Under the stars

One of my favorite summer evening activities is going to an open air cinema! An evening at the outdoor cinema isn’t merely about what’s showing on the screen. For us Greeks, going to the outdoor movies in summer is something of a cultural tradition – it’s a typical Greek phenomenon and it’s an integral part of our identity.

We, Greeks, really adore to spend the hot summer evenings in open air cinemas. We love the huge screen and the dark sky above.  We love to see occasionally a falling star and make a wish.

Some say that open air cinemas are a direct extension of the tradition of ancient Greek drama which was always staged in open air theaters…

Ritual elements like the floral decor of bougainvillea and jasmine, the gravel underfoot, the director's chairs, and the cold beer and potato chips are inextricably linked to the experience of the outdoor cinema and, besides that, there’s no denying that a moonlit summer night with a star-filled sky forming a second screen in the sky, is definitely an enchanting experience loved by everyone.

Open air cinemas are the trademark of Greek summer and we are all waiting for them to open with eagerness. The beginning of summer projections is the signal for us to leave our houses and fill the terraces and backyards enjoying a cool drink and a snack.

Nothing compares to a night out with friends to an open air cinema and under the stars, cooled by the summer breeze.

The plastic or director’s chairs, the little table in the middle, a refreshing drink, classic popcorns or nachos, and enjoy!

Summertime in Greece wouldn't be the same without the open air cinemas and there’s no better way to kick off a summer evening!

And for us, cigarette-loving Greeks, it's fine to smoke away during the movie…

To smile like a god!

To smile: To express amusement, pleasure, moderate joy, or love and kindness, by the features of the face; to laugh silently.

A mysterious smile: the archaic smile! The significance of this mysterious, thin lipped smile is not known. It is a smile which suggested a feeling of happiness, perhaps echoing the prosperity and relative peace of the time. Artists felt it represented that they were blessed by the gods in their actions.

The ancient Greek approach to life, where everything had a human measure and the passions of the gods did not differ from those of the mortals gave art a new dimension. For the first time in ancient Greek art the world of the gods is not different from that of the mortals, gods and mortals are presented in exactly the same way. Gods are approachable, almost friendly. The Greek ideal of beauty involved Gods looking like humans and humans looking like Gods!

The archaic smile could not have existed without this kind of ideological background.

The archaic smile, the main characteristic of the archaic art expresses the joy and exultation of man before the miracle of life.

The ancient Greek artist invented his own self and became the creator of god and man alike in a universe of perfect formal proportions, idealized aesthetic values and a newly found sense of freedom. This was a freedom from barbarism and tyranny and a transition towards self-determination. The sculptures of Greece, more than any other art form, are the pure expression of freedom, self-consciousness, and self-determination.

The journey of sculpture in ancient Greece begins with the kouroi (the majestic naked young men who represent eternal youth, beauty and power) and the korai (the clothed young maidens, obedient and immobile, representing feminine grace and humility). On their faces a mysterious smile bestowing a sense of abundant vivacity, both expressing the trust to the human power.

Archaic art is a silent witness to the extraordinary development western society was about to undertake. The Kouros and Kori statues stand before a cultural revolution, all muscles tense, like a spring about to burst with energy into an extraordinary wave of classical thought. They stand with meaningful smiles, as if they knew what was about to occur: the classical era and the Golden Age of Greek thought.

How far away are we from this approach?

A shock to democracy

Sunday, May 6^th : election day, a tribute to democracy! What a day! What a disappointing day…

Supposedly the most important elections in Greece, supposedly the Greek people voted responsibly in accordance to each one’s knowledge, education and perception. And here is what we got as a result of our democracy, here’s our truth, here’s our own reflection.

I believed that these elections were super important for my country, but I guess that it was not the case for 40% of my countrymen. Yes, 40% of Greeks were completely indifferent – as for four out of ten Greeks, these elections were not in their priorities list.

And then, hundreds of thousands Greeks, 8,4%,  freely choose to vote for the neo-nazis. Neo-nazis gathered enough votes to win 21 seats in the Greek parliament and parliamentary immunity.

This is a true shock to democracy. The general results of May 6^th elections have shocked our political scene, but the biggest shock comes from this result.

It is very disappointing that in a country like Greece, the cradle of democracy, where so many were killed fighting the Nazis during WWII that a neo-nazi party is now in parliament.

Even before the elections, members of Chrysi Avgi have been carrying out acts of violence and hate crimes against illegal immigrants, political opponents and ethnic minorities.

Some years ago, unknown suspects vandalized the Monastirioton synagogue, a memorial for Holocaust victims and Jewish cemeteries in Thessaloniki and Athens. There were claims that Chrysi Avgi's symbols, a swastika-like logo, were present at all four sites.

The Chrysi Avgi bookshop sells Hitler's Mein Kampf and other neo-nazi propaganda.

During the elections, young party supporters with shaved heads and wearing black shirts with the Chrysi Avgi symbol set up vigilante groups to protect Greeks from immigrants. They have been blamed for several attacks on foreigners. Is this the way to make our country safe?

It’s true that Chrysi Avgi’s anti-immigrant campaign has put the spotlight on an issue long ignored by the political mainstream :the large inflow of immigrants, now representing 10 percent of the population. But is this the best way my country can deal with the issue?

The party’s election platform includes plans to landmine Greece’s borders, immediately arrest and expel illegal immigrants, and set up special labor camps for legal immigrants.

Right after the initial results of the election, the leader of Chrysi Avgi held a press conference. During the conference and before he entered the room, his party’s officials demanded that everybody should rise as an ovation to the leader. Should a journalist refuse to stand, they must leave the room (voluntarily or by force).

What if they show similar improper behavior in the Greek parliament?

Are we about to witness the return of stiff-armed salutes and fascist flags?

Are we entering an era of xenophobia, fanaticism, intimidation, social unrest and racism?

The New Acropolis Museum : A valuable moment for any architect

How can I even star to describe what I felt during my first visit and what I feel every single time that I return?
On Dionysiou Areopagitou, southeast of the Parthenon, a location carefully selected to enable a dialogue between the Museum’s exhibition spaces and the Acropolis, it provides a safe and beautiful home for the masterpieces of the Acropolis ensuring that they are given the prominence that they deserve and reminds people of the need to bring back the Parthenon marbles gruesomely carved out by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.

Bernard Tschumi and Michalis Fotiadis, the architects, created this modernist building whose simple and precise design invokes the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greek architecture.

Natural light smoothly entering the building from all sides gives it an almost ethereal feel, besides its huge volume, and you probably won’t get the usual “museum fatigue” feel that you may associate with other large museums.

Nothing had prepared me for the beauty of the museum until I entered the gallery of the slopes with the inclined glass floor that alludes to the ascent to the Acropolis itself. This inclined floor is a dramatic design point as, in antiquity, the slopes of the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis constituted the transition zone between the city and its most famous sanctuary. And behind me, monitoring my every move, the Cariatides overlooking the gallery of the Acropolis slopes. You ascend until you reach the main gallery on the next level.

The contrast from the ground floor to the Archaic Gallery is spectacular. The space suddenly opens up and the sunlight flooding into this gallery completely changes the atmosphere of the museum. This immense area is filled with the great light of Attica streaming through the gallery’s wall of glass. The experience of walking around the beautiful statues and marbles, not just in front of them, is unique and created a sense of intimacy between the me and the exhibits, a unique feeling of peace and serenity.

The raison d’être of the museum, however, is its third floor, the Parthenon Gallery, a rectangular, glass-enclosed, sky-lit space that is rotated 23 degrees from the rest of the building so as to align with the Parthenon. The direct visual contact with the Parthenon, the actual marbles, though fragmented and disembodied (friezes, metopes and pediments) took my breath away.

Honestly, a priceless visit!

A joyful annoucement

Greece is one of the few countries in the world where the folk dances are as alive today as they were in ancient times. Dance has always played an important role in the life of a Greek. It is an expression of human feelings and everyday life.
The Greeks danced at religious festivals, ceremonies; they danced to ensure fertility; they danced to prepare for war and to celebrate victories; they danced at weddings; they danced to overcome depression and to cure physical illness.
Almost every dance has a story to tell.
The islands offer joyous dances, graceful, flirtatious with a “watery” flow to them.
The rugged mountainous and steep gorges impose heavy garments and boots, so the dances tend to be slow, heavy and danced with immense dignity. In the fertile plains of Thessalia, dances are slow and controlled and a strong physique is necessary. In Northern Greece, dances become thrilling, boisterous, lively and very sharp.
My friend Ageliki (the very first one dancing!) with her dancing group are dancing the “Kageli”, from Greece’s mainland. “Kageli” in the local dialect means joyful announcement and people used to dance it during celebrations that gathered the whole village together. It starts with a slow and controlled tempo and becomes more lively.
Happy birthday Agelikoula! Enjoy!

Manos Hatzidakis meets jazz

Manos Hatzidakis, the greatest musical genius of Greece! His name has been written with golden letters in the music history of Greece since 1960. Hatzidakis created a personal style which no one can forget. He focused on the economy of expression, the deep traditional roots and the genuineness of emotion.

Gifted, melancholic, sensitive, wonderful... Manos Hatzidakis has marked Greek music with his work, leaving a huge legacy behind him. He was one of the most important Greek composers, the most romantic and soul-touching according to many people who still fall in love and daydream with his music.

A few months ago, I had the honor of enjoying the Athens Camerate orchestra performing along with some of the most distinguished Greek Jazz musicians, some of the best known melodies of Manos Hatzidakis, adapted in the language of jazz.

A vivid musical meeting arising spontaneously from free thinking and improvisation, in full harmony with Manos Hatzidakis’ work and his cosmopolitan way of thinking.

Enjoy!

Stepping forward : A hero's Journey

Dr Joseph Riggio describes himself: “First of all I would say I'm a transformational change artist, often working in the capacity of an applied mythologist, helping my clients to discover the myths they are organized around and that drive the perceptions, decisions and actions that produce the results they are getting (or sometimes the ones they aren't getting yet)”.
He is renown for the capacity of his insight to what motivates people to action, both personally and professionally, and his ability to organize the means to articulate the specific messages that will move these individuals to actually taking action.
I had the enormous luck to watch his inspirational speech during TEDx Academy “Step Forward” in Athens, in October.
And now, my friend Pantelis has sent me this amazing video!
In this video, Dr. Joseph Riggio explores the topic of how our stories shape the worlds we live in, as individual and collectively. He speaks to the way our education influences our ability to shape the stories we are living, what's missing from our schools - and how we can add back in what most essential to reshape the future we're creating. “If you don’t take control of the stories that you’re living, then you’ll be living someone else’s story…”