Interested in ‘The-Book-of-Nature’ as a work of human fiction, Sepideh is concerned with the fiction (here-and-now) that bears (onto)epistemic consequences. The interactive game suggests thinking through the destruction of habitat in relation to the destruction of meaning/social bond. Can we imagine another fiction of the book of nature by getting back to the roots and employing a type of poetry that is less ill?

Bio

Interested in the notions of crossings/transmissions/extra-locality/transpositions and reversibility within the entangled relationship of culture and nature, Sepideh seeks possible articulations and encounters of things in between time-space and structure. Her research and the body of works, intending to invite the reader to challenge their given thoughts and evaluation of a place itself and question how value is imprinted. The outcomes take the forms of video/Installation/image/diagram and text and are exposed as exhibitions, performances, and publications. Sepideh received BFA and MA in Painting and Art Research in Tehran-University-of-Art as well as another MA in the Dutch-Art-Institute in the Netherlands.

Alexandra Pambouka collects tangible or digital elements from the village and composes an installation inspired by the place and its residents. The process focuses on the collection/reuse of trash or compostable materials, aiming to raise environmental awareness. The visitors/residents are invited to contribute to this installation and express themselves creatively and wonder on the raised subjects.

Bio

Alexandra Pambouka (b. 1993) holds a BFA in Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia (GR) and she has graduated from the MA programme ‘Cultural Policy and Development’ of the Open University of Cyprus. Her MA thesis was about ‘The basket weaving and the reed-mat weaving, as elements of intangible cultural heritage, focusing on the prospects that can create a positive vibe for the society’s benefit, especially in Cyprus’. Since 2016, her research (theory and practice) focuses on basketry. She took part in relevant workshops in the UK, Cyprus and Portugal both as a student or as an educator. She has presented work in various group shows in Cyprus and abroad. In 2020, she completed a three-month Erasmus+ placement at the NGO Passao Ao Futuro, in Lisbon, where she was involved with the maintenance and development of traditional Portuguese handicrafts through sustainable design. www.alexandrapambouka.com

A workshop installation of the 1st year students’ course ‘Arch 101_ Introduction to Architectural Design’ – with Tutors Adonis Kleanthous and Yiorgos Hadjichristou.

Soundly re-moving what has been unconsciously installed on the surface of a village community / used to see it, used to need it?

Bio

Stella N. Christou is a Music Composer, Performer and Audio-visual Artist from Cyprus + Greece. Her methodology occurs around observing and collecting sounds, words, and materials, followed, by constructing, destroying, archiving and resynthesizing the informative inputs. Her transdisciplinary work is about understanding the unreadable algorithms of physical or mythical existences in an “on/off” sociality.

A modern and digitized investigation of the traditional methods and building materials of suburban and rural Cyprus, in order to highlight them as well as their ecological impact. The final result that will be created within the context of Xarkis Festival, will reposition these traditional practices in a modern technological context, creating new narratives and proposals.

Bio
The team consists of architect Thanos Vozikis and designer Anastasia Melandinou. Their field of research focuses on the study and visualization of social phenomena through the use of new technologies (AR, 3D) and interactive environments.
instagram.com/__thantan/

What is the relationship of people with water on an island where there is a serious water shortage problem? As part of Xarkis Festival, a sound installation will be set up in two sub-phases, through which the limits will be sought for what we ultimately define as ‘our home’. The project aims to reconnect the community with the water and the nature that surrounds it, using as a starting point the dam in Lympia and the natural landscape that surrounds it.

Bio

Louisa Vradi is a visual artist based in Athens, where she studied visual arts, new media and education at Athens School of Fine Arts. Through her work, she explores personal and collective memory, human movement, and the relationship with the earth we inhabit. Her practice revolves around the use of audiovisual media, as well as media such as photography, video and textile art.
Her works often emerge through collaborations with communities and creatives.
www.louizavradi.com