the willingness to revisit
in collaboration with Ino Varvariti
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in collaboration with Ino Varvariti
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22.2. —
24.03.2018
Der
Standpunkt war nur ein Aussichtspunkt
Duo Solo Exh. with Daria Gusberti
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Former Hospital of Amfissa, Amfissa,(curator Elpida Karampa/ Glykeria Stathopoulou
The willingness to revisit is a research-art
project in progress. It consists of an idiosyncratic record of souvenirs from
Greece found in various flea markets in Berlin. Ceramic museum copies of
vessels, statue replicas, postal cards and photograph albums of trips are all
finds of an open performative experience of collecting. The flea market as a
space of negotiation and exchange, an unpredictable meeting point of objects
and people, becomes the temporary melting pot of various stories; Narratives
that can metonymically bring to life personal journeys, places, memories but
also cultural and institutional contexts. The distinctive postal card stands
and the staged-looking stalls selling ancient statue reproductions one finds in
archaeological sites and holiday destinations, form an integral part of tourist
attraction practices. Nowdays there are laws that set the terms and conditions
that govern the expoitation of cultural heritage, including the allocation of
permits to photograph and film and to use archaeological sites for various
events. At the same time the project explores these souvenirs as objects that
illustrate a personal understanding of history and locality as evidence of the
shifting of ideas and experiences. To what extent have these objects influenced
and shaped a stereotypical view of the Other? To what extent do they exoticise
and romanticise antiquities and representations of places? And on the other
hand, how significant a part have they played in the promotion and development
of tourism and construction of “Greekness”?
