in the events at the Foundry, and you will be invited to the annual general assembly. You can read the statutes of the association here.
To complete registration, fill out the form and transfer 20 euros to the bank acocunt indicated after filling out the form. Your membership will be valid for one year. When you renew it, please fill out the form again so we know until when it's valid.
There are currently three types of residencies at the Foundry:
Residents who contribute money. The contribution for your share in the expenses is:
Camping area: 5e per day, 25e per week, 100e per month.
Single room: 15e per day, 75e per week, 300e per month.
Double room: 20e per day, 100e per week, 400e per month. For each additional person, add 5e per day or 25e per week.
This is in addition to the annual 20e membership fee. Children don’t need to become members, but other than that they pay the same. The Foundry is non-profit, but this money helps us pay the bills.Volunteers. For new guests the first four weeks are always paid. If someone wants to stay as a non-paying volunteer after that, we can figure out whether it’s a good fit and what that person can work on during these first weeks. Volunteers are expected to put in about 20 hours per week, and there will be a monthly meeting to coordinate. If a volunteer does not do the work he or she committed to, he or she will be asked to pay for the month (or leave as a volunteer). Volunteer work includes construction, craft, forestry and gardening; keeping the space organized is everyone’s responsibility.
Invited guests. These are people we invite to the Foundry because their work adds something to the space (all residents can suggest who to invite). They give a concert, organize an event, produce a site-specific artwork, teach something, etc. They stay for free and their membership fees are waived. The maximum duration of an invited residency is one month, but this can be extended if everyone agrees.
Ideally, the first group would be bigger than the second, and the second bigger than the third.
We currently have six bathrooms, 12 bedrooms (mostly doubles) with electricity and WiFi, a professional kitchen, several large rooms, and a huge field where people can pitch a tent. The Foundry is located in a valley surrounded by a river and a forest. For our regular groceries we go to Viveiro, a seaside town at 10 kilometers distance. We have a car and a bike, anyone is free to use them. Pets are allowed outside as long as they behave; if they cannot stay outside, please ask us in advance what are the possibilities.
We generally organize food together, but you don’t have to join this system (which involves sharing bills and cooking once in a while) if you don’t want to. We want to keep the Foundry as cheap as possible, so we have no staff; guests are expected to take care of the space together. To coordinate this, there are usually assemblies every few weeks.
There is no application procedure; just let us know what you want to do at the Foundry and when you plan to arrive by sending an email to foundry@bravosfoundry.com and we will let you know if there’s a room available.
Getting there
Viveiro and Merille are the nearest places with access to public transport, and we are happy to pick you up from there. If you travel by land, you might come through Lugo, which has good connections to other parts of Spain. From Lugo you can take a bus to Merille (Ourol), which is very close by; for the schedule, see https://arriva.es/es/galicia/para-viajar/buscador.
If you travel by air, there’s four airports with a decent connection to Viveiro: A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Porto and Madrid.
Santiago de Compostela: From Santiago airport, there is a bus to Merille, at a few kilometers from the Foundry. The bus leaves every workday at 19.13 and arrives about two hours later (it costs about 10 euros). At 14.42 there’s another bus that goes from the airport to Burela (at 35 kilometers from the Foundry). Both buses are operated by Arriva and only run on working days (see schedule). There’s also a bus connection between Santiago and Ferrol (see www.monbus.es or www.flixbus.com), and from Ferrol you can take a train to Viveiro. This train goes four times a day (see schedule). There are also regular blablacars from Santiago to Viveiro.
A Coruña: To get from A Coruña to Viveiro you have two options: 1. a direct bus, that takes two and a half hours but unfortunately only goes twice a day, and only on weekdays (https://arriva.gal/), or 2. get a train or bus to Ferrol (there’s many connections and it takes about an hour) and from there take the train mentioned above.
Porto: Porto is about four hours away by car (blablacar?), but there’s a flixbus that goes from there to Ferrol. From Ferrol you can take the train mentioned above.
Madrid: Finally, you can take a direct bus from Madrid to Ferrol (www.alsa.es) and take the train from there, or look for a blablacar. Or take a train or bus to Lugo, and a bus from Lugo to Merille or Viveiro (see schedule).