CELIA SERRANO
artivist · composer · saxophonist · singer · facilitator
Residencies
Westerbork Project II
January 2025 - April 2025
From late 2024 until April 2025, I participated in an artistic residency at Camp Westerbork, one of the transit camps used during World War II in the Netherlands. The residency was held in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation, with the aim of creating a piece to be exhibited at Camp Westerbork Memorial Center.
Over several months, I immersed myself in intensive research, fieldwork, and creative exploration. While I spent two separate weeks physically on-site, the residency encompassed a much longer period of reflection, absorbing the complex history of Westerbork, and translating its layered narratives into artistic expression. This process culminated in the creation of DNA of the land: a multidisciplinary immersive installation that intertwines sound, space, and visual elements. My debut on a piece of this kind.
This project has been incredibly enriching and transformative for me, allowing me to push the boundaries of my artistic language. It encompassed everything I love: fieldwork, research, history, philosophy, reflection, artistic creation, and on-site work. A truly profound journey of growth and exploration.
CORPO Residency
January 2025
In January 2025, I took part in a multidisciplinary artistic residency at CORPO Rotterdam together with Pieke (contemporary dancer and performer), Lotte (circus artist specializing in Cyr wheel), and Lily (harp and electronics). We spent a week exploring the intersection between movement and sound, developing a shared language where both could merge into a cohesive artistic expression.
Through improvisation and research, we sought to dissolve the boundaries between our disciplines, creating a dialogue that was not just complementary but symbiotic. This residency was an exploration of new artistic possibilities, pushing the limits of our individual practices to find unity in the intersection of our art forms.
BASIS Vinschgau Venosta
September 2024
During September 2024, I had the opportunity to be one of the musicians at the Culture Moves Europe residency program at BASIS Vinschgau Venosta (Silandro). It was a month of pure inspiration: composing, creating, and connecting, surrounded by amazing landscapes and mountains in the breathtaking Italian Alps. During my time there, I composed a piece called Respira, about the need to stop, breathe, and listen to ourselves. In a society where productivity, speed, and being on autopilot are rewarded, taking the time to listen to ourselves and breathe is an act of resistance.
Westerbork Project I
October 2022
This residency was part of my Master’s program in New Audiences and Innovative Practice. It took place at Camp Westerbork, one of the camps used during World War II in the Netherlands. This was my first artistic residency of this kind, and the experience was incredibly enriching. During our time there, we learned about the space and its history, including firsthand testimonials. We had one week to create and compose music inspired by our stay. From this experience, I composed a piece called De Paso, reflecting on how time transforms spaces. A site of past horrors is now a beautiful area filled with nature, yet echoes of its history remain. The sound of air caressing the leaves serves as a reminder that while "time transforms everything, not everything heals", time may change a place but cannot erase its memory.