Volume L, No 3, July-September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Volume L, No 3, July-September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Volume L, No 3, July-September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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Cyprus<br />
TODAY<br />
<strong>Volume</strong> L, <strong>No</strong> 3, <strong>July</strong>-<strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
Contents<br />
EDITORIAL ....................................................................4<br />
Kypria International Festival <strong>2012</strong> ...................................6<br />
Mapping Cyprus: Crusaders, Traders and Explorers ......14<br />
Maniera Cypria ...............................................................19<br />
4 th Cypriot Film Directors Festival .................................22<br />
4 th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival ..28<br />
16 th International Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek Drama .......36<br />
Cyprus Medical Museum ...............................................41<br />
Pafos Aphrodite Festival <strong>2012</strong> ........................................44<br />
Terra Mediterranea-In Crisis ...........................................48<br />
Cypriot Armenian Artists Exhibition .............................52<br />
United States <strong>of</strong> Europe .................................................56<br />
Bokoros “Odos Eleftherias” ............................................63<br />
The World Youth Choir in Cyprus ..................................65<br />
<strong>Volume</strong> L, <strong>No</strong> 3, <strong>July</strong>-<strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
A quarterly cultural review <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and<br />
Culture published and distributed by the Press and Information<br />
Office (PIO), <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Interior, Nicosia, Cyprus.<br />
Address:<br />
<strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and Culture<br />
Kimonos & Thoukydides Corner, 1434 Nicosia, Cyprus<br />
Website: http://www.moec.gov.cy<br />
Press and Information Office<br />
Apellis Street, 1456 Nicosia, Cyprus<br />
Website: http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio<br />
EDITORIAL BOARD<br />
Chairperson:<br />
Pavlos Paraskevas, Director <strong>of</strong> Cultural Services,<br />
<strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and Culture<br />
Chief Editor:<br />
Jacqueline Agathocleous<br />
jacqueline@gnora.com<br />
GNORA COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS<br />
(website: www.gnora.com)<br />
Tel: +357 22441922 Fax: +357 22519743<br />
Editorial Supervision:<br />
Miltos Miltiadou (PΙΟ)<br />
E-mail: mmiltiadou@pio.moi.gov.cy<br />
Editorial Assistance:<br />
Maria Georgiou (PΙΟ)<br />
E-mail: mgeorgiou@pio.moi.gov.cy<br />
David A. Porter<br />
E-mail: mm2pcommunications@gmail.com<br />
Design: GNORA COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS<br />
Printed by: Konos Ltd<br />
Front cover: General view <strong>of</strong> the exhibition Maniera<br />
Cypria: Lemesos, Fabula, Historia, Memoria<br />
Back cover: A scene from Electra & Orestes at the 16 th<br />
International Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek Drama<br />
PIO 416/<strong>2012</strong> – 10000<br />
ISSN (print) 0045-9429<br />
ISSN (online) 1986-2547<br />
Subscription <strong>No</strong>te: For free subscriptions please contact: iathanasiou@pio.moi.gov.cy. Cyprus Today is also available in electronic form and<br />
can be sent to you if you provide your e-mail. If you no longer wish to receive the magazine, in either print or electronic form, or if you have<br />
changed your address, please let us know at the above e-mail address. Please include your current address for easy reference.<br />
Editor’s <strong>No</strong>te: Articles in this magazine may be freely quoted or reproduced provided that proper acknowledgement and credit is given to<br />
Cyprus Today and the authors (for signed articles). The sale or other commercial exploitation <strong>of</strong> this publication or part <strong>of</strong> it is strictly prohibited.<br />
Disclaimer: Views expressed in the signed articles are those <strong>of</strong> the authors and not necessarily those <strong>of</strong> the publishers.<br />
The magazine can also be found on the Press and Information Office website at www.moi.gov.cy/pio.<br />
3
Editorial<br />
The Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council <strong>of</strong> the European Union in the second half <strong>of</strong> <strong>2012</strong> features strongly<br />
in this issue <strong>of</strong> Cyprus Today, starting <strong>of</strong>f with the KYPRIA <strong>2012</strong> International Festival, which presented<br />
music, theatre and dance events <strong>of</strong> considerable renown throughout the island. The Festival started<br />
<strong>of</strong>f with a concert, Towards a Europe <strong>of</strong> Peace, by the Cyprus Youth Symphony.<br />
The easternmost member <strong>of</strong> the EU, Cyprus, has always been strategically important to foreign powers<br />
wishing to influence or control the Eastern Mediterranean. The exhibition Mapping Cyprus: 1191-<strong>2012</strong><br />
Crusaders, Traders and Explorers, held at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, examined a long<br />
period in the turbulent history <strong>of</strong> the island.<br />
Lovers <strong>of</strong> antiquities will enjoy reading about the Maniera Cypria exhibition in Limassol, which presented<br />
archaeological findings unearthed in the district and its vicinity displayed side by side in a fascinating discourse<br />
with contemporary art at the Evagoras Lanitis Centre.<br />
This issue also takes a look at the 4 th Cypriot Film Directors Festival, which presented works by seven<br />
acclaimed film directors. For the first time ever, the screenings took place “under the stars” at the Constantia<br />
Open Air Cinema. The 4 th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival was dedicated to the<br />
promotion <strong>of</strong> new music, both the established masterpieces <strong>of</strong> the contemporary music literature <strong>of</strong> the 20 th<br />
century and a great number <strong>of</strong> premieres by leading young composers from all over the world who were<br />
commissioned by the Pharos Arts Foundation to write new works especially for the Festival.<br />
In <strong>July</strong>, theatre lovers from around the world attended the 16 th International Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek<br />
Drama <strong>2012</strong>. The Festival opened with a production <strong>of</strong> Agamemnon’s Children by the Hessian State Theatre<br />
<strong>of</strong> Wiesbaden, Germany, while other works included Electra and Orestes, The Trial; The Eumenides,<br />
and Antigone. Also taking pride <strong>of</strong> place in this issue is the Cyprus Medical Museum, a venture which<br />
few people took seriously some 25 years ago when the Committee <strong>of</strong> the Limassol Medical Association<br />
announced its decision to collect and exhibit antique medical equipment. Thanks to a number <strong>of</strong> valuable<br />
donations from doctors and their families, photographs <strong>of</strong> which are included in this issue, the museum is<br />
now a reality, bringing an enormous collection <strong>of</strong> valuable medical artefacts to the people <strong>of</strong> Cyprus and to<br />
visitors to the island with an interest in medicine.<br />
The 14 th Pafos Aphrodite Festival raised its curtain this year on the Slovak National Theatre’s performance<br />
<strong>of</strong> Verdi’s Otello, at the Medieval Castle <strong>of</strong> Pafos in Pafos Harbour. The adaptation <strong>of</strong> William Shakespeare’s<br />
tragedy was set at the Castle <strong>of</strong> Famagusta in the 15 th century, with Otello serving as the recently<br />
appointed governor <strong>of</strong> Cyprus.<br />
Also featured in this issue is the contemporary art program Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis, which included<br />
a second contemporary art exhibition, [at Maroudia’s], curated by the Re Aphrodite team at the Ethnological<br />
Museum–House <strong>of</strong> Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios.<br />
The Armenian Representative, Vartkes Mahdessian, organised a unique exhibition within the framework<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Presidency featuring works by nine Armenian painters and six Armenian photographers. The<br />
Painting and Photography Exhibition by Cypriot Armenian Artists is also featured in this issue.<br />
Do you feel European? Does Mr O’Keeffe in Ireland feel more or less European than Mrs Stylianou in<br />
Cyprus? And if so, why? The United States <strong>of</strong> Europe (U.S.E) project, presented outdoors at Pharos Arts<br />
Foundation, <strong>of</strong>fered various reflections on such questions. In another exhibition related to borders, painter<br />
Christos Bokoros attempted direct conversation with spaces, buildings and roads which are adjacent to or<br />
which lead to the Green Line in Nicosia with a series <strong>of</strong> paintings titled “Odos Eleftherias”.<br />
Finally, for the first time ever in Cyprus, we got the chance to enjoy concerts by the World Youth Choir.<br />
The choir performed three a cappella concerts, in Pedoulas, in Pafos and in Ayia Napa.<br />
4
Kypria International Festival <strong>2012</strong><br />
Right from its inception in 1993, the Kypria<br />
International Festival has provided Cypriots<br />
and visitors alike with a variety <strong>of</strong> cultural events<br />
<strong>of</strong> the highest possible standard. Launched in a period<br />
characterised by a drought <strong>of</strong> important cultural<br />
events, the Kypria International Festival became the<br />
catalyst for the creation <strong>of</strong> an unprecedented cultural<br />
movement. The Cultural Services <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Education and Culture continually seek to improve<br />
and upgrade the Festival, not only the character <strong>of</strong><br />
the programme’s events but also the conception and<br />
future course <strong>of</strong> the Festival.<br />
20 Years <strong>of</strong> History<br />
Throughout its twenty-year history, the Festival has<br />
presented acclaimed Cypriot and foreign artists from<br />
various disciplines to its audience. The selection<br />
committee strives to the greatest possible extent to<br />
make the work <strong>of</strong> Cypriot artists and groups elemental<br />
to the Festival while still maintaining its international<br />
character.<br />
Over the past two decades, the Kypria International<br />
Festival has hosted an array <strong>of</strong> distinguished artists<br />
and ensembles from the fields <strong>of</strong> cinema, dance,<br />
music, theatre and the visual arts. The Festival has<br />
welcomed esteemed international dance companies<br />
to its stages, including the Rhine Ballet, the National<br />
Ballet <strong>of</strong> Cuba, Omada Edafous by Demetris Papaioannou<br />
and the Batsheva Dance Company.<br />
Theatre Performances by Prominent Directors<br />
Theatre performances by prominent directors<br />
featuring distinguished actors and theatre groups<br />
<strong>of</strong> worldwide renown have always been at the<br />
forefront <strong>of</strong> the Festival, including the National<br />
Theatre <strong>of</strong> Greece, the Greek Art Theatre <strong>of</strong><br />
Karolos Koun and Spyros Evangelatos Amphitheatre.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the Festival´s most recent highlights<br />
was John Malkovich´s outstanding performance<br />
in The Infernal Comedy: Confessions<br />
<strong>of</strong> a Serial Killer in 2011.<br />
William Shakespeare: Pericles<br />
Celebrated Music Ensembles<br />
The Kypria International Festival has also hosted<br />
a number <strong>of</strong> internationally renowned music<br />
ensembles, including the English National Symphony<br />
Orchestra, the Madrigalisti di Venezia,<br />
the European Union Baroque Orchestra, the Philarmonic<br />
Chamber Orchestra <strong>of</strong> Salzburg, the<br />
Popular Orchestra <strong>of</strong> Mikis Theodorakis and the<br />
State Orchestra <strong>of</strong> Greek Music, conducted during<br />
its Kypria Festival appearance by Dionysis<br />
Savvopoulos.<br />
Programme<br />
In <strong>2012</strong> the Cultural Services <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education<br />
and Culture maintained the Festival’s high<br />
standards by creating the following programme:<br />
Towards a Europe <strong>of</strong> Peace<br />
The Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra in collaboration<br />
with the World Youth Choir.<br />
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 30 and 31<br />
August.<br />
6
Love Songs from Smyrna meet Cyprus Tradition<br />
Moliere: Amphitryon<br />
The National Theatre <strong>of</strong> Greece.<br />
Makarios III Amphitheatre, Strovolos, Nicosia. 7<br />
<strong>September</strong>.<br />
William Shakespeare: Pericles<br />
The National Theatre <strong>of</strong> Greece.<br />
Makarios III Amphitheatre, Strovolos, Nicosia. 8<br />
<strong>September</strong>.<br />
Othello’s Tower in Music: Four Musical Views on<br />
the Shakespearian Drama<br />
Featuring works by Dvořák, Khachaturian, Rossini<br />
and Verdi.<br />
The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.<br />
Municipal Garden Theatre, Limassol. 13 <strong>September</strong>.<br />
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 14 <strong>September</strong>.<br />
Mediterranean Express<br />
A joint production <strong>of</strong> the music group En Chordais<br />
and Maria Farantouri.<br />
The performance highlighted the creative evolution<br />
<strong>of</strong> the musical heritage <strong>of</strong> the Mediterranean<br />
and its amalgamation with world music and Ethno-Jazz.<br />
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 15 <strong>September</strong>.<br />
Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 16 <strong>September</strong>.<br />
Love Songs from Smyrna meet Cyprus Tradition<br />
Giannis Kotsiras and the group Estoudiantina with<br />
the collaboration <strong>of</strong> Michalis Terlikkas. The concert<br />
featured works that herald the beginning <strong>of</strong> “rebetiko”<br />
and which left their mark on the musical culture<br />
<strong>of</strong> the 1920´s.<br />
Makarios III Amphitheatre, Strovolos, Nicosia. 27<br />
<strong>September</strong>.<br />
Rossini Cards and Cantata<br />
A Dance performance by Italy´s largest dance group,<br />
Fondazione Nazionale della Danza Aterballeto.<br />
7
Rossini Cards and Cantata<br />
A Slight Risk<br />
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 30 <strong>September</strong>.<br />
Municipal Garden Theatre, Limassol. 3 October.<br />
A Slight Risk<br />
A theatre production by Fresh Target Theatre Ensemble<br />
inspired by George Seferis´s poem Staperichora<br />
tis Keryneias (“In the Province <strong>of</strong> Keryneia”).<br />
Skali Aglantzias in Nicosia. 3 and 4 October.<br />
Vasos Argyrides´s Anthology<br />
A presentation <strong>of</strong> the composer´s work from<br />
throughout his 25-year career.<br />
Municipal Garden Theatre, Limassol. 4 October.<br />
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, 5 October.<br />
Michalis Christodoulides´s Porfyromata<br />
A musical performance by the Diastasis Cultural Association<br />
featuring the poetry <strong>of</strong> Hector Patriotis set<br />
to music by Michalis Christodoulides.<br />
Makarios III Amphitheatre, Strovolos, Nicosia. 10<br />
October.<br />
Municipal Garden Theatre, Limassol. 12 October.<br />
The Age <strong>of</strong> <strong>No</strong>w<br />
A concert featuring important Greek and Cypriot<br />
musicians by the group J. Kriste, Master <strong>of</strong> Disguise.<br />
Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 11 October.<br />
Famagusta Gate Moat, Nicosia. 12 October.<br />
Iannis Xenakis: Oresteia-Aeschylus Suite<br />
The Centre <strong>of</strong> Vocal Arts performed the suite, the<br />
final event <strong>of</strong> KYPRIA <strong>2012</strong>. Xenakis drew his inspiration<br />
for the suite from the Aeschylus trilogy <strong>of</strong><br />
the same name.<br />
Makarios III Amphitheatre, Strovolos. 20 October.<br />
Further information regarding the KYPRIA <strong>2012</strong><br />
programme can be found at www.kypria.org.cy.<br />
Towards a Europe <strong>of</strong> Peace<br />
In honour <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council <strong>of</strong><br />
the European Union, the Cyprus Youth Symphony<br />
Orchestra’s programme, which was prepared during<br />
its International Summer Academy, juxtaposed<br />
in musical symbolism the catastrophic wars <strong>of</strong> the<br />
European past with the emerging brotherhood <strong>of</strong> nations<br />
and the hopeful future to which the European<br />
Union aspires.<br />
Two evening concerts were given under the direction<br />
<strong>of</strong> Ayis Ioannides and soloists Margarita Elia<br />
(soprano), Vivien Cooksley (mezzosoprano), Kirlianit<br />
Cortes (tenor) and Russi Nik<strong>of</strong>f (baritone).<br />
The concerts took place on 30 and 31 August at<br />
the Strovolos Municipal Theatre in Nicosia. The<br />
first part <strong>of</strong> the programme comprised work by<br />
Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Mars, The Bringer <strong>of</strong><br />
8
War (from The Planets), and Krzyst<strong>of</strong> Penderecki<br />
(1933- ), Lacrimosa (Soprano solo: Margarita Elia).<br />
The second part <strong>of</strong> the concert included Beethoven’s<br />
9 th Symphony in D minor, op. 125 (“Choral”).<br />
The Programme<br />
Gustav Holst (1874-1934): Mars, The Bringer <strong>of</strong><br />
War (from The Planets).<br />
The Planets, a suite for large orchestra with seven<br />
parts, each dedicated to one <strong>of</strong> the planets, is the best<br />
known and most popular work <strong>of</strong> English composer<br />
Gustav Holst. Written between 1914 and 1916, it<br />
begins with quiet march rhythms in the uncommon<br />
measure <strong>of</strong> 5/4 and threatening motifs in the wind;<br />
the composer builds enormous, terrifying climaxes.<br />
Krzyst<strong>of</strong> Penderecki (1933- ): Lacrimosa.<br />
Polish composer Krzyst<strong>of</strong> Penderecki is one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
most important musical figures <strong>of</strong> our age. He wrote<br />
Lacrimosa in 1980 for the unveiling in Gdansk, Poland,<br />
<strong>of</strong> a memorial to the victims <strong>of</strong> the brutal suppression<br />
<strong>of</strong> anti-government riots in 1970. The work<br />
was later included in his Polish Requiem, which is<br />
dedicated to the heroes and victims <strong>of</strong> wars throughout<br />
Polish history.<br />
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony no.<br />
9 in D minor, op. 125 (“Choral”)<br />
Beethoven’s 9 th Symphony, completed in 1824, has<br />
become a key point in musical history, and not only<br />
because <strong>of</strong> its universally familiar choral part. In his<br />
last creative period, the composer abandoned the<br />
sharp contrasts typical <strong>of</strong> his middle period. In the 9 th<br />
Symphony, drama dissolves into lyricism and cantabile<br />
melody, with its variations constantly acquiring<br />
greater significance. Truly majestic from every point<br />
<strong>of</strong> view is the first movement, in which Beethoven<br />
makes a giant leap from his previous symphonies.<br />
Through his combination <strong>of</strong> a multitude <strong>of</strong> related<br />
motifs and a highly differentiated use <strong>of</strong> the orchestra,<br />
Beethoven created music <strong>of</strong> previously unknown<br />
texture and rhythmic and structural complexity. For<br />
the last choral movement, Beethoven sets Friedrich<br />
Schiller’s (1759-1805) Ode to Joy, a poem originally<br />
written in 1785 for a plaque in a Masonic lodge in<br />
Dresden, to music. The text is a hymn to the brotherhood<br />
<strong>of</strong> mankind under a heavenly God. Beethoven<br />
brings both universal dimensions and deep mysticism<br />
to Schiller’s text. The thematic first stanza was<br />
adopted in 1972 as the European Anthem.<br />
The Artists<br />
Ayis Ioannides – Artistic Director and Conductor<br />
Ayis Ioannides has conducted a wide spectrum <strong>of</strong><br />
musical genres and has received tremendous critical<br />
acclaim around the world, both as a conductor and<br />
as a composer. He was a conductor at various German<br />
opera houses for 10 years. He has been Chief<br />
Conductor <strong>of</strong> the Vaasa City Orchestra in Finland<br />
and the first Artistic Director <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus State Orchestra.<br />
He has also been a guest conductor in many<br />
European countries, as well as in Australia, Egypt<br />
and the USA.<br />
After first obtaining his doctorate in neurophysiology,<br />
Ioannides studied in London at the Guildhall<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Music and Drama and at the National<br />
Opera Studio, and he participated in master classes<br />
in Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. Especially<br />
important was the experience he gained under the<br />
maestros George Hurst, Vilem Tausky, Helmut Rilling<br />
and Sergiu Celibidache. His compositional activity<br />
developed especially in the late 90’s, and some<br />
<strong>of</strong> his works have been performed in Cyprus, Egypt,<br />
Austria, France (International Pablo Casals Festival),<br />
Germany, Finland, Sweden and the USA.<br />
Ayis Ioannides<br />
9
Vivien Cooksley – Mezzosoprano<br />
Vivien Cooksley studied under mezzo-soprano<br />
Margarita Lilova at the University <strong>of</strong> Music and<br />
Dramatic Arts in Vienna, graduating with a Masters<br />
in Operatic Singing. She has also worked with<br />
Frank Fanning, assistant to Herbert von Karajan;<br />
Walter Berry, baritone; Hans Fuchsberger, head <strong>of</strong><br />
music studies at Vienna National Opera, and famous<br />
voice coach Carol Blaickner-Mayo. Cooksley<br />
has appeared in major roles at the Verdi Theatre <strong>of</strong><br />
Trieste and at the International Festival St. Margarethen.<br />
She has also been very active on the concert<br />
stage, with performances at the Austria National TV<br />
Centre ORF, and she is a regular guest at the “Musica<br />
Sacra” in Salzburg. Her appearances with the<br />
Cyprus Symphony Orchestra include Mozart’s Requiem<br />
and Schoenberg’s Lied der Waldtaube.<br />
Kirlianit Cortes<br />
Margarita Elia<br />
Russi Nik<strong>of</strong>f<br />
Vivien Cooksley<br />
Margarita Elia – Soprano<br />
Moscow-born Cypriot soprano Margarita Elia studied<br />
at the Franz Liszt Academy <strong>of</strong> Music in Debrecen,<br />
Hungary, graduating with a MMus degree in Vocal<br />
Performance and Education – she then continued<br />
her studies in London with New York City Opera<br />
soloist Arlene Randazzo. She was finalist at La Voce<br />
International Lied Competition 2005 in Bayreuth,<br />
Germany. Elia has appeared as an opera soloist and<br />
has performed with renowned orchestras in Hungary,<br />
Bulgaria, Israel and Puerto Rico, the Moscow Virtuosi<br />
under Vladimir Spivakov and the Cyprus Symphony<br />
Orchestra. She has given many world premieres at<br />
major contemporary music festivals.<br />
Kirlianit Cortes – Tenor<br />
Kirlianit Cortes studied singing at the Great Theater<br />
<strong>of</strong> Havana and at the University <strong>of</strong> Antioquia. In<br />
1998 he was awarded the first prize in the National<br />
Arts Competition Universidad del Valle, Mexico.<br />
Cortes continued his studies at the University <strong>of</strong><br />
Music and Performing Arts <strong>of</strong> Vienna, where he<br />
obtained the Magister Artium with mezzo-soprano<br />
Ks. Marjana Lipovsek – he also studied with Ks.<br />
Margarita Lilova and Ks. Francisco Araiza. In 2004<br />
Cortes made his debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus<br />
and Kammeroper. He has performed major roles<br />
at the Opera Festival <strong>of</strong> Schärding (Austria), Teatro<br />
Lirico di Spoleto, Vest <strong>No</strong>rges Opera <strong>of</strong> <strong>No</strong>rway,<br />
Opera Szczecin in Poland, Bunka Kai Kan, Tokyo,<br />
Wiener Musikverein and Vienna Volksoper. In 2009<br />
he won the second prize in the European Tenor<br />
Contest-Jan Kiepura in Poland. Cortes’s repertoire<br />
comprises a wide range <strong>of</strong> sacred and secular choral<br />
masterpieces; his recordings include Rossini’s<br />
Il signor Bruschino and La scala di seta and the J.<br />
Strauss operetta Die Göttin der Venunft.<br />
Russi Nik<strong>of</strong>f – Baritone<br />
Bulgarian baritone Russi Nik<strong>of</strong>f graduated from<br />
the Musical Academy “Pancho Vladigerov” specialising<br />
in Opera Singing. He also worked with<br />
Tamara Gorinova and attended master classes at<br />
the European Opera Center; he also attended master<br />
classes with Renata Scotto, Costas Paskalis and<br />
Gena Dimitrova. Nik<strong>of</strong>f also worked in Vienna,<br />
Austria, where he established a connection with<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>. Marta Lantieri (producer and vocal pedagogue)<br />
and Ks. Krassimira Stoyanova. During his<br />
second year <strong>of</strong> college Nik<strong>of</strong>f made his debut at the<br />
Burgas Opera, after which he was appointed soloist<br />
at the Opera. In the following years he gained<br />
invaluable experience under the guidance <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>.<br />
Ivan Vulpe. He has interpreted major roles in many<br />
theatres in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, England,<br />
Portugal, Mexico, Hungary, Japan, Egypt and<br />
Bulgaria, as well as at opera festivals such as Tibor<br />
10
Varga, Switzerland, “Sankt Margarethen”, Austria,<br />
and Festival <strong>of</strong> the Aegean, Syros.<br />
Othello’s Tower in Music<br />
The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra - 4 musical views<br />
on the Shakespearian drama: Dvorak, Khachaturian,<br />
Rossini and Verdi<br />
Under the baton <strong>of</strong> Loukas Karytinos, the Cyprus<br />
Symphony Orchestra presented the programme<br />
Othello’s Tower in Music, with four musical views<br />
on the drama: Dvorak, Khachaturian, Rossini and<br />
Verdi.<br />
The programme, which featured soloists Dimitra<br />
Theodossiou (soprano), Angelo Simos (tenor) and<br />
Kyros Patsalides (baritone), included the works: A.<br />
Dvorak, Concert Overture Othello, Op. 93, B. 174;<br />
A. Khachaturian, Suite from the Music to the Film<br />
Othello, Op. 87A, Prologue and Introduction; G.<br />
Rossini, Sinfonia to the Opera Otello, and G. Verdi,<br />
excerpts from the opera Otello. The concert took<br />
place on 13 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong> at the Municipal Garden<br />
Theatre in Limassol and on 14 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre.<br />
TOWER OF OTHELLO<br />
The Legend<br />
The legendary Tower <strong>of</strong> Othello, situated in Famagusta,<br />
is named after Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello<br />
whose events, it is believed, take place there – Shakespeare<br />
himself mentions “a harbour in Cyprus”. The<br />
tower is one among several towers along the imposing<br />
and picturesque walls <strong>of</strong> Famagusta, which the<br />
Venetians built when they took Cyprus in 1489 and<br />
turned Famagusta into their administrative centre<br />
and general headquarters <strong>of</strong> the Eastern Mediterranean.<br />
The winged lion <strong>of</strong> St. Mark, symbol <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Republic <strong>of</strong> Venice, is carved over the Tower’s gate.<br />
In Shakespeare’s play, Othello is a Moorish general<br />
and the commander <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, appointed by<br />
the Republic <strong>of</strong> Venice. The story <strong>of</strong> Othello, who<br />
tragically murders his beautiful and innocent wife,<br />
Desdemona, after being blinded by jealousy through<br />
the machinations <strong>of</strong> the diabolical Iago, has inspired<br />
composers <strong>of</strong> the classical repertoire to write intensely<br />
dramatic music in various genres, such as opera,<br />
soundtracks and orchestral overtures. The Cyprus<br />
Symphony Orchestra, together with distinguished<br />
soloists and maestro Loukas Karytinos, presented<br />
four different musical views inspired by Othello.<br />
Loukas Karytinos – Conductor<br />
Loukas Karytinos studied conducting at the University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Arts <strong>of</strong> West Berlin with H. Alendorf<br />
whilst also attending conducting seminars at the<br />
Mozarteum in Salzburg. Between 1981 and 1985<br />
he worked in Germany as Music Director <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Sharlontenburg Chamber Orchestra, Berlin, and as<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> the Piccolo Teatro Berolino. Since 1985<br />
he has been the Chief Conductor <strong>of</strong> the Greek National<br />
Opera, where he was appointed Music Director<br />
in 1992; he was also the Opera’s Artistic Director<br />
from 1999 to 2005. Karytinos has collaborated<br />
with opera houses worldwide, including houses in<br />
Berlin, Barcelona, Cologne, Monte Carlo, Detroit,<br />
Salzburg, Rome, Catania, Modena and Bilbao. He<br />
has also conducted at international festivals, including<br />
the Athens Festival, Epidaurus, Arena di Verona,<br />
Caracalla in Rome, Puccini “Torre di Lago”, Witten,<br />
Germany and Las Palmas. He has worked with all <strong>of</strong><br />
the orchestras <strong>of</strong> Greece, the London Philharmonia,<br />
Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, RSO-Berlin,<br />
Loukas Karytinos – Conductor<br />
11
Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra<br />
The Age <strong>of</strong> <strong>No</strong>w<br />
Suisse Romande, WDR, Bruckner Orchester Linz,<br />
Oxford Philomusica, Budapest Radio Orchestra and<br />
others. Outside Europe, he has performed in Korea,<br />
the USA, Australia, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. He<br />
has received a number <strong>of</strong> honourary prizes, including<br />
the Golden Medal <strong>of</strong> Honour (1989) from the<br />
Athens Municipality for his “excellent services” in<br />
music; the Great Music Prize (2008) from the Union<br />
<strong>of</strong> Greek Critics for Drama and Music for his<br />
general contribution to Opera, and the Apollon Prize<br />
(2010) from the Association <strong>of</strong> the Friends <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Greek National Opera for his overall contribution to<br />
music.<br />
Dimitra Theodossiou – Soprano<br />
The Greek soprano Dimitra<br />
Theodossiou is considered<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the most exciting<br />
and important voices<br />
for Verdi and Belcanto-<br />
Repertoire. The soprano,<br />
who is studying with Birgit Nickl in Munich, continues<br />
to confirm her gift for Verdi and Belcanto interpretation<br />
and her ability to captivate audiences.<br />
Theodossiou has interpreted the roles <strong>of</strong> <strong>No</strong>rma in<br />
Athens, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, Kassel, and many<br />
Italian theatres; Leonora (Il Trovatore) at Teatroalla<br />
Scala in Milan, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro<br />
Comunale di Bologna, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,<br />
Arena di Verona, Opera de Monte Carlo,<br />
Athens, Baltimore and Copenhagen; Desdemona<br />
(Otello) at Teatro Municipal de São Paulo in Brazil,<br />
Gran Teatro La Fenice, Teatro São Carlos in<br />
Lisbon, Herodius Atticus in Athens, Violetta (La<br />
Traviata) in Athens, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome,<br />
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Japan and Seoul<br />
with the Gran Teatro La Fenice. She has worked<br />
with world-renowned conductors, including Riccardo<br />
Muti, Roberto Abbado, Gianluigi Gelmetti,<br />
Marcello Viotti, Valery Gergiev, Riccardo Chailly<br />
and Pinchas Steinberg. The soprano has won important<br />
international competitions, such as “Belvedere”,<br />
“Operalia”, “Viotti” and “Di Stefano”,<br />
and numerous prizes, including Best Soprano <strong>of</strong><br />
the Verdi Centenary Year 2002 in Milan. Theodossiou<br />
has recorded more than 13 operas, including<br />
I Lombardi alla Prima Corciata, La Traviata and<br />
Il Trovatore by Verdi; Anna Bolena and Lucrezia<br />
Borgia by Donizzetti, and <strong>No</strong>rma by Bellini.<br />
Angelo Simos –Tenor<br />
Angelo Simos is the stage<br />
name <strong>of</strong> Vaghelis Chatzisimos,<br />
who was born in Athens,<br />
Greece. Simos started<br />
his musical education at<br />
the Peiraikos Syndesmos<br />
Conservatory, in the singing class <strong>of</strong> Thalia Moira,<br />
and graduated with distinction and 1st prize. After<br />
graduation he attended master classes and private<br />
lessons with Ileana Cotrubas, Luigi Alva, Costas<br />
Paschalis and Arrigo Pola. Since 1995 he has been<br />
a member <strong>of</strong> the Greek National Opera Ensemble.<br />
He collaborates regularly with all the major orchestras<br />
and conductors in Greece (Loukas Karytinos,<br />
12
Byron Fidetzis, Mikis Michaelides, Miltos Logiadis<br />
and Alkis Baltas). Simos appears regularly in European<br />
Opera Houses (Deutsche Oper am Rhein,<br />
Oper Frankfurt, Staatstheater Mannheim and S<strong>of</strong>ia<br />
National Opera). His career highlights include collaboration<br />
with artists such as Anna Tomowa Sintow,<br />
Maria Guleghina and Agnes Baltsa, and with<br />
stage directors such as Dietrich Hillsdorf, Christ<strong>of</strong><br />
Loy, Graham Vick and Giancarlo Del Monaco. Simos<br />
has recorded music by Massenet, Kalomoiris,<br />
Karrer, Samaras, Mitropoulos and Theodorakis.<br />
Since October 2011 he has been the Deputy Stage<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> the Greek National Opera. He teaches at<br />
the Ethnikon Odeion and at the Odeion Athenaeum.<br />
Kyros Patsalides – Baritone<br />
The baritone Kyros Patsalides,<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the most<br />
important Cypriot artists<br />
<strong>of</strong> his generation, enjoys a<br />
distinguished international<br />
career. After completing<br />
studies in Law at the University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Athens, he studied<br />
Singing in Vienna under the guidance <strong>of</strong> baritones<br />
Walter Berry and Gottfried Hornik on a scholarship<br />
awarded by The Music and Fine Arts Foundation <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus. Patsalides also studied Lied and Oratorio at<br />
the Music Academy <strong>of</strong> Vienna; he studied operatic<br />
repertoire with Adalberdo Tonini and singing technique<br />
with Arrigo Pola and Simone Badi in Milan<br />
and Modena. In 1995 he won the 1st prize in the International<br />
Song Competition <strong>of</strong> the Budapest State<br />
Opera. Patsalides’s repertoire includes roles from<br />
classical, romantic and contemporary operas and<br />
oratorio, and he regularly appears at major theatres<br />
and international festivals, including Vienna State<br />
Opera, Teatro Filarmonico dell’Arena di Verona,<br />
National Opera <strong>of</strong> Greece, Vienna Musikverein and<br />
Konzerthaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Athens and Thessaloniki<br />
Megaron Halls, Wiener Festwochen, Due<br />
Mondi-Spoleto, Athens International Festival and<br />
Wratislavia Cantans (Poland). As a soloist he has<br />
collaborated with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra,<br />
St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Virtuosi di<br />
Moscow, Orchestra dell’Arena di Verona, with all<br />
<strong>of</strong> the important orchestras in Greece and with the<br />
Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. Patsalides has been<br />
honoured by a number <strong>of</strong> political and cultural institutions<br />
for his contribution to musical life in Cyprus.<br />
Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra<br />
The Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra was founded<br />
in 1987 as Cyprus State Youth Orchestra – since<br />
2007 the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra has<br />
been managed by the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra<br />
Foundation. The Orchestra gives concerts in Cyprus<br />
and abroad and participates regularly at <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />
events and anniversaries. The annual International<br />
Summer Music Academy is an extremely important<br />
part <strong>of</strong> the Orchestra’s activities. It takes place<br />
in Pedoulas village with the participation <strong>of</strong> young<br />
musicians and distinguished pr<strong>of</strong>essors from Cyprus<br />
and abroad. The final concerts <strong>of</strong> the Summer Academy,<br />
in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, were given as<br />
part <strong>of</strong> the International Kypria Festival. In 2010 the<br />
Orchestra participated with great success in the First<br />
International Youth Orchestras Festival in Constantinople,<br />
Cultural Capital <strong>of</strong> Europe 2010.<br />
World Youth Choir<br />
The World Youth Choir (WYC) is original in its<br />
concept. The Choir brings together talented young<br />
singers aged 17-26 from all over the world each<br />
year. Since its establishment in 1989, the WYC has<br />
established itself as one <strong>of</strong> the most remarkable musical<br />
and intercultural experiences <strong>of</strong>fered to young<br />
musicians; the Choir meets annually for intense rehearsals<br />
followed by an international concert tour.<br />
The diversity <strong>of</strong> the Choir’s conductors and its repertoire<br />
reflects the cultural diversity <strong>of</strong> its singers.<br />
The WYC is a project <strong>of</strong> the World Youth Choir<br />
Foundation, which counts among its patrons the International<br />
Federation for Choral Music, the European<br />
Choral Association-Europa Cantat and the Jeunesses<br />
Musicales International. In 1996, UNESCO<br />
honoured the WYC by naming the Choir an Artist<br />
for Peace, recognising the WYC’s success as a platform<br />
for intercultural dialogue through music. The<br />
WYC participated at the <strong>No</strong>bel Peace Prize award<br />
ceremony on 10 December 2011 and the <strong>No</strong>bel<br />
Peace Prize Concert held in Oslo on 11 December,<br />
the annual musical tribute to the year’s <strong>No</strong>bel Peace<br />
Prize laureate.<br />
13
Mapping Cyprus 1191-<strong>2012</strong>:<br />
Crusaders, Traders and Explorers<br />
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, 22 June – 9 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
Situated at the crossroads <strong>of</strong> three continents, the<br />
location <strong>of</strong> Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean<br />
and the island’s plentiful natural resources have<br />
been a mixed blessing since ancient times. The<br />
easternmost member <strong>of</strong> the European Union, Cyprus<br />
has always been strategically important to foreign<br />
powers wishing to exercise influence or control<br />
over the Eastern Mediterranean. To a greater or<br />
lesser extent, all <strong>of</strong> these powers left their mark on<br />
the island’s political, social and cultural life.<br />
A Long and Turbulent History<br />
The exhibition Mapping Cyprus: Crusaders, Traders<br />
and Explorers examines a long period in the<br />
turbulent history <strong>of</strong> the island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus. The exhibition<br />
begins with the occupation <strong>of</strong> the island by<br />
Richard the Lionheart in 1191 and concludes with<br />
the Cypriot Presidency <strong>of</strong> the EU during the second<br />
half <strong>of</strong> <strong>2012</strong>: the establishment <strong>of</strong> the Republic <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus in 1960 and the Republic’s accession to the<br />
EU in 2004 are also featured.<br />
Traditionally Close Ties with Europe<br />
Although Cyprus has had a close connection with<br />
Europe since ancient times, it is nevertheless recognised<br />
that these relations were reinforced and<br />
expanded during the late Byzantine period and<br />
especially during the Middle Ages. The arrival <strong>of</strong><br />
Richard the Lionheart and the occupation <strong>of</strong> the<br />
island by his troops, accidentally or not, changed<br />
the history <strong>of</strong> the island. In addition to the establishment<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Medieval Kingdom <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, the<br />
island played a pivotal role in the introduction <strong>of</strong><br />
Western European civilisation to the Middle East<br />
and beyond.<br />
The period <strong>of</strong> Frankish rule (1191-1489) and the<br />
period <strong>of</strong> Venetian rule that followed (1489-1571)<br />
were important stages in the history <strong>of</strong> the island,<br />
linking it to a flourishing European civilisation<br />
without cutting it <strong>of</strong>f from its Greek, Byzantine<br />
and Eastern roots. During this period, the island<br />
gained its important role as an economic, cultural<br />
and geopolitical bridge between East and West.<br />
Despite the extremely difficult conditions the<br />
people <strong>of</strong> Cyprus endured, the cultural synthesis<br />
that resulted on the island can be seen as an early<br />
expression <strong>of</strong> the European spirit and an authentic<br />
product <strong>of</strong> the Renaissance. The Lusignans and<br />
the Venetians left their mark on the art and soul<br />
<strong>of</strong> the people; this mark was eventually absorbed,<br />
giving the country a more cosmopolitan spiritual<br />
and cultural identity.<br />
Cypriots and the Island’s Local Character,<br />
and Its Connection with Europe<br />
The museological approach <strong>of</strong> this exhibition is<br />
based on two main pillars. The first pillar is the<br />
Cypriot people and the local character <strong>of</strong> the island,<br />
visually expressed through magnificent<br />
Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, most <strong>of</strong><br />
which will be shown in public for the first time,<br />
and other artefacts. The second pillar is the island’s<br />
deep connection to Europe since 1191.<br />
Rare manuscripts and works <strong>of</strong> art by artists such<br />
as Titian and Teniers are gathered together for the<br />
first time to emphasise their historical and aesthetic<br />
connection to Cyprus.<br />
A Voyage through Time<br />
Mapping Cyprus: Crusaders, Traders and Explorers<br />
is a voyage through time and history, one that<br />
gives visitors the opportunity to learn, to discover<br />
and to revise their perceptions <strong>of</strong> Cyprus. An effort<br />
has been made to implement and connect all five<br />
senses with a sensational trip through the island’s<br />
past. Music from the Lusignan Court <strong>of</strong> Cyprus<br />
underscores the religious, mystical importance<br />
<strong>of</strong> a Byzantine icon, while the aroma <strong>of</strong> an olive<br />
tree takes you deep into the natural beauty and ag-<br />
14
A view <strong>of</strong> the Othello Room installation<br />
The last section <strong>of</strong> the exhibition with the photo and text related to the establishment <strong>of</strong> the Republic <strong>of</strong> Cyprus<br />
ricultural wealth <strong>of</strong> the island. Visitors to the exhibition<br />
revel in the colours and the icons, in the<br />
photographs and maps that depict and describe the<br />
“Sweet Land <strong>of</strong> Cyprus,” that sing <strong>of</strong> it. As a special<br />
feature, visitors experience the unique character<br />
<strong>of</strong> the art <strong>of</strong> Cyprus and its people through a variety<br />
<strong>of</strong> local publications that have been digitised<br />
and made available on touchscreens throughout the<br />
exhibition.<br />
“Because all is moving and all can be explained,”<br />
as the 15 th century Cypriot chronicler Leontios<br />
Machairas wrote, the Government <strong>of</strong> Cyprus and<br />
the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts hosted this celebration<br />
<strong>of</strong> the history and culture <strong>of</strong> Cyprus in<br />
Brussels, the heart and administrative centre <strong>of</strong> the<br />
EU, from 22 June to 9 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong>, at the BO-<br />
ZAR Centre.<br />
Introduction by Curator<br />
“Because all things pass and all things that happen<br />
are recounted...”<br />
The small island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus at the eastern edge <strong>of</strong><br />
the Mediterranean played an important role in the<br />
dissemination, exchange and transfer <strong>of</strong> the civili-<br />
15
16 th century icons from the Venetian period room<br />
sation and products <strong>of</strong> the East to the West, and vice<br />
versa. Since ancient times, the island’s geographical<br />
position has been both a curse and a blessing.<br />
Cyprus has always represented the point where<br />
East and West meet, recognise and measure themselves<br />
against each other and exchange influences.<br />
Those who sought control over the Eastern Mediterranean<br />
first had to gain control <strong>of</strong> the island. And<br />
this is where the history <strong>of</strong> our exhibition begins.<br />
For Cyprus, relations with the Byzantine Empire,<br />
at the administrative level at least, ended in<br />
the late 12 th century when the island’s Governor,<br />
Isaac Comnenus, declared himself Emperor <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus, thereby cutting <strong>of</strong>f all administrative ties<br />
with Byzantium. The ostensible chance arrival and<br />
conquest <strong>of</strong> the island by the English king Richard<br />
the Lionheart in 1191 and the subsequent sale <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus to Guy de Lusignan took the island’s relations<br />
with Europe into a new dimension. Cyprus<br />
was now <strong>of</strong>ficially the last bastion <strong>of</strong> Europe before<br />
the Middle East, a position it still holds today.<br />
An enormous responsibility<br />
I was fully aware <strong>of</strong> the enormous responsibility<br />
placed on my shoulders by my country and<br />
delighted by the unbelievable persistence <strong>of</strong> the<br />
director <strong>of</strong> the BOZAR Centre, when I chose to<br />
stage an important and unique exhibition about<br />
the island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus within the framework <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the EU. From the very first<br />
moment I felt completely overawed as to how exactly<br />
we were going to present such a wide-spanning<br />
period <strong>of</strong> the island’s history. The exhibition<br />
is a historical retrospective but also an attempt to<br />
present Cyprus and its identity, its history and its<br />
civilisation in Brussels, the heart <strong>of</strong> the administrative<br />
centre <strong>of</strong> the European Union. The exhibition<br />
covers a broad period, beginning with the<br />
Crusades and the conquest <strong>of</strong> the island by Richard<br />
the Lionheart in 1191 and ending with independence<br />
and the accession <strong>of</strong> Cyprus to the great<br />
European family over which it presided from <strong>July</strong><br />
to December <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
It could be said the Orthodox faith and the island’s<br />
Hellenic and Byzantine origins, the Byzantine<br />
and post-Byzantine art <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, as expressed<br />
through the icons <strong>of</strong> the period, are the<br />
key and the common denominator which open<br />
the door onto the diachronic history <strong>of</strong> the island<br />
and the relations and influences <strong>of</strong> western<br />
art in this easternmost corner <strong>of</strong> Europe. Con-<br />
16
sequently, the museological approach focused<br />
on two axes or pillars on which the exhibition<br />
and its journey through time, space and history<br />
were defined and built. On the one hand, the local<br />
element, the Cypriots, is presented through<br />
the most common characteristics which represent<br />
them: their education, mentality and<br />
cultural heritage – a series <strong>of</strong> Byzantine and<br />
post-Byzantine icons express the “poor Cypriotes,”<br />
as the 14 th century Cypriot chronicler Leontios<br />
Machairas describes them. To this end,<br />
between 1191 and the present day, the ecclesiastical<br />
icons represent Cypriot worship and<br />
veneration; they are tangible manifestations <strong>of</strong><br />
religious devotion and the expression <strong>of</strong> local<br />
artists.<br />
Other objects, such as pottery and metalwork, are<br />
exhibited together with information and references<br />
from historical sources, and special reference is<br />
made to the music <strong>of</strong> the medieval kingdom <strong>of</strong><br />
the island through a rare handwritten score which<br />
brings to life the glory and prestige <strong>of</strong> the royal<br />
court <strong>of</strong> the Lusignans. This was the first axis.<br />
A view from the British period room with the collection <strong>of</strong><br />
Lord Kitcheners Trigonometrical map <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, the first<br />
modern map <strong>of</strong> Cyprus<br />
How have Europeans viewed<br />
Cyprus since the Crusades?<br />
The second axis focuses on the European continent<br />
and demonstrates the way in which Europeans<br />
saw Cyprus from the time <strong>of</strong> the Crusades to the<br />
present day. Efforts were made to collect objects,<br />
works <strong>of</strong> art and information which record the perception<br />
Europeans had when they first encountered<br />
Cyprus on the road to Jerusalem; these same Europeans<br />
later conquered and transformed the island<br />
into one <strong>of</strong> the best-known medieval kingdoms <strong>of</strong><br />
Europe. It all began with Melusine, the fairy who<br />
founded the kingdoms <strong>of</strong> Europe and sent her children<br />
to the East to attain wealth and glory and who<br />
later linked the House <strong>of</strong> Lusignan with other royal<br />
families <strong>of</strong> continental Europe. The story is also<br />
unravelled by European chroniclers who pay tribute<br />
to the kingdom and the riches <strong>of</strong> the Lusignans<br />
<strong>of</strong> Cyprus. The last queen <strong>of</strong> the Medieval Kingdom<br />
<strong>of</strong> Cyprus, the daughter <strong>of</strong> Venice, Caterina<br />
Cornaro, was painted and glorified by the greatest<br />
artists <strong>of</strong> her time, while Cyprus, the jewel in the<br />
crown <strong>of</strong> the Most Serene Republic <strong>of</strong> Venice, enjoyed<br />
golden days <strong>of</strong> wealth and glory as recorded<br />
by contemporary historians.<br />
Myths and legends<br />
Myths and legends about the island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus<br />
can be found in the writings <strong>of</strong> foreign travellers<br />
who visited the island and in Shakespeare,<br />
whose hero, Othello, the Moor <strong>of</strong> Venice, spent<br />
time in Famagusta, the fortified port <strong>of</strong> the Most<br />
Serene Republic <strong>of</strong> Venice in Cyprus. The great<br />
war <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, which marked the fall <strong>of</strong> the last<br />
bastion <strong>of</strong> Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean<br />
and its occupation by the Ottoman Empire, the<br />
new force in the region, is uniquely described<br />
by European historians in books and other documents<br />
selected for display in this exhibition.<br />
Finally, during the 17 th and 18 th centuries, the<br />
importance <strong>of</strong> the island was emphasised in the<br />
work <strong>of</strong> European cartographers, while the earliest<br />
photographs <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, taken by photographers<br />
who came to the island at the time <strong>of</strong> the<br />
arrival <strong>of</strong> the British in 1878, record and depict<br />
the European origins <strong>of</strong> the island and its bond<br />
with the continent. These photographs feature<br />
17
castles and fortifications standing side-by-side<br />
with Byzantine chapels, large Gothic churches<br />
(which in Ottoman times, were transformed into<br />
mosques), and the unique wild natural landscape<br />
whose sunburnt workers laboured in its fields.<br />
This is our land, the island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, the island<br />
<strong>of</strong> Saints, birthplace <strong>of</strong> Aphrodite, host to Melusine...the<br />
island was a refuge. It served as a<br />
springboard for crusaders, traders and explorers.<br />
A recital <strong>of</strong> the sweet land <strong>of</strong> Cyprus<br />
I hope this exhibition will indeed be a “recital<br />
<strong>of</strong> the sweet land <strong>of</strong> Cyprus” and will give the<br />
public an understanding <strong>of</strong> the history <strong>of</strong> my<br />
homeland and its unique artistic expression.<br />
It is a complex and diverse history, a history<br />
which has brought forth, and continues to bring<br />
forth, new ideas. Above all it is a melting-pot<br />
<strong>of</strong> cultures and peoples who, throughout history,<br />
whether as conquerors, traders, kings or<br />
explorers, have <strong>of</strong>fered and received a great<br />
deal. Since ancient times, and up to 1960,<br />
Cyprus has always belonged to someone, to<br />
whomever wanted control over the Eastern<br />
Mediterranean. Despite this, as if by an unbelievable<br />
miracle, our island welcomed foreign<br />
conquerors and, over time, conquered them and<br />
survived without losing its identity, its Greek<br />
and Christian origins. It is not by chance that<br />
our historical exhibition is completed by an exhibition<br />
<strong>of</strong> modern Cypriot paintings. The joy<br />
<strong>of</strong> independence in 1960 was followed by the<br />
bitter events <strong>of</strong> 1963 and 1974 and the current<br />
conditions <strong>of</strong> semi-occupation. The desire <strong>of</strong><br />
Cypriot youth to discover their identity – their<br />
Maps <strong>of</strong> the Venetian period depicted in the Venetian period room<br />
An icon dedicated to St Michael – selected in honour <strong>of</strong> St<br />
Michel patron Saint <strong>of</strong> Brussels - from the Treasure room<br />
patriotism, their anxieties, their thoughts and<br />
their concerns – is evident in the work <strong>of</strong> a new<br />
generation <strong>of</strong> Cypriot artists.<br />
I would like to thank all the directors <strong>of</strong> the museums<br />
who lent us exhibits. Thanks and gratitude are<br />
also due to the Church <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, its primate, Archbishop<br />
Chrysostomos, and in particular the Bishops<br />
who gave their blessing and allowed us to present<br />
Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons <strong>of</strong> such importance<br />
and value. Special thanks and gratitude go to<br />
Porphyrios, Bishop <strong>of</strong> Neapolis, representative <strong>of</strong><br />
the Church <strong>of</strong> Cyprus in the EU, without whose<br />
advice and support none <strong>of</strong> this would have been<br />
achieved, particularly in such a short time.<br />
“Because all things pass and all things that happen<br />
are recounted,” as Leontios Machairas writes, the<br />
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts and the Republic <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus invite you to see and hear the recital concerning<br />
the Sweet Land <strong>of</strong> Cyprus.<br />
Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel<br />
Curator<br />
18
Maniera Cypria: Lemesos, Fabula, Historia, Memoria<br />
Evagoras Lanitis Centre, Lemesos 29 June – 12 August <strong>2012</strong><br />
The engendering <strong>of</strong> ancient and medieval collective<br />
Cypriot memory into contemporary visual<br />
concepts, materials, forms and media gave rise to<br />
the exhibition ‘Maniera Cypria,’ which was curated<br />
and based on extensive research by Dr Nadia Anaxagorou,<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> the Cultural Services <strong>of</strong> the Municipality<br />
<strong>of</strong> Lemesos (Limassol). Archaeological<br />
findings unearthed in Lemesos and its vicinity, from<br />
the areas <strong>of</strong> Amathus, Pyrgos, Episkopi, Erimi and<br />
Kourion, and Byzantine icons from villages in the<br />
Lemesos district, including Monagri, Koilani, Pelendri,<br />
Amiantos and Arakapas, were displayed side<br />
by side in a fascinating discourse with contemporary<br />
art at the Evagoras Lanitis Centre, Carob Mill,<br />
Lemesos, from 29 June through 12 August <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
Maniera Cypria was organised by the Municipality<br />
<strong>of</strong> Lemesos in collaboration with the Evagoras and<br />
Kathleen Lanitis Foundation, the Department <strong>of</strong> Antiquities<br />
and the Holy Bishopric <strong>of</strong> Lemesos, under<br />
the auspices <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council<br />
<strong>of</strong> the European Union. Mr Efthemios Flourentzou,<br />
the Minister <strong>of</strong> Communications and Works, opened<br />
the exhibition on Friday, 29 June <strong>2012</strong>. 27 Cypriot<br />
visual artists exhibited at Maniera Cypria, including:<br />
Angelos Makrides, Helene Black, Nikos Charalambides,<br />
Savvas Christodoulides, Andreas Chrysochos,<br />
Marianna Constanti, John Corbidge, Christos<br />
Foukaras, Demetrakis Gerokostas, Theodoulos<br />
Gregoriou, Yiota Ioannidou, Elina Ioannou, Kyriakos<br />
Kallis, Lia Lapithi, Maria Loizidou, Antonis<br />
Neophytou, Eleni Nikodemou, Lefteris Olympios,<br />
Stass Paraskos, Kypros Perdios, Christ<strong>of</strong>oros Savva,<br />
George Skotinos, Socratis Socratous, Rinos Stefani,<br />
Lefteris Tapas, Susan Vargas and Panayiotis Vittis.<br />
Comprising paintings, sculptures, ceramics, installations<br />
and video-art, Maniera Cypria explored<br />
the penetrating conversation between contemporary<br />
works that further elaborate and reinterpret<br />
the Maniera Cypria <strong>of</strong> the past and delineate the<br />
Maniera Cypria <strong>of</strong> today. According to the curator,<br />
Dr Nadia Anaxagorou:<br />
“Pagan, mythological and Christian hagiographical<br />
significations, either in the form<br />
<strong>of</strong> ancient ceramic-sculptural idols and vessels<br />
or in the form <strong>of</strong> medieval painterly<br />
representations <strong>of</strong> saints and angels, extend<br />
View <strong>of</strong> the exhibition Maniera Cypria: Lemesos, Fabula, Historia, Memoria. Clockwise from left: Kyriakos Kallis, Bull, mixed<br />
media. Lefteris Olympios, Dei ex Machina, oil on linen, 200x200 cm. George Skotinos, Afternoon Bombing, acrylic, 165x245<br />
cm. Clay figurine representing a warrior, Cypro-Archaic II (600-480 B.C.), from Episkopi-Kaloriziki, 13.8x8 cm. Elina<br />
Ioannou, Everyday objects, composition with stone, wood coated paper on plywood and two drums <strong>of</strong> limestone from Amathus.<br />
Kypros Perdios, Horse, bronze, 52x75x20 cm.<br />
19
Angelos Makrides, Idol-Mother <strong>of</strong> a Missing Person, mixed<br />
media, 15x4x4cm<br />
Antonis Neophytou, Reinterpretation <strong>of</strong> the relief ornamentation<br />
<strong>of</strong> the 13 th century icon <strong>of</strong> Saint Mamas from Amiantos, copper<br />
and silver, 32x27cm<br />
Saints Matthew, Mark and Luke, mid-16 th century, from Panagia Iamatiki, Arakapas, placed next to the work by Angelos Makrides,<br />
Iconostasis: Three Saints, mixed media, 86x38 cm.<br />
the analogies <strong>of</strong> history to the present. In the<br />
modern art pieces selected for presentation,<br />
some or many <strong>of</strong> these analogies are dropped,<br />
and this absence is <strong>of</strong>ten mystified, allowing<br />
us, thus, to perceive historia (history) as a<br />
fabula (fable) at once true and imaginary.<br />
Other analogies are only partially signified,<br />
relieved <strong>of</strong> redundant loads <strong>of</strong> meanings, furnishing<br />
us with the option <strong>of</strong> revisiting and<br />
transcending old notions, <strong>of</strong> making them<br />
fabulous, and <strong>of</strong> going far beyond.”<br />
Through the succinctly masterful reinterpretation<br />
<strong>of</strong> Angelos Makrides, the cross-shaped chalcolithic<br />
idol from Erimi (3500-2800 B.C.) turns into an archetypal<br />
and contemporary child-bearing woman,<br />
a winged creature or the mother <strong>of</strong> a missing person<br />
in a series <strong>of</strong> micro-sculptures that set a landmark<br />
in the evolution <strong>of</strong> Cypriot art. The composite red<br />
vessel <strong>of</strong> the Early Cypriot III (2100-2000 B.C.)<br />
from Pyrgos, an impressive creation by a local ceramist<br />
<strong>of</strong> antiquity bearing scenes with men and<br />
animals at their everyday routines (pressing grapes,<br />
20
working dough for bread, ploughing, etc.), is repeated<br />
after thousands <strong>of</strong> years in the expressive<br />
density <strong>of</strong> naive ceramic compositions by Demetrakis<br />
Gerokostas or the painterly figures by Stass<br />
Paraskos, recorded in static flatness and reduced to<br />
hieratic, featureless entities. In the work <strong>of</strong> Nikos<br />
Charalambides, a Tanagra type <strong>of</strong> figurine from<br />
Amathus (310-30 B.C.), probably an Aphrodite,<br />
is depicted next to Marcel Duchamp, in an oeuvre<br />
that sweeps away the dividing lines between space<br />
and time, blurring Hellenistic art with the 20 th century<br />
avant-garde artistic genres. The tethrippon<br />
(chariot drawn by four horses) <strong>of</strong> the Cypro-Archaic<br />
I-II (650-480 B.C.) from the Sanctuary <strong>of</strong> Apollo<br />
Hylates at Kourion becomes an organic part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
sculptural installation by Maria Loizidou, whose<br />
four horses in mixed media represent a visual metonymy<br />
<strong>of</strong> the stifled speech (ά-λογον) in estranging<br />
modern metropolitan societies.<br />
The 13 th century icon <strong>of</strong> Saint Mamas, from Amiantos,<br />
is juxtaposed with the emblematic reduction<br />
<strong>of</strong> the ‘White Saint’ by Angelos Makrides, which<br />
schematically outlines a half-length, frontal depiction<br />
<strong>of</strong> any saint’s figure, while the relief ornamentation<br />
<strong>of</strong> this icon, with repetitive geometrical patterns,<br />
is reproduced in the drawing <strong>of</strong> Antonis Neophytou,<br />
executed in gesso and plastic and engraved<br />
on silver-plated copper, in a process evocative <strong>of</strong><br />
the Byzantine technique and the ceremonial rituals<br />
associated with Orthodox icon decoration.<br />
According to Dr Maria Hadjicosti, Director <strong>of</strong><br />
the Department <strong>of</strong> Antiquities, which gave permission<br />
for the display <strong>of</strong> all the antiquities as<br />
requested by the curator <strong>of</strong> the exhibition, “It is<br />
very interesting that the same ideas and the same<br />
artistic expressions in the objects <strong>of</strong> our ancient<br />
history reappear today. The exhibition proves that<br />
cultural life in Cyprus has continued throughout<br />
history.” Ms Catherine Nikita, Director <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Evagoras Lanitis Centre, remarked that “due to<br />
the materialisation <strong>of</strong> Dr Nadia Anaxagorou’s<br />
concept, it is the first time that we have shown<br />
such a large number <strong>of</strong> objects from antiquity and<br />
the Byzantine period together with modern objects,<br />
covering different phases <strong>of</strong> Cypriot artistic<br />
creation.” Last but not least, the Mayor <strong>of</strong> Lemesos,<br />
Mr Andreas Christou, stressed that “this exhibition<br />
marks a culmination in the pioneering<br />
contribution <strong>of</strong> the Municipality <strong>of</strong> Lemesos in<br />
the field <strong>of</strong> visual arts.”<br />
An unguentarium <strong>of</strong> plain white ware <strong>of</strong> the Roman period (2 nd -3 rd c. A.D.), from Kourion, Ayios Ermogenis, 12.5 cm., placed in the cube<br />
<strong>of</strong> Theodoulos Gregoriou, Cells IV, cement, minerals, copper, oxide and transparent mirror, 75x75x84 cm.<br />
21
4 th Cypriot Film Directors Festival<br />
27 – 30 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
To promote work by Cypriot directors, the<br />
Cyprus Film and Television Directors Association<br />
organised the Cypriot Film Directors<br />
Festival for the fourth consecutive year from 27<br />
to 30 <strong>September</strong>. The Festival presented works by<br />
seven acclaimed film directors. For the first time,<br />
the screenings took place “under the stars” at the<br />
Constantia Open Air Cinema.<br />
The Festival gave audiences the opportunity to enjoy<br />
short and long films by acclaimed film directors<br />
Andreas Constantinides, Michalis Georgiades,<br />
Christos Georgiou, Paschalis Papapetrou, Costas<br />
Yiallourides and Dervis Zaim. The programme for<br />
this year’s festival included the films Souvlakia-<br />
Sheftalia, The Last Mantilaris (Kerchief-maker) <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus, Corridors, A Small Crime, Instructions,<br />
Shadows & Faces, Flights, In Unsung Toil and<br />
Akamas.<br />
The festival was inaugurated by the Director <strong>of</strong><br />
Cultural Services <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and<br />
Culture, Mr Pavlos Paraskevas, on 27 <strong>September</strong><br />
at the Constantia Open Air Cinema.<br />
On 30 <strong>September</strong>, the last day <strong>of</strong> the festival, the<br />
Cyprus Directors Association honoured Cypriot<br />
Director Andreas Constantinides for his significant<br />
contribution to the industry.<br />
The festival was held under the auspices <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Minister <strong>of</strong> Education and Culture Mr Giorgos<br />
Demosthenous.<br />
Cyprus filmmakers state their presence during<br />
a global economic crisis<br />
Mr Michalis Georgiades, President <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus<br />
Film and Television Directors Association, gave<br />
the following address to open the festival:<br />
“During a global and not just economic crisis, the<br />
filmmakers <strong>of</strong> small Cyprus are stating our presence<br />
through our 4 th Festival. After 38 years <strong>of</strong><br />
the Turkish military occupying half <strong>of</strong> our country,<br />
and efforts to alter our longstanding culture,<br />
Michalis Georgiades and his team in action<br />
22
Souvlakia – Sheftalia (2002)<br />
Cypriot directors are fighting and resisting. In a<br />
country where the artist battles alone – yes, alone<br />
– Cypriot directors continue to create and produce,<br />
both here in our country as well as abroad.<br />
This year, the Cyprus Film and Television Directors<br />
Association is organising the 4 th Cypriot Film<br />
Directors Festival under our summer sky, in our<br />
forgotten open air cinema, like the old days...This<br />
year, we are presenting our long and short films, as<br />
well as documentaries, by incredible young directors,<br />
but also older ones.<br />
This year, it is with great pleasure and emotion that<br />
the Association honours CyBC Director Andreas<br />
Constantinides for his contribution to the art <strong>of</strong> directing.<br />
First <strong>of</strong> all, we thank the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education<br />
and Culture for co-organising the festival<br />
since the year it was founded and for its financial<br />
and other precious help, without which we would<br />
neither have films produced, nor the festival, nor<br />
seminars and workshops the Association organises<br />
every year. We also thank the CyBC, which helps<br />
project the Festival. We hope this is the beginning<br />
<strong>of</strong> even more substantive support from the CyBC<br />
for Cypriot film making.”<br />
Programme<br />
Paschalis Papapetrou<br />
was born in Nicosia<br />
in 1955. He studied<br />
cinema and television<br />
directing in Germany.<br />
From 1991 until 2002,<br />
he worked at the TV<br />
station “O LOGOS”,<br />
then at “Mega”. He has<br />
directed over 35 documentaries and has collaborated<br />
with the Cultural Services <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Education and Culture, with Greek TV, with the<br />
Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation, with the Cyprus<br />
Tourism Organisation (CTO) and others. He<br />
has run his own production company, Anadysis<br />
Films Ltd, since 2003.<br />
Papapetrou’s films include: Costas Argyrou<br />
(1997), Tilemachos Kanthos (1999), The Roots<br />
23
<strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Wine (2001), By Hand (2002), The<br />
Bread <strong>of</strong> the Cypriots (2006), Miners’ Memories<br />
(2007), Weaving Ladies <strong>of</strong> Cyprus (2008), Excavating<br />
at Salamis in Cyprus 1952-1974, 34 Years<br />
Later (2009), Troodos...ke egeneto Kypros (2009),<br />
Kyprion Elea ke Eleon (2010) and The Lefkaritiko<br />
Embroidery. Before the Memories are Lost (<strong>2012</strong>).<br />
Souvlakia – Sheftalia (2002)<br />
Director: Paschalis Papapetrou<br />
Writer: Charis Pishias, Paschalis Papapetrou<br />
Photography: Nicos Avraamides<br />
Music: Pambos Sakkas<br />
Actors: Pantelis Klitou, Thanos Pettemerides,<br />
Michalis Moustaka, Charis Pishias<br />
Producers: Cinema Advisory Committee, Paschalis<br />
Papapetrou<br />
Production Company: A.B Seahorse Film Productions<br />
Ltd<br />
Thanasis, a young director, works for a TV station<br />
where, during filming, a series <strong>of</strong> unpredictable<br />
events take place.<br />
The Last Kerchief-Maker <strong>of</strong> Cyprus (2004)<br />
Director: Paschalis Papapetrou<br />
Writer: Paschalis Papapetrou<br />
Photography: Nicos Avraamides<br />
Music: Michalis Mozoras<br />
Production Company: Anadysis Films 2004<br />
Among the home industries for which Cyprus<br />
enjoyed great renown in the 18 th and 19 th centuries<br />
was the making and dyeing <strong>of</strong> “pasmades”<br />
(cotton cloths) by Greek and Turkish artisans.<br />
The art <strong>of</strong> the “pasmadjides” was taken over in<br />
later years by “mandilarides” (kerchief-makers).<br />
This film tells the story <strong>of</strong> the very last<br />
The Last Kerchief-Maker <strong>of</strong> Cyprus (2004)<br />
patterned-kerchief workshop, that <strong>of</strong> the Kakollis<br />
brothers, through the testimonies <strong>of</strong> the<br />
artisans themselves. The film also examines the<br />
role and use <strong>of</strong> the kerchief in the everyday life<br />
and customs <strong>of</strong> Cyprus.<br />
Michalis Georgiades<br />
was born in 1956 in occupied<br />
Morfou. After<br />
completing his military<br />
service, he worked at<br />
the Cyprus Broadcasting<br />
Corporation in film<br />
and montage for 10<br />
years.<br />
In 1988, he co-founded<br />
the film production company LUMIERE and LTV,<br />
where he worked as a film director for 12 years;<br />
he has been CEO <strong>of</strong> the film production company,<br />
Mediabox Ltd, since 2001. Many <strong>of</strong> his films, as<br />
producer and director, have received international<br />
acclaim and awards, including the London International<br />
Film Award. In <strong>2012</strong> he received a directing<br />
award at the International Short Film Festival<br />
in Limassol for his film, Corridors.<br />
Georgiades has directed many documentaries: Cyprus,<br />
for the CTO, for which he won the first prize<br />
for photography at an international competition for<br />
tourist films in Italy in 1985; Cyprus Has Always<br />
Been Europe for the PIO in 2006; Cyprus, Where<br />
the Byzantine Lives for the CTO in 2009; A Place in<br />
History: 50 Years <strong>of</strong> the Republic <strong>of</strong> Cyprus for the<br />
PIO in 2010; Returning to Kyrenia for the Kyrenia<br />
Municipality in 2009; In the Arms <strong>of</strong> Morfou for<br />
Morfou Municipality in 2008; Pilgrimage at Pentadaktylos<br />
for the PIO in 2004; Famagusta, the<br />
Ghost Town for Famagusta Municipality in 2007;<br />
Religious Freedom in Cyprus for the PIO in 2005;<br />
SAVE for the CTO in 2004; Digging the Past, in<br />
Search for the Future for the Elders in 2010, and<br />
CYPRUS SAILS for Esimit Europa 2 in <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
Georgiades is also a member <strong>of</strong> the team that<br />
worked on founding a museum at Vasa Kilaniou<br />
village. He is President <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Film and<br />
Television Directors Association and a founding<br />
member <strong>of</strong> photography club Fotodos. Georgiades<br />
has taken part in solo and group exhibi-<br />
24
The cast from Corridors Small Crime (2008)<br />
tions in Cyprus and abroad. Along with Anna<br />
Marangou, he published View <strong>of</strong> earth, a photo<br />
album <strong>of</strong> occupied Cyprus. <strong>No</strong>w working as a<br />
freelance pr<strong>of</strong>essional film director and photographer,<br />
Georgiades is the founder <strong>of</strong> the Engomi<br />
Municipality’s film and photo group, where he<br />
gives photography lessons.<br />
Corridors (2009)<br />
Director: Michalis Georgiades<br />
Writer: Charis Pishias<br />
Photography: Vladimir Subotic<br />
Montage: Kyros Papavassiliou<br />
Music: Jean Paul Sacy<br />
Actors: Marinos Hadjivassiliou, Elena Demetriou<br />
Production Company: MEDIABOX LTD<br />
Co-producers: Cyprus <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and<br />
Culture<br />
Pavlos and Maria have been married for a few<br />
years. After experiencing difficulties having a<br />
child the natural way, they resort to extracorporeal<br />
fertilisation, but it fails and becomes a strain, psychologically<br />
and financially, and the most severe<br />
consequences concern their interpersonal relationships.<br />
At some point they decide to adopt, and<br />
hence begins a new battle.<br />
Christos Georgiou<br />
Christos Georgiou was born in London in 1966 to<br />
Cypriot parents – he was raised and completed his<br />
basic education in Cyprus. Georgiou studied Film<br />
and Literature at the University <strong>of</strong> Warwick in England<br />
(Bachelor <strong>of</strong> Arts Joint Honours), Directing at<br />
the <strong>No</strong>rthern Film School in Leeds, England (Master<br />
<strong>of</strong> Arts) and Directing, Producing and Writing<br />
at the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, on a<br />
European scholarship (Tempus). He has worked in<br />
the film and cinema industry in Greece, Cyprus and<br />
England. His first long film won him the Prix De<br />
Montreal, the best film award in the 2001 Montreal<br />
World Film Festival. Small Crime is his second<br />
long film. His other films include Under the stars<br />
(2001) and Children <strong>of</strong> the Riots (2011).<br />
Small Crime (2008)<br />
Director: Christos Georgiou<br />
Writer: Christos Georgiou<br />
Photography: George Giannelis<br />
Montage: Isabel Meier<br />
Costumes and Set Designer: Michalis Samiotis<br />
Music: Thanasis Papaconstantinou, Constantis Papaconstantinou<br />
Actors: Aris Servetalis, Vicky Papadopoulou, Rania<br />
Economidou, Antonis Katsaris, Eleni Kokkidou,<br />
Vangelio Andreaki, Errikos Litsis, Dimitris<br />
Drosos.<br />
Producers: Thanasis Karathanos, Constantinos<br />
Moriatis, Christos Georgiou<br />
Production Companies: Twenty-Twenty Vision,<br />
Lychnari Productions, Bad Movies S.A.<br />
Leonidas, who has just graduated from the Police<br />
Academy, is transferred to a beautiful yet isolated<br />
island in the Aegean. His pr<strong>of</strong>essional challenges<br />
are initially restricted to placing “<strong>No</strong> Nudism”<br />
25
Small Crime (2008) Instructions (2008)<br />
signs on the island’s deserted beaches, but when<br />
he discovers the dead body <strong>of</strong> old Zacharias below<br />
a cliff, duty spurs him into action. Was it an accident<br />
or, as his instincts tell him, things are not<br />
that simple? In his effort to find answers, Leonidas<br />
will follow an unorthodox investigation, meet all<br />
the island’s residents and fall in love. He will develop<br />
a very special relationship with the island, a<br />
relationship that will eventually help him solve the<br />
mystery surrounding Zacharias’s death.<br />
Costas Yiallourides studied<br />
Cinematography at<br />
the <strong>No</strong>rthern Film School<br />
in Leeds, England. He<br />
graduated with the short<br />
surrealistic film Ink Control,<br />
which was entered<br />
in many international film<br />
festivals and shown on the<br />
BBC Film Network.<br />
His next film, Instructions, received significant acclaim,<br />
including first prize at the Cyprus Short Film<br />
and Documentary Festival, the Greek Association<br />
<strong>of</strong> Film Critics Award at the Drama Festival and<br />
international awards at the Trieste, Tangier and Damascus<br />
festivals. He has also participated in the <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />
programme <strong>of</strong> many important international<br />
film festivals and was pr<strong>of</strong>iled on the French television<br />
programme Cine Cinecourts. He also participated<br />
in the seventh talent campus <strong>of</strong> the Berlin<br />
Festival. His films include: The 5 th Floor (2006),<br />
Ink Control (2006) and Instructions (2008).<br />
Instructions (2008)<br />
Director: Costas Yiallourides<br />
Writer: Andrew Yerlett<br />
Photography: Zita Karath<br />
Montage: Dimitris Tolios<br />
Set designer: Olga Leontiadou<br />
Sound: Dimitris Rallis, Yiannis Photiades<br />
Music: Giorgos Christianakis<br />
Actors: Alexandros Logothetis, Stefania Yiolioti,<br />
Stephanos Laopodis<br />
Producers: Diomides Nikitas, SEKIN, Greek Film<br />
Centre.<br />
A new modular bed brings two very different people<br />
together, a man enclosed in an invisible square<br />
box and a woman who lives in a room at the centre<br />
<strong>of</strong> town. The woman will use her ingenuity to<br />
communicate with the man.<br />
Andreas Constantinides<br />
was born in 1944. He<br />
graduated from Kykkos<br />
Pancyprian Gymnasium<br />
and left Cyprus for Athens<br />
to study Cinematography,<br />
Theatre and Radio Studies,<br />
with a specialisation<br />
in directing for television.<br />
While studying he worked as a member <strong>of</strong> the di-<br />
26
ector’s crew on several Greek productions. Constantinides<br />
returned to Cyprus and, after the completion<br />
<strong>of</strong> his military service, he was hired by the<br />
CyBC productions department for TV, where he<br />
worked for 34 years.<br />
Constantinides has directed a great number <strong>of</strong><br />
TV programmes, documentaries, theatre plays<br />
and TV series. Many <strong>of</strong> his documentaries regarding<br />
the Cyprus Problem have been used by<br />
the state for educational purposes, and some<br />
<strong>of</strong> his TV series have enjoyed great success,<br />
namely The Teacher, The Grey Sky, Peter A’,<br />
Krisos and the Artist, The Church <strong>of</strong> Cyprus,<br />
History and Civilization, and Argaki, A Cypriot<br />
Village Before and After the Turkish Invasion.<br />
Several <strong>of</strong> his films were <strong>of</strong>ficial entries from<br />
Cyprus in a number <strong>of</strong> international festivals:<br />
Constantinides won the Bronze Agrino Award<br />
at the Commonwealth Movie Festival for Akamas,<br />
and Cyprus, the Island That <strong>No</strong>body Forgets,<br />
won the Prize <strong>of</strong> the Nations at both the<br />
Rome and London Movie Festivals.<br />
Constantinides was one <strong>of</strong> the founding members<br />
and the President <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Movie Club, the<br />
Nicosia Movie Club and the Cyprus Film Library.<br />
He is a member <strong>of</strong> the Film Classification Board<br />
and was also a member <strong>of</strong> the Sciences, Arts and<br />
Letters Committee. In 2004 he was appointed<br />
by the Council <strong>of</strong> Ministers as a member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Cyprus Radio Television Authority. He teaches<br />
History <strong>of</strong> Cinema at the Vladimiros Kafkaridis<br />
Drama School.<br />
Flights (1969)<br />
Director: Andreas Constantinides<br />
Writer: Andreas Constantinides, Dimitris Andreou<br />
Photography: Doros Partasides<br />
Montage: Andrew Trillides<br />
Sound: Thrassos Malas<br />
Actors: Spyros Stavrinides, Dimitris Andreou,<br />
Laika, Totos<br />
An experimental film about the environment and its<br />
destruction, Flights shows the extent <strong>of</strong> the destruction<br />
<strong>of</strong> beaches as a result <strong>of</strong> the erection <strong>of</strong> apartment<br />
buildings. The film combines cartoons with cinematic<br />
images. The late painter, Mikis Phinikarides, designed<br />
the graphics and wrote the screenplay.<br />
In Unsung Toil (1992)<br />
Director: Andreas Constantinides<br />
Writer: Andreas Constantinides<br />
Photography: Evangelos Hadjikyriakos<br />
Montage: Yiannakis Ioannides<br />
Sound: Charis Mylonas<br />
Music: Eleni Karaindrou<br />
Script interviews: Costis Achniotis<br />
Narrator: Andreas Koukkides<br />
Special Adviser: Pantelis Varnava<br />
A documentary dedicated to the unsung strangers<br />
who sacrificed themselves for our country’s<br />
workers’ conquests. The film’s subtitle is Before<br />
May Day.<br />
Akamas (1988)<br />
Director: Andreas Constantinides<br />
Writer-Narrator: Michalis Attalides<br />
Photography: Dimitris Pavlides<br />
Montage: Yiannakis Ioannides<br />
Sound: Andros Chrysostomou<br />
Music: Ross Daly<br />
Special adviser: Symis Shukuroglu<br />
A documentary about the Akamas Peninsula,<br />
the last natural haven <strong>of</strong> Cyprus. The film aspires<br />
to portray the ecological significance <strong>of</strong><br />
the area. It also examines the villages <strong>of</strong> Akamas<br />
and the difficulties and problems faced by<br />
their residents.<br />
Flights (1969)<br />
27
4 th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival<br />
9 – 29 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
he Festival had an impressively interna-<br />
outlook and provided a rare op-<br />
«Ttional<br />
portunity to sample contemporary composition<br />
beyond the well-trodden paths.»<br />
Tim Rutherford-Johnson (Guardian, Tempo, The<br />
Rambler)<br />
Having established itself as one <strong>of</strong> the most cuttingedge<br />
and innovative annual events in the Eastern<br />
Mediterranean, the International Pharos Contemporary<br />
Music Festival is now in its fourth year. The<br />
Festival is dedicated to the promotion <strong>of</strong> new music,<br />
both the established masterpieces <strong>of</strong> the contemporary<br />
music literature <strong>of</strong> the 20 th century and a<br />
great number <strong>of</strong> premieres by leading young composers<br />
from all over the world who have been commissioned<br />
by the Pharos Arts Foundation to write<br />
new works especially for the Festival. The Festival<br />
provides a forum for composers and performers<br />
to advance and develop new projects and explore<br />
new worlds <strong>of</strong> sound in chamber music settings. Its<br />
other objective is to bring contemporary music to<br />
general audiences in Cyprus and elsewhere, as this<br />
is the music <strong>of</strong> our times – it is directly linked to<br />
many forms <strong>of</strong> visual and creative arts, and science.<br />
It is intimate with the modern human spirit.<br />
The 4 th International Pharos Contemporary Music<br />
Festival was a thrilling experience. It presented a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> exciting events, from 9 until 29 <strong>September</strong><br />
<strong>2012</strong>, including a seldom heard repertoire<br />
for strings, winds, voice, percussion and harp. Six<br />
<strong>of</strong> the finest contemporary ensembles in the world<br />
presented classical contemporary masterpieces<br />
by composers such as Schönberg, Stockhausen,<br />
Xenakis and Ligeti while joining forces with more<br />
than 20 young, internationally acclaimed composers<br />
from all over the world. Each <strong>of</strong> these composers<br />
wrote a newly-commissioned work that was<br />
given its world premiere during the Festival.<br />
There were concerts by the Arirang Wind Quintet<br />
& Marios Nicolaou/percussion; Quartetto Prometeo;<br />
The Nieuw Ensemble; Ensemble Aleph; El<br />
Perro Andaluz, and the Kairos String Quartet. A<br />
screening <strong>of</strong> Towards <strong>of</strong> Beyond was <strong>of</strong>fered, and<br />
the Kairo String Quartet and El Perro Andaluz<br />
hosted workshops.<br />
The Venues<br />
The Shoe Factory is situated in Old Nicosia, near<br />
the UN buffer zone. With the Shoe Factory, the<br />
Pharos Arts Foundation is revitalising this beautiful<br />
and historic section <strong>of</strong> the capital by attracting<br />
a wide and diverse younger audience. All concerts<br />
at the Shoe Factory are characterised by a unique<br />
intimacy, and the music is performed in an exceptionally<br />
inspiring setting. The Shoe Factory is a<br />
modern venue decorated with contemporary art by<br />
mainly local artists and <strong>of</strong>fers audiences the unique<br />
opportunity to sit within an amazing proximity to<br />
world famous artists and experience performances<br />
in a space like no other.<br />
28
The Olive Grove is a world-class, open-air concert<br />
venue. It is relaxed and informal, promoting<br />
a palpable intimacy between the artists and the<br />
audience. The venue is surrounded by the idyllic<br />
forest <strong>of</strong> Delikipos and is adorned with wooden<br />
decks, shallow pools <strong>of</strong> water, Zen landscaping and<br />
uniquely atmospheric lighting. Audience members<br />
can relax on chairs, blankets and pillows and enjoy<br />
a glass <strong>of</strong> wine while listening to world class<br />
musical performances. The Foundation’s vision for<br />
the Olive Grove is to make contemporary art less<br />
intimidating by creating innovative events that are<br />
fun and appealing without compromising the quality<br />
and vision <strong>of</strong> the musical performances.<br />
Arirang Wind Quintet<br />
Leonie Wolters / flute<br />
Jörg Schneider / oboe<br />
Steffen Dillner / clarinet<br />
Sebastian Schindler / horn<br />
Christoph Knitt / bassoon<br />
& Marios Nicolaou / percussion<br />
Established ten years ago, Arirang Wind Quintet is<br />
a product <strong>of</strong> the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, one<br />
<strong>of</strong> Germany’s leading orchestras. The orchestra<br />
comprises more than 100 <strong>of</strong> the finest international<br />
musicians selected from more than 25,000 students<br />
in the 24 music conservatories in Germany. The<br />
orchestra maintains its high performance standards<br />
through rigid auditions.<br />
Arirang Wind Quintet’s repertoire includes classical,<br />
romantic and contemporary music, as well<br />
as several works that were given their world premiere<br />
by the Quintet. After a successful debut at<br />
the Bochum theatre, Arirang Wind Quintet was<br />
selected by Jeunesses Musicales Germany from<br />
amongst a great many chamber music ensembles<br />
to represent Germany in the International Showcase<br />
<strong>of</strong> Young Musicians 2004 in Croatia. The<br />
Quintet’s performances have included the <strong>No</strong>rthern<br />
Lights Festival/Tromsø, Semanas Musicales<br />
de Frutillar/Chile, the Vendsyssel Festival in Denmark,<br />
the Bach Fest Leipzig and the Festival Aixen-Provence.<br />
Having been awarded 2 nd prize at the International<br />
Chamber Music Competition Schwerin in 2004,<br />
the Quintet was invited on a concert tour to Vienna,<br />
Brünn and Prague (Prague Spring Festival). In<br />
2005, the Quintet was awarded 2 nd prize at the International<br />
Wind Quintet Competition Henri Tomasi<br />
in Marseille and 2 nd prize at the Osaka International<br />
Chamber Music Competition. After its successful<br />
participation in the German Music Competition<br />
in 2007, Arirang Wind Quintett won a Deutscher<br />
Arirang Wind Quintet<br />
29
Quartetto Prometeo<br />
Kairos String Quartet<br />
Musikrat scholarship. Having received an invitation<br />
from the Goethe Institute, Arirang Wind Quintet<br />
has given concerts in <strong>No</strong>rth and South America,<br />
Pakistan, Yemen, Latvia, Angola, India, Dubai,<br />
Kuwait and Azerbaijan. The Quintet’s members<br />
are also members <strong>of</strong> major symphony orchestras in<br />
Germany and Switzerland.<br />
Marios Nicolaou was born in Limassol in 1974. He<br />
studied at the Athens Conservatory (class <strong>of</strong> D. Marinakis)<br />
and at the Hochschulefür Musik Köln with C.<br />
Caskel and C. Tarcha, graduating with “Auszeichnung.”<br />
Nicolaou has also worked with P. Sadlo and<br />
Rainer Seegers in master classes and private lessons.<br />
In 2005 he took part in the International Ensemble<br />
Modern Academy (Schwaz/Austria). He has also<br />
been a holder <strong>of</strong> the “Alexandra Trianti” scholarship<br />
<strong>of</strong> the “Friends <strong>of</strong> Music Society.”<br />
In 2000 Nicolaou appeared as a soloist on the Timpani<br />
with the Cyprus State Orchestra, performing<br />
the Concertino for Timpani, Percussion and Strings<br />
by A. Panufnik. He has worked with many orchestras<br />
in Germany, such as the Gürzenich Orchester-<br />
Kölner Philharmoniker, the Neues Rheinisches<br />
Kammerοrchester and the Kölner Jugendorchester.<br />
Since 2003 he has been collaborating with most <strong>of</strong><br />
the orchestras <strong>of</strong> Greece (Athens State Orchestra,<br />
Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camerata, and Orchestra<br />
<strong>of</strong> Colors). As a chamber musician, Nicolaou<br />
has worked with H. Lachenmann, P. Eötvös,<br />
F. Ollu, D. Bouliane, the Ensemble neue music<br />
Koln and the Ensemble disson Art. He has taken<br />
part in festivals such as the Pierre Boulez zum `75<br />
(in Cologne Philharmony) and at the Minimal Music<br />
Kassel, and he performed the Sonata for two<br />
Pianos and Percussion by B. Bartók at the Klavier<br />
Festival Ruhr. Since 2009 he has been a member <strong>of</strong><br />
the Ergon Ensemble.<br />
Programme<br />
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928 – 2007) Zyklus for<br />
solo percussion (1959)<br />
Christian Mason’s World Premiere<br />
Ioannis Xenakis (1922 – 2001) Rebonds for solo<br />
percussion (1989)<br />
Interval<br />
Peteris Vasks “Bläserquintett <strong>No</strong>.2” Music for a<br />
Deceased Friend (1982)<br />
Isang Yun (1917 – 1995) Woodwind Quintet<br />
Gyorgy Ligeti (1923 – 2006) Six Bagatelles for<br />
wind quintet (1953)<br />
Quartetto Prometeo<br />
Giulio Rovighi / violin<br />
Aldo Campagnari / violin<br />
Massimo Piva / viola<br />
Francesco Dillon / cello<br />
Quartetto Prometeo performed a musical dramatisation<br />
<strong>of</strong> Dante’s Divine Comedy featuring twelve<br />
30
world premieres by composers from all over Europe,<br />
the result <strong>of</strong> a collaboration between the San<br />
Fedele Foundation and the Pharos International<br />
Contemporary Music Festival. Dante Alighieri –<br />
Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral<br />
philosopher, and political thinker – is best known<br />
for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later<br />
named La divina commedia. The Divine Comedy,<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the great works <strong>of</strong> medieval literature,<br />
is a pr<strong>of</strong>ound Christian vision <strong>of</strong> man’s temporal<br />
and eternal destiny. On its most personal level, it<br />
draws on the poet’s own experience <strong>of</strong> exile from<br />
his native city <strong>of</strong> Florence; on its most comprehensive<br />
level, it may be read as an allegory, a journey<br />
through hell, purgatory and paradise.<br />
Quartetto Prometeo won the 50 th Prague Spring<br />
International Music Competition in May 1998, as<br />
well as the competition’s Special Bärenreiter prize<br />
for Best Performance <strong>of</strong> Mozart’s Quartet K.590<br />
(according to the original score), the City <strong>of</strong> Prague<br />
prize as best quartet and the Pro Harmonia Mundi<br />
prize. Quartetto Prometeo was designated resident<br />
group at the Britten Pears Academy (1998) in Aldeburgh<br />
and was awarded the Thomastik Infeld<br />
prize at the Internationale Sommer Akademie Prag-<br />
Wien-Budapest 1999 for outstanding performance<br />
<strong>of</strong> a chamber music work; the Quartet also won<br />
the second prize at the Concours International de<br />
Quatuors in Bordeaux. In 2000, the Quartetto Prometeo<br />
was awarded the Special Bärenreiter Prize<br />
at the renowned ARD Münich Competition. Since<br />
its inception, the Quartet has received important<br />
scholarships from the Scuola di Musica <strong>of</strong> Fiesole<br />
and from the Accademia Chigiana <strong>of</strong> Siena, where<br />
in August 1995 it won the prestigious diploma <strong>of</strong><br />
honour. Beginning in 2013 through 2015, Quartetto<br />
Prometeo will be quartet-in-residence at the<br />
prestigious Accademia Filarmonica Romana.<br />
Quartetto Prometeo’s brilliant international career<br />
includes performances at some <strong>of</strong> the most important<br />
music festivals and venues in the world, including<br />
Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh<br />
Festival, Wexford Festival, Prague Spring Festival,<br />
Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Roma, Théâtre in<br />
Bordeaux, Auditorium Musée d’Orsay in Paris and<br />
tours in South America and in the Netherlands.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the characteristics <strong>of</strong> Quartetto Prometeo is<br />
the research they devote to putting together their<br />
repertoire, which includes the new musical expressions<br />
<strong>of</strong> our time. Their close collaboration<br />
with the acclaimed composer Salvatore Sciarrino<br />
inspired him to dedicate two pieces to the Quartet,<br />
Esercizi di trestili and his latest, Quartet <strong>No</strong>.8,<br />
which was commissioned by the Società del Quartetto<br />
Milan, MaerzMusik Festival Berlin, Ultima<br />
Festival Oslo and Aldeburgh Festival; Quartet<br />
<strong>No</strong>. 8 was recently recorded, along with his latest<br />
works for string quartet. Since performing the Italian<br />
premiere <strong>of</strong> Târ, Quartetto Prometeo continues<br />
its collaboration with Ivan Fedele, and in 2011<br />
they premiered Moiroloja Kai Erotikafor string<br />
quartet and voice, which was commissioned by<br />
Accademia Filarmonica Romana for the Quartet.<br />
The Quartetto Prometeo performance included 12<br />
world premieres: Vito Zuraj (Slovenia), Manuel<br />
Rodriguez (Spain), Antonin Servière (France),<br />
Carlo Ciceri (Italy), Franco Venturini (Italy), Aurélien<br />
Dumont (France), Mirtru Escalona (Venezuela/<br />
France), Antonio Covello (Italy), Roberto Vetrano<br />
(Italy), Vittorio Montalti (Italy) Evis Sammoutis<br />
(Cyprus) and Pasquale Corrado (Italy).<br />
Kairos String Quartet<br />
Wolfgang Bender / violin<br />
Stefan Häussler / violin<br />
Simone Heilgendorff / viola<br />
Claudius von Wrochem / cello<br />
Berlin’s Kairos Quartet was founded in 1996 and<br />
debuted at the Darmstadt International Holiday<br />
Courses. The Quartet promotes new music from<br />
the second half <strong>of</strong> the 20 th century to the present,<br />
thus landmark compositions since the 1950s and<br />
world premieres are at the heart <strong>of</strong> the Quartet’s<br />
activity, which also includes samples <strong>of</strong> the Western<br />
musical tradition, music from non-Western cultures,<br />
and compositions created with other media<br />
(electronics, video and speech).<br />
Kairos (Caerus - Καιρός) is the god <strong>of</strong> the auspicious<br />
moment in Ancient Greek mythology. He was recognised<br />
as the youngest son <strong>of</strong> Zeus by the poet Ion<br />
<strong>of</strong> Chios (490 - 421 B.C.). Depicted by the sculptor<br />
Lysippos as a youth with winged shoes and a long<br />
31
lock <strong>of</strong> hair hanging in front <strong>of</strong> his forehead, he symbolises<br />
opportunity. The juxtaposition <strong>of</strong> Kairos with<br />
Chronos (measured time - Χρόνος) illustrates a concept<br />
<strong>of</strong> time that is intimately linked to human experience.<br />
As a musician, one can feel “Kairos” when<br />
perfect harmony is achieved. These rare and magical<br />
moments are the ultimate goal <strong>of</strong> all artists.<br />
The Kairos Quartet takes great care in the selection<br />
and combination <strong>of</strong> pieces, sometimes curating even<br />
their own concert series, as was the case with the<br />
concert and conversation series Five Windows onto<br />
the String Quartet Since 1950, which took place at<br />
the Kulturbrauerei Berlin in 2001 and 2002 – the<br />
Quartet presented composers such as Ferneyhough,<br />
Lachenmann and Lucier. The Quartet has also developed<br />
close pr<strong>of</strong>essional relationships with the<br />
composers Haas (Austria), Estrada (Mexico), Netti<br />
(Italy), Newski (Germany/Russia) and Lim (Australia).<br />
The Kairos Quartet reaches out to music<br />
students and the general public through workshops,<br />
master classes and lectures on new music and performance<br />
practice as part <strong>of</strong> festivals or at music<br />
schools. These workshops, master classes and lectures<br />
have so far taken place in Austria, Germany,<br />
Mexico, <strong>No</strong>rway, Poland and Switzerland.<br />
The Quartet has been invited to numerous international<br />
festivals, including Ultraschall and MaerzMusik<br />
(both in Berlin), Eclat Stuttgart, Huddersfield,<br />
Berliner Festwochen, Wien Modern, Salzburger<br />
Festspiele, Klangspuren/TransArt, Warsaw<br />
Autumn, Ljubliana Festival, Festival d’Automne<br />
and the Festival de Cervantino. Kairos Quartet has<br />
been recorded live by most major German radio<br />
stations and by the BBC, DRS, ORF and RAI. The<br />
Quartet’s CDs have populated various best-<strong>of</strong> lists<br />
and the German Record Critic’s Award (1/2005).<br />
In 2001, Kairos was the first ensemble to become<br />
fellows at the Academy Schloss Solitude.<br />
The many artistic partners <strong>of</strong> the Kairos Quartet<br />
include baritone Dietrich Henschel, Mayumi Miyata<br />
(sho), the sound poets Valeri Scherstjanoi and<br />
Michael Lentz, actress Martina Gedeck, the Schlagquartett<br />
Köln and the Vokalsolisten <strong>of</strong> the SWR.<br />
Programme<br />
Toshio Hosokawa (b. 1955) Landscape I (1992)<br />
Ioannis Xenakis (1922 – 2001) ST/ 4 (1962)<br />
Giacinto Scelsi String Quartet <strong>No</strong>.3 (1963)<br />
Interval<br />
Evis Sammoutis (b.1979) Rhymes<br />
Georg Friedrich Haas (b.1953) String Quartet <strong>No</strong>.<br />
2 (1998)<br />
A workshop with the Kairos String Quartet with<br />
the participation <strong>of</strong> young Cypriot instrumentalists<br />
and composers included a demonstration <strong>of</strong> extended<br />
instrumental techniques for strings as they<br />
appear in innovative key repertoire works for string<br />
quartet. The workshop was aimed at composers<br />
and performers and was jointly presented with the<br />
Goethe Institute Cyprus.<br />
Towards and Beyond - A screening <strong>of</strong> Barrie<br />
Gavin’s documentary about the British Composer<br />
Jonathan Harvey<br />
Born in 1939, composer Jonathan Harvey studied<br />
with Erwin Stein in Cambridge, after whose<br />
death he studied composition and analysis with<br />
Hans Keller, obtaining a PhD. At Cambridge, he<br />
was preoccupied with mystical ideas while becoming<br />
acquainted with procedures in medieval and<br />
renaissance music that later influenced his own<br />
compositions. During the 1960s Harvey composed<br />
freely, responding to a wide variety <strong>of</strong> musical and<br />
religious experiences in his settings <strong>of</strong> medieval<br />
texts. Schoenberg, Berg, Messiaen and Britten<br />
were also early influences, and Hans Keller helped<br />
to broaden Harvey’s list <strong>of</strong> influences. In 1964 Harvey<br />
joined the Music Department <strong>of</strong> Southampton<br />
University. It was at this time that the power <strong>of</strong><br />
Stockhausen’s music first had a pr<strong>of</strong>ound effect<br />
on Harvey, inspiring him to explore and develop<br />
his own complex and personal musical language<br />
– he later came into contact with Milton Babbit.<br />
In the early 1980s, Harvey was invited by Boulez<br />
to work at IRCAM, a position that has resulted in<br />
many new commissions in recent years. Harvey’s<br />
works are now being increasingly played all over<br />
the world. The transcendental quality <strong>of</strong> his music<br />
does not lose its force when he focuses on the more<br />
intimate genre <strong>of</strong> chamber music.<br />
British Director Barrie Gavin studied history at the<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Cambridge from 1954 to 1957 and<br />
32
British Composer Jonathan Harvey<br />
Nieuw Ensemble<br />
joined the BBC as an assistant film editor in 1961,<br />
where his fascination with contemporary music<br />
brought him into contact with Pierre Boulez. Over<br />
the next 40 years they collaborated on a series <strong>of</strong><br />
analytical documentaries on the founding fathers<br />
<strong>of</strong> 20 th century music: Schönberg, Berg, Webern,<br />
Bartók, Stravinsky, Ives, Varese, Messiaen and, <strong>of</strong><br />
course, Boulez himself. From the 1970s until the<br />
end <strong>of</strong> the 20 th century Gavin specialised in portraits<br />
<strong>of</strong> contemporary composers: Berio, Luigi<br />
<strong>No</strong>no, Stockhausen, Takemitsu, Birtwistle, Peter<br />
Maxwell Davies, Mark-Anthony Turnage and<br />
many others. In 1977 Gavin was invited to Germany<br />
to make a film about Kurt Weill. This marked<br />
the beginning <strong>of</strong> a long association with German<br />
television, resulting not only in many adventurous<br />
documentaries but also in a new area <strong>of</strong> work for<br />
Gavin, directing concerts for television. To date he<br />
has been responsible for some 250 televised productions<br />
<strong>of</strong> concerts and operas.<br />
The vast majority <strong>of</strong> Gavin’s work has been about<br />
music, but he also produced a series on classic<br />
film directors in 1967 and a number <strong>of</strong> films about<br />
literature and the visual arts, including Sir William<br />
in Search <strong>of</strong> Xanadu (Award <strong>of</strong> Montreal Festival<br />
<strong>of</strong> Films on Art, 1984) and Images - A History <strong>of</strong><br />
Early Photography (Award <strong>of</strong> New York Festival<br />
<strong>of</strong> Films on Art, 1989).<br />
Nieuw Ensemble<br />
Ernest Rombout / oboe<br />
Ernestine Stoop / harp<br />
Angel Gimeno / violin<br />
Frank Brakkee / viola<br />
Jeroen den Herder / cello<br />
The Nieuw Ensemble was founded in 1980 in<br />
Amsterdam. It has a unique instrumental structure,<br />
combining plucked instruments such as mandolin,<br />
guitar and harp with wind, string and percussion.<br />
The lack <strong>of</strong> literature for this group makes it dependent<br />
upon composers, as composers have always<br />
been upon musicians. The Nieuw Ensemble<br />
has thus set out to build its own repertoire, encouraged<br />
by continuous contact with composers from<br />
different cultures, countries and generations, and<br />
by long-term workshops for young composers.<br />
More than 500 pieces have been written for the<br />
ensemble. Ed Spanjaard has been its principal conductor<br />
since 1982.<br />
The Ensemble has been widely praised for its innovative<br />
programming. Its programmes have been<br />
those dedicated to the work <strong>of</strong> a single composer,<br />
33
such as Berio, Boulez, Carter, Donatoni, Ferneyhough,<br />
Kagel, De Leeuw, Kurtág, Loevendie and<br />
<strong>No</strong>no. The Ensemble has initiated festivals such<br />
as Complexity (1990); Rules & Games (1995);<br />
Improvisations (1996); the Multi-Cultural Festival<br />
<strong>of</strong> Plucked Instruments (1998); The Refined Ear<br />
(2003), on microtonality; Inspired Time (2004),<br />
on rhythm; Open Music (2005-2006) on computer<br />
aided composition, and Orientations (2006-2007)<br />
on western and non-western instruments.<br />
In 1998 the Nieuw Ensemble and its artistic director,<br />
Joël Bons, were awarded the Prince Bernhard<br />
Fund Music Prize for their “markedly lively and<br />
adventurous programming, which can be described<br />
as ground-breaking, both in the literal and figurative<br />
senses <strong>of</strong> the word.” Since 1991, programmes<br />
featuring new works written especially for the ensemble<br />
by Chinese composers such as Tan Dun,<br />
Qu Xiaosong, Xu Shuya, Chen Qigang and Guo<br />
Wenjing have attracted wide attention. In 1997,<br />
2008 and 2010 the group performed concerts in<br />
Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing.<br />
The Nieuw Ensemble now enjoys a firm international<br />
standing – the Ensemble has performed in festivals<br />
such as the Venice Biennale, Settembre Musica, Ars<br />
Musica in Brussels, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Musica<br />
Strasbourg, Holland Festival, Warsaw Autumn,<br />
Huddersfield Festival, Agora, Stockholm New Music,<br />
the Festival d’Automne à Paris, Lincoln Center<br />
Festival and Sadler’s Wells in London.<br />
The Ensemble has released compact discs <strong>of</strong> Donatoni,<br />
Carter, Ferneyhough, Gerhard, Loevendie,<br />
Poulenc, Honegger, Guo Wenjing, Kagel, Tsoupaki<br />
and Chinese composers, and has produced documentary<br />
films about Boulez Eclat and about five<br />
Chinese composers. The Nieuw Ensemble also<br />
participates in the Atlas Ensemble, a unique chamber<br />
orchestra uniting thirty brilliant musicians from<br />
the East, the Near East and Europe.<br />
Programme<br />
Tasos Stylianou World Premiere<br />
Arnold Schönberg (1874 – 1951) String Trio, Op.<br />
45 (1946)<br />
Musheng Chen World Premiere<br />
Interval<br />
Anton Webern (1883 – 1951) String Trio, Op. 20<br />
Ensemble Aleph<br />
(1927)<br />
Jonathan Harvey (b. 1939) Death <strong>of</strong> Light/Light <strong>of</strong><br />
Death for oboe, harp, violin, viola, cello (1998)<br />
Ensemble Aleph<br />
Dominique Clément / clarinet<br />
Sylvie Drouin / piano<br />
Monica Jordan / vocals<br />
Christopher Roy / cello<br />
Created in 1983, Ensemble Aleph is a collective <strong>of</strong><br />
associated soloists, a set <strong>of</strong> performers and composers,<br />
a formation <strong>of</strong> variable geometry in search<br />
<strong>of</strong> new possibilities in relationships between sound<br />
and text, movement and music.<br />
With nearly 250 creations, Ensemble Aleph has established<br />
itself as a major relay <strong>of</strong> musical innovation.<br />
A laboratory dedicated to creation, Ensemble<br />
Aleph invites eligible young composers to benefit<br />
from its experience in a spirit <strong>of</strong> sharing and exchange,<br />
particularly through the International Forum<br />
for Young Composers, a project selected in<br />
2000 by the European Commission Program “Culture<br />
2000”, with 61 composers from 26 countries<br />
(the 7 th Forum will take place in 2014).<br />
Ensemble Aleph enriches its practice by working<br />
with jugglers, VJ’s, choreographers, directors, writers<br />
and actors. For almost 30 years, the Ensemble<br />
has been developing collective projects, pooling<br />
efforts and sharing practices across more than 900<br />
concerts. In 2008, Ensemble Aleph created LIEU,<br />
34
El Perro Andaluz<br />
European Instrumental Laboratory, which brings<br />
together musicians, ensembles and composers<br />
around musical creation. This will become a platform,<br />
“Live in Lieu,” in 2013.<br />
Programme<br />
Christina Athinodorou World premiere<br />
Dominique Clément (b. 1959) Poème incorrect II<br />
for voice, clarinet and piano(1988)<br />
Tomi Raisanen World premiere<br />
Ioannis Xenakis (1922 – 2001) <strong>No</strong>mos Alpha for<br />
cello (1966)<br />
Interval<br />
Evis Sammoutis (b. 1979) Ghost Shadows for<br />
soprano and piano<br />
Helmut Lachenmann (b. 1935) Allegro Sostenuto<br />
for clarinet, cello and piano (1986-1988)<br />
John Cage (1912 – 1992) Aria, solo for voice (1958)<br />
El Perro Andaluz<br />
Albrecht Scharnweber / clarinet<br />
Yuri Matsuzaki / flute<br />
Torsten Reitz / piano<br />
Seong-Ryeom Lee / percussion<br />
Emily Yabe / violin<br />
Jakob Andert / cello<br />
Lennart Dohms / conductor<br />
Arising out <strong>of</strong> a 2007 project with composer Brian<br />
Ferneyhough in Dresden, the ensemble El Perro Andaluz<br />
quickly became one <strong>of</strong> Germany’s most exciting<br />
young ensembles for contemporary music. The<br />
Ensemble is famed for the cultural background <strong>of</strong><br />
its members and for its partnerships with composers<br />
such as H. Lachenmann, R. Saunders, A. Hölszky,<br />
V. Tarnopolski, H. Hellstenius, G. Katzer and others.<br />
The Ensemble’s vision, to emphasise the position<br />
<strong>of</strong> New Music in society, is pursued through a wide<br />
range <strong>of</strong> musical activity, including installations, opera<br />
productions, concerts and educational projects.<br />
El Perro Andaluz was awarded the Kulturförderpreis<br />
<strong>of</strong> the city <strong>of</strong> Dresden in 2011. Alongside its projects<br />
in Germany, <strong>2012</strong> has seen the Ensemble invited<br />
to Spain, England and Austria, where this season it<br />
holds the position <strong>of</strong> Ensemble in residence at the<br />
University Mozarteum Salzburg.<br />
Programme<br />
Ivan Fedele (b. 1953) Immagini da Escher (2005)<br />
Sophia Serghi World premiere<br />
Ioannis Xenakis (1922-2001) Plekto for sextet (1993)<br />
Interval<br />
Thomas Simaku (b. 1958) A2 for violin & cello<br />
(2008)<br />
Brian Herrington World premiere<br />
Nicolaus A. Huber (b. 1939) La force du vertige<br />
for flute, clarinet, violin, cello & piano (1985)<br />
Pharos Arts Foundation<br />
Tel.: +35722663871<br />
www.pharosartsfoundation.org<br />
35
16 th International Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek Drama<br />
As it does every year, the month <strong>of</strong> <strong>July</strong><br />
welcomed theatre friends from around the<br />
world to the Pafos Ancient Odeon, the Curium<br />
Ancient Theatre in Limassol and the Makarios<br />
III Amphitheatre in Nicosia for the 16 th International<br />
Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek Drama <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
The Festival was presented under the auspices<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council <strong>of</strong> the<br />
European Union and was organised by the Cyprus<br />
Centre <strong>of</strong> the International Theatre Institute<br />
in cooperation with the Cultural Services <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and Culture and the Cyprus<br />
Tourism Organisation. The Festival programme<br />
was selected by the Festival Selection<br />
Committee.<br />
Agamemnon’s Children<br />
The Festival opened with a production <strong>of</strong> Agamemnon’s<br />
Children by the Hessian State Theatre<br />
<strong>of</strong> Wiesbaden, Germany. The adaptation combined<br />
Euripides’ Iphigeneiain Aulis, Orestes and<br />
Iphigeneia in Tauris, and Sophocles’ Electra into<br />
a single storyline. The synthesis <strong>of</strong> these four<br />
plays narrates the lives <strong>of</strong> Agamemnon’s children<br />
from different points <strong>of</strong> view. Their actions<br />
and their destinies make them both perpetrators<br />
and victims in the vicious cycle <strong>of</strong> violence endemic<br />
to Atreides’ myth.<br />
Direction: Konstanze Lauterbach<br />
Set design: Karen Simon<br />
Costumes: Hannah Hamburger<br />
Music: Achim Gieseler<br />
Cast: Doreen Nixdorf (Iphigenia), Sybille Weiser<br />
(Electra), Michael von Bennigsen (Orestes), Susanne<br />
Bard (Clytaemnestra), Michael Günther Bard<br />
(Agamemnon, Thoas), Michael von Burg (Pylades),<br />
Uwe Kraus (Menelaus), Jörg Zirnstein (Servant,<br />
Messenger, Phrygian, Apollo, Arcas), Magdalena<br />
Höfner (Hermione)<br />
Chorus: Evelyn M. Faber, Magdalena Höfner, Franziska<br />
Werner<br />
Agamemnon’s Children<br />
Electra and Orestes, the Trial<br />
Electra and Orestes, the Trial<br />
The Cyprus Theatre Organisation’s production,<br />
Electra and Orestes, the Trial, is an adaptation based<br />
on Sophocles’ Electra, Euripides’ Orestes and Aeschylus’<br />
Eumenides. Both the adaptation and the direction<br />
are by Israeli stage director Hanan Snir and<br />
are based on the technique <strong>of</strong> a “play within a play”.<br />
The outer play deals with Electra and Orestes on trial<br />
at the Supreme Court for the crime <strong>of</strong> matricide. In<br />
court, the events that led to the murderous act are<br />
presented against the backdrop <strong>of</strong> a contemporary<br />
refugee camp.<br />
Translation: Vayos Liapis<br />
Adaptation/Direction: Hanan Snir<br />
Set Design-Costumes: Melita Couta, Harris Kafkarides<br />
Music: Demetris Zavros<br />
36
Bacchae<br />
Choreography: Fotis Nicolaou<br />
Lighting Design: Giorgos Koukoumas<br />
Assistant Director: Egli Spyridaki<br />
Cast: Thanasis Drakopoulos (Herald), Andreas<br />
Tsouris (Farmer), Lea Maleni (Electra),<br />
Nektarios Theodorou (Orestes), Andreas Tselepos<br />
(Pylades), Niovi Charalambous (Chrysothemis),<br />
Andreas Vasileiou (Pedagoge), Annita<br />
Santorineou (Clytemnestra), Neoklis Neokleous<br />
(Aegisthus), Giorgos Mouaimis (Apollo),<br />
Stela Firogeni (Athena)<br />
Chorus: Anna Yiagiozi, Niki Dragoumi, Elena Efstathiou,<br />
Iliana Kakkoura, Zoe Kyprianou,<br />
Ermina Kyriazi, Andri Kyriakou, Mara Constantinou,<br />
Christiana Larkou, Anna Papageorgiou, Kynthia<br />
Pavlidou, Christina Christ<strong>of</strong>ia<br />
Musicians: Alkis Agathocleous, Korina Vasiliou,<br />
Petros Giorkatzis, Evripides Dikeos, Mitko Topalov<br />
Bacchae<br />
With the production <strong>of</strong> Euripides’ Bacchae, the Mitos<br />
Theatre Group, Cyprus, concluded its innovative<br />
work on Euripides’ Bacchae that began in <strong>July</strong> 2009.<br />
The Group examined the conflict between King<br />
Pentheus and Dionysus and used the reality <strong>of</strong> our<br />
current situation to contextualise it. Poor Pentheus:<br />
his disrespect toward Dionysus and his punishment<br />
for it makes him a prominent figure among the<br />
tragic figures <strong>of</strong> Greek mythology. This new King<br />
<strong>of</strong> Thebes stands for moderation and self-restraint, in<br />
juxtaposition with Dionysus, who protects the vital<br />
acceptance <strong>of</strong> instinct. The Chorals were interpreted<br />
in ancient Greek and followed the rules <strong>of</strong> Prosody.<br />
Direction: Lucas Walewski<br />
Adaptation/Dramaturgy: Elena Agathokleous and<br />
Rania Iacovou<br />
Observer: Spyros Charalambous<br />
Voice couching in open space: Diomedis Koufteros<br />
Couching classical Indian music: Ravi Saundankar<br />
Choir leader: Lefkios Demosthenous<br />
Movement: Lucas Walewski<br />
Set construction: Giorgos Mavrogenis, Menelaos<br />
Papagiorgis<br />
Cast: Elena Agathokleous (Pentheus, Agaue, Messenger),<br />
Lucas Walewski (Leader <strong>of</strong> the Chorus,<br />
Cadmus), Diomedis Koufteros (Tiresias, Attendant,<br />
37
Messenger)<br />
Chorus: Nikolas Arkadiou, Giorgos Onisiforou,<br />
Ravi Saundankar, Lefkios Demosthenous, Konstantinos<br />
Melides<br />
The Festival presented two more productions connected<br />
to the legend <strong>of</strong> the Atridae which were not<br />
adaptations, Sophocles’ Electra and Aeschylus’ The<br />
Eumenides.<br />
Electra<br />
Electra was presented by the Greek Theatre Company<br />
‘Morphes Ekphrasis’. The performance paid<br />
homage to Dimitris Rondiris on the occasion <strong>of</strong> the<br />
30th anniversary <strong>of</strong> the passing <strong>of</strong> the great director<br />
and teacher. Electra strives to continue her life after<br />
her mother murders her father, but she is obsessed<br />
with taking revenge. Her brother Orestes and his<br />
friend Pylades return to Argos to avenge Agamemnon’s<br />
murder. Orestes kills his mother, Clytaemnestra,<br />
and her lover, Aegisthus.<br />
Translation: Ioannis Griparis<br />
Direction: Thomas Kindinis<br />
Set design-Costumes: Anna Sevasti Tzima<br />
Music: Pan Kaperneka, Constantinos Roumelis<br />
Cast: Thomas Kindinis (Tutor to Orestes), Giannis<br />
Costaras (Orestes),Constantinos Roumelis (Pylades),<br />
Zoi Nalmpanti (Electra), Vlasia Ververi and<br />
Kleoniki Karachaliou (Chrysothemis), Elena Orfanidou,<br />
S<strong>of</strong>ia Lymperi (Clytaemnestra), Thomas<br />
Kindinis (Aegisthus)<br />
Chorus: Anna Sevasti Tzima, Vlasia Ververi, Kleoniki<br />
Karachaliou, Nancy Klampatsa, Evgenia Papadaki,<br />
Elena Orfanidou, Mikaela Zannou, Polina<br />
Lamprianidou, S<strong>of</strong>ia Lymperi, Angeliki Pardalidou,<br />
Eleana Finokalioti, Chrisi Gerardi, Foteini Kapellaki,<br />
Chrysa Pyli, Asteropi Charitidou, Paraskevi Politi<br />
The Eumenides<br />
The Ruth Kanner Theatre Group, an Israeli company,<br />
presented The Eumenides, by Aeschylus, based<br />
on the magnificent translation by poet Ted Hughes.<br />
The Eumenides is the third play in the trilogy Oresteia:<br />
the first two are Agamemnon and Libation Bearers.<br />
Supernatural powers, the Furies, chase Orestes,<br />
who has killed his mother. He takes refuge in the<br />
temple <strong>of</strong> the goddess Athena, who founds the first<br />
court <strong>of</strong> justice. Orestes is acquitted <strong>of</strong> the murder<br />
<strong>of</strong> his mother, Clytaemnestra, who had murdered<br />
his father, Agamemnon, and the vindictive Furies<br />
are convinced to give up their pursuit <strong>of</strong> vengeance.<br />
The danger <strong>of</strong> inflamed violence is real and aweinspiring<br />
in context <strong>of</strong> our modern world. Athena’s<br />
warnings are particularly relevant, as if they had<br />
been uttered today: “Do not madden our young men,<br />
with the hiss <strong>of</strong> the whetstone, and the dream <strong>of</strong> the<br />
plunging blade…”<br />
Director: Ruth Kanner<br />
Music: Mika Danny<br />
Lighting Design: Shaked Vax<br />
Cast: Ronen Babluki (Orestes), Assaf Degani (Apollo),<br />
Milli Ravid (Athena), Sharron Harnoy (The<br />
ghost <strong>of</strong> Clytaemnestra), Neta Nadav (Priestess)<br />
Chorus <strong>of</strong> the Furies: Shirley Gal Segev, Tali Kark,<br />
Adi Meirovitch, Sharron Harnoy, Neta Nadav<br />
Musician: Avshalom Ariel<br />
The Assembly Women<br />
Two comedies by Aristophanes, The Assembly<br />
Women and Frogs, blew a fresh breeze toward festival<br />
goers who came to enjoy ancient Greek comedy<br />
under the starry Cyprus sky. The Assembly Women<br />
was presented by the Neos Cosmos Theatre, Greece;<br />
the performance was based on a free translation <strong>of</strong><br />
the original text by Vassilis Mavrogeorgiou. What<br />
would happen in a city if all citizens had communal<br />
property rights and a “communal bed”? Would a law<br />
which demands that no man may sleep with a pretty<br />
young woman, unless he first sleeps with an ugly old<br />
one, be fair? The women <strong>of</strong> Athens, under the leadership<br />
<strong>of</strong> Praxagora, certainly thought so! Disguised<br />
as men, they appear in the Assembly, where they<br />
support the transfer <strong>of</strong> power to women. They win,<br />
and hence everything seems possible!<br />
Direction: Vangelis Theodoropoulos<br />
Free Translation: Vasilis Mavrogeorgiou<br />
Music: Thanos Mikroutsikos<br />
Set Design-Costumes: Angelos Mentis<br />
Choreography: Angeliki Stellatou<br />
Lighting design: Sakis Birbillis<br />
Music instruction: Thanasis Apostolopoulos<br />
Cast: Daphne Lamprogianni (Praxagora), Kostas<br />
Koklas (Blepyrus), Giorgos Pyrpasopoulos (Young<br />
38
The Eumenides<br />
Antigone<br />
man), Pantelis Dentakis (Chremes), Nikos Kardonis<br />
(First man), Stratos Christou (Second man), Georgia<br />
Georgoni (Young woman)<br />
Chorus: Mary Saousopoulou, Ntini Renti, Polyxeni<br />
Aklidi, Eirini Georgalaki, Maria Georgiadou, Georgia<br />
Georgoni, Andri Theodotou, Katerina Maoutsou,<br />
Sotiria Rouvoli, Eirini Fanarioti, Elena Hatjiafxenti<br />
The Frogs<br />
The Frogs was presented by Magdalena Zira and<br />
Fantastic Theatre, her theatre company. Zira adapted<br />
the play using Vayos Liapis’s new translation and<br />
combined innovative and traditional elements with<br />
music by Lefteris Moumtzis. Using the text as a<br />
foundation and inspired by the similarities between<br />
the play’s social framework and that <strong>of</strong> modern society,<br />
the direction and adaptation recasts The Frogs<br />
to reflect our current reality. The Frogs is a delightful<br />
comedy in which the god <strong>of</strong> drama himself, Dionysus,<br />
appears.<br />
Translation: Vaios Liapis<br />
Direction/Adaptation: Magdalena Zira<br />
Set Design: Demetris Alithinos<br />
Costumes: Elena Katsouri<br />
Composer: Lefteris Moumtzis<br />
Choreography: Chloe Melidou<br />
Music supervision: Sophronis Sophroniou<br />
Cast: Valentinos Kokkinos (Dionysus), Demetris<br />
Antoniou (Xanthias, Aeschylus), Michalis<br />
Sophocleous (Heracles, Pluto), Marinos Konsolos<br />
(Leader <strong>of</strong> the Chorus, Aeacus, Maid), Marina<br />
Vronti (Charon, Euripides, Plathani)<br />
Chorus <strong>of</strong> Frogs: Demetris Antoniou, Michalis Sophocleous,<br />
Marinos Konsolos, Marina Vronti, Andrea<br />
Demetriou, Marcos Ioulios Droushiotis, Maritsa<br />
Elia<br />
Antigone<br />
The Festival closed with Tommaso Traetta’s opera,<br />
Antigone, presented by Skull <strong>of</strong> Yorick Productions,<br />
UK. Antigone was directed by Zamira Pascieri and<br />
Kassandra Dimopoulou. Based on Sophocles’ tragedy,<br />
the work <strong>of</strong> the Italian composer Tommaso<br />
Traetta is presented in a new, groundbreaking production.<br />
Traetta’s music is delivered in a contemporary<br />
performance that blends modern sounds with<br />
Baroque music and the music <strong>of</strong> the ancient world.<br />
Antigone represents an innovative step for opera by<br />
combining traditional, classical and electronic instruments.<br />
Creon, king <strong>of</strong> Thebes, prohibits the burial <strong>of</strong> Polynices,<br />
who rose against Thebes, the city <strong>of</strong> his birth,<br />
and tried to conquer it. His sister, Antigone, convinced<br />
to follow divine law rather than arbitrary<br />
state law, secretly buries her brother and is sentenced<br />
to death. <strong>No</strong>t even Haemon, the son <strong>of</strong> Creon, who<br />
loves Antigone and protests against his father’s decree,<br />
manages to save her.<br />
Directors: Zamira Pasceri – Kassandra Dimopoulou<br />
Costumes/Set Design: ARTLUXE<br />
Orchestration: Philip Modinos<br />
Cast: Jenny Drivala (Antigone), Philip Modinos<br />
(Creon), Kassandra Dimopoulou (Iseme), Louisa<br />
Petais (Haemon),Marios Andreou (Priest/Guard)<br />
Chorus: Depi Mavropoulou (leader), Panikos Loizou,<br />
Marios Fylakoudias, Andreas Fylakoudias, Andreas<br />
Stylianou, Konstantinos Stylianou, Dimitris<br />
Nikoloulopoulos, Panagiotis Nikoloulopoulos, Frixos<br />
Nikoloulopoulos, Antonis Eyripidou, Giorgos Proto-<br />
39
papas, Kostas Konstantinou, Aris Giannakas, Giannis<br />
Buhayar, Argyris Makris, Antreas X Stefanou,<br />
Giannos Xrist<strong>of</strong>i, Giorgos Charalambous, Andreas<br />
Vasileiadis, Nikolas Ne<strong>of</strong>ytou, Andreas Kestas, Stella<br />
Kyriakidou, Anthi Kyriakidou, Eirini Charalambous,<br />
Natassa Athanasiou, Sabrina Leonidou, Ceca Varda<br />
Launch <strong>of</strong> the International<br />
Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek Drama<br />
By Neophytos Neophytou<br />
The launch <strong>of</strong> the International Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient<br />
Greek Drama 16 years ago was a decision by the<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Directors <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Centre <strong>of</strong> the International<br />
Theatre Institute (I.T.I.), following a suggestion<br />
by then director Nicos Shafkalis. The motivation<br />
was to give ancient Greek drama a wider presence in<br />
the theatrical activities <strong>of</strong> the island. What has established<br />
the Festival as a distinct cultural event is its<br />
international character. The performances, many <strong>of</strong><br />
which are original in their approach, cover the whole<br />
month <strong>of</strong> <strong>July</strong> every year now, but when the Festival<br />
commenced 16 years ago at the Pafos Ancient Odeon,<br />
it lasted one week. At the time, the Festival was<br />
organised by the Cyprus Centre <strong>of</strong> the I.T.I. and was<br />
subsidised by the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and Culture’s<br />
Cultural Services, with support from the Pafos<br />
Municipality. Today the Festival is co-organised by<br />
the Cyprus Centre <strong>of</strong> the I.T.I., the Cultural Services<br />
<strong>of</strong> the <strong>Ministry</strong> <strong>of</strong> Education and Culture and the Cyprus<br />
Tourism Organisation, with additional support<br />
from the Pafos Municipality and some other small<br />
organisations. The Festival now takes place at the<br />
Pafos Ancient Odeon, at the Curium Ancient Theatre,<br />
Limassol, and at the Makarios III Amphitheatre,<br />
Nicosia.<br />
The performances project the uniqueness <strong>of</strong> ancient<br />
Greek drama but also bear the intense colouring <strong>of</strong><br />
the culture <strong>of</strong> the country they come from. Thus the<br />
audiences, which are international, as they comprise<br />
not only Cypriots but foreign visitors as well,<br />
have the unique opportunity <strong>of</strong> experiencing ancient<br />
Greek drama from different cultural perspectives<br />
– this affirms both its specificity and its universality.<br />
All foreign language performances are subtitled<br />
in English and Greek, and all Greek performances<br />
have English subtitles.<br />
The Centre has always believed that ancient Greek<br />
Electra Morfes Ekfrasis<br />
drama, which is the wellspring <strong>of</strong> contemporary European<br />
drama and a core element <strong>of</strong> the world’s cultural<br />
heritage, has direct relevance to today’s world.<br />
Rapid technological development makes it even<br />
more crucial for us to find ways <strong>of</strong> using the capabilities<br />
presented by the open Ancient Greek mind to<br />
reflect on our current reality.<br />
The International Festival and the International Symposium<br />
on Ancient Greek Drama and their combined<br />
international repute strengthen the position <strong>of</strong><br />
Cyprus on the global cultural map and contribute to<br />
intercultural dialogue. This dialogue helps preserve<br />
cultural identity and promotes respect for diversity,<br />
both <strong>of</strong> which are threatened by globalisation.<br />
The philosophy behind these activities comprises<br />
three goals: (a) the study <strong>of</strong> ancient drama as text<br />
and discussion <strong>of</strong> stage approaches to ancient drama<br />
in the context <strong>of</strong> contemporary reality; (b) the stage<br />
performance <strong>of</strong> ancient drama, and (c) ancient drama<br />
as a vehicle for theatre education.<br />
The first <strong>of</strong> these goals has been achieved by the International<br />
Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama,<br />
which was first established in 1990, but symposia<br />
are restricted to a limited number <strong>of</strong> people – one<br />
must be equipped with special qualifications to attend<br />
them. Dramatic texts, however, valuable though<br />
they may be as literature, cannot fulfil their purpose<br />
completely unless they reach the wider public. And<br />
this can be achieved only if they are translated during<br />
stage performances. Therefore, the need to make<br />
ancient drama accessible to the wider public was<br />
fulfilled with the establishment <strong>of</strong> the International<br />
Festival <strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek Drama.<br />
Our goal is to continuously upgrade the Festival<br />
to bring our audiences performances <strong>of</strong> the highest<br />
quality.<br />
40
The Cyprus Medical Museum<br />
A dentist in the old days<br />
Reconstruction <strong>of</strong> child birth<br />
25 years <strong>of</strong> Planning and the First Donations<br />
When the Committee <strong>of</strong> the Limassol Medical Association<br />
announced its decision to create a medical<br />
museum 25 years ago, not many people took<br />
it seriously. It was well known that such a project<br />
required a significant effort, and it was believed<br />
few doctors were very enthusiastic about historical<br />
medicine and old fashioned equipment.<br />
So we were surprised to receive our first valuable<br />
donations from doctors and their families in<br />
Nicosia. These donations were soon followed by<br />
donations from the families <strong>of</strong> well known physicians<br />
in Limassol, some <strong>of</strong> whom had preserved<br />
heavy and complicated equipment left behind by<br />
the deceased. Soon thereafter, we received obsolete<br />
equipment and instruments from practicing physicians,<br />
which they donated to our museum, rather<br />
than disposing <strong>of</strong> it. We were ultimately able to accumulate<br />
an enormous collection <strong>of</strong> valuable medical<br />
artefacts.<br />
A Difficult Road<br />
The construction <strong>of</strong> the museum was approved in<br />
2001, and it was <strong>of</strong>ficially registered in 2003. The<br />
road to the success <strong>of</strong> the museum was a difficult<br />
one, however, and there were many obstacles. It<br />
was difficult to find storage space, and efforts to<br />
convince both state and municipal authorities to<br />
provide us with an appropriate location to establish<br />
the museum failed. A notable example is the famous<br />
abandoned Trit<strong>of</strong>tidis Clinic at the centre <strong>of</strong><br />
Limassol, which was eventually demolished, while<br />
other buildings were used by the Limassol municipality<br />
for the establishment <strong>of</strong> other museums.<br />
In the midst <strong>of</strong> our frustration and disappointment,<br />
the mayor <strong>of</strong> Kato Polemidia, George Georghiou,<br />
informed us his council was willing to <strong>of</strong>fer us a<br />
unique old building in the historical sector <strong>of</strong> Polemidia<br />
which was slated for renovation under<br />
the supervision <strong>of</strong> the Department <strong>of</strong> Antiquities.<br />
We were delighted by and thankful for Mayor<br />
41
Georghiou’s generosity, and we were quite pleased<br />
that the age <strong>of</strong> the building was in harmony with<br />
most <strong>of</strong> our exhibits.<br />
Important decisions by the Committee<br />
The Museum Committee immediately made a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> decisions. First, the exhibits were going<br />
to be grouped in eight entities <strong>of</strong> related specialties.<br />
With the use <strong>of</strong> lighted platforms and life-sized<br />
models, we would bring the operating, delivery<br />
and examining rooms <strong>of</strong> the previous century to<br />
life. Well known architect and set designer George<br />
Papadopoulos undertook this project.<br />
Another important decision was the creation<br />
<strong>of</strong> an electronic infrastructure, a database and<br />
a website. We decided to install touch screens<br />
throughout the museum, so that visitors could<br />
access information about each exhibit, including<br />
the period, the location where the items in the<br />
exhibit were used, how the items were used and<br />
who donated them to the collection. This project<br />
was undertaken by surgeon Marios Karaiskakis,<br />
whose hobbies include electronic structuring<br />
and Web design.<br />
Finally, the selection, transfer and description<br />
<strong>of</strong> the museum’s exhibits was overseen by Chris<br />
Messis, who was assisted by Michalis Korais. The<br />
translation <strong>of</strong> all museum information into English<br />
will soon be available on the website.<br />
The Museum’s Contents<br />
The Cyprus Medical Museum today houses 160<br />
exhibits donated by 32 doctors and their families.<br />
The exhibits are grouped in eight units, all <strong>of</strong> them<br />
supported by touch screens.<br />
Some <strong>of</strong> the special items on exhibit in the<br />
museum include medical equipment used<br />
for the first time in Cyprus. This includes an<br />
electrocardiograph belonging to the late Mikis<br />
Constantinides from Nicosia (1940) and the<br />
first haemodialysis machine that was used privately<br />
by Greek and Turkish Cypriot patients<br />
in Limassol around 1970. Other impressive exhibits<br />
feature the delivery and care <strong>of</strong> a baby in<br />
1930, surgery with general anaesthesia in 1950,<br />
ENT surgery in 1950 and orthopaedic surgery<br />
in 1960.<br />
The museum also features an impressive exhibit<br />
devoted to the outpatient performance <strong>of</strong> radiological<br />
procedures in the 1940s, including all<br />
the necessary protection used by the physician<br />
and the patient and film development equipment.<br />
Another interesting section <strong>of</strong> the museum<br />
comprises neurological equipment used on<br />
the island in the 1960s for electroencephalography<br />
(EEG), Electromyography (EMG) and<br />
electroconvulsive (ECT) treatment. Antiquated<br />
dentistry equipment, from the 1950s, is accompanied<br />
by a caricature by dentist and artist Stathis<br />
Economides.<br />
Former Health Minister Stavros Malas inaugurates the<br />
Cyprus Medical Museum<br />
Head <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Medical Association, Dr Andreas<br />
Demetriou<br />
42
Mr Kyriakos Yiannopoulos Secretary <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Medical<br />
Museum<br />
Dr Christodoulos Messis the museum’s Vice President, shows<br />
Stavros Malas the exhibits<br />
Database, Touch Screens and Website<br />
A wealth <strong>of</strong> information is available on the museum’s<br />
website, www.cyprus-medical-musem.<br />
org, including photographs from medical meetings<br />
from all over Cyprus going back 60 years and videos<br />
from congresses and other events going back<br />
40 years. Photos <strong>of</strong> our donors with their exhibits<br />
and photos from a number <strong>of</strong> functions held prior<br />
to the completion <strong>of</strong> the museum are also available<br />
on our website.<br />
Library<br />
Our collection <strong>of</strong> books and other writings on Cypriot<br />
medicine are meticulously preserved in the<br />
museum’s small library, although protocols and<br />
other historic documents are on exhibit at the entrance<br />
to the museum.<br />
Botanical Garden with Medicinal Plants<br />
A small botanical garden in the museum yard is<br />
home to medicinal plants used in Cyprus for therapeutic<br />
purposes. The garden was created with love<br />
by Dr John Ioannides.<br />
Antiquities<br />
Unfortunately, our initial desire to include ancient<br />
medical equipment found at various excavations in<br />
Cyprus, or identical copies, has gone unfulfilled, as<br />
our request was denied by the Department <strong>of</strong> Antiquities.<br />
We hope this decision will change in the<br />
near future, so our visitors will have the opportunity<br />
to compare 19 th and 20 th century medicine to<br />
that practiced millennia ago.<br />
Cost and Further Needs<br />
Thanks to volunteer work undertaken by members<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Cypriot medical community, we were able to<br />
establish the museum for approximately €100.000.<br />
We received generous contributions from physicians,<br />
pharmaceutical companies and other<br />
sources. We are expecting financial support from<br />
the state and elsewhere, so that we can expand and<br />
enrich our educational programs.<br />
Visitors<br />
We are welcoming pr<strong>of</strong>essionals and students<br />
from the medical and paramedical sector, as<br />
well as primary and secondary school students.<br />
We also hope to welcome people from all over<br />
Cyprus to visit a unique museum where they<br />
can learn about the history <strong>of</strong> Cypriot medicine<br />
and the progress <strong>of</strong> medical technology, where<br />
they can compare the practice <strong>of</strong> medicine in<br />
the 19 th and 20 th centuries to the medicine <strong>of</strong><br />
the 21 st .<br />
Dr Marios Philippou MD<br />
(President <strong>of</strong> the Museum Committee)<br />
and Dr Chris Messis MD<br />
(Vice President and Curator <strong>of</strong> the Museum)<br />
43
Pafos Aphrodite Festival <strong>2012</strong><br />
The 14 th Pafos Aphrodite Festival raised its curtain<br />
this year on the Slovak National Theatre’s<br />
performance <strong>of</strong> Verdi’s Otello. The Festival was<br />
held on 7, 8 and 9 <strong>September</strong> at the Medieval Castle<br />
<strong>of</strong> Pafos, in Pafos Harbour. The performance<br />
was supertitled in Greek and English.<br />
The Plot<br />
An adaptation <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> William Shakespeare’s<br />
four great tragedies, Otello is set at the Castle <strong>of</strong><br />
Famagusta in the 15 th century, where Othello, governor<br />
<strong>of</strong> Cyprus, returns victorious from the war<br />
unaware that two <strong>of</strong> his men, Iago and Rodrigo,<br />
are plotting to destroy him. Iago, wishing to satisfy<br />
his own ambitions, defames Otello’s wife, Desdemona,<br />
convincing Otello that she was unfaithful to<br />
him with his Captain, Cassio. Blinded by jealousy,<br />
Otello kills Desdemona, but he soon finds out the<br />
truth <strong>of</strong> Iago’s treachery. Unable to bear the burden<br />
<strong>of</strong> her murder, he stabs himself and dies.<br />
Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council<br />
<strong>of</strong> the European Union<br />
Due to the symbolic connection <strong>of</strong> this opera with<br />
the occupied city <strong>of</strong> Famagusta, coupled with continued<br />
international acknowledgment <strong>of</strong> the Pafos<br />
Aphrodite Festival, this year’s Festival was held<br />
under the auspices <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Council <strong>of</strong> the European Union, which enhanced<br />
the prestige <strong>of</strong> the Festival and brought it extra recognition.<br />
Pafos Aphrodite Festival Cyprus –<br />
A Historical Overview<br />
The Company Pafos Aphrodite Festival Cyprus<br />
was founded in 1998 by the Municipality <strong>of</strong> Pafos,<br />
the Municipality <strong>of</strong> Geroskipou, the Municipality<br />
<strong>of</strong> Pegeia, the Pafos Chamber <strong>of</strong> Commerce and<br />
Industry and the Cyprus Hoteliers Association (Pafos<br />
District Committee). These five organisations<br />
formed the Company to promote Pafos as an international<br />
centre for high pr<strong>of</strong>ile cultural events and<br />
to contribute to the international promotion and<br />
advancement <strong>of</strong> Cyprus in the cultural and tourist<br />
sectors. The Company is a non-pr<strong>of</strong>it organisation<br />
that organises and manages the Pafos Aphrodite<br />
Festival and other cultural events in Pafos District.<br />
A Success, Despite Being Deemed Unfeasible<br />
Prior to 1998 it was considered unfeasible for Cyprus<br />
to host a world renowned opera festival. Today,<br />
thanks to the hard work <strong>of</strong> people with vision<br />
and a passion for cultural development, as well as<br />
the decisive support <strong>of</strong> the state and the public and<br />
private sectors, the Pafos Aphrodite Festival has<br />
emerged as an institution <strong>of</strong> international scope,<br />
44
one that occupies a significant place on the European<br />
cultural map. Even more important is the<br />
confidence the Cypriot public has in the Festival,<br />
combined with the number <strong>of</strong> foreign visitors who<br />
return year after year to attend the performances.<br />
After 14 years <strong>of</strong> contributing to the cultural development<br />
<strong>of</strong> Cyprus, the Festival has helped to increase<br />
awareness <strong>of</strong> the arts and has contributed to<br />
shaping Cyprus into a vibrant melting pot <strong>of</strong> people<br />
and cultures. This goal was achieved after painstaking<br />
efforts to promote the Festival abroad as a<br />
tourist destination via tourism trade fairs; partnerships<br />
with overseas tour operators; advertisements<br />
in the international press and on radio and TV stations;<br />
press conferences; direct invitations to government<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficials in various countries, and contacts<br />
with global opera companies, as well as outreach<br />
to embassies and institutions in Cyprus and abroad.<br />
Up until three years ago, the number <strong>of</strong> foreigners<br />
attending the Festival outnumbered Cypriot attendees<br />
60 to 40. The increased participation <strong>of</strong> Cypriot<br />
soloists in the productions, and the publication <strong>of</strong><br />
programmes and the implementation <strong>of</strong> supertitles<br />
in Greek and English, has helped draw more Cypriots<br />
to the Festival.<br />
The Pafos Aphrodite Festival is already in search<br />
<strong>of</strong> the next producer and in consultation with various<br />
agencies, as proper planning is essential to cooperation<br />
with world renowned opera companies.<br />
Fortunately for the Festival, many famous directors<br />
<strong>of</strong> large production houses have been inspired by<br />
the breathtaking setting <strong>of</strong> the Medieval Castle <strong>of</strong><br />
Pafos. Although every year the Festival encounters<br />
a number <strong>of</strong> difficulties arising from staging a large<br />
production in the open area <strong>of</strong> the square, it is a<br />
unique performance space, one that draws opera<br />
companies from all over Europe.<br />
The organisation <strong>of</strong> the Festival is a flurry <strong>of</strong> yearround<br />
activity, including design (cultural policy,<br />
strategy, structure and function); enrichment <strong>of</strong><br />
the product; sourcing and managing sponsorships;<br />
marketing and public relations, and the overall organisation<br />
<strong>of</strong> all activities related to the Festival.<br />
The Pafos Aphrodite Festival Company evaluates<br />
statistical data, delivers measurable results and<br />
assesses the company and its operations once the<br />
Festival has concluded – the Company undertakes<br />
analysis and prediction, including market research<br />
and evaluation, in tandem with product development<br />
and design.<br />
An underlying objective <strong>of</strong> the Pafos Aphrodite<br />
Festival Cyprus is to increase cultural awareness<br />
in Cyprus, thus the Company directly associates its<br />
activities with education and training and plans to<br />
Act 1 <strong>of</strong> the performance at Pafos Castle<br />
45
Act 4 <strong>of</strong> the performance at Pafos Castle (past <strong>September</strong>)<br />
fold workshops, seminars, school lectures, master<br />
classes and music competitions into its programme<br />
going forward. The Company is also looking to<br />
stage co-productions, both in Cyprus and abroad,<br />
with renowned lyrical organisations.<br />
Funding<br />
The Company is largely and mainly supported by<br />
state sponsorship, by private sponsors and by ticket<br />
sales. Unfortunately, private sponsorships are an<br />
inconsistent source <strong>of</strong> funding, as private companies<br />
are always subject to national and international<br />
economic conditions.<br />
The path the Festival has taken has resulted in<br />
its significant presence on the contemporary arts<br />
scene. Its success speaks for the continued growth<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Festival and its contribution to contemporary<br />
artistic creation. Developments in the international<br />
arena, as well as modern approaches to cultural<br />
events, require the Pafos Aphrodite Festival Company<br />
to continually adjust its trajectory and develop<br />
new structures. It is crucial for the Company to<br />
remain true to its vision and strategic goals.<br />
Synopsis <strong>of</strong> the Opera<br />
Act One<br />
The people <strong>of</strong> Cyprus anxiously watch as a storm<br />
rages on the sea and the ship carrying Otello, the<br />
hero <strong>of</strong> the military expedition against the Turks,<br />
desperately tries to make it into port. The storm settles,<br />
the ship anchors safely and cheering Cypriots<br />
welcome the hero (Otello’s triumphant ‘Esultate!’).<br />
Only Ιago, the ensign, does not cheer. Since Otello<br />
promoted Cassio to captain over Iago, Iago hates<br />
Otello and plots revenge. Iago encourages Cassio<br />
to court Otello’s wife, Desdemona, and urges him<br />
to drink (Iago’s ‘brindisi Qua, ragazzi, del vino!’).<br />
Cassio gets drunk and engages in a quarrel with<br />
the former Cypriot governor, Montano. Otello arrives<br />
and recalls Cassio’s recent promotion. Night<br />
descends, and Otello and Desdemona recall their<br />
courtship under the starry sky.<br />
Act Two<br />
Iago suggests that Cassio ask Desdemona to talk<br />
to her husband about his demotion, in the hope<br />
46
y defending Cassio. Iago tricks Cassio into<br />
speaking with him while Otello, hidden nearby,<br />
listens, and Iago manipulates the conversation<br />
in a way that convinces Otello <strong>of</strong> Desdemona’s<br />
guilt. Otello has no doubts about Desdemona’s<br />
guilt once he sees Cassio with Desdemona’s<br />
handkerchief – he doesn’t know Iago tossed<br />
it through a window into the room prior to his<br />
meeting with Cassio.<br />
Otello is in deep despair. An envoy arrives<br />
from Venice. The Doge has summoned Otello<br />
to Venice and appointed Cassio as general.<br />
Otello is enraged. He insults Desdemona in<br />
front <strong>of</strong> the assembled court and collapses to<br />
the ground. Everyone leaves the room. Iago<br />
puts his heel to Otello’s forehead in triumph.<br />
Τhe performance at Pafos Castle showing Otello and Desdemona<br />
that Cassio’s conversation with Desdemona will<br />
make Otello jealous. Iago’s desire to destroy<br />
Otello is devilish; his creed is the essence <strong>of</strong><br />
malice and nihilism. With cunning intrigue, he<br />
succeeds in convincing Otello that Desdemona<br />
and Cassio have become lovers.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> Iago’s tricks is to obtain Desdemona’s<br />
handkerchief, which had been a gift to Desdemona<br />
from Otello – Iago acquires the handkerchief<br />
with the help <strong>of</strong> his wife, Emilia, Desdemona’s<br />
attendant, who is unaware <strong>of</strong> her husband’s<br />
plan. Otello’s jealousy is inflamed, and<br />
Desdemona’s pleas on Cassio’s behalf only enrage<br />
him. To fan the flames, Iago insinuates that<br />
he once heard Cassio speak lovingly <strong>of</strong> Desdemona<br />
in his sleep. He then produces the handkerchief,<br />
which he alleges Desdemona gave to<br />
Cassio. Otello becomes desperate and swears he<br />
will have vengeance.<br />
Act Four<br />
In her chamber, Desdemona is tormented by<br />
her husband’s behaviour and reminisces about<br />
life in her native town. She prays and falls<br />
asleep. Otello enters, wakes her and accuses<br />
her <strong>of</strong> infidelity. He strangles her. Alarmed by<br />
the noise, Emilia runs into the room and announces<br />
that Cassio has killed Rodrigo. She<br />
reveals Iago’s intrigues and, together with<br />
Cassio, explains how Iago obtained Desdemona’s<br />
handkerchief. Iago escapes. Otello stabs<br />
himself and drags himself to Desdemona’s<br />
body, dying after a final kiss.<br />
Act Three<br />
Otello accuses Desdemona <strong>of</strong> infidelity. She<br />
unwittingly enrages her husband even more<br />
Performance <strong>of</strong> Otello at the Slovak National Theatre<br />
47
Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis Programme<br />
4 <strong>July</strong> – 30 December <strong>2012</strong><br />
Τerra Mediterranea–In Crisis is a contemporary<br />
art program organised by the Nicosia<br />
Municipal Arts Centre and the Pierides Foundation<br />
under the auspices <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Presidency<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Council <strong>of</strong> the EU. Aside from the Terra<br />
Mediterranea–In Crisis contemporary art exhibition,<br />
curated by Yiannis Toumazis at the Nicosia<br />
Municipal Arts Centre [Old Power House], the<br />
project includes a second contemporary art exhibition,<br />
[at Maroudia’s], curated by the Re Aphrodite<br />
team at the Ethnological Museum–House <strong>of</strong><br />
Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios. An educational and<br />
academic programme accompanies the two exhibitions.<br />
The project also includes a special edition<br />
<strong>of</strong> the journal The Cyprus Dossier, a monthly series<br />
<strong>of</strong> social and food events and interventions in<br />
public spaces.<br />
Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis<br />
Curator: Yiannis Toumazis at the Nicosia Municipal<br />
Arts Centre [Old Power House]<br />
Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis, at the Nicosia Municipal<br />
Arts Centre, attempts to detect, investigate and<br />
present contemporary artists’ reflections on today’s<br />
universal economic, political, religious and social<br />
scenes, in tandem with a deep existential crisis.<br />
The Mediterranean is both an enclosed sea and,<br />
in essence, a political space. It has operated as a<br />
conduit for “transferring energy” from the Orient<br />
to the Occident and from the Occident to the<br />
Orient since ancient times. This transfer has included<br />
peoples, innovative ideas and ideologies,<br />
in times <strong>of</strong> war and peace. Our current global<br />
economic crisis is recognised as having a universal<br />
effect on socio-political, economic, ethnic<br />
48
and cultural structures worldwide. In addition,<br />
and to a very significant degree, the contemporary<br />
post-colonial realities <strong>of</strong> the Eastern Mediterranean,<br />
an area with a long colonial past and a<br />
charged political fate, contribute to the evolution<br />
<strong>of</strong> East-West relations.<br />
A dynamic group <strong>of</strong> 41 artists from Cyprus, the<br />
surrounding area and beyond (Bulgaria, Egypt,<br />
Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey<br />
and the United States) will scrutinise our current<br />
global turbulence through “Mediterranean”<br />
eyes from promontories both political and poetic.<br />
Within the framework <strong>of</strong> the exhibition, some <strong>of</strong><br />
the participating artists will collaborate with the<br />
Research and Restoration Centre <strong>of</strong> the Museums<br />
<strong>of</strong> France housed at the Louvre Palace. They will<br />
produce new works inspired by their research at<br />
the Louvre.<br />
[At Maroudia’s] Exhibition<br />
Curators: Group Re Aphrodite (Evi Tselika &<br />
Chrystalleni Loizidou) at The Ethnological Museum<br />
- House <strong>of</strong> Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios<br />
Another part <strong>of</strong> the Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis<br />
programme is the collaboration <strong>of</strong> the Nicosia<br />
Municipal Arts Centre, the Pierides Foundation<br />
and the Department <strong>of</strong> Antiquities <strong>of</strong> Cyprus with<br />
Group Re Aphrodite, a curatorial and research<br />
group devoted to exploring <strong>of</strong> art and difference.<br />
Re Aphrodite will curate an exhibition for the<br />
Ethnological Museum–House <strong>of</strong> Hadjigeorgakis<br />
Kornesios entitled [at Maroudia’s] with 27 artists<br />
participating.<br />
The exhibition and an affiliated series <strong>of</strong> events<br />
comprise existing and new contemporary art<br />
works, as well as research. The exhibition presents<br />
the unwritten histories <strong>of</strong> Cypriot women. It makes<br />
use <strong>of</strong> the layered history <strong>of</strong> the house to challenge<br />
old myths and narratives and develop new<br />
ones, while reflecting on a number <strong>of</strong> real and perceived<br />
crises. The exhibition touches upon social,<br />
educational and ethical concerns around sexuality,<br />
gender issues and conflicts. The works <strong>of</strong> art are<br />
concerned with the effects <strong>of</strong> tourism on tradition,<br />
heritage and nationhood; the body (its portrayal,<br />
beauty, mortality and sexuality); the trivial and the<br />
kitschy, as well as more general issues <strong>of</strong> difference.<br />
A number <strong>of</strong> performances and critical workshops<br />
will be held within the museum space.<br />
49
Educational and Academic Events<br />
Developed by the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre<br />
and Re Aphrodite<br />
The two exhibitions will be accompanied and united<br />
by an educational program. This programme<br />
features workshops and academic roundtables for<br />
students, pr<strong>of</strong>essionals and the wider public.<br />
The Cyprus Dossier (Publication Project)<br />
Aside from the exhibition catalogue, a special issue<br />
<strong>of</strong> the critical magazine The Cyprus Dossier will be<br />
published. The theme is crisis, and it will include<br />
texts by eminent academics and researchers from<br />
Cyprus and abroad.<br />
Editors Peter Eramian, Entafianos A. Entafianos<br />
and Marios Menelaou issued an open call for cooperation:<br />
Crisis has come to define the post 9/11 era. It has<br />
become so central to our thinking and language<br />
that we hear it uttered in the media almost every<br />
day. But what does it mean? From politics and<br />
the economy to identity and consciousness, crisis<br />
has become an everyday existential historical<br />
reality we take for granted. There is an urgency<br />
to understand crisis more critically. When is it<br />
used to oppress, when is it a device for legitimisation,<br />
and when can it provoke resistance?<br />
Social Ride<br />
242 art group<br />
Old Powerhouse Restaurant<br />
Second Tuesday <strong>of</strong> every month<br />
Another unique dimension to the Terra Mediterranea–In<br />
Crisis project has been contributed by 242 art<br />
group and will take place in The Old Power House<br />
restaurant <strong>of</strong> the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre under<br />
the general title Social Ride. Costas Mantzalos<br />
and Constantinos Kounnis, together with the curator<br />
<strong>of</strong> the exhibition and a group <strong>of</strong> individuals from the<br />
arts and design industry, will convert the restaurant to<br />
welcome and accommodate 24 people from marginalized<br />
social groups, including financial immigrants,<br />
prisoners and people with addictions. The selection <strong>of</strong><br />
the guests will be decided after consultation with Ms<br />
Andrea Athanasiou <strong>of</strong> the Social Work Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Frederick University and through various state<br />
and non-governmental bodies such as KISA, the Red<br />
Cross, the Welfare Office and others. The process will<br />
initially involve a guided tour to the Nicosia Municipal<br />
Arts Centre and will conclude with a dinner, which<br />
will be designed and prepared especially by the 242<br />
art group and their Social Ride collaborators. Each<br />
month the entire event will be different.<br />
Something Feasible<br />
Phanos Kyriacou<br />
Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre (19, PaliasIlekrikis<br />
Street)<br />
Corner <strong>of</strong> Stasinou Avenue & Aigeos Street<br />
(opposite Caraffa Bastione, Famagusta Gate)<br />
Old GSP Stadium (Corner <strong>of</strong> Evagorou & Gregori<br />
Afxentiou Avenue)<br />
Three “urban” installations at public spaces in Nicosia.<br />
As the artist says, his aim is to create “places<br />
<strong>of</strong> socio-political commentary and reaction in our<br />
space and time proposing a historically and aesthetically<br />
detached landmark, a landmark capable<br />
<strong>of</strong> operating as a core <strong>of</strong> probability, encounter and<br />
communication.”<br />
Participating Artists<br />
Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre<br />
Klitsa Antoniou<br />
Katerina Attalidou<br />
Banu Cennetoğlu<br />
Savvas Christodoulides<br />
Kyriaki Costa<br />
Joseph Dadoune<br />
Tom Dale<br />
Peter Eramian<br />
Sumer Erek<br />
Theodoulos Gregoriou<br />
Elizabeth Hoak-Doering<br />
50
Mustafa Hulusi<br />
Pravdo Ivanov<br />
Lamia Joreige<br />
Constantinos Kalisperas<br />
Stelios Kallinikou<br />
Stefanos Karambabas<br />
Gülsün Karamustafa<br />
Susan Kleinberg<br />
Servet Kocyigit<br />
Glavkos Koumides<br />
Νikos Kouroussis<br />
Phanos Kyriacou<br />
Yannis Kyriakides<br />
Michel Lasserre<br />
Υοussef Limoud<br />
Maria Loizidou<br />
Martin Meason<br />
Panayiotis Michael<br />
Panagiotis Mina<br />
Demetris Neocleous<br />
Erkan Özgen<br />
Vicky Pericleous<br />
Yorgos Sapountzis<br />
Andreas Savva<br />
Efi Savvides<br />
Socratis Socratous<br />
Constantinos Taliotis<br />
Paola Yacoub<br />
Akram Zaatari<br />
242 art group<br />
The Ethnological Museum<br />
House <strong>of</strong> Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios<br />
Αntonis Antoniou<br />
Christos Avraam<br />
Yiannis Christ<strong>of</strong>ides<br />
Daphne Christ<strong>of</strong>orou<br />
Melita Couta<br />
Özge Ertanin<br />
Alkis Hadjiandreou<br />
Christos Hadjichristos<br />
Mayia Hadjigeorgiou<br />
Yioula Hadjigeorgiou<br />
Sophia Hadjipapa-Gee<br />
Katerina Iacovides<br />
Alana Kakoyiannis<br />
Orestis Lambrou<br />
Lia Lapithi<br />
Latiterranean<br />
Pembe Mentesh<br />
Maria Papacharalambous<br />
Despo Pasia<br />
Haris Pellapaisiotis<br />
Νikos Philippou<br />
Mary Plant<br />
Rozy Sarkis<br />
Vasso Sergiou<br />
Elena Stylianou<br />
Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert<br />
Natalie Yiaxi<br />
Social Ride<br />
10 <strong>July</strong> <strong>2012</strong>: Maria Anaxagora and Christophoros<br />
Charalambous<br />
11 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong>: Maroula Antoniadou and Erotokritos<br />
Antoniades<br />
10 October <strong>2012</strong>: Elma Panayidou and Elena Parouti<br />
13 <strong>No</strong>vember <strong>2012</strong>: Marika Ioannou and Andreas<br />
Coutas<br />
11 December <strong>2012</strong>: Melina Shukuroglu<br />
18 December <strong>2012</strong>: Myrna Pattichi<br />
51
Painting and Photography Exhibition<br />
by Cypriot Armenian Artists<br />
Τhe European Presidency has inevitably drawn<br />
much attention to the Republic <strong>of</strong> Cyprus,<br />
and the Armenian Community took this wonderful<br />
opportunity to display a small fragment <strong>of</strong> the<br />
multicultural mosaic <strong>of</strong> what we describe as the<br />
civilisation <strong>of</strong> Cyprus. This civilisation comprises<br />
various ethnic and religious groups, all <strong>of</strong> which<br />
serve our homeland in their own way. Thus the<br />
Armenian Representative, Vartkes Mahdessian,<br />
organised a unique exhibition within the framework<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council <strong>of</strong><br />
the European Union featuring work by nine Armenian<br />
painters and six Armenian photographers.<br />
On 16 <strong>July</strong>, the President <strong>of</strong> the Republic <strong>of</strong> Cyprus,<br />
Mr Demetris Christ<strong>of</strong>ias, inaugurated the exhibition<br />
– the event was attended by ambassadors,<br />
consuls, representatives <strong>of</strong> political parties and<br />
permanent secretaries <strong>of</strong> ministries. The exhibition<br />
was housed in the superb Casteliotissa Hall<br />
and remained open until 31 <strong>July</strong>. The photographs<br />
on display took visitors on a trip through time to<br />
the idyllic Cyprus <strong>of</strong> the mid-20 th century, while<br />
the paintings provided a glimpse <strong>of</strong> the richness<br />
<strong>of</strong> Armenian culture and heritage. The entire twoweek<br />
exhibition was a tremendous success.<br />
Artist Biographies<br />
Garbis Bezdikian was born in Cairo in 1923. After<br />
graduating from the Melkonian Educational Institute,<br />
he worked as a graphic designer, a cartographer<br />
and a comic artist, but his chief occupation was as a<br />
music producer for Turkish radio programmes at the<br />
CyBC. He was a member <strong>of</strong> the Chamber <strong>of</strong> Fine<br />
Arts, as well as a member <strong>of</strong> the Artists’ International<br />
Association and an honorary President <strong>of</strong> the Selftaught<br />
Artists <strong>of</strong> Cyprus. The subjects <strong>of</strong> his paintings<br />
were always life and people. He passed away in<br />
2009, leaving behind works full <strong>of</strong> life.<br />
Sossee Eskidjian Nikolaides was born in Nicosia<br />
in 1969 and received her BA in Fine Arts from<br />
Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She<br />
has been working as a set and costume designer<br />
and an art director, having directed a number <strong>of</strong><br />
President Christ<strong>of</strong>ias poses with some <strong>of</strong> the participating artists<br />
52
Painting and Photography Exhibition by Cypriot Armenian Artists - at the superb Castelliotissa Hall<br />
TV commercials and launching events in Cyprus<br />
and abroad. Her art is influenced by her long experience<br />
in costume and stage design, and the materials<br />
she chooses include threads, fabrics, pins,<br />
wires and various metals, components which no<br />
longer have a utilitarian value but which have accrued<br />
emotional substance and artistic importance.<br />
She had her first solo art show in 2009.<br />
Tatiana Ferahian was born in Lebanon in 1970<br />
and fled to Limassol during the Lebanese Civil<br />
War. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from Empire<br />
State College and an MA in Liberal Studies from<br />
the University <strong>of</strong> Denver. A well-known cartoonist,<br />
her work explores local standards and the<br />
boundaries imposed by our current cultural, religious<br />
and political milieu, with the intent <strong>of</strong> raising<br />
awareness and interest. Tatiana has exhibited<br />
locally and has represented Cyprus in numerous<br />
exhibitions and Biennales in Europe, Egypt, Turkey,<br />
Korea, China and the USA. She is currently<br />
an art teacher at Nareg Armenian Schools.<br />
John Guevherian was born in Ethiopia in 1948.<br />
After graduating from the Melkonian Educational<br />
Institute, he received his BA in Architecture from<br />
the American University <strong>of</strong> Beirut. An architect by<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession, he has distinguished himself by participating<br />
in Pancyprian competitions and winning<br />
several first prizes – he also designed the Armenian<br />
Genocide monument in Nicosia. Guevherian’s<br />
nostalgia for his homeland is apparent in his<br />
paintings <strong>of</strong> ancient Armenian churches, while the<br />
Cyprus landscape and Greek mythology also inspire<br />
him. He maintains a steady presence in the<br />
art world, which includes 11 solo exhibitions and<br />
more than 30 group exhibitions. He is actively involved<br />
in the Armenian community.<br />
Sevan Malikyan, <strong>of</strong> Armenian-Cypriot parentage,<br />
was born in London in 1972. He received his BA<br />
Hons in Fine Arts from the Bath School <strong>of</strong> Art and<br />
Design and is considered one <strong>of</strong> the outstanding<br />
young artists <strong>of</strong> London, where he has exhibited<br />
work at various venues. His extensive portfolio<br />
demonstrates a dramatic and inventive technique<br />
which documents sensation through the use <strong>of</strong><br />
colour. His work, which is rife with social and personal<br />
drama, can be found in private collections in<br />
53
President Demetris Christ<strong>of</strong>ias inaugurates the exhibition<br />
Cyprus, England, Barcelona and Tunisia.<br />
Aznive Papazian was born in Larnaca in 1956.<br />
She graduated from the Melkonian Educational<br />
Institute, where she also taught. Papazian studied<br />
painting, drawing, engraving and mosaic art,<br />
as well as wood and small-scale clay sculpture.<br />
She also worked with the painter Raphael Atoyan<br />
in Armenia for two consecutive summers. Papazian’s<br />
art exists within the sphere <strong>of</strong> figurative<br />
and abstract expressionism – the two-way interplay<br />
between man and the world is the inspiration<br />
for Papazian’s work and its main axis. Her interests<br />
are portraits, landscapes, still life, compositions<br />
featuring the human figure and life drawing.<br />
Papazian has had solo exhibitions in Armenia and<br />
in Nicosia and has also taken part in a number <strong>of</strong><br />
group exhibitions in Cyprus.<br />
Nanor Tashdjian was born in Nicosia in 1974.<br />
She holds a BA in Graphic Arts from Frederick<br />
University in Nicosia and an MA in Fine Arts<br />
from the University <strong>of</strong> Wales in Cardiff. She loves<br />
experimenting with different arts and crafts by<br />
combining different colours, media and materials<br />
in her paintings – she also works with glass fusing<br />
and framework. The ocean is a prevalent theme in<br />
her work. Tashdjian is an accomplished artist who<br />
has presented her work in many solo and group<br />
exhibitions in Cyprus, the UK, Sydney and Bangkok.<br />
She lives and works in Cardiff, Wales.<br />
Vartan Tashdjian was born in Lebanon in 1941.<br />
Visitors had the opportunity to enjoy artwork by Armenian<br />
painters and photographers<br />
After graduating from the Melkonian Educational<br />
Institute and the American University <strong>of</strong> Beirut, he<br />
settled in Nicosia. Today Tashdjian is one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
most important contemporary artists in Cyprus.<br />
His paintings are a celebration <strong>of</strong> the beauty <strong>of</strong> nature<br />
and life – the diverse landscapes <strong>of</strong> Cyprus are<br />
one <strong>of</strong> his primary inspirations. An internationally<br />
renowned artist, he has had 47 solo exhibitions in<br />
Cyprus and abroad, as well as group exhibitions<br />
in various cities. His work can be found in public<br />
and private collections all over the world and at his<br />
gallery in Nicosia. Tashdjian is actively involved<br />
in the Armenian community.<br />
Hourig Torossian was born in Nicosia in 1967.<br />
She holds an Honours BA from the Wimbledon<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Art and an MA in Fine Arts from the<br />
Royal College <strong>of</strong> Art. Since graduating in 1994,<br />
she has been an active artist, exhibiting in Cyprus,<br />
Greece and the UK. In 2005 she represented Cyprus<br />
in Austria in an exhibition highlighting artists<br />
from the ten countries that joined the EU in 2004.<br />
Torossian’s large-scale colour paintings on canvas<br />
are essentially transformed from monochromatic<br />
imagery. The raw materials for her figurative work<br />
come from old family photographs or from decorative<br />
iron window guards. Hourig is currently an<br />
Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor in the Applied Arts Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Frederick University in Nicosia.<br />
Georges Karnig Der Parthogh was a veteran<br />
journalist, an international news photographer and<br />
54
an active member <strong>of</strong> the Armenian community.<br />
Born in Ethiopia in 1923, Georges came to Cyprus<br />
with his family in 1935, where he attended the<br />
English School and served with the Air <strong>Ministry</strong>.<br />
He then joined the Times <strong>of</strong> Cyprus (1955-1959)<br />
and later worked as a correspondent for Reuters<br />
(1959-1963) and UPI (1963-1979), covering wars<br />
and civil commotion in Cyprus, Malta, the Middle<br />
East, Iran and East Africa. In 1979 he co-founded<br />
the Cyprus Weekly, and beginning in 1989 he<br />
served as a correspondent for Azg newspaper in<br />
Yerevan and for the Armenian Mirror-Spectator<br />
in Boston. Georges actively supported photography<br />
– he encouraged young photographers and received<br />
several awards as a member <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus<br />
Photographic Society. He passed away in 2008.<br />
Veronica Mahdessian was born in Nicosia in 1968.<br />
She holds an MA in Photography from the London<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Printing and Distributive Trades. She<br />
has had one solo exhibition in Beirut, in 1997, and<br />
she has participated in numerous group exhibitions<br />
in Cyprus and London. Amongst her awards is the<br />
third prize for photojournalism at the 25th Dunhill<br />
Pancyprian Photographic exhibition, which was<br />
organised by the Cyprus Photographic Society in<br />
1995. Veronica lives and works in Thessalonica,<br />
Greece, where she and her husband own and operate<br />
Kalfayan Galleries, a well-known familyowned<br />
gallery that organises art exhibitions in Athens,<br />
Thessalonica and worldwide.<br />
Haigaz Mangoian was born in Adana, Cilicia in<br />
1907. Having suffered persecution by the Ottomans<br />
and the Young Turks, he and his large family<br />
arrived in Cyprus in December 1920. After Mangoian<br />
graduated from the American Academy in<br />
Larnaca, he and his brother, Levon, started a photographic<br />
studio, the first in Larnaca. They then<br />
opened a photographic studio, briefly, in Famagusta,<br />
before settling in Nicosia. Their Nicosia studio<br />
developed successfully, particularly after World<br />
War II. In 1947, together with Levon, Mangoian<br />
published a travel guide, The Island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus.<br />
Mangoian continued with his photography, both in<br />
the studio and beyond it, where he photographed<br />
the places and faces <strong>of</strong> Cyprus, the country he<br />
came to love, until his untimely death in 1970.<br />
Edward Voskeritchian was born in Zeitoun,<br />
Cilicia in 1902. His family witnessed the tragic<br />
Genocide <strong>of</strong> the Armenian people, during which<br />
they were forced to abandon their hometown for<br />
the nearby island <strong>of</strong> Cyprus. Kyrenia <strong>of</strong>fered its<br />
hospitality to the Voskeritchian family, and after<br />
a short stay, they left for Nicosia. Life proved<br />
difficult there, so the large family moved to Larnaca,<br />
where they opened a photo shop which soon<br />
closed. In 1920, well-known businessman Movses<br />
Soultanian encouraged Voskeritchian to move to<br />
Limassol to apprentice with photographer John P.<br />
Foscolo. Voskeritchian established his own business,<br />
Edward’s Photo Studio in 1926. He loved<br />
Limassol and lived there until his death in 1990.<br />
Sebough Voskeritchian was born in Limassol in<br />
1975. The fourth generation <strong>of</strong> this talented and<br />
pioneering photographic family, Voskeritchian<br />
blends the acutely sensitive and artistic side <strong>of</strong> his<br />
late grandfather, Edward, with the advanced technical<br />
knowledge <strong>of</strong> his late father, Albert. Voskeritchian<br />
pushes the boundaries <strong>of</strong> photography into<br />
the realm <strong>of</strong> modern-day art and multimedia. He<br />
has taken part in many international group exhibitions<br />
and has won numerous photographic awards<br />
– he has also had a solo exhibition in Cyprus.<br />
Voskeritchian’s keen eye is unparalleled, and his<br />
application <strong>of</strong> mixed media has made him one <strong>of</strong><br />
the most exciting and talented young photographers<br />
in Europe.<br />
Giragos Zartarian was born in Adana, Cilicia<br />
in 1915. In 1921, due to the political situation in<br />
Cilicia, in which the region’s Christian population<br />
faced continuous threats from the Turks, Zartarian<br />
and his family immigrated to Cyprus. After graduating<br />
from the Melkonian Educational Institute,<br />
Zartarian established his own photographic studio<br />
in Nicosia in 1935 and for some years was an <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />
photographer for the colonial government.<br />
He is considered to be a prominent publisher <strong>of</strong><br />
postcards <strong>of</strong> Cyprus; his postcard images capture<br />
the landscape <strong>of</strong> Cyprus during the middle <strong>of</strong> the<br />
20 th century. After losing his wife in 1957, Zartarian<br />
closed his studio. In 1959 he and his family<br />
immigrated to England, where he died tragically<br />
in 1962 <strong>of</strong> a heart attack.<br />
55
United States <strong>of</strong> Europe (U.S.E)<br />
A travelling exhibition about European identity and today’s Europe<br />
Opening from 17 <strong>September</strong> until 14 October <strong>2012</strong><br />
Do you feel European? Does Mr O’Keeffe in<br />
Ireland feel more or less European than Mrs<br />
Stylianou in Cyprus? And if so, why? What is the<br />
idea behind Europe and do Europeans feel included?<br />
Do Europeans trust their leaders? Maybe<br />
there are as many different answers to these questions<br />
as there are citizens in Europe.<br />
The artistic project United States <strong>of</strong> Europe<br />
(U.S.E) deals with these questions in the context<br />
<strong>of</strong> a travelling exhibition through ten European<br />
countries. The exhibition opened in Lodz, Poland,<br />
in <strong>No</strong>vember 2011; the second destination was<br />
Helsinki, the third was Vilnius and the fourth was<br />
Guimarães. In <strong>September</strong> the exhibition opened<br />
in Nicosia, as part <strong>of</strong> the cultural programme <strong>of</strong><br />
the Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council <strong>of</strong> the European<br />
Union.<br />
United States <strong>of</strong> Europe (U.S.E), a large-scale collaboration<br />
project about European identity, will<br />
also be presented in public spaces, galleries and<br />
museums in Germany, Bulgaria, France, Ireland<br />
and Belgium until spring 2013.<br />
The concept<br />
U.S.E is not propaganda for a federal Europe. It<br />
aims to create commitment in the Europe in which<br />
we live and to function as a communication platform<br />
for people living in Europe. The exhibition<br />
<strong>of</strong>fers a lot <strong>of</strong> different interpretations on European<br />
identity through diverse disciplines and from different<br />
angles.<br />
U.S.E comprises four dimensions:<br />
1. Artists interpretations: Curators and artists<br />
have been invited to give their interpretations <strong>of</strong><br />
European identity through photos, multimedia,<br />
video and other installations.<br />
2. Sociological studies: 50 people from 10 different<br />
countries have been interviewed. The result is<br />
video-recorded interviews that give comparable results<br />
<strong>of</strong> a potential belonging to a European entity.<br />
3. An interactive laboratory: This is a place in the<br />
exhibition where the artistic and sociological parts<br />
are combined. The laboratory is a creative environment<br />
for real-time exchanges about Europe today.<br />
56
4. A series <strong>of</strong> debates: Several aspects will be discussed:<br />
“What does it mean to be European and<br />
how is contemporary art dealing or not with that<br />
question?” and “Europe, its politicians and the people<br />
– about confidence and commitment today”.<br />
Johanna Suo (Sweden/France/UK) has initiated the<br />
project and created the exhibition concept.<br />
The artists<br />
Diversity, which is the core <strong>of</strong> the U.S.E., is embodied<br />
by the artistic team.<br />
Three curators, Ryszard W. Kluszczyński (Poland),<br />
Anna Bitkina (Russia) and Sinziana Ravini<br />
(France) have each selected a group <strong>of</strong> artists. The<br />
chosen artists have international and multicultural<br />
backgrounds, and they all deal with identity questions.<br />
U.S.E presents works by Luchezar Boyadjiev<br />
(Bulgaria), Anna Konik (Poland), Gerda Lampalzer<br />
(Austria), Maria Lusitano-Santos (Portugal),<br />
Deimantas Narkevicius (Lithuania), Artur Zmijewski<br />
(Poland), Jean-Charles Hue (France), Kaarina<br />
Kaikkonen (Finland), REINIGUNGSGESELLS-<br />
CHAFT (Germany), Tanja Muravskaja (Estonia),<br />
Kennedy Browne (Ireland), Apostolis Polymeris<br />
(Belgium), Kyriaki Costa (Cyprus) and Anu Pennanen<br />
(Finland).<br />
The multimedia artist and researcher Jānis Garančs<br />
(Latvia) created the interactive laboratory. In the<br />
lab you can see interviews with people from all<br />
over Europe, you can interact and share your points<br />
<strong>of</strong> view, and you can view 3D visualisations.<br />
The sociological core team includes Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Andrzej<br />
Piotrowski (University <strong>of</strong> Lodz), Dr Tomasz<br />
Ferenc (University <strong>of</strong> Lodz) and Dr Lyudmila<br />
Nurse (Oxford XXI, UK). Ten local sociologists<br />
conducted five interviews in each participating<br />
country.<br />
The U.S.E in Nicosia<br />
In Nicosia a walk was organised through the city:<br />
“Discover your city and discover Europe.”<br />
Several different venues were included to open the<br />
exhibition to a wide audience. Among the presentations<br />
<strong>of</strong> the interactive laboratory was an interview<br />
with the former Mayor <strong>of</strong> Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou<br />
(visual-audio). The artist Kyriaki Costa presented<br />
brand new work created for the U.S.E exhibition<br />
at the new Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum.<br />
The exhibition in Nicosia was organised by the<br />
Pharos Arts Foundation, in collaboration with the<br />
Goethe-Institut Paris, the Goethe-Institut Cyprus,<br />
Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum, Institut<br />
Français Cyprus, the Embassy <strong>of</strong> the Republic<br />
<strong>of</strong> Poland in Cyprus, Nicosia Municipality, Classic<br />
Hotel, Temporary Space, Ledra Properties, The<br />
European University Cyprus, Cyprus Theatre Organisation<br />
and the Cyprus Presidency <strong>of</strong> the Council<br />
<strong>of</strong> the European Union.<br />
Your participation<br />
U.S.E is a project for citizens by citizens, and it<br />
aims to work as a communication platform. On the<br />
57
21st century Iconoclasm by Kyriaki Costa<br />
website http://www.go-use.eu, as well as in the laboratory<br />
on site, visitors are encouraged to express<br />
themselves and share their experiences in the form<br />
<strong>of</strong> photos or stories on the theme “My Europe”.<br />
Look for the headline “Participate” and “Stories<br />
from Europe” on the website. Information is also<br />
available in the exhibition passport.<br />
The Pharos Arts Foundation was pleased to collaborate<br />
with the Goethe-Institut in Paris and<br />
with a number <strong>of</strong> organisations in Cyprus for the<br />
exhibition.<br />
United States <strong>of</strong> Europe - Artists’ Presentations<br />
REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT<br />
(Artist duo: Henrik Mayer, born 1971 & Martin<br />
Keil, born 1968, Germany)<br />
Risk Society<br />
Projection and flat screen 26: 15 min, HDV 16:9<br />
2011, loop<br />
This project examines the prospects and life perspectives<br />
<strong>of</strong> young people in today’s Germany.<br />
They inherit the legacy <strong>of</strong> a society that is aware<br />
that economic growth and consumption won’t provide<br />
the determinant odds for development. The<br />
sociologist Ulrich Beck described the sociological<br />
change from wealth production towards risk production<br />
with the term Risk society in his book <strong>of</strong><br />
1986, Risk society. This transition takes place on<br />
the micro level <strong>of</strong> people as well as on the macro<br />
level <strong>of</strong> corporate and global changes. It comprises<br />
Lab Presentation<br />
social, economic and political dimensions. In the<br />
exhibition, these young students have their say<br />
about their plans and expectations.<br />
REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT (which could be<br />
translated with “Cleaning Service” or “Purification<br />
Society”) is an artists’ project group that works at the<br />
point <strong>of</strong> intersection between art and social reality.<br />
A Connection (2011)<br />
Kaarina Kaikkonen (born 1952, Finland)<br />
Site-specific public space installations<br />
For the United States <strong>of</strong> Europe exhibition the artist<br />
presents new site-specific installations related to<br />
the space and to present day Europe. In each city<br />
her work is adapted to a venue and the site. One <strong>of</strong><br />
the new pieces that Kaarina creates for the exhibition<br />
is called A Connection, shirts in many colours<br />
and sizes represent connections between people<br />
and countries. The work has been presented once<br />
in Lodz, Poland, where the shirts were attached to<br />
a long pipe running from a walking zone in the city,<br />
leading the visitor to the main exhibition space in<br />
an old textile factory.<br />
Kaarina has so far created one more work for<br />
U.S.E., “Where is my home?”, a house made <strong>of</strong><br />
bags and luggage <strong>of</strong> different kinds. It can be seen<br />
as a small house that is collapsing or that isn’t completely<br />
constructed. The piece tells a story about<br />
different kinds <strong>of</strong> people and states trying to live<br />
together, but it’s difficult...The work was installed<br />
at Helsinki Main Railway station and at Vilnius In-<br />
58
ternational Airport.<br />
Kaarina Kaikkonen is known for her large installations<br />
made from men’s jackets, ladies’ shoes,<br />
shirts and found objects exhibited in different spaces,<br />
both indoors and outdoors. She has participated<br />
in numerous international exhibitions, most recently<br />
in the Cairo Biennale 2009, the Liverpool Biennale<br />
2010, the Vancouver Biennale 2010 and the<br />
Venice Biennale Collateral Event, 2011. At the moment<br />
Kaarina is working on several projects, one in<br />
Italy and one in Chile. She recently did an installation<br />
at Art Miami.<br />
the leaders removed and sent “On Vacation”. This<br />
is a symbolic unification by liberating the public<br />
space from its past and opening it up for the future.<br />
Luchezar’s work has been presented widely and<br />
internationally, both in solo and group exhibitions.<br />
Luchezar is also active as a curator, and<br />
he has organised numerous lectures and presentations.<br />
His work can be found at the CAMK<br />
(Contemporary Art Museum <strong>of</strong> Kumamoto, Japan),<br />
the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia,<br />
USA, the National Art Gallery, Tirana,<br />
Albania and elsewhere.<br />
On Vacation (2004-2011)<br />
Luchezar Boyadijev (born 1957, Bulgaria)<br />
On-going cycle <strong>of</strong> 15 digital prints, each one 53 x<br />
73 or 73 x 53 cm<br />
On vacation is a funny series, but at the same time<br />
it undertakes in a serious way the problem <strong>of</strong> histories<br />
<strong>of</strong> particular countries and the role these histories<br />
play in the process <strong>of</strong> political and cultural<br />
integrations <strong>of</strong> European countries and societies.<br />
Boyadjiev began discussions <strong>of</strong> European identities<br />
in 1997 at the Documenta X, when he proposed<br />
the concept <strong>of</strong> overlapping identities. Images<br />
from On vacation represent equestrian monuments<br />
from various European countries, with figures <strong>of</strong><br />
Lab Projections<br />
Winter by Juha Niemi<br />
Thoughts Are Free (2011)<br />
Gerda Lampalzer (born 1959, Austria)<br />
Video projection, 3 minutes, loop<br />
This single channel video installation examines<br />
the relations between different European countries<br />
with regard to languages. This examination looks<br />
at problems other than language barriers, however<br />
– Lampalzer’s work looks at how people from different<br />
European countries observe each other; what<br />
sort <strong>of</strong> relations are created at the governmental<br />
level; to what extent their relation to power shapes<br />
the way people experience their belonging to any<br />
community and how it affects the way they build<br />
their collective identities.<br />
The video addresses the lack <strong>of</strong> linguistic exchange<br />
between Austria and its so-called “former eastern<br />
European” neighbours. The borders have been<br />
open for years, but even now hardly any Austrians<br />
speak these languages. In the video the texts<br />
<strong>of</strong> four people speaking Czech, Slovak, Hungarian<br />
and Slovenian are cut apart and reconstructed<br />
into the German phrase “Die Gedanken sind frei”<br />
(Thoughts are free). This technical trick is an ironic<br />
comment on the situation, especially because<br />
“Thoughts Are Free” is <strong>of</strong>ten associated with liberation<br />
movements, which are re-uniting Europe as<br />
it should have been.<br />
Gerda Lampalzer has worked since 1980 as the executive<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Medienwerkstatt Wien. Since 1987,<br />
she has been teaching for Applied Arts in Wien.<br />
She is active pr<strong>of</strong>essionally as a media artist, lecturer<br />
and curator.<br />
59
Uprooting: The story <strong>of</strong> our grandfathers (2011)<br />
Apostolos Polymeris (born 1984, Belgium)<br />
Video installation, 2:32 minutes, loop<br />
This installation tells the very personal and moving<br />
history <strong>of</strong> the artist’s grandfather and his immigration<br />
to Belgium in 1972. The video is shown in a<br />
very impersonal archive environment that makes<br />
Kafkaesque associations with the big archives that<br />
house stories <strong>of</strong> uncountable numbers <strong>of</strong> people.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> these stories is brought to life in the artist’s<br />
video.<br />
“In the building <strong>of</strong> the archives in Brussels, in a<br />
small room with hundreds <strong>of</strong> lists with names <strong>of</strong><br />
foreigners who had moved there until the middle<br />
<strong>of</strong> the 1970’s, I found my grandfather’s name. He<br />
and his family immigrated to Belgium in 1972. The<br />
video illustrates the difficulties they faced in Istanbul<br />
and how they decided to move to a new country,<br />
hoping for a better life.” Apostolos Polymeris<br />
Apostolos is an artist and graphic designer born<br />
in Brussels but with roots in Greece. In Brussels<br />
he studied at the Royal Academy <strong>of</strong> Fine Arts. His<br />
main fields are poster and book design, illustration,<br />
animation and film.<br />
The Lord’s Ride (2010)<br />
Jean-Charles Hue (born 1968, France)<br />
Feature film: 1h 24 min<br />
The film is about the life <strong>of</strong> a Roma family, thus<br />
presenting a living symbol <strong>of</strong> a constant metamorphosis<br />
<strong>of</strong> identity. Jean-Charles Hue searches for<br />
his origins. He spent some time with the Dorkels,<br />
a Gypsy/Yeniche family on the outskirts <strong>of</strong> society<br />
in the north <strong>of</strong> France, and filmed their daily life.<br />
This film recounts the search for origins in these<br />
marginalised worlds, worlds that prefer to remain<br />
separate rather than integrate. The film relates the<br />
events that punctuate a nomadic life spent in caravans:<br />
poaching, a strange conversation, a quest for<br />
redemption...This unconventional reality seems<br />
fictional to the viewer, as the events are so foreign<br />
to normal life. The camera records everything,<br />
even the explosion <strong>of</strong> a bullet a few inches from<br />
the artist one drunken night.<br />
Jean-Charles Hue is an artist and video filmmaker<br />
who specialises in documentary films. Jean-<br />
Charles’s grandfather was Yenniche, giving him a<br />
blood tie to this people. In 2009, Hue also explored<br />
the life in marginal areas together with the inhabitants<br />
<strong>of</strong> Tijuana, a border city between Mexico and<br />
the United States, in his film, Tijuana Carne Viva.<br />
Lab touchscreen and projection background<br />
In the Middle <strong>of</strong> the Way<br />
(work in progress, 2001-2007)<br />
Anna Konik (born 1974, Poland)<br />
Seven-channel video installation, loop<br />
In this seven-channel video installation, Anna<br />
Konik presents a very personal narrative about<br />
the lives <strong>of</strong> several people living in different cities.<br />
They are homeless, marginalised people, but at the<br />
same time full <strong>of</strong> dignity. The artist follows them in<br />
their everyday activities, giving them a chance to<br />
present themselves in very different ways. At the<br />
same time, Konik reflects on her own nomadic way<br />
<strong>of</strong> living, which she does between three cities and<br />
two countries (Dobrodzien and Warsaw in Poland<br />
and Berlin in Germany). The issue <strong>of</strong> home and its<br />
role in the process <strong>of</strong> forming identity is the very<br />
60
focus <strong>of</strong> the installation.<br />
“The mobility <strong>of</strong> Tadeusz, Herman, Svetlana, Gerard,<br />
Hans-Dieter, Jana & Pele and Anna opens up<br />
a dialogue in which geographical boundaries and<br />
nationalities are not important. Instead, their individual<br />
stories, experiences and dreams build their<br />
unique identities and confirm their differentness in<br />
a world where nationalities are fluid. Every person<br />
I met dreams <strong>of</strong> a better life, <strong>of</strong> respect and freedom,<br />
they are all trying to find their way in the new<br />
reality <strong>of</strong> the EU.” - Anna Konik<br />
Konik makes video installations, and her practice<br />
combines video semi-documentary, installation,<br />
performance and sculpture. She has been exhibiting<br />
widely and internationally since 2000.<br />
21st century Iconoclasm<br />
Kyriaki Costa (born 1971, Cyprus)<br />
Video stills, 6 photos, 24x30cm<br />
The project is a ‘visual sequence’ <strong>of</strong> six photos<br />
<strong>of</strong> significant monuments (i.e., sites and personalities)<br />
<strong>of</strong> both European and non-European origin,<br />
all placed around the Athenian Acropolis, a symbol<br />
(par excellence) <strong>of</strong> democracy. Initially, the<br />
viewer’s eye is puzzled as to whether these images<br />
speak <strong>of</strong> symbiosis or disorder. Ultimately, the<br />
answer to this dilemma brings us to the concepts<br />
<strong>of</strong> fluidity and mobility. In this photo series, the<br />
artist has allowed herself to mix monuments as a<br />
‘virtual place’ (in her mind? in her heart?) where<br />
everything fits; a (peaceful or restless?) dream is<br />
born.<br />
Just as in everyday life, the triptych <strong>of</strong> history,<br />
experience and memory is always an issue <strong>of</strong><br />
boundaries (their acceptance or negation): What<br />
do we perceive as ‘reality’ or ‘dream’? How do we<br />
understand ‘fact’ or ‘fiction’? Where does ‘sense’<br />
end and ‘nonsense’ start? How do we draw the line<br />
between ‘emotion’ and ‘logic’? Finally, how does<br />
Europe fit in all this? Are we or are we not ‘Europeans’?<br />
Should we speak <strong>of</strong> belonging or fragmentation?<br />
Are we ‘at home’ or ‘homeless’? At the onset<br />
<strong>of</strong> the 21 st century, these are absolutely crucial<br />
questions that spark artistic creativity, especially in<br />
countries at the outskirts <strong>of</strong> Europe, like Cyprus.<br />
Estonian Race (2010)<br />
Tanja Muravskaja (born 1978, Estonia)<br />
Digital C-type photograph, 92x68cm, 68x50cm,<br />
12 photos in series<br />
The aim <strong>of</strong> this portrait series <strong>of</strong> strong <strong>No</strong>rdic<br />
faces was a portrayal <strong>of</strong> a modern post-Soviet<br />
state developing in the mono-national way. There<br />
is no such race as an Estonian race. This project<br />
asks us to reflect on historical mistakes, on dominance<br />
<strong>of</strong> the “main” nation, tolerance – all <strong>of</strong> the<br />
issues which are still relevant in the new European<br />
countries. The photo series addresses one<br />
<strong>of</strong> the “elementary particles” <strong>of</strong> nationalism as<br />
an ideology - race. Muravskaja is using encyclopaedic<br />
thoroughness to find the most typical, the<br />
“purest Estonians” among Estonian people, turning<br />
to academic authorities for help and portraying<br />
the young men who have no names or social<br />
security numbers, let alone life stories or identities<br />
in the exhibition hall, but who obviously have a<br />
nationality, at least within the framework <strong>of</strong> this<br />
visual story. This artistic search could also lead<br />
us to a question about a “pure European identity.”<br />
Can we possibly define it? What does it mean to<br />
be a European nowadays?<br />
Tanja has previously worked on the subject <strong>of</strong><br />
identity – her work, ‘Positions’ (7 photos in series,<br />
2007), is part <strong>of</strong> the collection <strong>of</strong> the Tartu<br />
Art Museum. ‘Positions’ was the artist’s first work<br />
on the subject <strong>of</strong> contemporary Estonian identity<br />
and opened a period <strong>of</strong> four years dedicated to it.<br />
Works reflecting modern Estonia, the elite <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Russian speaking minority in Estonia, and the recent<br />
Soviet past followed this series.<br />
61
Ausgeträumt (2010)<br />
Deimantas Narkevičius (born 1964, Lithuania)<br />
Music video installation, 5:30 minutes, loop<br />
The title could be translated into English as a<br />
state between dream and reality on the cusp <strong>of</strong><br />
waking up, or it could simply mean the dream<br />
is over. Sometimes one has to approach a theme<br />
through a beautiful and meditative film, rather<br />
than with a strong message. Ausgeträumt shows<br />
a bunch <strong>of</strong> young men playing in an empty cafeteria<br />
– they have just started a band. They look<br />
beautiful but sad. The video is about their vision<br />
<strong>of</strong> their future, their reflections on their political<br />
or, more importantly, their unsatisfying cultural<br />
environment.<br />
Outside they are surrounded by a snowy landscape.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w and then a car drives through a city<br />
and onto a road leading nowhere. The scene is<br />
filmed in Lithuania. What is the future in this<br />
country, for this generation? For the young boy<br />
who happens to be the son <strong>of</strong> the artist? Where<br />
will these snowy roads lead them? Ausgeträumt<br />
approaches the notion <strong>of</strong> cultural identity in the<br />
most simple and fascinating way.<br />
Narkevičius is one <strong>of</strong> the most consistent and widely<br />
recognised Lithuanian artists on the international<br />
scene. He represented his country at the 49 th Venice<br />
Biennale in 2001 and exhibited at the 50 th Venice<br />
Biennale in 2003 in “Utopia Station.”<br />
The Laboratory<br />
Please enter the United States <strong>of</strong> Europe laboratory…<br />
Find out what, for instance, Maria from Cyprus<br />
thinks about European unification, or how John<br />
from Ireland perceives European citizenship. In<br />
these videos you can watch interviews with citizens<br />
from ten different European countries, which<br />
form part <strong>of</strong> the U.S.E project’s sociological study.<br />
It is here, in ‘the Lab’, where sociology meets art.<br />
A work in progress, the ‘Lab’ is being developed<br />
by the Latvian multimedia artist Jānis Garančs<br />
who, together with other international collaborators,<br />
will advance the laboratory further over the<br />
whole series <strong>of</strong> the travelling exhibitions to come.<br />
The ‘Lab’ is a feedback/communication platform<br />
for you, the visitor, where you can talk about your<br />
ideas. You can submit ‘your European story’ or<br />
photos, check out a quiz, answer a questionnaire or<br />
just get in touch by visiting the online guestbook.<br />
All these can be found on the website www.go-use.<br />
eu, where people will be able to read your thoughts<br />
and follow your feedback.<br />
The Laboratory<br />
By Jānis Garančs*<br />
As Europe can mean so many different things from<br />
the perspective <strong>of</strong> political powers, business “markets,”<br />
large and small countries, nationalities and<br />
families and individuals, the approach in the Laboratory<br />
is to explore the complexity <strong>of</strong> European<br />
identities as an interplay <strong>of</strong> historical, demographic,<br />
geopolitical, economic and cultural concepts.<br />
I encourage the interpretation <strong>of</strong> the project’s title<br />
not only through its politically-coloured meaning<br />
(a state as a country), but also through its more abstract<br />
meaning, at least in English – i.e., a state as a<br />
condition/status.<br />
The workshop participants, on-site as well as online,<br />
can submit their reflections as text messages,<br />
images and even video sequences. The Laboratory<br />
will feature several interactive screens and projections,<br />
webcams and computer terminals for short<br />
text input. It will act as a temporary virtual embassy<br />
<strong>of</strong> the United States <strong>of</strong> Europe, connecting U.S.E<br />
exhibition venues with satellite events and locations.<br />
Thus, the Laboratory works as a ‘processing device’<br />
– that travels from place to place and adapts<br />
accordingly – that will collate the co-creators’ and<br />
visitors’ input and manifest itself as a self-organizing<br />
map or overview, <strong>of</strong>fering multiple layers for<br />
exploration, and becoming, through immersive<br />
3D visualisations and sonifications (also featuring<br />
computer generated stereoscopic projection and<br />
multi channel audio), an evolving multimedia artwork<br />
itself.<br />
*Multimedia artist and researcher, Riga, Latvia<br />
62
Christos Bokoros - “Odos Eleftherias”<br />
Exhibition at The Office Gallery<br />
The Office Gallery is tucked deep within<br />
the Venetian city walls <strong>of</strong> Nicosia, having<br />
taken root at the edge <strong>of</strong> town but standing at<br />
its innermost centre. Located on the eerie and<br />
removed Kleanthi Christ<strong>of</strong>idi Street, at number<br />
32, it walks a tightrope over the divide <strong>of</strong> history.<br />
Before it became a war zone, Kleanthi<br />
Christ<strong>of</strong>idi was an industrious street lined with<br />
stable shops – now time is imprinted in disintegration<br />
and rust on the shuttered storefronts<br />
standing in an almost military formation along<br />
this narrow, high street. To look down Kleanthi<br />
Christ<strong>of</strong>idi is to trigger a visceral connection to<br />
history, to implicitly feel its former crowdedness.<br />
It is a place both disconcerting and intriguing.<br />
It is open to redefinition.<br />
An evocation <strong>of</strong> the craftsmen <strong>of</strong> old Nicosia<br />
The Office Gallery was deliberately conceived in<br />
this setting in an attempt to shake the foundations <strong>of</strong><br />
conventional urban living in Nicosia, to stimulate<br />
its nervous system from the centre. The premises <strong>of</strong><br />
the Office Gallery were used for over half a century<br />
as the workshop <strong>of</strong> shoemaker Andreas Matsas and<br />
even today the space is home to the aura Matsas<br />
created; his signature is visible in the space, an evocation<br />
<strong>of</strong> the craftsmen <strong>of</strong> old Nicosia.<br />
National Memory by Christos Bokoros<br />
Candles (at the memory front)<br />
63
Candle in the Trench<br />
If, as Seferis reminds us, “the strong craftsman is<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the most responsible individuals born in<br />
this world,” then the Office Gallery maintains and<br />
upholds that sense <strong>of</strong> responsibility. As a place <strong>of</strong><br />
“handcrafted” ideas, the Office Gallery continues<br />
the heritage <strong>of</strong> the handmade, while at the same<br />
time refining and redefining craft, demonstrating<br />
a postmodern willingness to pose tradition against<br />
the new, to draw from and blend both the dark and<br />
bright sides <strong>of</strong> all traditions.<br />
How does the Office Gallery function? The Office<br />
Gallery serves as a meeting place for “handcrafted”<br />
ideas through thematic exhibitions. It<br />
hosts the work <strong>of</strong> the niche fashion designer<br />
Carol Christian Poell and functions as a personal<br />
and pr<strong>of</strong>essional escape for writer Tassos A.<br />
Gkekas. The Office Gallery stands as a triptych<br />
comprising three separate yet linked functions: a<br />
meeting place for the Handmade, escape and pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
lieu. Each <strong>of</strong> its functions is autonomous<br />
and distinct but, much like a Francis Bacon triptych<br />
that acts as a single indivisible entity narrating<br />
a particular story, the functions <strong>of</strong> the Office<br />
Gallery meet and complement each other. Like the<br />
unifying flow <strong>of</strong> mercury, dialectics and discourse<br />
connect its three facets.<br />
“Odos Eleftherias” by Tassos A. Gkekas,<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> The Office Gallery<br />
With the launch <strong>of</strong> the series <strong>of</strong> paintings titled<br />
“Odos Eleftherias,” Christos Bokoros attempts<br />
a direct conversation with spaces, buildings and<br />
roads which are adjacent to or which lead to the<br />
Green Line in Nicosia. Many <strong>of</strong> these buildings<br />
are damaged and worn. One could say that they,<br />
in turn, create the second crack<br />
next to that <strong>of</strong> the Green Line.<br />
Amongst these trenches, the<br />
artist has installed his own<br />
paintings, planting his own<br />
“Freedom Street,” in the hope<br />
that he will <strong>of</strong>fer new fruits<br />
and joyful vibrations to the<br />
centre <strong>of</strong> town, quietly and<br />
humbly “conspiring” with<br />
all the domestic rejuvenating<br />
powers. Bokoros’s flames: small, genuine carriers<br />
<strong>of</strong> “Romiosini” (Greekness), <strong>of</strong> sorrows and <strong>of</strong> desires,<br />
in their own way warm up a vital part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
town within the walls. The artist communicates<br />
directly with the spaces and monuments which remain<br />
the birthplaces <strong>of</strong> Hellenism; he rekindles the<br />
interest centres in the heart <strong>of</strong> the capital. As long<br />
as Bokoros sows his rogue paintings as “signals”<br />
at the “border” points in the trenches <strong>of</strong> old Nicosia,<br />
he continues to remind us that broader parts<br />
<strong>of</strong> our country, the very ends <strong>of</strong> our state, when illuminated<br />
sufficiently, emerge gleaming and alive.<br />
In the Artist’s Words<br />
“I use surfaces damaged by previous organic uses<br />
to incarnate my pieces, aside from the theme and<br />
any representational skill, as a constant reminder <strong>of</strong><br />
a collective time and place from which my reasoning<br />
originates, which I address in the final outcome<br />
<strong>of</strong> my craft. I select my subjects on the basis <strong>of</strong><br />
recognition, both as native signals and as universal<br />
symbols <strong>of</strong> communication between people and the<br />
ineffable intimacy <strong>of</strong> the mystery which surrounds<br />
the material objects around us. The process <strong>of</strong> preparation<br />
and painting leads me, at times <strong>of</strong> concentration<br />
and discipline, to unexpected realizations <strong>of</strong> self<br />
and conciliation with our common condition, the<br />
accomplished world. There, the surface <strong>of</strong> beauty<br />
is revealed, and exceeded eternity and truth come<br />
together. I yearn for these clearings, and these are<br />
what I work for. I speak words, and painting moves<br />
further, as if the matter and spirit it embodies is always<br />
elsewhere, away from the images and their descriptions.<br />
It holds a distance, however close. In this<br />
distance, the aura preserves the secret and saves us.”<br />
64
The World Youth Choir in Cyprus<br />
For the first time ever in Cyprus, we got<br />
the chance to enjoy concerts by the World<br />
Youth Choir. The choir performed three a cappella<br />
concerts <strong>of</strong> works by F. Poulenc, B. Britten<br />
and others, under the direction <strong>of</strong> conductor<br />
Cecilia Rydinger Alin. There were performances<br />
across the island: on 16 August in Pedoulas,<br />
on 18 August in Paphos and on 19 August in<br />
Ayia Napa.<br />
The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation invited<br />
the choir to Cyprus, and the choir gave a series<br />
<strong>of</strong> concerts with the Cyprus Youth Symphony<br />
Orchestra as part <strong>of</strong> the <strong>2012</strong> Kypria International<br />
Festival, two evening concerts titled “Towards a<br />
Europe <strong>of</strong> Peace” under the direction <strong>of</strong> Ayis Ioannides.<br />
To prepare for the <strong>2012</strong> Kypria International Festival<br />
programme, the choir, which comprises 60<br />
members, participated in the International Summer<br />
Music Academy <strong>of</strong> the Cyprus Youth Symphony<br />
Orchestra. This year, like every year, the International<br />
Summer Music Academy took place in<br />
the mountain village <strong>of</strong> Pedoulas from 20 August<br />
until 2 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
World Youth Choir <strong>2012</strong><br />
An original concept, the World Youth Choir<br />
(WYC) brings together talented young singers<br />
aged 17 to 26 years old from all over the world.<br />
Managed by the World Youth Choir Foundation,<br />
WYC was founded by three organisations: the International<br />
Federation for Choral Music, the European<br />
Choral Association-Europa Cantat, and the<br />
Jeunesses Musicales International. Its principal <strong>of</strong>fice<br />
is at the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands.<br />
Since it was founded in 1989, the WYC has<br />
established itself as one <strong>of</strong> the most remarkable<br />
musical and intercultural experiences available to<br />
young European musicians.<br />
Every summer the World Youth Choir, made up <strong>of</strong><br />
half new, half re-invited singers, meets in a different<br />
country for two weeks <strong>of</strong> intensive rehearsal<br />
<strong>of</strong> a new repertoire with two different conductors<br />
with contrasting programs. This is followed by a<br />
two-week tour <strong>of</strong> the host country and neighbouring<br />
countries – the choir performs in major concert<br />
halls and prestigious cultural centres. During the<br />
tour, the choir fulfils its social and pedagogical<br />
mission by interacting with local schools, choirs<br />
and music lovers, through master classes, workshops<br />
and clinics.<br />
Regardless <strong>of</strong> political or cultural differences,<br />
thanks to the WYC up to 100 young people with a<br />
common passion for music and a love <strong>of</strong> singing<br />
share a month <strong>of</strong> their lives together, a month <strong>of</strong><br />
work, play, conversation and debate. This creates<br />
a genuine spirit <strong>of</strong> friendship, helping the group<br />
cohere and imbuing it with a unique brightness<br />
which amazes those who attend WYC concerts.<br />
Without any speeches or banners, the World Youth<br />
65
Choir brings with it on tour beautiful music and,<br />
with its presence, a message <strong>of</strong> international peace,<br />
brotherhood, and the vitality <strong>of</strong> life itself. This is<br />
why UNESCO has named the project “Artists for<br />
Peace” in honour <strong>of</strong> its social and artistic mission.<br />
The diversity <strong>of</strong> the World Youth Choir repertoire<br />
reflects the cultural diversity <strong>of</strong> its members. Over<br />
the past 23 years, the choir has had the privilege<br />
<strong>of</strong> performing beneath the baton <strong>of</strong> a number <strong>of</strong><br />
world renowned conductors. Its annual sessions<br />
have thus far taken the choir to more than 30<br />
countries around the globe, including 16 European<br />
countries, South Africa, the Far East, the USA,<br />
Canada and Latin America. The choir performed<br />
at the Olympic Gala in Barcelona in 1992, at the<br />
opening ceremonies <strong>of</strong> the Olympic Equestrian<br />
Games in Hong Kong in 2008, and at the <strong>No</strong>bel<br />
Peace Prize award ceremony on 10 December<br />
2011. On 11 December 2011, the choir performed<br />
at the <strong>No</strong>bel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, the annual<br />
musical tribute to the year’s <strong>No</strong>bel Peace<br />
Prize laureate.<br />
Cecilia Rydinger Alin – Conductor<br />
Cecilia Rydinger Alin is a leading figure in Swedish<br />
musical life. Her wide range <strong>of</strong> activities encompasses<br />
orchestral concerts, opera, choral conducting<br />
and teaching, in addition to her regular<br />
appearances with Swedish and other Scandinavian<br />
symphony orchestras. She was the principal conductor<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Wermland Opera in Karlstad from<br />
1994 until 1998; she has also conducted opera<br />
productions at the Royal Swedish Opera and at<br />
Denmark’s Jyske Opera, as well as highly regarded<br />
Wagner productions at the Dalhalla limestone<br />
quarry.<br />
From 1988 until 2009, Cecilia Rydinger Alin was<br />
the artistic director <strong>of</strong> the mixed choir Allmänna<br />
Sången. She won a number <strong>of</strong> international choral<br />
competitions while at the helm <strong>of</strong> Allmänna Sången,<br />
including the 2005 European Choral Grand<br />
Prix in Varna, Bulgaria. In the autumn <strong>of</strong> 2008<br />
she was elected conductor and artistic director <strong>of</strong><br />
male-voice choir Orphei Drängar in Uppsala. Ms.<br />
Rydinger Alin is Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Orchestral Conducting<br />
at the Royal College <strong>of</strong> Music in Stockholm,<br />
and during the <strong>2012</strong>-2013 academic year she will<br />
serve as deputy Principal at the Royal College <strong>of</strong><br />
Music.<br />
Cecilia Rydinger Alin has been a member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Royal Swedish Academy <strong>of</strong> Music since 2004.<br />
She was awarded the medal ‘Litteriset Artibus’<br />
by King Carl Gustaf XVI for her contribution to<br />
Swedish musical life in 2005, and she received the<br />
Swedish Choral Society’s Choral Conductor <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Year award in 2009.<br />
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