Saturday, 22 October 2011

Erotokritos, the one who has been tortured by love

Erotokritos, a work rooted deeply in authentic Greek traditions, humanity, bravery, honor, friendship and pure love for life and freedom.

77 artists, 40 different points of Attica and Erotokritos, all together make this amazing video "playing ecologically - living sensibly - acting collectively".

A beautiful video, a grand and inspiring cause!

Thanks Jordan for sharing this with me!



Thursday, 20 October 2011

Funky food!




Funky food!

The looks have changed – the taste remains the same…

We’ve gone a long way since the traditional loaf of bread with Kalamata olives (name me one Greek who hasn’t had a large hunk dipped in olive oil or coated with tzatziki!) to a spectacular creative presentation, an adventurous approach of the same snack. From the Black Forest cake of our teenage years to the forest that takes up the whole table with the candy floss on the chocolate trees!

Yes, there is a funky place in Athens with modern creative cuisine based on advanced culinary techniques and always featuring top quality seasonal ingredients : http://www.funkygourmet.com/









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Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Flamenco Alchemy by Christos Tzifakis




My cousin Christos, a dedicated artist, an exceptional guitar soloist, a great flamenco-jazz composer, such an advanced sense of harmony, so respectful to his art!
I’m always awed by great talents, now more than ever, because he’s family and, as is the case when it comes to family, there’s always the feeling that some of this amazing talent is hidden someplace in our genes – hoping that it runs in the family, or at least some of it will rub off on the rest of us… We start making all sorts of connotations and jump into conclusions. Yes our giagia Fofo played the piano and despite life’s hardships during the German occupation when she was young, she never gave up and continued playing until her very old age.
Yes, I play the piano too. In fact when I was a kid, I practiced and performed diligently and was probably at least above average, but, honestly, I haven’t gone further than Bach’s Italian concerto…
With Christos it’s different, his music is captivating, he’s a dedicated aspiring musician and that’s what makes the difference.

I will say no more – just enjoy!

Monday, 10 October 2011

Step forward!




Step forward!
(I’m simply copying it from the TEDx website…)

This Year we invite dreamers and doers to join us in the conversation about: “Stepping forward”
The ways of the past have led to the colossal challenges of today. Greece is ensnared in a deep crisis of many levels; political, financial, cultural and ethical.
This is a time of rapid change that offers great risk but also the incredible opportunity to transform.
Change happens irrespectively of us wanting it. Transformation though happens only if we have the power to step forward.
So are you going to be a bystander or actively participate to change things for the better?
So unbuckle your imagination to enter the era of possibility, the zone of “what can possibly happen” when we all make a “step forward”.
When we dare to step into the unknown, to risk, to change, to actively participate and create a new trajectory of prosperity and growth on a personal an societal level.
This year we will discuss the dynamics and forces that already have shaped and will continue to reshape our world for the next 20 years.
We will explore the global and radical changes that are shaping our lives. The challenges and opportunities of the deep Greek crisis and our contribution on a personal level as active and responsible citizens by “Stepping Forward”.
How innovation, value systems, art, culture and a new thinking and a doing approach can help us shape a better future for us and the future generations to come.
We will discuss ways of seeing the world and approaching constraints for change that are holistic, interdisciplinary and inspiring....
Its about time for Change in the way we work, we learn, we create, and we live!
Are You Ready to make the Step Forward? The time is Now!!!

Check it out : www.tedxacademy.com

Thursday, 6 October 2011

Book night in athens


Book night in Athens!

Tonight there’s a special event in Athens : Music, comic art performances, chats with Greek authors…

Entrance fees : One used book (or more) from our home

Why : To fight illiteracy and promote life long learning!

It is hard for me to be separated from any book – I love to keep them in my library, come back to them when I feel nostalgic, re-read them or just go through them, smell them, or simply stand in front of the bookshelves and look at them. My whole life is standing there – I have kept books from when I was very little, “Caps for sale” when I was 6 (!), “The sorrows of young Werther” from my 20’s, “Even cowgirls get the blues” around 30, Simon Singh’s “Code book” in my 40’s ….
However, the cause is great. All the books that will be collected will be donated to the women’s detention facilities in Elaiona, the children’s hospital of Athens, the Athens orphanage, the Athens nursing home.

So, lets do it!




Tuesday, 4 October 2011

Graffiti in Avlona



A graffiti project at the Detention Premises for Young Persons in Avlona

This has become personal, since one of the 23 students of the Athens School of Fine Arts who covered the 1000 m2 of the gray prison walls, was my son. This graffiti project has been given tremendous publicity, political, artistic, cultural – there is nothing more to be said about that – excellent works of street art have been produced, the prison walls have come to life!
But I want to talk as a mom, confronting my 22 year old boy, who, for 3 whole weeks, would come home in the evening exhausted. It wasn’t the unbearable heat and complete lack of shade, it wasn’t the long hours of painting, it wasn’t the confined living space with absolutely no sign of what we call “quality living”…. It was the shock of the everyday exposure to a world completely unknown to a middle class young man. The feelings rotated from sympathy towards those boys of the same age, to pity for their unjust confinement, to anger for their impenitent attitude, to rage towards the detention system for the inhuman living conditions, friendship, fear, disappointment…
I don’t agree with the motto many parents would use to say that such an experience is good for our kids because they will know what it’s like of they go astray. No, my boys know better – they don’t need the boogie man to be “law abiding citizens”. For me, this experience is the ultimate act of greatness. To overcome any personal fears and inhibitions, to give openhandedly, either it’s just a kind conversation, or the graffiti images the inmates wished for. After all, this is the view from their cells for the next years. Even if the result is not “artistically perfect”, it’s their wish.
It’s an oxymoron to say that he made friends – these are people that he won’t ever see again, but for a few days, for a moment, he touched their souls and they definitely touched him – and that is graceful!


Wonder festival


Wonder Festival” in Gazi
That was a nice Sunday stroll. In Gazi, the old gas factory of Athens, now transformed into this magnificent industrial museum, the 1st volunteering Athens Festival took place.
There was a big crowd, some driven by curiosity, others by the true will to offer and others just to take advantage of the last glorious days of summer. Whichever was their intention, they were all taken by the tornado of inspiration and offering!50 teams of volunteers, all created by private initiative, were present and willing to share their dreams and experiences, to be motivated and empowered, to sensitize us on this gigantic issue of social contribution.
From protecting stray animals, abused women and the environment to assisting minority groups, forming a greener urban landscape and healing through art, they were all present exchanging ideas and reassuring each other.

Miracles DO happen when we believe in them!



Artistic "bricolage"

The New Hotel in Athens : artistic “bricolage”!!!

The “bricolage” in our age - Reusing and reinterpreting local material and culture – could that perhaps serve as an antidote to the present condition of widespread crisis?

I had been impatiently waiting for my first visit of the New Hotel in Athens. And, as I expected, my visit was the most pleasant and fulfilling surprise! The new and modern blending with the memories of the former hotel, fragments of Athens of the early 50’s, our culture and our traditions ingeniously combined by the talented Campana brothers and their Greek architectural workshop!
A communication bridge between Brazil and Greece, this is the basic idea on which the hotel was redesigned by the workshop under the tutelage of Fernando and Humberto Campana. The workshop’s members, Greek architects, Greek postgraduate students of architecture, Greek industrial designers…
What most impressed me was the notion of “bricolage”, very much alive everywhere in the hotel. The unexpected combinations, the creative use, the reevaluation of all sorts of materials from the old hotel, assembled and brought to life again.
Favela Column and Wall: an explosion of memories created by parts of doors and furniture of the old hotel.
Have a look – and don’t forget the fantastic coffee and croissants in the coffee shop!!!