This workshop focuses on the construction of a wood-fired oven, with the use of compressed earth blocks (CEB’s) and coated with a soil-straw plaster. No use of conventional building materials (as cement) will be used. Participants will have the opportunity to come in contact with natural building techniques and non-harmful, sustainable building materials.

The workshop will be held by Human, in collaboration with Gigantas Antaios brickmaking, who will be offering the CEB’s.

Bio

Founder of ‘Human’, Socratis Socratous is 32 years old and has been involved in natural construction and natural building for the last eight years. Through his involvement with construction and crops, a project was created called the Root project, which consists of earth buildings, trees and other crops. ‘Ktima Riza’, located in Amargeti, Paphos, hosts sustainability and self-sufficiency workshops with the aim of helping young people to transition to a simpler, responsible and realistic way of life through learning-related basic crafts. These basic crafts, which tend to be lost over time, are building with natural materials (stone, adobe), the construction of dry stone walls (structures) to deal with erosion, grafting fruit trees, tree crops and vegetables, the collection and storage of water, as well as other techniques around gentle action that serve humans without harming the environment.

Children aged 4-17 will make constructions from recyclable materials with the theme of theatre together with their teachers.

Bio

The history of the amateur theatre group ‘Paravasi’ begins in the mid-40s’ when the progressive residents of Lympia village, and members of the former Educational Association, in the difficult conditions of that era, found a way out, with entertainment and education through theatre. In recent years, the group has developed rich cultural activity and has managed through its events to improve the cultural participation of the community of Lympia, as well as the countryside in general. With several awards in the amateur theatre competition of THOK, as well as distinctions at the Panhellenic Theater Festival in Corinth, the theatrical group Paravasi coordinates, in addition to its productions on stage, theatrical workshops for children.

In this workshop, attendants are encouraged to bring broken objects/furniture they own, and Ilaria Bianchi will help you to fix them. There will be also material leftovers to build other things, tools, and a new design approach to discover, endless and free to be re-used.

This workshop involves Adhocism: an iterative creativity methodology to retrieve the values of waste, by seeing opportunities where others see problems. During this workshop, you will discover how democratizing design can help to retrieve sustainable practices, opening up a dialogue with the community, the local artisanry, and the space.

Bio

Ilaria Bianchi is a multidisciplinary designer based in Milan. She designs and writes narratives, objects, paintings for galleries, companies, private clients, and magazines.

She started her own practice in 2015, after her degree in Industrial Design at the Polytechnic of Turin, and an MA in Ceramic, Furniture and Jewelry Design at Central Saint Martins in London.

Her works are shown in galleries, cultural centres and international fairs such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, Triennale di Milano, Building Gallery, Dimore Gallery (Dimore Studio), Galleria Luisa delle Piane, Chamber NYC, MiArt, Stockholm Design Fair, London Design Fair, Salone del Mobile and many others.

In 2020 she was selected by Elle Decor as ‘Young designer of the year’, in 2019 she was selected by AD Italia as one of the ‘7 designers of the future’. In 2018 she was selected by Elle Decor as ‘Next designer of the year’ and her Duo Shelf project is one of the WallPaper* 2018 Design Award Winners. ilabianchi.com

‘Slow Life Revolution’ is an archive of gestures that explore notions of time via labour and making, against the fetishisation of productivity. In this workshop, we will examine and discuss the ways in which we co-create with the earth, by making natural pigments.

Bio

Maria Andreou is a visual artist and a knowledge-driven person. Her practice is research-oriented and deals with themes such as the processes of subjectification and instrumentalisation of language in geopolitical agendas, deep time versus human time as well as ancient writing and geology as geopoetics. mariaandreou.com

In this dance improvisation workshop, Zoe will coordinate a site-specific dance project, which will be created and implemented as part of Xarkis Festival, based on the concept of community. The central idea of this project is dealing with the literal and metaphorical concept of crossing a space, of passing from one point to another, making as a symbol the decision to move forward and using our bodies as a means to shift.

Bio

Zoe Papaeracleous is a dancer of Greek-Cypriot origin, who was born and raised in Baltimore of the US. She received a dance degree and sociology from Muhlenberg College of Pennsylvania. Her dance works are inspired by classical ballet, greek traditional dance, and post-modern forms of dance.
vimeo.com/user37863509
instagram.com/zoe_cleous/

Amulet creation workshop with materials collected by the participants from the forest area around Lympia dam. The aim of the workshop is to connect the participants with the natural area around Lympia.

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

A performative workshop or a little journey as the facilitator puts it, that invites participants to explore their relationship with their surroundings using various methods devised from different body-movement disciplines, mindfulness and community-building type of games. The workshop aims to create an alternative narrative of Cyprus, more in tune with nature as well as to create a sense of community, a sense of spatial awareness and a creative flow. This activity is open to all ages above 12 who have an adventurous, curious spirit, and is suitable for people who have a good command of the English language. There will be some mild physical movement and exploration involved so people who need mobility aids (such as wheelchairs, crutches etc.) should contact the facilitator beforehand.

Bio

An interdisciplinary practitioner, Hayal aims to tackle issues born from national identity, territory, statelessness, and communication. In her work she is always searching to inflict intimacies, exploring relationships between identity – nationality, individuality – gender, public-private, rituals and sense of belonging. Her work discipline expands from installation art to time-based mediums such as video and sound, photography, performance as well as facilitating performative workshops.
spirit-walk.wixsite.com/kaleidystopic

One-day workshop ‘Surrounding Elements’: Collecting tangible and digital material (images, sounds, objects, plants, garbage) from the surrounding space. One can consciously understand the elements of the place/environment/space, through the creative process – collage/assemblage (digital or tangible). During the workshop questions will be explored, e.g. What do I choose to isolate from my surroundings? Where do I choose to focus? What would I like to change?

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 involved with the maintenance and development of traditional Portuguese handicraft through sustainable design. www.alexandrapambouka.com

With the advent of chemical dyes, natural dyeing as an art almost became extinct, until it saw a major interest spike in recent years. Part alchemy, part art and part science, it has the potential to connect us to our natural environment in ways that are both meaningful and fun. In this workshop, we will discuss some basic principles and go over techniques for repurposing/upcycling old fabric through natural dyeing. There will be a hands-on dyeing component.

Bio

Maria Pithara is a visual artist (MFA Virginia Commonwealth University). She lives in Treis Elies with her family, where they grow organic herbs and where she has also led workshops and field trips for families, with an emphasis on the intersection of art and nature. Her interests in colour, textiles and our relationship to our environment have led her to research and practice natural dyeing.

Troodos Geopark combines fascinating local geology with the unique natural environment of Troodos, the extensive history of human societies as well as the formal customs, traditions and traditions of the local population. Through a series of experiential workshops, participants will travel to the geological time ‘Walking in the Upper mantle of the Earth’, discovering the natural wealth hidden in the Troodos Geopark. As part of the experiential workshops, a documentary on the geological evolution of the Troodos will be screened, we will observe fossil specimens, we will ask questions on flora, fauna, geology and cultural heritage, and various discussions will be led on natural phenomena including ecology, climate change, etc.

The workshop will draw on different participatory exercises, but mainly the ‘Three Horizons’ methodology, ‘Future Wheel’ and more, whereby participants will be given the opportunity to co-develop possible desirable futures that they would like for Lympia, Cyprus (or even the world). The workshop draws on environmental/social/political and cultural influences, cultivating an analytical and systemic way of thinking. The workshop is based on dialogue, constructive argumentation and out-of-the-box thinking.

Bio

Chris Vrettos is a Master’s graduate from Stockholm Resilience Center with a degree in ‘Social-Ecological Resilience for Sustainable Development’. He is working for Electra Energy Cooperative, a social enterprise that promotes the active engagement of citizens in renewable energy production. He has worked in multiple research programs as an assistant, on topics such as climate-smart farming and the EU Green Deal. He is interested in journalism and has written for various Greek newspapers.

Join the workshop and learn all about upcycling, creative waste management and how to create an alternative relationship with your clothes. The workshop will also feature the work of Studioaktarma, which is based on zero-waste design.
The target group for this workshop is 15 years and above. Accompanied kids between the ages of 10-14 are also welcome to participate.

Bio

Kyriakos Platos is a youth worker and trainer with experience in Erasmus+ projects and in the Cypriot NGO PlanBe, where he focuses on topics of responsible consumption, creative waste management, upcycling and self-expression through art. All sessions and workshops he delivers are based on the methods of non-formal education, experiential learning and learning to learn. He owns a small art studio and through his installations and products/crafts, Kyriakos promotes the idea of redesign, redo, repurpose and upcycling. He is now working in an international media company as a pre-production specialist/crafter.