Ionic column

Eyes of Many Truths...in Athens

Photography Dimitris Zarkadas

Eyes of Many Truths

by Kalliopi Minioudaki, Ph.D.

“Community is what takes place always through others and for others.

It is not the space of the egos—subjects and substances that are at bottom immortal—but of the I’s, who are always others (or else are nothing).”

Jean-Luc Nancy

A message of love, or better yet, a powerful appeal for real human community, was recently sent from Athens through the eyes of children who “occupied” by proxy an Athenian wall—rather than Wall Street—on the cold afternoon of October 15.

Seventy-six posters featuring boys and girls aged 2-14 were pasted on a wall on Thessaloniki Street, in the historic center of Athens and opposite Technopolis—an emblem of the Athenian art scene—turning an ordinary wall into a public gallery, a cheerful archive of some of the city’s most innocent inhabitants.

An art event in and of itself, the wall-papering was part of the street realization of Eyes of Truth, a group action organized by the art platform MELD in response to and as part of the Inside Out Project of legendary street artist JR.

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Saturday, December 10 2011 By Elina - Ionic column

This Saturday (15th October) Athens Group Action: “Eyes of Truth”

Athens Group Action: “Eyes of Truth,” is a parallel event to TEDxAcademy, participates in JR’s TED Prize Wish: the Inside Out Project

When TED Prize winner, JR, announced his wish to turn the world “Inside Out,” inviting people around the globe to share a photo portrait along with a statement about what they stand for, MELD decided to participate.

MELD invited six Greek photographers, including Adamantios Kafetzis, Alexandros Voutsas, Ioanna Ralli, Ryme63/StateOfMind, Stavros Makris and Yiannis Chiotopoulos to donate their time to create face-toface portraits of children from privileged and un-privileged social backgrounds living in Athens.

These portraits will be posted as diptychs in public spaces in central Athens on October 15, 2011 as a parallel event as part of TEDxAcademy, which took place on October 10, 2011.

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Wednesday, October 12 2011 By Elina - Ionic column

Check out: The City of Absences ...in today's Istanbul

for those you will be in Athens from 11-15 October, do not miss Alexandros Massavetas photo exhibition!!

In “The City of Absences”, Alex Massavetas links the lively, raucous present of Istanbul’s historic quarters with their past and the history of their original inhabitants. At the same time, he bypasses the feelings of nostalgia and melancholy and gives himself to the magic of modern Istanbul, to the joy of discovery, lets himself feel affection for the worlds he discovers and agony for their end approaching. The end, this time round, will be in the form of an “Urban Rehabilitation Programme”. This exhibition borrows its title from Alex’s book, a travelogue of Istanbul’s lost cosmopolitanism.

Visual memories of

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Monday, October 10 2011 By Elina - Ionic column

''NERAKI'' workshop by MELD at the Goulandris Museum of Natural History

Kifissos was one of the three ancient rivers of Athens. Today, the GAIA CENTRE of the Goulandris Museum and MELD, introduce us to a new project about the revival of the river and how the city could benefit from it. A unique workshop for children will take place! Check out more..

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Monday, June 6 2011 By Elina - Ionic column

A tribute to the famous Greek writer Alexandros Papadiamantis --100 years from his death-

Metaixmio publications, are going to pay a tribute to Alexandros Papadiamantis for the 160 years from his birth and the 100 years from his death. Papadiamantis was one of the most important greek writers of the early 20th century ans is regarded as the ''Apostle of Modern

Hellenism'' since he provided a nostalgic view of rural Greece with an idiomatic language which was closer to the people's language instead of the archaistic literary language.

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Monday, March 14 2011 By Elina - Ionic column

''Maria Callas and La Scala'' exhibition at the Athens Music Hall

Take a walk at the Athens Music Hall (Megaron Moussikis) for an exhibition of rare costumes worn by Maria Callas when she appeared at the La Scala opera house in Milan together with the performance "Maria Stuarda", which premiered at the Teatro La Scala in December 1835.

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Friday, March 11 2011 By Elina - Ionic column

Greek movie ''Dogtooth'' nominated for the Oscars!

Tuesday, January 25 2011 By Elina - Ionic column

A Chocolate Museum in Athens

We all love chocolate..our sweetest temptation since childhood ! Here in Greece, chocolate has been adored over the years which gave the reason for the first Chocolate Museum of Pavlides, one of the pioneers of chocolate-making industry in the country. His industry was made in the late 19th century and since then his awarded black chocolate became almost a part of the modern Greek identity.

The famous multi-awarded Pavlidis Chocolate /flickr

This original museum will be opened this weekend 29-30 January on the occasion of the 150 years since the chocolate Pavlidis first released. It aims to introduce people of all ages to the secrets of chocolate manufacturing and the art of enjoyment. At the same time it will narrate in an original way, the interesting history of chocolate Pavlidis since Spiridon Pavlides produced it for the first time using a ... steam machine!

Etchings, lithographs and historic photographs will compose the path in the history of chocolate production line and simulations will reveal the secrets of modern chocolate.

Three huge chocolate fountains will be available to visitors in order to create their own chocolate chips!

The Chocolate Museum is a must-see, so next time you plan to visit Athens put it in the ''to-do-list''..!

By Elina - Ionic column

Acropolis Museum to stay open late

From January 28, the Acropolis Museum will stay open until 10pm on Fridays so that visitors can tour the exhibits while also viewing the floodlit Acropolis at night.

The museum will also begin a programme for the conservation and restoration of the Caryatid sculptures - structural columns holding up the temple's porch that were carved to look like young women - from the Erechtheum.

The programme includes using laser tools to clean the sculptures from atmospheric pollution and remove factors causing damage, affix less secure areas of the marble and restore their structure. The museum has chosen not to move them from the gallery during the process, in order to avoid the strain of an additional move. It also hopes to allow visitors to get first-hand experience of procedures that until now took place in inaccessible laboratories.

On January 28 at 8pm, conservation specialist Kostas Vassiliadis will present the cleaning process of the Caryatids to the public.

Source: Athens News

Friday, January 21 2011 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Greek film ''Fang'' towards the Oscars!

It seems that the Greek film"Fang" by George Lanthimos has touched not only the Greek audience since it's on the way to the Oscars, a breath before the five candidates for the 2011 Oscar awarded foreign language film.

From a total of 66 foreign-language films, only nine qualified for the second phase, and yes .. the "Fang" is one of them! The film has been awarded in the Cannes festival as well.

On next Tuesday, January 25 the Oscar nominations will be announced so we will know if the "Fang" will be among the five. If this is the case, then it will be the second time that a Greek movie, after "Iphigenia" by Michael Cacoyannis (1977) is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

The nine movies which are going to compete at a second stage are: «Fang» (Greece) «Hors la Loi» (Algeria), Confessions» (Japan), «Incendies» (Canada), «In a Better World» (Denmark), «Biutiful» (Mexico) , «Simple Simon» (Sweden), «LifeaboveAll» (South Africa) and «TambienlaLluvia» (Spain).

Thursday, January 20 2011 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Alexander the Great at the Louvre for a unique exhibition

6a00d83451586c69e2011570b0e6f6970c-320wi.jpg, _Jan 2011

Alexander the Great goes .. to France next October! And not just any place in France but at ''Le Louvre'', the country's most famous museum and one of the best museums on the planet. A major exhibition entitled "In the kingdom of Alexander the Great - Ancient Macedonia'' will be hosted at the famous museum from October 2011 until January 2012. Maybe October isn't too close, preparation, however, is almost completed, so that the artifacts will be sent to France from Greece.

Friday, January 14 2011 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Turkish Novelist Orhan Pamuk, to visit Athens for a lecture

Orhan Pamuk, the famous Nobel laureate in literrature (2006) will visit Athens for a lecture at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Mousikis) on January 11. The lecture is a part of the Megaron Plus cultural programme.

According to the famous nobelist, "the modern world can conquer a deeper self-awareness through literature which serves as a mirror that reflects its contradictions, deceptions and dead ends".

Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952. After graduating from Robert College in Istanbul, he studied architecture at Istanbul's Technical University. He also studied journalism. His first novel, entitled "Cevdet Bey and His Sons", was published in 1982. However, his nostalgic view of multicultural Istanbul as expressed in his novels, made the Turkish author extremely popular in Greece.

Wednesday, January 5 2011 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Rio unveils the 2016 Olympic logo

The Organizing Committee of the Rio Games, unveiled the olympic logo for the Games of 2016.

Do you like it?

Sunday, January 2 2011 By Giorgos - Ionic column

All the best from Athens for 2011: Sean Connery reads Cavafy's ''Ithaca''

Just as we leave behind 2010, we wish you from Athens all the best for the new year! Here we offer you a great video, with Sean Connery reading C.P. Cavafy's ''Ithaca''.

Happy 2011!

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

On the way to Ithaca...

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Friday, December 31 2010 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Jacqueline de Romilly and the timelessness of Greece

by Joanna Papadimitropoulou

Sick and essentially blind, Jacqueline de Romilly still managed to be informed, thanks to her students, on what was going on in her beloved Greece due to the financial crisis.

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Saturday, December 25 2010 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Things you thought you knew about Christmas!

Well, everybody celebrates Christmas at the 25th of December. But how correct is that? Was Jesus born on December the 25th?

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Wednesday, December 22 2010 By Giorgos - Ionic column

St. Nicolas, Santa Claus or St. Basil ??

One of the most famous traditions all over Europe is the tradition of Saint Nicholas Day, usually on 6 December, a festival for children in many countries in Europe related to surviving legends of the saint, and particularly his reputation as a bringer of gifts. The tradition immigtated to the Americas as well, with the invention of Santa-Claus. The Anglo-Canadian and British Father Christmas also derive from these legends. "Santa Claus" is itself derived from the Dutch Sinteerklas.

Monday, December 20 2010 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Smells like Christmas

by Helene Varvaritis-Tourikis

EVERY homemaker in Greece at some point in December will say ''Tha ftiaxo kourabiedes yia na mirisi to spiti Christougena'', or I’ll make kourabiedes for the house to smell like Christmas.

By Giorgos - Ionic column

The American Congress honors the battle of Marathon!

The American Congress passed a resolution about the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, as one of the most important battles in human history.

Here is the resolution:

Sunday, December 19 2010 By Giorgos - Ionic column

Philellin French scholar De Romilly passed away

The distinguished French classical scholar Jacqueline de Romilly, who was only the second woman to enter the elite Academie Francaise, passed away yesterday at her 97.

By Giorgos - Ionic column