This seven-day immersive retreat takes place within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve along Mexico’s Caribbean coast, where Alejandro Durán’s Washed Up project has been developed over the past sixteen years.

Centered on the creative act, the retreat invites participants to engage directly with the landscape through making, observation, and reflection. Working with materials found on site—including marine debris carried by ocean currents—participants will create temporary, site-responsive installations in dialogue with the surrounding environment.

Through guided sessions, individual exploration, and group conversation, the program explores how art can reveal connections between place, ecology, and global systems of production and consumption.

The retreat unfolds through a rhythm of daily fieldwork, creative practice, and shared reflection. Participants will experiment with form, color, and composition in an open-ended process that emphasizes curiosity, attention, and responsiveness to the environment.

As part of the experience, participants will take part in a guided boat excursion through the reserve’s lagoons and waterways, offering a broader view of the ecosystems, birdlife, and marine life that shape this unique landscape.

The experience culminates in a series of temporary installations and a collective documentation of the work within the landscape.

Retreat Center & Accommodations

Xo Ki’in is an off-grid, solar-powered retreat space located within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. The environment is simple, open, and directly connected to the surrounding landscape.

Accommodations are shared and designed to support a collective experience:

• Shared rooms

• Simple, nature-based living conditions

Meals are prepared daily using fresh ingredients. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and other dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice.

Participants should be comfortable with heat, insects, composting toilets, and limited connectivity. This is an immersive, nature-based environment with minimal technological infrastructure.

Transportation

Transportation from Tulum to Xo Ki’in will be coordinated for all participants and includes a van transfer followed by a 40 minute boat ride into the reserve. The journey is part of the experience of entering this protected landscape.

Participants should plan to arrive in Tulum by late morning on the first day of the retreat and can expect to return to Tulum by midday on the final day. Exact travel details will be shared in advance.

Join Us

Spaces are limited. Visit the Retreat page for pricing, FAQs, and registration.