July - September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Transcription

Cyprus
TO D AY
Vo l u m e L , N o 3 , J u l y - S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2
Contents
EDITORIAL ....................................................................4
Kypria International Festival 2012 ...................................6
Mapping Cyprus: Crusaders, Traders and Explorers ......14
Maniera Cypria ...............................................................19
4th Cypriot Film Directors Festival .................................22
4th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival ..28
16th International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama .......36
Cyprus Medical Museum ...............................................41
Pafos Aphrodite Festival 2012 ........................................44
Terra Mediterranea-In Crisis ...........................................48
Cypriot Armenian Artists Exhibition .............................52
United States of Europe .................................................56
Bokoros “Odos Eleftherias” ............................................63
The World Youth Choir in Cyprus ..................................65
Volume L, No 3, July-September 2012
A quarterly cultural review of the Ministry of Education and
Culture published and distributed by the Press and Information
Office (PIO), Ministry of Interior, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Editorial Supervision:
Miltos Miltiadou (PΙΟ)
E-mail: [email protected]
Address:
Ministry of Education and Culture
Kimonos & Thoukydides Corner, 1434 Nicosia, Cyprus
Website: http://www.moec.gov.cy
Editorial Assistance:
Maria Georgiou (PΙΟ)
David A. Porter
Press and Information Office
Apellis Street, 1456 Nicosia, Cyprus
Website: http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio
EDITORIAL BOARD
Chairperson:
Pavlos Paraskevas, Director of Cultural Services,
Ministry of Education and Culture
Chief Editor:
Jacqueline Agathocleous
[email protected]
GNORA COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS
(website: www.gnora.com)
Tel: +357 22441922 Fax: +357 22519743
Design: GNORA COMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS
Printed by: Konos Ltd
Front cover: General view of the exhibition Maniera
Cypria: Lemesos, Fabula, Historia, Memoria
Back cover: A scene from Electra & Orestes at the 16th
International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama
PIO 416/2012 – 10000
ISSN (print) 0045-9429
ISSN (online) 1986-2547
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Cyprus Today and the authors (for signed articles). The sale or other commercial exploitation of this publication or part of it is strictly prohibited.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in the signed articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the publishers.
The magazine can also be found on the Press and Information Office website at www.moi.gov.cy/pio.
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Editorial
T
he Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2012 features strongly
in this issue of Cyprus Today, starting off with the KYPRIA 2012 International Festival, which presented music, theatre and dance events of considerable renown throughout the island. The Festival started
off with a concert, Towards a Europe of Peace, by the Cyprus Youth Symphony.
The easternmost member of the EU, Cyprus, has always been strategically important to foreign powers
wishing to influence or control the Eastern Mediterranean. The exhibition Mapping Cyprus: 1191-2012
Crusaders, Traders and Explorers, held at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, examined a long
period in the turbulent history of the island.
Lovers of antiquities will enjoy reading about the Maniera Cypria exhibition in Limassol, which presented
archaeological findings unearthed in the district and its vicinity displayed side by side in a fascinating discourse with contemporary art at the Evagoras Lanitis Centre.
This issue also takes a look at the 4th Cypriot Film Directors Festival, which presented works by seven
acclaimed film directors. For the first time ever, the screenings took place “under the stars” at the Constantia
Open Air Cinema. The 4th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival was dedicated to the
promotion of new music, both the established masterpieces of the contemporary music literature of the 20th
century and a great number of premieres by leading young composers from all over the world who were
commissioned by the Pharos Arts Foundation to write new works especially for the Festival.
In July, theatre lovers from around the world attended the 16th International Festival of Ancient Greek
Drama 2012. The Festival opened with a production of Agamemnon’s Children by the Hessian State Theatre of Wiesbaden, Germany, while other works included Electra and Orestes, The Trial; The Eumenides,
and Antigone. Also taking pride of place in this issue is the Cyprus Medical Museum, a venture which
few people took seriously some 25 years ago when the Committee of the Limassol Medical Association
announced its decision to collect and exhibit antique medical equipment. Thanks to a number of valuable
donations from doctors and their families, photographs of which are included in this issue, the museum is
now a reality, bringing an enormous collection of valuable medical artefacts to the people of Cyprus and to
visitors to the island with an interest in medicine.
The 14th Pafos Aphrodite Festival raised its curtain this year on the Slovak National Theatre’s performance of Verdi’s Otello, at the Medieval Castle of Pafos in Pafos Harbour. The adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy was set at the Castle of Famagusta in the 15th century, with Otello serving as the recently
appointed governor of Cyprus.
Also featured in this issue is the contemporary art program Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis, which included
a second contemporary art exhibition, [at Maroudia’s], curated by the Re Aphrodite team at the Ethnological
Museum–House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios.
The Armenian Representative, Vartkes Mahdessian, organised a unique exhibition within the framework
of the Cyprus Presidency featuring works by nine Armenian painters and six Armenian photographers. The
Painting and Photography Exhibition by Cypriot Armenian Artists is also featured in this issue.
Do you feel European? Does Mr O’Keeffe in Ireland feel more or less European than Mrs Stylianou in
Cyprus? And if so, why? The United States of Europe (U.S.E) project, presented outdoors at Pharos Arts
Foundation, offered various reflections on such questions. In another exhibition related to borders, painter
Christos Bokoros attempted direct conversation with spaces, buildings and roads which are adjacent to or
which lead to the Green Line in Nicosia with a series of paintings titled “Odos Eleftherias”.
Finally, for the first time ever in Cyprus, we got the chance to enjoy concerts by the World Youth Choir.
The choir performed three a cappella concerts, in Pedoulas, in Pafos and in Ayia Napa.
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Kypria International Festival 2012
R
ight from its inception in 1993, the Kypria
International Festival has provided Cypriots
and visitors alike with a variety of cultural events
of the highest possible standard. Launched in a period characterised by a drought of important cultural
events, the Kypria International Festival became the
catalyst for the creation of an unprecedented cultural
movement. The Cultural Services of the Ministry of
Education and Culture continually seek to improve
and upgrade the Festival, not only the character of
the programme’s events but also the conception and
future course of the Festival.
20 Years of History
Throughout its twenty-year history, the Festival has
presented acclaimed Cypriot and foreign artists from
various disciplines to its audience. The selection
committee strives to the greatest possible extent to
make the work of Cypriot artists and groups elemental to the Festival while still maintaining its international character.
Over the past two decades, the Kypria International
Festival has hosted an array of distinguished artists
and ensembles from the fields of cinema, dance,
music, theatre and the visual arts. The Festival has
welcomed esteemed international dance companies
to its stages, including the Rhine Ballet, the National
Ballet of Cuba, Omada Edafous by Demetris Papaioannou and the Batsheva Dance Company.
Theatre Performances by Prominent Directors
Theatre performances by prominent directors
featuring distinguished actors and theatre groups
of worldwide renown have always been at the
forefront of the Festival, including the National Theatre of Greece, the Greek Art Theatre of
Karolos Koun and Spyros Evangelatos Amphitheatre. One of the Festival´s most recent highlights was John Malkovich´s outstanding performance in The Infernal Comedy: Confessions
of a Serial Killer in 2011.
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William Shakespeare: Pericles
Celebrated Music Ensembles
The Kypria International Festival has also hosted a number of internationally renowned music
ensembles, including the English National Symphony Orchestra, the Madrigalisti di Venezia,
the European Union Baroque Orchestra, the Philarmonic Chamber Orchestra of Salzburg, the
Popular Orchestra of Mikis Theodorakis and the
State Orchestra of Greek Music, conducted during its Kypria Festival appearance by Dionysis
Savvopoulos.
Programme
In 2012 the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture maintained the Festival’s high
standards by creating the following programme:
Towards a Europe of Peace
The Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the World Youth Choir.
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 30 and 31
August.
Love Songs from Smyrna meet Cyprus Tradition
Moliere: Amphitryon
The National Theatre of Greece.
Makarios III Amphitheatre, Strovolos, Nicosia. 7
September.
William Shakespeare: Pericles
The National Theatre of Greece.
September.
Othello’s Tower in Music: Four Musical Views on
the Shakespearian Drama
Featuring works by Dvořák, Khachaturian, Rossini
and Verdi.
The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.
Municipal Garden Theatre, Limassol. 13 September.
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 14 September.
Mediterranean Express
A joint production of the music group En Chordais
and Maria Farantouri.
The performance highlighted the creative evolution of the musical heritage of the Mediterranean
and its amalgamation with world music and Ethno-Jazz.
Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 16 September.
Love Songs from Smyrna meet Cyprus Tradition
Giannis Kotsiras and the group Estoudiantina with
the collaboration of Michalis Terlikkas. The concert
featured works that herald the beginning of “rebetiko” and which left their mark on the musical culture of the 1920´s.
September.
Rossini Cards and Cantata
A Dance performance by Italy´s largest dance group,
Fondazione Nazionale della Danza Aterballeto.
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Rossini Cards and Cantata
A Slight Risk
Municipal Garden Theatre, Limassol. 3 October.
Famagusta Gate Moat, Nicosia. 12 October.
A Slight Risk
A theatre production by Fresh Target Theatre Ensemble inspired by George Seferis´s poem Staperichora tis Keryneias (“In the Province of Keryneia”).
Skali Aglantzias in Nicosia. 3 and 4 October.
Vasos Argyrides´s Anthology
A presentation of the composer´s work from
throughout his 25-year career.
Strovolos Municipal Theatre, 5 October.
Michalis Christodoulides´s Porfyromata
A musical performance by the Diastasis Cultural Association featuring the poetry of Hector Patriotis set
to music by Michalis Christodoulides.
October.
The Age of Now
A concert featuring important Greek and Cypriot
musicians by the group J. Kriste, Master of Disguise.
Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 11 October.
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Iannis Xenakis: Oresteia-Aeschylus Suite
The Centre of Vocal Arts performed the suite, the
final event of KYPRIA 2012. Xenakis drew his inspiration for the suite from the Aeschylus trilogy of
the same name.
Makarios III Amphitheatre, Strovolos. 20 October.
Further information regarding the KYPRIA 2012
programme can be found at www.kypria.org.cy.
Towards a Europe of Peace
In honour of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of
the European Union, the Cyprus Youth Symphony
Orchestra’s programme, which was prepared during its International Summer Academy, juxtaposed
in musical symbolism the catastrophic wars of the
European past with the emerging brotherhood of nations and the hopeful future to which the European
Union aspires.
Two evening concerts were given under the direction of Ayis Ioannides and soloists Margarita Elia
(soprano), Vivien Cooksley (mezzosoprano), Kirlianit Cortes (tenor) and Russi Nikoff (baritone).
The concerts took place on 30 and 31 August at
the Strovolos Municipal Theatre in Nicosia. The
first part of the programme comprised work by
Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Mars, The Bringer of
War (from The Planets), and Krzystof Penderecki
(1933- ), Lacrimosa (Soprano solo: Margarita Elia).
The second part of the concert included Beethoven’s
9th Symphony in D minor, op. 125 (“Choral”).
hood of mankind under a heavenly God. Beethoven
brings both universal dimensions and deep mysticism to Schiller’s text. The thematic first stanza was
adopted in 1972 as the European Anthem.
The Programme
Gustav Holst (1874-1934): Mars, The Bringer of
War (from The Planets).
The Planets, a suite for large orchestra with seven
parts, each dedicated to one of the planets, is the best
known and most popular work of English composer
Gustav Holst. Written between 1914 and 1916, it
begins with quiet march rhythms in the uncommon
measure of 5/4 and threatening motifs in the wind;
the composer builds enormous, terrifying climaxes.
The Artists
Ayis Ioannides – Artistic Director and Conductor
Ayis Ioannides has conducted a wide spectrum of
musical genres and has received tremendous critical
acclaim around the world, both as a conductor and
as a composer. He was a conductor at various German opera houses for 10 years. He has been Chief
Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra in Finland
and the first Artistic Director of the Cyprus State Orchestra. He has also been a guest conductor in many
European countries, as well as in Australia, Egypt
and the USA.
After first obtaining his doctorate in neurophysiology, Ioannides studied in London at the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama and at the National
Opera Studio, and he participated in master classes
in Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. Especially
important was the experience he gained under the
maestros George Hurst, Vilem Tausky, Helmut Rilling and Sergiu Celibidache. His compositional activity developed especially in the late 90’s, and some
of his works have been performed in Cyprus, Egypt,
Austria, France (International Pablo Casals Festival), Germany, Finland, Sweden and the USA.
Krzystof Penderecki (1933- ): Lacrimosa.
Polish composer Krzystof Penderecki is one of the
most important musical figures of our age. He wrote
Lacrimosa in 1980 for the unveiling in Gdansk, Poland, of a memorial to the victims of the brutal suppression of anti-government riots in 1970. The work
was later included in his Polish Requiem, which is
dedicated to the heroes and victims of wars throughout Polish history.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony no.
9 in D minor, op. 125 (“Choral”)
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, completed in 1824, has
become a key point in musical history, and not only
because of its universally familiar choral part. In his
last creative period, the composer abandoned the
sharp contrasts typical of his middle period. In the 9th
Symphony, drama dissolves into lyricism and cantabile melody, with its variations constantly acquiring
greater significance. Truly majestic from every point
of view is the first movement, in which Beethoven
makes a giant leap from his previous symphonies.
Through his combination of a multitude of related
motifs and a highly differentiated use of the orchestra, Beethoven created music of previously unknown
texture and rhythmic and structural complexity. For
the last choral movement, Beethoven sets Friedrich
Schiller’s (1759-1805) Ode to Joy, a poem originally written in 1785 for a plaque in a Masonic lodge in
Dresden, to music. The text is a hymn to the brother-
Ayis Ioannides
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sica Sacra” in Salzburg. Her appearances with the
Cyprus Symphony Orchestra include Mozart’s Requiem and Schoenberg’s Lied der Waldtaube.
Kirlianit Cortes
Russi Nikoff
Margarita Elia
Vivien Cooksley
Margarita Elia – Soprano
Moscow-born Cypriot soprano Margarita Elia studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Debrecen,
Hungary, graduating with a MMus degree in Vocal
Performance and Education – she then continued
her studies in London with New York City Opera
soloist Arlene Randazzo. She was finalist at La Voce
International Lied Competition 2005 in Bayreuth,
Germany. Elia has appeared as an opera soloist and
has performed with renowned orchestras in Hungary,
Bulgaria, Israel and Puerto Rico, the Moscow Virtuosi
under Vladimir Spivakov and the Cyprus Symphony
Orchestra. She has given many world premieres at
major contemporary music festivals.
Vivien Cooksley – Mezzosoprano
Vivien Cooksley studied under mezzo-soprano
Margarita Lilova at the University of Music and
Dramatic Arts in Vienna, graduating with a Masters in Operatic Singing. She has also worked with
Frank Fanning, assistant to Herbert von Karajan;
Walter Berry, baritone; Hans Fuchsberger, head of
music studies at Vienna National Opera, and famous voice coach Carol Blaickner-Mayo. Cooksley
has appeared in major roles at the Verdi Theatre of
Trieste and at the International Festival St. Margarethen. She has also been very active on the concert
stage, with performances at the Austria National TV
Centre ORF, and she is a regular guest at the “Mu10
Kirlianit Cortes – Tenor
Kirlianit Cortes studied singing at the Great Theater
of Havana and at the University of Antioquia. In
1998 he was awarded the first prize in the National
Arts Competition Universidad del Valle, Mexico.
Cortes continued his studies at the University of
Music and Performing Arts of Vienna, where he
obtained the Magister Artium with mezzo-soprano
Ks. Marjana Lipovsek – he also studied with Ks.
Margarita Lilova and Ks. Francisco Araiza. In 2004
Cortes made his debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus
and Kammeroper. He has performed major roles
at the Opera Festival of Schärding (Austria), Teatro
Lirico di Spoleto, Vest Norges Opera of Norway,
Opera Szczecin in Poland, Bunka Kai Kan, Tokyo,
Wiener Musikverein and Vienna Volksoper. In 2009
he won the second prize in the European Tenor
Contest-Jan Kiepura in Poland. Cortes’s repertoire
comprises a wide range of sacred and secular choral masterpieces; his recordings include Rossini’s
Il signor Bruschino and La scala di seta and the J.
Strauss operetta Die Göttin der Venunft.
Russi Nikoff – Baritone
Bulgarian baritone Russi Nikoff graduated from
the Musical Academy “Pancho Vladigerov” specialising in Opera Singing. He also worked with
Tamara Gorinova and attended master classes at
the European Opera Center; he also attended master classes with Renata Scotto, Costas Paskalis and
Gena Dimitrova. Nikoff also worked in Vienna,
Austria, where he established a connection with
Prof. Marta Lantieri (producer and vocal pedagogue) and Ks. Krassimira Stoyanova. During his
second year of college Nikoff made his debut at the
Burgas Opera, after which he was appointed soloist at the Opera. In the following years he gained
invaluable experience under the guidance of Prof.
Ivan Vulpe. He has interpreted major roles in many
theatres in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, England, Portugal, Mexico, Hungary, Japan, Egypt and
Bulgaria, as well as at opera festivals such as Tibor
Varga, Switzerland, “Sankt Margarethen”, Austria,
and Festival of the Aegean, Syros.
Othello’s Tower in Music
The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra - 4 musical views
on the Shakespearian drama: Dvorak, Khachaturian, Rossini and Verdi
Under the baton of Loukas Karytinos, the Cyprus
Symphony Orchestra presented the programme
Othello’s Tower in Music, with four musical views
on the drama: Dvorak, Khachaturian, Rossini and
Verdi.
The programme, which featured soloists Dimitra
Theodossiou (soprano), Angelo Simos (tenor) and
Kyros Patsalides (baritone), included the works: A.
Dvorak, Concert Overture Othello, Op. 93, B. 174;
A. Khachaturian, Suite from the Music to the Film
Othello, Op. 87A, Prologue and Introduction; G.
Rossini, Sinfonia to the Opera Otello, and G. Verdi,
excerpts from the opera Otello. The concert took
place on 13 September 2012 at the Municipal Garden Theatre in Limassol and on 14 September 2012
at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre.
TOWER OF OTHELLO
The Legend
The legendary Tower of Othello, situated in Famagusta, is named after Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello
whose events, it is believed, take place there – Shakespeare himself mentions “a harbour in Cyprus”. The
tower is one among several towers along the imposing and picturesque walls of Famagusta, which the
Venetians built when they took Cyprus in 1489 and
turned Famagusta into their administrative centre
and general headquarters of the Eastern Mediterranean. The winged lion of St. Mark, symbol of the
Republic of Venice, is carved over the Tower’s gate.
In Shakespeare’s play, Othello is a Moorish general and the commander of Cyprus, appointed by
the Republic of Venice. The story of Othello, who
tragically murders his beautiful and innocent wife,
Desdemona, after being blinded by jealousy through
the machinations of the diabolical Iago, has inspired
composers of the classical repertoire to write intensely dramatic music in various genres, such as opera,
soundtracks and orchestral overtures. The Cyprus
Symphony Orchestra, together with distinguished
soloists and maestro Loukas Karytinos, presented
four different musical views inspired by Othello.
Loukas Karytinos – Conductor
Loukas Karytinos studied conducting at the University of Arts of West Berlin with H. Alendorf
whilst also attending conducting seminars at the
Mozarteum in Salzburg. Between 1981 and 1985
he worked in Germany as Music Director of the
Sharlontenburg Chamber Orchestra, Berlin, and as
Director of the Piccolo Teatro Berolino. Since 1985
he has been the Chief Conductor of the Greek National Opera, where he was appointed Music Director in 1992; he was also the Opera’s Artistic Director from 1999 to 2005. Karytinos has collaborated
with opera houses worldwide, including houses in
Berlin, Barcelona, Cologne, Monte Carlo, Detroit,
Salzburg, Rome, Catania, Modena and Bilbao. He
has also conducted at international festivals, including the Athens Festival, Epidaurus, Arena di Verona,
Caracalla in Rome, Puccini “Torre di Lago”, Witten,
Germany and Las Palmas. He has worked with all of
the orchestras of Greece, the London Philharmonia,
Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, RSO-Berlin,
Loukas Karytinos – Conductor
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Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra
Suisse Romande, WDR, Bruckner Orchester Linz,
Oxford Philomusica, Budapest Radio Orchestra and
others. Outside Europe, he has performed in Korea,
the USA, Australia, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. He
has received a number of honourary prizes, including the Golden Medal of Honour (1989) from the
Athens Municipality for his “excellent services” in
music; the Great Music Prize (2008) from the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music for his
general contribution to Opera, and the Apollon Prize
(2010) from the Association of the Friends of the
Greek National Opera for his overall contribution to
music.
Dimitra Theodossiou – Soprano
The Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou is considered one of the most exciting and important voices
for Verdi and BelcantoRepertoire. The soprano,
who is studying with Birgit Nickl in Munich, continues to confirm her gift for Verdi and Belcanto interpretation and her ability to captivate audiences.
Theodossiou has interpreted the roles of Norma in
Athens, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, Kassel, and many
Italian theatres; Leonora (Il Trovatore) at Teatroalla
Scala in Milan, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro
Comunale di Bologna, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Arena di Verona, Opera de Monte Carlo,
Athens, Baltimore and Copenhagen; Desdemona
(Otello) at Teatro Municipal de São Paulo in Bra12
The Age of Now
zil, Gran Teatro La Fenice, Teatro São Carlos in
Lisbon, Herodius Atticus in Athens, Violetta (La
Traviata) in Athens, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome,
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Japan and Seoul
with the Gran Teatro La Fenice. She has worked
with world-renowned conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Roberto Abbado, Gianluigi Gelmetti,
Marcello Viotti, Valery Gergiev, Riccardo Chailly
and Pinchas Steinberg. The soprano has won important international competitions, such as “Belvedere”, “Operalia”, “Viotti” and “Di Stefano”,
and numerous prizes, including Best Soprano of
the Verdi Centenary Year 2002 in Milan. Theodossiou has recorded more than 13 operas, including
I Lombardi alla Prima Corciata, La Traviata and
Il Trovatore by Verdi; Anna Bolena and Lucrezia
Borgia by Donizzetti, and Norma by Bellini.
Angelo Simos –Tenor
Angelo Simos is the stage
name of Vaghelis Chatzisimos, who was born in Athens, Greece. Simos started
his musical education at
the Peiraikos Syndesmos
Conservatory, in the singing class of Thalia Moira,
and graduated with distinction and 1st prize. After
graduation he attended master classes and private
lessons with Ileana Cotrubas, Luigi Alva, Costas
Paschalis and Arrigo Pola. Since 1995 he has been
a member of the Greek National Opera Ensemble.
He collaborates regularly with all the major orchestras and conductors in Greece (Loukas Karytinos,
Byron Fidetzis, Mikis Michaelides, Miltos Logiadis
and Alkis Baltas). Simos appears regularly in European Opera Houses (Deutsche Oper am Rhein,
Oper Frankfurt, Staatstheater Mannheim and Sofia
National Opera). His career highlights include collaboration with artists such as Anna Tomowa Sintow, Maria Guleghina and Agnes Baltsa, and with
stage directors such as Dietrich Hillsdorf, Christof
Loy, Graham Vick and Giancarlo Del Monaco. Simos has recorded music by Massenet, Kalomoiris,
Karrer, Samaras, Mitropoulos and Theodorakis.
Since October 2011 he has been the Deputy Stage
Director of the Greek National Opera. He teaches at
the Ethnikon Odeion and at the Odeion Athenaeum.
Kyros Patsalides – Baritone
The baritone Kyros Patsalides, one of the most
important Cypriot artists
of his generation, enjoys a
distinguished international
career. After completing
studies in Law at the University of Athens, he studied
Singing in Vienna under the guidance of baritones
Walter Berry and Gottfried Hornik on a scholarship
awarded by The Music and Fine Arts Foundation of
Cyprus. Patsalides also studied Lied and Oratorio at
the Music Academy of Vienna; he studied operatic
repertoire with Adalberdo Tonini and singing technique with Arrigo Pola and Simone Badi in Milan
and Modena. In 1995 he won the 1st prize in the International Song Competition of the Budapest State
Opera. Patsalides’s repertoire includes roles from
classical, romantic and contemporary operas and
oratorio, and he regularly appears at major theatres
and international festivals, including Vienna State
Opera, Teatro Filarmonico dell’Arena di Verona,
National Opera of Greece, Vienna Musikverein and
Konzerthaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Athens and Thessaloniki Megaron Halls, Wiener Festwochen, Due
Mondi-Spoleto, Athens International Festival and
Wratislavia Cantans (Poland). As a soloist he has
collaborated with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra,
St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Virtuosi di
Moscow, Orchestra dell’Arena di Verona, with all
of the important orchestras in Greece and with the
Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. Patsalides has been
honoured by a number of political and cultural institutions for his contribution to musical life in Cyprus.
Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra
The Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1987 as Cyprus State Youth Orchestra – since
2007 the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra has
been managed by the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra
Foundation. The Orchestra gives concerts in Cyprus and abroad and participates regularly at official
events and anniversaries. The annual International
Summer Music Academy is an extremely important part of the Orchestra’s activities. It takes place
in Pedoulas village with the participation of young
musicians and distinguished professors from Cyprus
and abroad. The final concerts of the Summer Academy, in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, were given as
part of the International Kypria Festival. In 2010 the
Orchestra participated with great success in the First
International Youth Orchestras Festival in Constantinople, Cultural Capital of Europe 2010.
World Youth Choir
The World Youth Choir (WYC) is original in its
concept. The Choir brings together talented young
singers aged 17-26 from all over the world each
year. Since its establishment in 1989, the WYC has
established itself as one of the most remarkable musical and intercultural experiences offered to young
musicians; the Choir meets annually for intense rehearsals followed by an international concert tour.
The diversity of the Choir’s conductors and its repertoire reflects the cultural diversity of its singers.
The WYC is a project of the World Youth Choir
Foundation, which counts among its patrons the International Federation for Choral Music, the European Choral Association-Europa Cantat and the Jeunesses Musicales International. In 1996, UNESCO
honoured the WYC by naming the Choir an Artist
for Peace, recognising the WYC’s success as a platform for intercultural dialogue through music. The
WYC participated at the Nobel Peace Prize award
ceremony on 10 December 2011 and the Nobel
Peace Prize Concert held in Oslo on 11 December,
the annual musical tribute to the year’s Nobel Peace
Prize laureate.
13
Mapping Cyprus 1191-2012:
Crusaders, Traders and Explorers
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, 22 June – 9 September 2012
S
ituated at the crossroads of three continents, the
location of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean and the island’s plentiful natural resources have
been a mixed blessing since ancient times. The
easternmost member of the European Union, Cyprus has always been strategically important to foreign powers wishing to exercise influence or control over the Eastern Mediterranean. To a greater or
lesser extent, all of these powers left their mark on
the island’s political, social and cultural life.
A Long and Turbulent History
The exhibition Mapping Cyprus: Crusaders, Traders and Explorers examines a long period in the
turbulent history of the island of Cyprus. The exhibition begins with the occupation of the island by
Richard the Lionheart in 1191 and concludes with
the Cypriot Presidency of the EU during the second
half of 2012: the establishment of the Republic of
Cyprus in 1960 and the Republic’s accession to the
EU in 2004 are also featured.
Traditionally Close Ties with Europe
Although Cyprus has had a close connection with
Europe since ancient times, it is nevertheless recognised that these relations were reinforced and
expanded during the late Byzantine period and
especially during the Middle Ages. The arrival of
Richard the Lionheart and the occupation of the
island by his troops, accidentally or not, changed
the history of the island. In addition to the establishment of the Medieval Kingdom of Cyprus, the
island played a pivotal role in the introduction of
Western European civilisation to the Middle East
and beyond.
The period of Frankish rule (1191-1489) and the
period of Venetian rule that followed (1489-1571)
were important stages in the history of the island,
linking it to a flourishing European civilisation
14
without cutting it off from its Greek, Byzantine
and Eastern roots. During this period, the island
gained its important role as an economic, cultural
and geopolitical bridge between East and West.
Despite the extremely difficult conditions the
people of Cyprus endured, the cultural synthesis
that resulted on the island can be seen as an early
expression of the European spirit and an authentic
product of the Renaissance. The Lusignans and
the Venetians left their mark on the art and soul
of the people; this mark was eventually absorbed,
giving the country a more cosmopolitan spiritual
and cultural identity.
Cypriots and the Island’s Local Character,
and Its Connection with Europe
The museological approach of this exhibition is
based on two main pillars. The first pillar is the
Cypriot people and the local character of the island, visually expressed through magnificent
Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, most of
which will be shown in public for the first time,
and other artefacts. The second pillar is the island’s deep connection to Europe since 1191.
Rare manuscripts and works of art by artists such
as Titian and Teniers are gathered together for the
first time to emphasise their historical and aesthetic connection to Cyprus.
A Voyage through Time
Mapping Cyprus: Crusaders, Traders and Explorers is a voyage through time and history, one that
gives visitors the opportunity to learn, to discover
and to revise their perceptions of Cyprus. An effort
has been made to implement and connect all five
senses with a sensational trip through the island’s
past. Music from the Lusignan Court of Cyprus
underscores the religious, mystical importance
of a Byzantine icon, while the aroma of an olive
tree takes you deep into the natural beauty and ag-
A view of the Othello Room installation
The last section of the exhibition with the photo and text related to the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus
ricultural wealth of the island. Visitors to the exhibition revel in the colours and the icons, in the
photographs and maps that depict and describe the
“Sweet Land of Cyprus,” that sing of it. As a special feature, visitors experience the unique character of the art of Cyprus and its people through a variety of local publications that have been digitised
and made available on touchscreens throughout the
exhibition.
“Because all is moving and all can be explained,”
as the 15th century Cypriot chronicler Leontios
Machairas wrote, the Government of Cyprus and
the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts hosted this celebration of the history and culture of Cyprus in
Brussels, the heart and administrative centre of the
EU, from 22 June to 9 September 2012, at the BOZAR Centre.
Introduction by Curator
“Because all things pass and all things that happen
are recounted...”
The small island of Cyprus at the eastern edge of
the Mediterranean played an important role in the
dissemination, exchange and transfer of the civili15
16th century icons from the Venetian period room
sation and products of the East to the West, and vice
versa. Since ancient times, the island’s geographical position has been both a curse and a blessing.
Cyprus has always represented the point where
East and West meet, recognise and measure themselves against each other and exchange influences.
Those who sought control over the Eastern Mediterranean first had to gain control of the island. And
this is where the history of our exhibition begins.
For Cyprus, relations with the Byzantine Empire, at the administrative level at least, ended in
the late 12th century when the island’s Governor,
Isaac Comnenus, declared himself Emperor of
Cyprus, thereby cutting off all administrative ties
with Byzantium. The ostensible chance arrival and
conquest of the island by the English king Richard
the Lionheart in 1191 and the subsequent sale of
Cyprus to Guy de Lusignan took the island’s relations with Europe into a new dimension. Cyprus
was now officially the last bastion of Europe before
the Middle East, a position it still holds today.
An enormous responsibility
I was fully aware of the enormous responsibility placed on my shoulders by my country and
delighted by the unbelievable persistence of the
16
director of the BOZAR Centre, when I chose to
stage an important and unique exhibition about
the island of Cyprus within the framework of the
Cyprus Presidency of the EU. From the very first
moment I felt completely overawed as to how exactly we were going to present such a wide-spanning period of the island’s history. The exhibition
is a historical retrospective but also an attempt to
present Cyprus and its identity, its history and its
civilisation in Brussels, the heart of the administrative centre of the European Union. The exhibition covers a broad period, beginning with the
Crusades and the conquest of the island by Richard the Lionheart in 1191 and ending with independence and the accession of Cyprus to the great
European family over which it presided from July
to December 2012.
It could be said the Orthodox faith and the island’s Hellenic and Byzantine origins, the Byzantine and post-Byzantine art of Cyprus, as expressed through the icons of the period, are the
key and the common denominator which open
the door onto the diachronic history of the island and the relations and influences of western
art in this easternmost corner of Europe. Con-
sequently, the museological approach focused
on two axes or pillars on which the exhibition
and its journey through time, space and history
were defined and built. On the one hand, the local element, the Cypriots, is presented through
the most common characteristics which represent them: their education, mentality and
cultural heritage – a series of Byzantine and
post-Byzantine icons express the “poor Cypriotes,” as the 14th century Cypriot chronicler Leontios Machairas describes them. To this end,
between 1191 and the present day, the ecclesiastical icons represent Cypriot worship and
veneration; they are tangible manifestations of
religious devotion and the expression of local
artists.
Other objects, such as pottery and metalwork, are
exhibited together with information and references
from historical sources, and special reference is
made to the music of the medieval kingdom of
the island through a rare handwritten score which
brings to life the glory and prestige of the royal
court of the Lusignans. This was the first axis.
A view from the British period room with the collection of
Lord Kitcheners Trigonometrical map of Cyprus, the first
modern map of Cyprus
How have Europeans viewed
Cyprus since the Crusades?
The second axis focuses on the European continent
and demonstrates the way in which Europeans
saw Cyprus from the time of the Crusades to the
present day. Efforts were made to collect objects,
works of art and information which record the perception Europeans had when they first encountered
Cyprus on the road to Jerusalem; these same Europeans later conquered and transformed the island
into one of the best-known medieval kingdoms of
Europe. It all began with Melusine, the fairy who
founded the kingdoms of Europe and sent her children to the East to attain wealth and glory and who
later linked the House of Lusignan with other royal
families of continental Europe. The story is also
unravelled by European chroniclers who pay tribute to the kingdom and the riches of the Lusignans
of Cyprus. The last queen of the Medieval Kingdom of Cyprus, the daughter of Venice, Caterina
Cornaro, was painted and glorified by the greatest
artists of her time, while Cyprus, the jewel in the
crown of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, enjoyed golden days of wealth and glory as recorded
by contemporary historians.
Myths and legends
Myths and legends about the island of Cyprus
can be found in the writings of foreign travellers who visited the island and in Shakespeare,
whose hero, Othello, the Moor of Venice, spent
time in Famagusta, the fortified port of the Most
Serene Republic of Venice in Cyprus. The great
war of Cyprus, which marked the fall of the last
bastion of Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean
and its occupation by the Ottoman Empire, the
new force in the region, is uniquely described
by European historians in books and other documents selected for display in this exhibition.
Finally, during the 17th and 18th centuries, the
importance of the island was emphasised in the
work of European cartographers, while the earliest photographs of Cyprus, taken by photographers who came to the island at the time of the
arrival of the British in 1878, record and depict
the European origins of the island and its bond
with the continent. These photographs feature
17
castles and fortifications standing side-by-side
with Byzantine chapels, large Gothic churches
(which in Ottoman times, were transformed into
mosques), and the unique wild natural landscape
whose sunburnt workers laboured in its fields.
This is our land, the island of Cyprus, the island
of Saints, birthplace of Aphrodite, host to Melusine...the island was a refuge. It served as a
springboard for crusaders, traders and explorers.
A recital of the sweet land of Cyprus
I hope this exhibition will indeed be a “recital
of the sweet land of Cyprus” and will give the
public an understanding of the history of my
homeland and its unique artistic expression.
It is a complex and diverse history, a history
which has brought forth, and continues to bring
forth, new ideas. Above all it is a melting-pot
of cultures and peoples who, throughout history, whether as conquerors, traders, kings or
explorers, have offered and received a great
deal. Since ancient times, and up to 1960,
Cyprus has always belonged to someone, to
whomever wanted control over the Eastern
Mediterranean. Despite this, as if by an unbelievable miracle, our island welcomed foreign
conquerors and, over time, conquered them and
survived without losing its identity, its Greek
and Christian origins. It is not by chance that
our historical exhibition is completed by an exhibition of modern Cypriot paintings. The joy
of independence in 1960 was followed by the
bitter events of 1963 and 1974 and the current
conditions of semi-occupation. The desire of
Cypriot youth to discover their identity – their
An icon dedicated to St Michael – selected in honour of St
Michel patron Saint of Brussels - from the Treasure room
patriotism, their anxieties, their thoughts and
their concerns – is evident in the work of a new
generation of Cypriot artists.
I would like to thank all the directors of the museums who lent us exhibits. Thanks and gratitude are
also due to the Church of Cyprus, its primate, Archbishop Chrysostomos, and in particular the Bishops
who gave their blessing and allowed us to present
Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons of such importance and value. Special thanks and gratitude go to
Porphyrios, Bishop of Neapolis, representative of
the Church of Cyprus in the EU, without whose
advice and support none of this would have been
achieved, particularly in such a short time.
“Because all things pass and all things that happen
are recounted,” as Leontios Machairas writes, the
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts and the Republic of
Cyprus invite you to see and hear the recital concerning the Sweet Land of Cyprus.
Maps of the Venetian period depicted in the Venetian period room
18
Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel
Curator
Maniera Cypria: Lemesos, Fabula, Historia, Memoria
Evagoras Lanitis Centre, Lemesos 29 June – 12 August 2012
T
he engendering of ancient and medieval collective Cypriot memory into contemporary visual
concepts, materials, forms and media gave rise to
the exhibition ‘Maniera Cypria,’ which was curated
and based on extensive research by Dr Nadia Anaxagorou, Director of the Cultural Services of the Municipality of Lemesos (Limassol). Archaeological
findings unearthed in Lemesos and its vicinity, from
the areas of Amathus, Pyrgos, Episkopi, Erimi and
Kourion, and Byzantine icons from villages in the
Lemesos district, including Monagri, Koilani, Pelendri, Amiantos and Arakapas, were displayed side
by side in a fascinating discourse with contemporary art at the Evagoras Lanitis Centre, Carob Mill,
Lemesos, from 29 June through 12 August 2012.
Maniera Cypria was organised by the Municipality
of Lemesos in collaboration with the Evagoras and
Kathleen Lanitis Foundation, the Department of Antiquities and the Holy Bishopric of Lemesos, under
the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council
of the European Union. Mr Efthemios Flourentzou,
the Minister of Communications and Works, opened
the exhibition on Friday, 29 June 2012. 27 Cypriot
visual artists exhibited at Maniera Cypria, including:
Angelos Makrides, Helene Black, Nikos Charalambides, Savvas Christodoulides, Andreas Chrysochos, Marianna Constanti, John Corbidge, Christos Foukaras, Demetrakis Gerokostas, Theodoulos
Gregoriou, Yiota Ioannidou, Elina Ioannou, Kyriakos Kallis, Lia Lapithi, Maria Loizidou, Antonis
Neophytou, Eleni Nikodemou, Lefteris Olympios,
Stass Paraskos, Kypros Perdios, Christoforos Savva,
George Skotinos, Socratis Socratous, Rinos Stefani,
Lefteris Tapas, Susan Vargas and Panayiotis Vittis.
Comprising paintings, sculptures, ceramics, installations and video-art, Maniera Cypria explored
the penetrating conversation between contemporary works that further elaborate and reinterpret
the Maniera Cypria of the past and delineate the
Maniera Cypria of today. According to the curator,
Dr Nadia Anaxagorou:
“Pagan, mythological and Christian hagiographical significations, either in the form
of ancient ceramic-sculptural idols and vessels or in the form of medieval painterly
representations of saints and angels, extend
View of the exhibition Maniera Cypria: Lemesos, Fabula, Historia, Memoria. Clockwise from left: Kyriakos Kallis, Bull, mixed
media. Lefteris Olympios, Dei ex Machina, oil on linen, 200x200 cm. George Skotinos, Afternoon Bombing, acrylic, 165x245
cm. Clay figurine representing a warrior, Cypro-Archaic II (600-480 B.C.), from Episkopi-Kaloriziki, 13.8x8 cm. Elina
Ioannou, Everyday objects, composition with stone, wood coated paper on plywood and two drums of limestone from Amathus.
Kypros Perdios, Horse, bronze, 52x75x20 cm.
19
Angelos Makrides, Idol-Mother of a Missing Person, mixed
media, 15x4x4cm
Antonis Neophytou, Reinterpretation of the relief ornamentation
of the 13th century icon of Saint Mamas from Amiantos, copper
and silver, 32x27cm
Saints Matthew, Mark and Luke, mid-16th century, from Panagia Iamatiki, Arakapas, placed next to the work by Angelos Makrides,
Iconostasis: Three Saints, mixed media, 86x38 cm.
the analogies of history to the present. In the
modern art pieces selected for presentation,
some or many of these analogies are dropped,
and this absence is often mystified, allowing
us, thus, to perceive historia (history) as a
fabula (fable) at once true and imaginary.
Other analogies are only partially signified,
relieved of redundant loads of meanings, furnishing us with the option of revisiting and
transcending old notions, of making them
fabulous, and of going far beyond.”
20
Through the succinctly masterful reinterpretation
of Angelos Makrides, the cross-shaped chalcolithic
idol from Erimi (3500-2800 B.C.) turns into an archetypal and contemporary child-bearing woman,
a winged creature or the mother of a missing person
in a series of micro-sculptures that set a landmark
in the evolution of Cypriot art. The composite red
vessel of the Early Cypriot III (2100-2000 B.C.)
from Pyrgos, an impressive creation by a local ceramist of antiquity bearing scenes with men and
animals at their everyday routines (pressing grapes,
working dough for bread, ploughing, etc.), is repeated after thousands of years in the expressive
density of naive ceramic compositions by Demetrakis Gerokostas or the painterly figures by Stass
Paraskos, recorded in static flatness and reduced to
hieratic, featureless entities. In the work of Nikos
Charalambides, a Tanagra type of figurine from
Amathus (310-30 B.C.), probably an Aphrodite,
is depicted next to Marcel Duchamp, in an oeuvre
that sweeps away the dividing lines between space
and time, blurring Hellenistic art with the 20th century avant-garde artistic genres. The tethrippon
(chariot drawn by four horses) of the Cypro-Archaic I-II (650-480 B.C.) from the Sanctuary of Apollo
Hylates at Kourion becomes an organic part of the
sculptural installation by Maria Loizidou, whose
four horses in mixed media represent a visual metonymy of the stifled speech (ά-λογον) in estranging modern metropolitan societies.
The 13th century icon of Saint Mamas, from Amiantos, is juxtaposed with the emblematic reduction
of the ‘White Saint’ by Angelos Makrides, which
schematically outlines a half-length, frontal depiction of any saint’s figure, while the relief ornamentation of this icon, with repetitive geometrical pat-
terns, is reproduced in the drawing of Antonis Neophytou, executed in gesso and plastic and engraved
on silver-plated copper, in a process evocative of
the Byzantine technique and the ceremonial rituals
associated with Orthodox icon decoration.
According to Dr Maria Hadjicosti, Director of
the Department of Antiquities, which gave permission for the display of all the antiquities as
requested by the curator of the exhibition, “It is
very interesting that the same ideas and the same
artistic expressions in the objects of our ancient
history reappear today. The exhibition proves that
cultural life in Cyprus has continued throughout
history.” Ms Catherine Nikita, Director of the
Evagoras Lanitis Centre, remarked that “due to
the materialisation of Dr Nadia Anaxagorou’s
concept, it is the first time that we have shown
such a large number of objects from antiquity and
the Byzantine period together with modern objects, covering different phases of Cypriot artistic
creation.” Last but not least, the Mayor of Lemesos, Mr Andreas Christou, stressed that “this exhibition marks a culmination in the pioneering
contribution of the Municipality of Lemesos in
the field of visual arts.”
An unguentarium of plain white ware of the Roman period (2nd-3rd c. A.D.), from Kourion, Ayios Ermogenis, 12.5 cm., placed in the cube
of Theodoulos Gregoriou, Cells IV, cement, minerals, copper, oxide and transparent mirror, 75x75x84 cm.
21
4th Cypriot Film Directors Festival
27 – 30 September 2012
T
o promote work by Cypriot directors, the
Cyprus Film and Television Directors Association organised the Cypriot Film Directors
Festival for the fourth consecutive year from 27
to 30 September. The Festival presented works by
seven acclaimed film directors. For the first time,
the screenings took place “under the stars” at the
Constantia Open Air Cinema.
The Festival gave audiences the opportunity to enjoy short and long films by acclaimed film directors Andreas Constantinides, Michalis Georgiades,
Christos Georgiou, Paschalis Papapetrou, Costas
Yiallourides and Dervis Zaim. The programme for
this year’s festival included the films SouvlakiaSheftalia, The Last Mantilaris (Kerchief-maker) of
Cyprus, Corridors, A Small Crime, Instructions,
Shadows & Faces, Flights, In Unsung Toil and
Akamas.
The festival was inaugurated by the Director of
Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and
Michalis Georgiades and his team in action
22
Culture, Mr Pavlos Paraskevas, on 27 September
at the Constantia Open Air Cinema.
On 30 September, the last day of the festival, the
Cyprus Directors Association honoured Cypriot
Director Andreas Constantinides for his significant contribution to the industry.
The festival was held under the auspices of the
Minister of Education and Culture Mr Giorgos
Demosthenous.
Cyprus filmmakers state their presence during
a global economic crisis
Mr Michalis Georgiades, President of the Cyprus
Film and Television Directors Association, gave
the following address to open the festival:
“During a global and not just economic crisis, the
filmmakers of small Cyprus are stating our presence through our 4th Festival. After 38 years of
the Turkish military occupying half of our country, and efforts to alter our longstanding culture,
Souvlakia – Sheftalia (2002)
Cypriot directors are fighting and resisting. In a
country where the artist battles alone – yes, alone
– Cypriot directors continue to create and produce,
both here in our country as well as abroad.
This year, the Cyprus Film and Television Directors Association is organising the 4th Cypriot Film
Directors Festival under our summer sky, in our
forgotten open air cinema, like the old days...This
year, we are presenting our long and short films, as
well as documentaries, by incredible young directors, but also older ones.
This year, it is with great pleasure and emotion that
the Association honours CyBC Director Andreas
Constantinides for his contribution to the art of directing. First of all, we thank the Ministry of Education and Culture for co-organising the festival
since the year it was founded and for its financial
and other precious help, without which we would
neither have films produced, nor the festival, nor
seminars and workshops the Association organises
every year. We also thank the CyBC, which helps
project the Festival. We hope this is the beginning
of even more substantive support from the CyBC
for Cypriot film making.”
Programme
Paschalis Papapetrou
was born in Nicosia
in 1955. He studied
cinema and television
directing in Germany.
From 1991 until 2002,
he worked at the TV
station “O LOGOS”,
then at “Mega”. He has
directed over 35 documentaries and has collaborated with the Cultural Services of the Ministry of
Education and Culture, with Greek TV, with the
Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation, with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) and others. He
has run his own production company, Anadysis
Films Ltd, since 2003.
Papapetrou’s films include: Costas Argyrou
(1997), Tilemachos Kanthos (1999), The Roots
23
of the Cyprus Wine (2001), By Hand (2002), The
Bread of the Cypriots (2006), Miners’ Memories
(2007), Weaving Ladies of Cyprus (2008), Excavating at Salamis in Cyprus 1952-1974, 34 Years
Later (2009), Troodos...ke egeneto Kypros (2009),
Kyprion Elea ke Eleon (2010) and The Lefkaritiko
Embroidery. Before the Memories are Lost (2012).
Souvlakia – Sheftalia (2002)
Director: Paschalis Papapetrou
Writer: Charis Pishias, Paschalis Papapetrou
Photography: Nicos Avraamides
Music: Pambos Sakkas
Actors: Pantelis Klitou, Thanos Pettemerides,
Michalis Moustaka, Charis Pishias
Producers: Cinema Advisory Committee, Paschalis Papapetrou
Production Company: A.B Seahorse Film Productions Ltd
Thanasis, a young director, works for a TV station
where, during filming, a series of unpredictable
events take place.
The Last Kerchief-Maker of Cyprus (2004)
Director: Paschalis Papapetrou
Writer: Paschalis Papapetrou
Photography: Nicos Avraamides
Music: Michalis Mozoras
Production Company: Anadysis Films 2004
Among the home industries for which Cyprus
enjoyed great renown in the 18th and 19th centuries was the making and dyeing of “pasmades”
(cotton cloths) by Greek and Turkish artisans.
The art of the “pasmadjides” was taken over in
later years by “mandilarides” (kerchief-makers). This film tells the story of the very last
The Last Kerchief-Maker of Cyprus (2004)
24
patterned-kerchief workshop, that of the Kakollis brothers, through the testimonies of the
artisans themselves. The film also examines the
role and use of the kerchief in the everyday life
and customs of Cyprus.
Michalis Georgiades
was born in 1956 in occupied Morfou. After
completing his military
service, he worked at
the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation in film
and montage for 10
years.
In 1988, he co-founded
the film production company LUMIERE and LTV,
where he worked as a film director for 12 years;
he has been CEO of the film production company,
Mediabox Ltd, since 2001. Many of his films, as
producer and director, have received international
acclaim and awards, including the London International Film Award. In 2012 he received a directing award at the International Short Film Festival
in Limassol for his film, Corridors.
Georgiades has directed many documentaries: Cyprus, for the CTO, for which he won the first prize
for photography at an international competition for
tourist films in Italy in 1985; Cyprus Has Always
Been Europe for the PIO in 2006; Cyprus, Where
the Byzantine Lives for the CTO in 2009; A Place in
History: 50 Years of the Republic of Cyprus for the
PIO in 2010; Returning to Kyrenia for the Kyrenia
Municipality in 2009; In the Arms of Morfou for
Morfou Municipality in 2008; Pilgrimage at Pentadaktylos for the PIO in 2004; Famagusta, the
Ghost Town for Famagusta Municipality in 2007;
Religious Freedom in Cyprus for the PIO in 2005;
SAVE for the CTO in 2004; Digging the Past, in
Search for the Future for the Elders in 2010, and
CYPRUS SAILS for Esimit Europa 2 in 2012.
Georgiades is also a member of the team that
worked on founding a museum at Vasa Kilaniou
village. He is President of the Cyprus Film and
Television Directors Association and a founding
member of photography club Fotodos. Georgiades has taken part in solo and group exhibi-
The cast from Corridors
Small Crime (2008)
tions in Cyprus and abroad. Along with Anna
Marangou, he published View of earth, a photo
album of occupied Cyprus. Now working as a
freelance professional film director and photographer, Georgiades is the founder of the Engomi
Municipality’s film and photo group, where he
gives photography lessons.
land (Bachelor of Arts Joint Honours), Directing at
the Northern Film School in Leeds, England (Master of Arts) and Directing, Producing and Writing
at the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, on a
European scholarship (Tempus). He has worked in
the film and cinema industry in Greece, Cyprus and
England. His first long film won him the Prix De
Montreal, the best film award in the 2001 Montreal
World Film Festival. Small Crime is his second
long film. His other films include Under the stars
(2001) and Children of the Riots (2011).
Corridors (2009)
Director: Michalis Georgiades
Writer: Charis Pishias
Photography: Vladimir Subotic
Montage: Kyros Papavassiliou
Music: Jean Paul Sacy
Actors: Marinos Hadjivassiliou, Elena Demetriou
Production Company: MEDIABOX LTD
Co-producers: Cyprus Ministry of Education and
Culture
Pavlos and Maria have been married for a few
years. After experiencing difficulties having a
child the natural way, they resort to extracorporeal
fertilisation, but it fails and becomes a strain, psychologically and financially, and the most severe
consequences concern their interpersonal relationships. At some point they decide to adopt, and
hence begins a new battle.
Christos Georgiou
Christos Georgiou was born in London in 1966 to
Cypriot parents – he was raised and completed his
basic education in Cyprus. Georgiou studied Film
and Literature at the University of Warwick in Eng-
Small Crime (2008)
Director: Christos Georgiou
Writer: Christos Georgiou
Photography: George Giannelis
Montage: Isabel Meier
Costumes and Set Designer: Michalis Samiotis
Music: Thanasis Papaconstantinou, Constantis Papaconstantinou
Actors: Aris Servetalis, Vicky Papadopoulou, Rania Economidou, Antonis Katsaris, Eleni Kokkidou, Vangelio Andreaki, Errikos Litsis, Dimitris
Drosos.
Producers: Thanasis Karathanos, Constantinos
Moriatis, Christos Georgiou
Production Companies: Twenty-Twenty Vision,
Lychnari Productions, Bad Movies S.A.
Leonidas, who has just graduated from the Police
Academy, is transferred to a beautiful yet isolated
island in the Aegean. His professional challenges
are initially restricted to placing “No Nudism”
25
Small Crime (2008)
Instructions (2008)
signs on the island’s deserted beaches, but when
he discovers the dead body of old Zacharias below
a cliff, duty spurs him into action. Was it an accident or, as his instincts tell him, things are not
that simple? In his effort to find answers, Leonidas
will follow an unorthodox investigation, meet all
the island’s residents and fall in love. He will develop a very special relationship with the island, a
relationship that will eventually help him solve the
mystery surrounding Zacharias’s death.
Festival. His films include: The 5th Floor (2006),
Ink Control (2006) and Instructions (2008).
Costas Yiallourides studied Cinematography at
the Northern Film School
in Leeds, England. He
graduated with the short
surrealistic film Ink Control, which was entered
in many international film
festivals and shown on the
BBC Film Network.
His next film, Instructions, received significant acclaim, including first prize at the Cyprus Short Film
and Documentary Festival, the Greek Association
of Film Critics Award at the Drama Festival and
international awards at the Trieste, Tangier and Damascus festivals. He has also participated in the official programme of many important international
film festivals and was profiled on the French television programme Cine Cinecourts. He also participated in the seventh talent campus of the Berlin
26
Instructions (2008)
Director: Costas Yiallourides
Writer: Andrew Yerlett
Photography: Zita Karath
Montage: Dimitris Tolios
Set designer: Olga Leontiadou
Sound: Dimitris Rallis, Yiannis Photiades
Music: Giorgos Christianakis
Actors: Alexandros Logothetis, Stefania Yiolioti,
Stephanos Laopodis
Producers: Diomides Nikitas, SEKIN, Greek Film
Centre.
A new modular bed brings two very different people together, a man enclosed in an invisible square
box and a woman who lives in a room at the centre of town. The woman will use her ingenuity to
communicate with the man.
Andreas Constantinides
was born in 1944. He
graduated from Kykkos
Pancyprian Gymnasium
and left Cyprus for Athens
to study Cinematography,
Theatre and Radio Studies, with a specialisation
in directing for television.
While studying he worked as a member of the di-
rector’s crew on several Greek productions. Constantinides returned to Cyprus and, after the completion of his military service, he was hired by the
CyBC productions department for TV, where he
worked for 34 years.
Constantinides has directed a great number of
TV programmes, documentaries, theatre plays
and TV series. Many of his documentaries regarding the Cyprus Problem have been used by
the state for educational purposes, and some
of his TV series have enjoyed great success,
namely The Teacher, The Grey Sky, Peter A’,
Krisos and the Artist, The Church of Cyprus,
History and Civilization, and Argaki, A Cypriot
Village Before and After the Turkish Invasion.
Several of his films were official entries from
Cyprus in a number of international festivals:
Constantinides won the Bronze Agrino Award
at the Commonwealth Movie Festival for Akamas, and Cyprus, the Island That Nobody Forgets, won the Prize of the Nations at both the
Rome and London Movie Festivals.
Constantinides was one of the founding members
and the President of the Cyprus Movie Club, the
Nicosia Movie Club and the Cyprus Film Library.
He is a member of the Film Classification Board
and was also a member of the Sciences, Arts and
Letters Committee. In 2004 he was appointed
by the Council of Ministers as a member of the
Cyprus Radio Television Authority. He teaches
History of Cinema at the Vladimiros Kafkaridis
Drama School.
Flights (1969)
Director: Andreas Constantinides
Writer: Andreas Constantinides, Dimitris Andreou
Photography: Doros Partasides
Montage: Andrew Trillides
Sound: Thrassos Malas
Actors: Spyros Stavrinides, Dimitris Andreou,
Laika, Totos
An experimental film about the environment and its
destruction, Flights shows the extent of the destruction of beaches as a result of the erection of apartment
buildings. The film combines cartoons with cinematic
images. The late painter, Mikis Phinikarides, designed
the graphics and wrote the screenplay.
In Unsung Toil (1992)
Writer: Andreas Constantinides
Photography: Evangelos Hadjikyriakos
Montage: Yiannakis Ioannides
Sound: Charis Mylonas
Music: Eleni Karaindrou
Script interviews: Costis Achniotis
Narrator: Andreas Koukkides
Special Adviser: Pantelis Varnava
A documentary dedicated to the unsung strangers who sacrificed themselves for our country’s
workers’ conquests. The film’s subtitle is Before
May Day.
Akamas (1988)
Writer-Narrator: Michalis Attalides
Photography: Dimitris Pavlides
Montage: Yiannakis Ioannides
Sound: Andros Chrysostomou
Music: Ross Daly
Special adviser: Symis Shukuroglu
A documentary about the Akamas Peninsula,
the last natural haven of Cyprus. The film aspires to portray the ecological significance of
the area. It also examines the villages of Akamas and the difficulties and problems faced by
their residents.
Flights (1969)
27
4th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival
9 – 29 September 2012
«T
he Festival had an impressively international outlook and provided a rare opportunity to sample contemporary composition
beyond the well-trodden paths.»
Tim Rutherford-Johnson (Guardian, Tempo, The
Rambler)
Having established itself as one of the most cuttingedge and innovative annual events in the Eastern
Mediterranean, the International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival is now in its fourth year. The
Festival is dedicated to the promotion of new music, both the established masterpieces of the contemporary music literature of the 20th century and a
great number of premieres by leading young composers from all over the world who have been commissioned by the Pharos Arts Foundation to write
new works especially for the Festival. The Festival
provides a forum for composers and performers
to advance and develop new projects and explore
new worlds of sound in chamber music settings. Its
other objective is to bring contemporary music to
general audiences in Cyprus and elsewhere, as this
is the music of our times – it is directly linked to
many forms of visual and creative arts, and science.
It is intimate with the modern human spirit.
The 4th International Pharos Contemporary Music
Festival was a thrilling experience. It presented a
number of exciting events, from 9 until 29 September 2012, including a seldom heard repertoire
for strings, winds, voice, percussion and harp. Six
of the finest contemporary ensembles in the world
presented classical contemporary masterpieces
by composers such as Schönberg, Stockhausen,
Xenakis and Ligeti while joining forces with more
than 20 young, internationally acclaimed composers from all over the world. Each of these composers wrote a newly-commissioned work that was
given its world premiere during the Festival.
There were concerts by the Arirang Wind Quintet
& Marios Nicolaou/percussion; Quartetto Prometeo; The Nieuw Ensemble; Ensemble Aleph; El
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Perro Andaluz, and the Kairos String Quartet. A
screening of Towards of Beyond was offered, and
the Kairo String Quartet and El Perro Andaluz
hosted workshops.
The Venues
The Shoe Factory is situated in Old Nicosia, near
the UN buffer zone. With the Shoe Factory, the
Pharos Arts Foundation is revitalising this beautiful and historic section of the capital by attracting
a wide and diverse younger audience. All concerts
at the Shoe Factory are characterised by a unique
intimacy, and the music is performed in an exceptionally inspiring setting. The Shoe Factory is a
modern venue decorated with contemporary art by
mainly local artists and offers audiences the unique
opportunity to sit within an amazing proximity to
world famous artists and experience performances
in a space like no other.
The Olive Grove is a world-class, open-air concert venue. It is relaxed and informal, promoting
a palpable intimacy between the artists and the
audience. The venue is surrounded by the idyllic
forest of Delikipos and is adorned with wooden
decks, shallow pools of water, Zen landscaping and
uniquely atmospheric lighting. Audience members
can relax on chairs, blankets and pillows and enjoy a glass of wine while listening to world class
musical performances. The Foundation’s vision for
the Olive Grove is to make contemporary art less
intimidating by creating innovative events that are
fun and appealing without compromising the quality and vision of the musical performances.
Arirang Wind Quintet
Leonie Wolters / flute
Jörg Schneider / oboe
Steffen Dillner / clarinet
Sebastian Schindler / horn
Christoph Knitt / bassoon
& Marios Nicolaou / percussion
Established ten years ago, Arirang Wind Quintet is
a product of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, one
of Germany’s leading orchestras. The orchestra
comprises more than 100 of the finest international
musicians selected from more than 25,000 students
in the 24 music conservatories in Germany. The
orchestra maintains its high performance standards
through rigid auditions.
Arirang Wind Quintet’s repertoire includes classical, romantic and contemporary music, as well
as several works that were given their world premiere by the Quintet. After a successful debut at
the Bochum theatre, Arirang Wind Quintet was
selected by Jeunesses Musicales Germany from
amongst a great many chamber music ensembles
to represent Germany in the International Showcase of Young Musicians 2004 in Croatia. The
Quintet’s performances have included the Northern Lights Festival/Tromsø, Semanas Musicales
de Frutillar/Chile, the Vendsyssel Festival in Denmark, the Bach Fest Leipzig and the Festival Aixen-Provence.
Having been awarded 2nd prize at the International
Chamber Music Competition Schwerin in 2004,
the Quintet was invited on a concert tour to Vienna,
Brünn and Prague (Prague Spring Festival). In
2005, the Quintet was awarded 2nd prize at the International Wind Quintet Competition Henri Tomasi
in Marseille and 2nd prize at the Osaka International
Chamber Music Competition. After its successful
participation in the German Music Competition
in 2007, Arirang Wind Quintett won a Deutscher
Arirang Wind Quintet
29
Quartetto Prometeo
Kairos String Quartet
Musikrat scholarship. Having received an invitation from the Goethe Institute, Arirang Wind Quintet has given concerts in North and South America,
Pakistan, Yemen, Latvia, Angola, India, Dubai,
Kuwait and Azerbaijan. The Quintet’s members
are also members of major symphony orchestras in
Germany and Switzerland.
Marios Nicolaou was born in Limassol in 1974. He
studied at the Athens Conservatory (class of D. Marinakis) and at the Hochschulefür Musik Köln with C.
Caskel and C. Tarcha, graduating with “Auszeichnung.” Nicolaou has also worked with P. Sadlo and
Rainer Seegers in master classes and private lessons.
In 2005 he took part in the International Ensemble
Modern Academy (Schwaz/Austria). He has also
been a holder of the “Alexandra Trianti” scholarship
of the “Friends of Music Society.”
In 2000 Nicolaou appeared as a soloist on the Timpani with the Cyprus State Orchestra, performing
the Concertino for Timpani, Percussion and Strings
by A. Panufnik. He has worked with many orchestras in Germany, such as the Gürzenich OrchesterKölner Philharmoniker, the Neues Rheinisches
Kammerοrchester and the Kölner Jugendorchester.
Since 2003 he has been collaborating with most of
the orchestras of Greece (Athens State Orchestra,
Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camerata, and Orchestra of Colors). As a chamber musician, Nicolaou has worked with H. Lachenmann, P. Eötvös,
30
F. Ollu, D. Bouliane, the Ensemble neue music
Koln and the Ensemble disson Art. He has taken
part in festivals such as the Pierre Boulez zum `75
(in Cologne Philharmony) and at the Minimal Music Kassel, and he performed the Sonata for two
Pianos and Percussion by B. Bartók at the Klavier
Festival Ruhr. Since 2009 he has been a member of
the Ergon Ensemble.
Programme
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928 – 2007) Zyklus for
solo percussion (1959)
Christian Mason’s World Premiere
Ioannis Xenakis (1922 – 2001) Rebonds for solo
percussion (1989)
Interval
Peteris Vasks “Bläserquintett No.2” Music for a
Deceased Friend (1982)
Isang Yun (1917 – 1995) Woodwind Quintet
Gyorgy Ligeti (1923 – 2006) Six Bagatelles for
wind quintet (1953)
Quartetto Prometeo
Giulio Rovighi / violin
Aldo Campagnari / violin
Massimo Piva / viola
Francesco Dillon / cello
Quartetto Prometeo performed a musical dramatisation of Dante’s Divine Comedy featuring twelve
world premieres by composers from all over Europe, the result of a collaboration between the San
Fedele Foundation and the Pharos International
Contemporary Music Festival. Dante Alighieri –
Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral
philosopher, and political thinker – is best known
for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later
named La divina commedia. The Divine Comedy, one of the great works of medieval literature,
is a profound Christian vision of man’s temporal
and eternal destiny. On its most personal level, it
draws on the poet’s own experience of exile from
his native city of Florence; on its most comprehensive level, it may be read as an allegory, a journey
through hell, purgatory and paradise.
Quartetto Prometeo won the 50th Prague Spring
International Music Competition in May 1998, as
well as the competition’s Special Bärenreiter prize
for Best Performance of Mozart’s Quartet K.590
(according to the original score), the City of Prague
prize as best quartet and the Pro Harmonia Mundi
prize. Quartetto Prometeo was designated resident
group at the Britten Pears Academy (1998) in Aldeburgh and was awarded the Thomastik Infeld
prize at the Internationale Sommer Akademie PragWien-Budapest 1999 for outstanding performance
of a chamber music work; the Quartet also won
the second prize at the Concours International de
Quatuors in Bordeaux. In 2000, the Quartetto Prometeo was awarded the Special Bärenreiter Prize
at the renowned ARD Münich Competition. Since
its inception, the Quartet has received important
scholarships from the Scuola di Musica of Fiesole
and from the Accademia Chigiana of Siena, where
in August 1995 it won the prestigious diploma of
honour. Beginning in 2013 through 2015, Quartetto Prometeo will be quartet-in-residence at the
prestigious Accademia Filarmonica Romana.
Quartetto Prometeo’s brilliant international career
includes performances at some of the most important music festivals and venues in the world, including Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh
Festival, Wexford Festival, Prague Spring Festival,
Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Roma, Théâtre in
Bordeaux, Auditorium Musée d’Orsay in Paris and
tours in South America and in the Netherlands.
One of the characteristics of Quartetto Prometeo is
the research they devote to putting together their
repertoire, which includes the new musical expressions of our time. Their close collaboration
with the acclaimed composer Salvatore Sciarrino
inspired him to dedicate two pieces to the Quartet, Esercizi di trestili and his latest, Quartet No.8,
which was commissioned by the Società del Quartetto Milan, MaerzMusik Festival Berlin, Ultima
Festival Oslo and Aldeburgh Festival; Quartet
No. 8 was recently recorded, along with his latest
works for string quartet. Since performing the Italian premiere of Târ, Quartetto Prometeo continues
its collaboration with Ivan Fedele, and in 2011
they premiered Moiroloja Kai Erotikafor string
quartet and voice, which was commissioned by
Accademia Filarmonica Romana for the Quartet.
The Quartetto Prometeo performance included 12
world premieres: Vito Zuraj (Slovenia), Manuel
Rodriguez (Spain), Antonin Servière (France),
Carlo Ciceri (Italy), Franco Venturini (Italy), Aurélien Dumont (France), Mirtru Escalona (Venezuela/
France), Antonio Covello (Italy), Roberto Vetrano
(Italy), Vittorio Montalti (Italy) Evis Sammoutis
(Cyprus) and Pasquale Corrado (Italy).
Kairos String Quartet
Wolfgang Bender / violin
Stefan Häussler / violin
Simone Heilgendorff / viola
Claudius von Wrochem / cello
Berlin’s Kairos Quartet was founded in 1996 and
debuted at the Darmstadt International Holiday
Courses. The Quartet promotes new music from
the second half of the 20th century to the present,
thus landmark compositions since the 1950s and
world premieres are at the heart of the Quartet’s
activity, which also includes samples of the Western musical tradition, music from non-Western cultures, and compositions created with other media
(electronics, video and speech).
Kairos (Caerus - Καιρός) is the god of the auspicious
moment in Ancient Greek mythology. He was recognised as the youngest son of Zeus by the poet Ion
of Chios (490 - 421 B.C.). Depicted by the sculptor
Lysippos as a youth with winged shoes and a long
31
lock of hair hanging in front of his forehead, he symbolises opportunity. The juxtaposition of Kairos with
Chronos (measured time - Χρόνος) illustrates a concept of time that is intimately linked to human experience. As a musician, one can feel “Kairos” when
perfect harmony is achieved. These rare and magical
moments are the ultimate goal of all artists.
The Kairos Quartet takes great care in the selection
and combination of pieces, sometimes curating even
their own concert series, as was the case with the
concert and conversation series Five Windows onto
the String Quartet Since 1950, which took place at
the Kulturbrauerei Berlin in 2001 and 2002 – the
Quartet presented composers such as Ferneyhough,
Lachenmann and Lucier. The Quartet has also developed close professional relationships with the
composers Haas (Austria), Estrada (Mexico), Netti
(Italy), Newski (Germany/Russia) and Lim (Australia). The Kairos Quartet reaches out to music
students and the general public through workshops,
master classes and lectures on new music and performance practice as part of festivals or at music
schools. These workshops, master classes and lectures have so far taken place in Austria, Germany,
Mexico, Norway, Poland and Switzerland.
The Quartet has been invited to numerous international festivals, including Ultraschall and MaerzMusik (both in Berlin), Eclat Stuttgart, Huddersfield, Berliner Festwochen, Wien Modern, Salzburger Festspiele, Klangspuren/TransArt, Warsaw
Autumn, Ljubliana Festival, Festival d’Automne
and the Festival de Cervantino. Kairos Quartet has
been recorded live by most major German radio
stations and by the BBC, DRS, ORF and RAI. The
Quartet’s CDs have populated various best-of lists
and the German Record Critic’s Award (1/2005).
In 2001, Kairos was the first ensemble to become
fellows at the Academy Schloss Solitude.
The many artistic partners of the Kairos Quartet
include baritone Dietrich Henschel, Mayumi Miyata (sho), the sound poets Valeri Scherstjanoi and
Michael Lentz, actress Martina Gedeck, the Schlagquartett Köln and the Vokalsolisten of the SWR.
Programme
Toshio Hosokawa (b. 1955) Landscape I (1992)
32
Ioannis Xenakis (1922 – 2001) ST/ 4 (1962)
Giacinto Scelsi String Quartet No.3 (1963)
Interval
Evis Sammoutis (b.1979) Rhymes
Georg Friedrich Haas (b.1953) String Quartet No.
2 (1998)
A workshop with the Kairos String Quartet with
the participation of young Cypriot instrumentalists
and composers included a demonstration of extended instrumental techniques for strings as they
appear in innovative key repertoire works for string
quartet. The workshop was aimed at composers
and performers and was jointly presented with the
Goethe Institute Cyprus.
Towards and Beyond - A screening of Barrie
Gavin’s documentary about the British Composer Jonathan Harvey
Born in 1939, composer Jonathan Harvey studied with Erwin Stein in Cambridge, after whose
death he studied composition and analysis with
Hans Keller, obtaining a PhD. At Cambridge, he
was preoccupied with mystical ideas while becoming acquainted with procedures in medieval and
renaissance music that later influenced his own
compositions. During the 1960s Harvey composed
freely, responding to a wide variety of musical and
religious experiences in his settings of medieval
texts. Schoenberg, Berg, Messiaen and Britten
were also early influences, and Hans Keller helped
to broaden Harvey’s list of influences. In 1964 Harvey joined the Music Department of Southampton
University. It was at this time that the power of
Stockhausen’s music first had a profound effect
on Harvey, inspiring him to explore and develop
his own complex and personal musical language
– he later came into contact with Milton Babbit.
In the early 1980s, Harvey was invited by Boulez
to work at IRCAM, a position that has resulted in
many new commissions in recent years. Harvey’s
works are now being increasingly played all over
the world. The transcendental quality of his music
does not lose its force when he focuses on the more
intimate genre of chamber music.
British Director Barrie Gavin studied history at the
University of Cambridge from 1954 to 1957 and
British Composer Jonathan Harvey
Nieuw Ensemble
joined the BBC as an assistant film editor in 1961,
where his fascination with contemporary music
brought him into contact with Pierre Boulez. Over
the next 40 years they collaborated on a series of
analytical documentaries on the founding fathers
of 20th century music: Schönberg, Berg, Webern,
Bartók, Stravinsky, Ives, Varese, Messiaen and, of
course, Boulez himself. From the 1970s until the
end of the 20th century Gavin specialised in portraits of contemporary composers: Berio, Luigi
Nono, Stockhausen, Takemitsu, Birtwistle, Peter
Maxwell Davies, Mark-Anthony Turnage and
many others. In 1977 Gavin was invited to Germany to make a film about Kurt Weill. This marked
the beginning of a long association with German
television, resulting not only in many adventurous
documentaries but also in a new area of work for
Gavin, directing concerts for television. To date he
has been responsible for some 250 televised productions of concerts and operas.
The vast majority of Gavin’s work has been about
music, but he also produced a series on classic
film directors in 1967 and a number of films about
literature and the visual arts, including Sir William
in Search of Xanadu (Award of Montreal Festival
of Films on Art, 1984) and Images - A History of
Early Photography (Award of New York Festival
of Films on Art, 1989).
Nieuw Ensemble
Ernest Rombout / oboe
Ernestine Stoop / harp
Angel Gimeno / violin
Frank Brakkee / viola
Jeroen den Herder / cello
The Nieuw Ensemble was founded in 1980 in
Amsterdam. It has a unique instrumental structure,
combining plucked instruments such as mandolin,
guitar and harp with wind, string and percussion.
The lack of literature for this group makes it dependent upon composers, as composers have always been upon musicians. The Nieuw Ensemble
has thus set out to build its own repertoire, encouraged by continuous contact with composers from
different cultures, countries and generations, and
by long-term workshops for young composers.
More than 500 pieces have been written for the
ensemble. Ed Spanjaard has been its principal conductor since 1982.
The Ensemble has been widely praised for its innovative programming. Its programmes have been
those dedicated to the work of a single composer,
33
such as Berio, Boulez, Carter, Donatoni, Ferneyhough, Kagel, De Leeuw, Kurtág, Loevendie and
Nono. The Ensemble has initiated festivals such
as Complexity (1990); Rules & Games (1995);
Improvisations (1996); the Multi-Cultural Festival
of Plucked Instruments (1998); The Refined Ear
(2003), on microtonality; Inspired Time (2004),
on rhythm; Open Music (2005-2006) on computer
aided composition, and Orientations (2006-2007)
on western and non-western instruments.
In 1998 the Nieuw Ensemble and its artistic director, Joël Bons, were awarded the Prince Bernhard
Fund Music Prize for their “markedly lively and
adventurous programming, which can be described
as ground-breaking, both in the literal and figurative senses of the word.” Since 1991, programmes
featuring new works written especially for the ensemble by Chinese composers such as Tan Dun,
Qu Xiaosong, Xu Shuya, Chen Qigang and Guo
Wenjing have attracted wide attention. In 1997,
2008 and 2010 the group performed concerts in
Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing.
The Nieuw Ensemble now enjoys a firm international
standing – the Ensemble has performed in festivals
such as the Venice Biennale, Settembre Musica, Ars
Musica in Brussels, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Musica Strasbourg, Holland Festival, Warsaw Autumn,
Huddersfield Festival, Agora, Stockholm New Music, the Festival d’Automne à Paris, Lincoln Center
Festival and Sadler’s Wells in London.
The Ensemble has released compact discs of Donatoni, Carter, Ferneyhough, Gerhard, Loevendie,
Poulenc, Honegger, Guo Wenjing, Kagel, Tsoupaki and Chinese composers, and has produced documentary films about Boulez Eclat and about five
Chinese composers. The Nieuw Ensemble also
participates in the Atlas Ensemble, a unique chamber orchestra uniting thirty brilliant musicians from
the East, the Near East and Europe.
Programme
Tasos Stylianou World Premiere
Arnold Schönberg (1874 – 1951) String Trio, Op.
45 (1946)
Musheng Chen World Premiere
Interval
Anton Webern (1883 – 1951) String Trio, Op. 20
34
Ensemble Aleph
(1927)
Jonathan Harvey (b. 1939) Death of Light/Light of
Death for oboe, harp, violin, viola, cello (1998)
Ensemble Aleph
Dominique Clément / clarinet
Sylvie Drouin / piano
Monica Jordan / vocals
Christopher Roy / cello
Created in 1983, Ensemble Aleph is a collective of
associated soloists, a set of performers and composers, a formation of variable geometry in search
of new possibilities in relationships between sound
and text, movement and music.
With nearly 250 creations, Ensemble Aleph has established itself as a major relay of musical innovation. A laboratory dedicated to creation, Ensemble
Aleph invites eligible young composers to benefit
from its experience in a spirit of sharing and exchange, particularly through the International Forum for Young Composers, a project selected in
2000 by the European Commission Program “Culture 2000”, with 61 composers from 26 countries
(the 7th Forum will take place in 2014).
Ensemble Aleph enriches its practice by working
with jugglers, VJ’s, choreographers, directors, writers and actors. For almost 30 years, the Ensemble
has been developing collective projects, pooling
efforts and sharing practices across more than 900
concerts. In 2008, Ensemble Aleph created LIEU,
El Perro Andaluz
European Instrumental Laboratory, which brings
together musicians, ensembles and composers
around musical creation. This will become a platform, “Live in Lieu,” in 2013.
Programme
Christina Athinodorou World premiere
Dominique Clément (b. 1959) Poème incorrect II
for voice, clarinet and piano(1988)
Tomi Raisanen World premiere
Ioannis Xenakis (1922 – 2001) Nomos Alpha for
cello (1966)
Interval
Evis Sammoutis (b. 1979) Ghost Shadows for
soprano and piano
Helmut Lachenmann (b. 1935) Allegro Sostenuto
for clarinet, cello and piano (1986-1988)
John Cage (1912 – 1992) Aria, solo for voice (1958)
El Perro Andaluz
Albrecht Scharnweber / clarinet
Yuri Matsuzaki / flute
Torsten Reitz / piano
Seong-Ryeom Lee / percussion
Emily Yabe / violin
Jakob Andert / cello
Lennart Dohms / conductor
Arising out of a 2007 project with composer Brian
Ferneyhough in Dresden, the ensemble El Perro Andaluz quickly became one of Germany’s most excit-
ing young ensembles for contemporary music. The
Ensemble is famed for the cultural background of
its members and for its partnerships with composers
such as H. Lachenmann, R. Saunders, A. Hölszky,
V. Tarnopolski, H. Hellstenius, G. Katzer and others.
The Ensemble’s vision, to emphasise the position
of New Music in society, is pursued through a wide
range of musical activity, including installations, opera productions, concerts and educational projects.
El Perro Andaluz was awarded the Kulturförderpreis
of the city of Dresden in 2011. Alongside its projects
in Germany, 2012 has seen the Ensemble invited
to Spain, England and Austria, where this season it
holds the position of Ensemble in residence at the
University Mozarteum Salzburg.
Programme
Ivan Fedele (b. 1953) Immagini da Escher (2005)
Sophia Serghi World premiere
Ioannis Xenakis (1922-2001) Plekto for sextet (1993)
Interval
Thomas Simaku (b. 1958) A2 for violin & cello
(2008)
Brian Herrington World premiere
Nicolaus A. Huber (b. 1939) La force du vertige
for flute, clarinet, violin, cello & piano (1985)
Pharos Arts Foundation
Tel.: +35722663871
www.pharosartsfoundation.org
35
16th International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama
A
s it does every year, the month of July
welcomed theatre friends from around the
world to the Pafos Ancient Odeon, the Curium
Ancient Theatre in Limassol and the Makarios
III Amphitheatre in Nicosia for the 16th International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama 2012.
The Festival was presented under the auspices
of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the
European Union and was organised by the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute
in cooperation with the Cultural Services of the
Ministry of Education and Culture and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation. The Festival programme was selected by the Festival Selection
Committee.
Agamemnon’s Children
The Festival opened with a production of Agamemnon’s Children by the Hessian State Theatre
of Wiesbaden, Germany. The adaptation combined Euripides’ Iphigeneiain Aulis, Orestes and
Iphigeneia in Tauris, and Sophocles’ Electra into
a single storyline. The synthesis of these four
plays narrates the lives of Agamemnon’s children from different points of view. Their actions
and their destinies make them both perpetrators
and victims in the vicious cycle of violence endemic to Atreides’ myth.
Direction: Konstanze Lauterbach
Set design: Karen Simon
Costumes: Hannah Hamburger
Music: Achim Gieseler
Cast: Doreen Nixdorf (Iphigenia), Sybille Weiser
(Electra), Michael von Bennigsen (Orestes), Susanne Bard (Clytaemnestra), Michael Günther Bard
(Agamemnon, Thoas), Michael von Burg (Pylades),
Uwe Kraus (Menelaus), Jörg Zirnstein (Servant,
Messenger, Phrygian, Apollo, Arcas), Magdalena
Höfner (Hermione)
Chorus: Evelyn M. Faber, Magdalena Höfner, Franziska Werner
36
Agamemnon’s Children
Electra and Orestes, the Trial
Electra and Orestes, the Trial
The Cyprus Theatre Organisation’s production,
Electra and Orestes, the Trial, is an adaptation based
on Sophocles’ Electra, Euripides’ Orestes and Aeschylus’ Eumenides. Both the adaptation and the direction are by Israeli stage director Hanan Snir and
are based on the technique of a “play within a play”.
The outer play deals with Electra and Orestes on trial
at the Supreme Court for the crime of matricide. In
court, the events that led to the murderous act are
presented against the backdrop of a contemporary
refugee camp.
Translation: Vayos Liapis
Adaptation/Direction: Hanan Snir
Set Design-Costumes: Melita Couta, Harris Kafkarides
Music: Demetris Zavros
Bacchae
Choreography: Fotis Nicolaou
Lighting Design: Giorgos Koukoumas
Assistant Director: Egli Spyridaki
Cast: Thanasis Drakopoulos (Herald), Andreas Tsouris (Farmer), Lea Maleni (Electra),
Nektarios Theodorou (Orestes), Andreas Tselepos (Pylades), Niovi Charalambous (Chrysothemis), Andreas Vasileiou (Pedagoge), Annita Santorineou (Clytemnestra), Neoklis Neokleous (Aegisthus), Giorgos Mouaimis (Apollo),
Stela Firogeni (Athena)
Chorus: Anna Yiagiozi, Niki Dragoumi, Elena Efstathiou, Iliana Kakkoura, Zoe Kyprianou,
Ermina Kyriazi, Andri Kyriakou, Mara Constantinou, Christiana Larkou, Anna Papageorgiou, Kynthia Pavlidou, Christina Christofia
Musicians: Alkis Agathocleous, Korina Vasiliou,
Petros Giorkatzis, Evripides Dikeos, Mitko Topalov
Bacchae
With the production of Euripides’ Bacchae, the Mitos Theatre Group, Cyprus, concluded its innovative
work on Euripides’ Bacchae that began in July 2009.
The Group examined the conflict between King
Pentheus and Dionysus and used the reality of our
current situation to contextualise it. Poor Pentheus:
his disrespect toward Dionysus and his punishment
for it makes him a prominent figure among the
tragic figures of Greek mythology. This new King
of Thebes stands for moderation and self-restraint, in
juxtaposition with Dionysus, who protects the vital
acceptance of instinct. The Chorals were interpreted
in ancient Greek and followed the rules of Prosody.
Direction: Lucas Walewski
Adaptation/Dramaturgy: Elena Agathokleous and
Rania Iacovou
Observer: Spyros Charalambous
Voice couching in open space: Diomedis Koufteros
Couching classical Indian music: Ravi Saundankar
Choir leader: Lefkios Demosthenous
Movement: Lucas Walewski
Set construction: Giorgos Mavrogenis, Menelaos
Papagiorgis
Cast: Elena Agathokleous (Pentheus, Agaue, Messenger), Lucas Walewski (Leader of the Chorus,
Cadmus), Diomedis Koufteros (Tiresias, Attendant,
37
Messenger)
Chorus: Nikolas Arkadiou, Giorgos Onisiforou,
Ravi Saundankar, Lefkios Demosthenous, Konstantinos Melides
The Festival presented two more productions connected to the legend of the Atridae which were not
adaptations, Sophocles’ Electra and Aeschylus’ The
Eumenides.
Electra
Electra was presented by the Greek Theatre Company ‘Morphes Ekphrasis’. The performance paid
homage to Dimitris Rondiris on the occasion of the
30th anniversary of the passing of the great director
and teacher. Electra strives to continue her life after
her mother murders her father, but she is obsessed
with taking revenge. Her brother Orestes and his
friend Pylades return to Argos to avenge Agamemnon’s murder. Orestes kills his mother, Clytaemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus.
Translation: Ioannis Griparis
Direction: Thomas Kindinis
Set design-Costumes: Anna Sevasti Tzima
Music: Pan Kaperneka, Constantinos Roumelis
Cast: Thomas Kindinis (Tutor to Orestes), Giannis Costaras (Orestes),Constantinos Roumelis (Pylades), Zoi Nalmpanti (Electra), Vlasia Ververi and
Kleoniki Karachaliou (Chrysothemis), Elena Orfanidou, Sofia Lymperi (Clytaemnestra), Thomas
Kindinis (Aegisthus)
Chorus: Anna Sevasti Tzima, Vlasia Ververi, Kleoniki Karachaliou, Nancy Klampatsa, Evgenia Papadaki, Elena Orfanidou, Mikaela Zannou, Polina
Lamprianidou, Sofia Lymperi, Angeliki Pardalidou,
Eleana Finokalioti, Chrisi Gerardi, Foteini Kapellaki,
Chrysa Pyli, Asteropi Charitidou, Paraskevi Politi
The Eumenides
The Ruth Kanner Theatre Group, an Israeli company, presented The Eumenides, by Aeschylus, based
on the magnificent translation by poet Ted Hughes.
The Eumenides is the third play in the trilogy Oresteia: the first two are Agamemnon and Libation Bearers. Supernatural powers, the Furies, chase Orestes,
who has killed his mother. He takes refuge in the
temple of the goddess Athena, who founds the first
38
court of justice. Orestes is acquitted of the murder
of his mother, Clytaemnestra, who had murdered
his father, Agamemnon, and the vindictive Furies
are convinced to give up their pursuit of vengeance.
The danger of inflamed violence is real and aweinspiring in context of our modern world. Athena’s
warnings are particularly relevant, as if they had
been uttered today: “Do not madden our young men,
with the hiss of the whetstone, and the dream of the
plunging blade…”
Director: Ruth Kanner
Music: Mika Danny
Lighting Design: Shaked Vax
Cast: Ronen Babluki (Orestes), Assaf Degani (Apollo), Milli Ravid (Athena), Sharron Harnoy (The
ghost of Clytaemnestra), Neta Nadav (Priestess)
Chorus of the Furies: Shirley Gal Segev, Tali Kark,
Adi Meirovitch, Sharron Harnoy, Neta Nadav
Musician: Avshalom Ariel
The Assembly Women
Two comedies by Aristophanes, The Assembly
Women and Frogs, blew a fresh breeze toward festival goers who came to enjoy ancient Greek comedy
under the starry Cyprus sky. The Assembly Women
was presented by the Neos Cosmos Theatre, Greece;
the performance was based on a free translation of
the original text by Vassilis Mavrogeorgiou. What
would happen in a city if all citizens had communal
property rights and a “communal bed”? Would a law
which demands that no man may sleep with a pretty
young woman, unless he first sleeps with an ugly old
one, be fair? The women of Athens, under the leadership of Praxagora, certainly thought so! Disguised
as men, they appear in the Assembly, where they
support the transfer of power to women. They win,
and hence everything seems possible!
Direction: Vangelis Theodoropoulos
Free Translation: Vasilis Mavrogeorgiou
Music: Thanos Mikroutsikos
Set Design-Costumes: Angelos Mentis
Choreography: Angeliki Stellatou
Lighting design: Sakis Birbillis
Music instruction: Thanasis Apostolopoulos
Cast: Daphne Lamprogianni (Praxagora), Kostas
Koklas (Blepyrus), Giorgos Pyrpasopoulos (Young
The Eumenides
Antigone
man), Pantelis Dentakis (Chremes), Nikos Kardonis
(First man), Stratos Christou (Second man), Georgia
Georgoni (Young woman)
Chorus: Mary Saousopoulou, Ntini Renti, Polyxeni
Aklidi, Eirini Georgalaki, Maria Georgiadou, Georgia Georgoni, Andri Theodotou, Katerina Maoutsou,
Sotiria Rouvoli, Eirini Fanarioti, Elena Hatjiafxenti
The Frogs
The Frogs was presented by Magdalena Zira and
Fantastic Theatre, her theatre company. Zira adapted
the play using Vayos Liapis’s new translation and
combined innovative and traditional elements with
music by Lefteris Moumtzis. Using the text as a
foundation and inspired by the similarities between
the play’s social framework and that of modern society, the direction and adaptation recasts The Frogs
to reflect our current reality. The Frogs is a delightful
comedy in which the god of drama himself, Dionysus, appears.
Translation: Vaios Liapis
Direction/Adaptation: Magdalena Zira
Set Design: Demetris Alithinos
Costumes: Elena Katsouri
Composer: Lefteris Moumtzis
Choreography: Chloe Melidou
Music supervision: Sophronis Sophroniou
Cast: Valentinos Kokkinos (Dionysus), Demetris Antoniou (Xanthias, Aeschylus), Michalis
Sophocleous (Heracles, Pluto), Marinos Konsolos (Leader of the Chorus, Aeacus, Maid), Marina
Vronti (Charon, Euripides, Plathani)
Chorus of Frogs: Demetris Antoniou, Michalis Sophocleous, Marinos Konsolos, Marina Vronti, Andrea Demetriou, Marcos Ioulios Droushiotis, Maritsa
Elia
Antigone
The Festival closed with Tommaso Traetta’s opera,
Antigone, presented by Skull of Yorick Productions,
UK. Antigone was directed by Zamira Pascieri and
Kassandra Dimopoulou. Based on Sophocles’ tragedy, the work of the Italian composer Tommaso
Traetta is presented in a new, groundbreaking production. Traetta’s music is delivered in a contemporary performance that blends modern sounds with
Baroque music and the music of the ancient world.
Antigone represents an innovative step for opera by
combining traditional, classical and electronic instruments.
Creon, king of Thebes, prohibits the burial of Polynices, who rose against Thebes, the city of his birth,
and tried to conquer it. His sister, Antigone, convinced to follow divine law rather than arbitrary
state law, secretly buries her brother and is sentenced
to death. Not even Haemon, the son of Creon, who
loves Antigone and protests against his father’s decree, manages to save her.
Directors: Zamira Pasceri – Kassandra Dimopoulou
Costumes/Set Design: ARTLUXE
Orchestration: Philip Modinos
Cast: Jenny Drivala (Antigone), Philip Modinos
(Creon), Kassandra Dimopoulou (Iseme), Louisa
Petais (Haemon),Marios Andreou (Priest/Guard)
Chorus: Depi Mavropoulou (leader), Panikos Loizou,
Marios Fylakoudias, Andreas Fylakoudias, Andreas Stylianou, Konstantinos Stylianou, Dimitris
Nikoloulopoulos, Panagiotis Nikoloulopoulos, Frixos
Nikoloulopoulos, Antonis Eyripidou, Giorgos Proto39
papas, Kostas Konstantinou, Aris Giannakas, Giannis Buhayar, Argyris Makris, Antreas X Stefanou,
Giannos Xristofi, Giorgos Charalambous, Andreas
Vasileiadis, Nikolas Neofytou, Andreas Kestas, Stella
Kyriakidou, Anthi Kyriakidou, Eirini Charalambous,
Natassa Athanasiou, Sabrina Leonidou, Ceca Varda
Launch of the International
Festival of Ancient Greek Drama
By Neophytos Neophytou
The launch of the International Festival of Ancient
Greek Drama 16 years ago was a decision by the
Board of Directors of the Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute (I.T.I.), following a suggestion by then director Nicos Shafkalis. The motivation
was to give ancient Greek drama a wider presence in
the theatrical activities of the island. What has established the Festival as a distinct cultural event is its
international character. The performances, many of
which are original in their approach, cover the whole
month of July every year now, but when the Festival
commenced 16 years ago at the Pafos Ancient Odeon, it lasted one week. At the time, the Festival was
organised by the Cyprus Centre of the I.T.I. and was
subsidised by the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Cultural Services, with support from the Pafos
Municipality. Today the Festival is co-organised by
the Cyprus Centre of the I.T.I., the Cultural Services
of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, with additional support
from the Pafos Municipality and some other small
organisations. The Festival now takes place at the
Pafos Ancient Odeon, at the Curium Ancient Theatre, Limassol, and at the Makarios III Amphitheatre,
Nicosia.
The performances project the uniqueness of ancient
Greek drama but also bear the intense colouring of
the culture of the country they come from. Thus the
audiences, which are international, as they comprise not only Cypriots but foreign visitors as well,
have the unique opportunity of experiencing ancient
Greek drama from different cultural perspectives
– this affirms both its specificity and its universality. All foreign language performances are subtitled
in English and Greek, and all Greek performances
have English subtitles.
The Centre has always believed that ancient Greek
40
Electra Morfes Ekfrasis
drama, which is the wellspring of contemporary European drama and a core element of the world’s cultural heritage, has direct relevance to today’s world.
Rapid technological development makes it even
more crucial for us to find ways of using the capabilities presented by the open Ancient Greek mind to
reflect on our current reality.
The International Festival and the International Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama and their combined international repute strengthen the position of
Cyprus on the global cultural map and contribute to
intercultural dialogue. This dialogue helps preserve
cultural identity and promotes respect for diversity,
both of which are threatened by globalisation.
The philosophy behind these activities comprises
three goals: (a) the study of ancient drama as text
and discussion of stage approaches to ancient drama
in the context of contemporary reality; (b) the stage
performance of ancient drama, and (c) ancient drama as a vehicle for theatre education.
The first of these goals has been achieved by the International Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama,
which was first established in 1990, but symposia
are restricted to a limited number of people – one
must be equipped with special qualifications to attend them. Dramatic texts, however, valuable though
they may be as literature, cannot fulfil their purpose
completely unless they reach the wider public. And
this can be achieved only if they are translated during stage performances. Therefore, the need to make
ancient drama accessible to the wider public was
fulfilled with the establishment of the International
Festival of Ancient Greek Drama.
Our goal is to continuously upgrade the Festival
to bring our audiences performances of the highest quality.
The Cyprus Medical Museum
A dentist in the old days
Reconstruction of child birth
25 years of Planning and the First Donations
A Difficult Road
When the Committee of the Limassol Medical Association announced its decision to create a medical museum 25 years ago, not many people took
it seriously. It was well known that such a project
required a significant effort, and it was believed
few doctors were very enthusiastic about historical
medicine and old fashioned equipment.
The construction of the museum was approved in
2001, and it was officially registered in 2003. The
road to the success of the museum was a difficult
one, however, and there were many obstacles. It
was difficult to find storage space, and efforts to
convince both state and municipal authorities to
provide us with an appropriate location to establish
the museum failed. A notable example is the famous abandoned Tritoftidis Clinic at the centre of
Limassol, which was eventually demolished, while
other buildings were used by the Limassol municipality for the establishment of other museums.
So we were surprised to receive our first valuable donations from doctors and their families in
Nicosia. These donations were soon followed by
donations from the families of well known physicians in Limassol, some of whom had preserved
heavy and complicated equipment left behind by
the deceased. Soon thereafter, we received obsolete
equipment and instruments from practicing physicians, which they donated to our museum, rather
than disposing of it. We were ultimately able to accumulate an enormous collection of valuable medical artefacts.
In the midst of our frustration and disappointment,
the mayor of Kato Polemidia, George Georghiou,
informed us his council was willing to offer us a
unique old building in the historical sector of Polemidia which was slated for renovation under
the supervision of the Department of Antiquities.
We were delighted by and thankful for Mayor
41
Georghiou’s generosity, and we were quite pleased
that the age of the building was in harmony with
most of our exhibits.
Important decisions by the Committee
The Museum Committee immediately made a
number of decisions. First, the exhibits were going
to be grouped in eight entities of related specialties. With the use of lighted platforms and life-sized
models, we would bring the operating, delivery
and examining rooms of the previous century to
life. Well known architect and set designer George
Papadopoulos undertook this project.
Another important decision was the creation
of an electronic infrastructure, a database and
a website. We decided to install touch screens
throughout the museum, so that visitors could
access information about each exhibit, including
the period, the location where the items in the
exhibit were used, how the items were used and
who donated them to the collection. This project
was undertaken by surgeon Marios Karaiskakis,
whose hobbies include electronic structuring
and Web design.
The Museum’s Contents
The Cyprus Medical Museum today houses 160
exhibits donated by 32 doctors and their families.
The exhibits are grouped in eight units, all of them
supported by touch screens.
Some of the special items on exhibit in the
museum include medical equipment used
for the first time in Cyprus. This includes an
electrocardiograph belonging to the late Mikis
Constantinides from Nicosia (1940) and the
first haemodialysis machine that was used privately by Greek and Turkish Cypriot patients
in Limassol around 1970. Other impressive exhibits feature the delivery and care of a baby in
1930, surgery with general anaesthesia in 1950,
ENT surgery in 1950 and orthopaedic surgery
in 1960.
Finally, the selection, transfer and description
of the museum’s exhibits was overseen by Chris
Messis, who was assisted by Michalis Korais. The
translation of all museum information into English
will soon be available on the website.
The museum also features an impressive exhibit
devoted to the outpatient performance of radiological procedures in the 1940s, including all
the necessary protection used by the physician
and the patient and film development equipment. Another interesting section of the museum comprises neurological equipment used on
the island in the 1960s for electroencephalography (EEG), Electromyography (EMG) and
electroconvulsive (ECT) treatment. Antiquated
dentistry equipment, from the 1950s, is accompanied by a caricature by dentist and artist Stathis Economides.
Former Health Minister Stavros Malas inaugurates the
Cyprus Medical Museum
Head of the Cyprus Medical Association, Dr Andreas
Demetriou
42
Mr Kyriakos Yiannopoulos Secretary of the Cyprus Medical
Museum
Dr Christodoulos Messis the museum’s Vice President, shows
Stavros Malas the exhibits
Database, Touch Screens and Website
near future, so our visitors will have the opportunity to compare 19th and 20th century medicine to
that practiced millennia ago.
A wealth of information is available on the museum’s website, www.cyprus-medical-musem.
org, including photographs from medical meetings
from all over Cyprus going back 60 years and videos from congresses and other events going back
40 years. Photos of our donors with their exhibits
and photos from a number of functions held prior
to the completion of the museum are also available
on our website.
Library
Our collection of books and other writings on Cypriot medicine are meticulously preserved in the
museum’s small library, although protocols and
other historic documents are on exhibit at the entrance to the museum.
Botanical Garden with Medicinal Plants
A small botanical garden in the museum yard is
home to medicinal plants used in Cyprus for therapeutic purposes. The garden was created with love
by Dr John Ioannides.
Antiquities
Unfortunately, our initial desire to include ancient
medical equipment found at various excavations in
Cyprus, or identical copies, has gone unfulfilled, as
our request was denied by the Department of Antiquities. We hope this decision will change in the
Cost and Further Needs
Thanks to volunteer work undertaken by members
of the Cypriot medical community, we were able to
establish the museum for approximately €100.000.
We received generous contributions from physicians, pharmaceutical companies and other
sources. We are expecting financial support from
the state and elsewhere, so that we can expand and
enrich our educational programs.
Visitors
We are welcoming professionals and students
from the medical and paramedical sector, as
well as primary and secondary school students.
We also hope to welcome people from all over
Cyprus to visit a unique museum where they
can learn about the history of Cypriot medicine
and the progress of medical technology, where
they can compare the practice of medicine in
the 19th and 20th centuries to the medicine of
the 21st.
Dr Marios Philippou MD
(President of the Museum Committee)
and Dr Chris Messis MD
(Vice President and Curator of the Museum)
43
Pafos Aphrodite Festival 2012
T
he 14th Pafos Aphrodite Festival raised its curtain this year on the Slovak National Theatre’s
performance of Verdi’s Otello. The Festival was
held on 7, 8 and 9 September at the Medieval Castle of Pafos, in Pafos Harbour. The performance
was supertitled in Greek and English.
The Plot
An adaptation of one of William Shakespeare’s
four great tragedies, Otello is set at the Castle of
Famagusta in the 15th century, where Othello, governor of Cyprus, returns victorious from the war
unaware that two of his men, Iago and Rodrigo,
are plotting to destroy him. Iago, wishing to satisfy
his own ambitions, defames Otello’s wife, Desdemona, convincing Otello that she was unfaithful to
him with his Captain, Cassio. Blinded by jealousy,
Otello kills Desdemona, but he soon finds out the
truth of Iago’s treachery. Unable to bear the burden
of her murder, he stabs himself and dies.
Cyprus Presidency of the Council
of the European Union
Due to the symbolic connection of this opera with
the occupied city of Famagusta, coupled with continued international acknowledgment of the Pafos
Aphrodite Festival, this year’s Festival was held
under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the
Council of the European Union, which enhanced
the prestige of the Festival and brought it extra recognition.
fos District Committee). These five organisations
formed the Company to promote Pafos as an international centre for high profile cultural events and
to contribute to the international promotion and
advancement of Cyprus in the cultural and tourist
sectors. The Company is a non-profit organisation
that organises and manages the Pafos Aphrodite
Festival and other cultural events in Pafos District.
A Success, Despite Being Deemed Unfeasible
Pafos Aphrodite Festival Cyprus –
A Historical Overview
The Company Pafos Aphrodite Festival Cyprus
was founded in 1998 by the Municipality of Pafos,
the Municipality of Geroskipou, the Municipality
of Pegeia, the Pafos Chamber of Commerce and
Industry and the Cyprus Hoteliers Association (Pa44
Prior to 1998 it was considered unfeasible for Cyprus to host a world renowned opera festival. Today, thanks to the hard work of people with vision
and a passion for cultural development, as well as
the decisive support of the state and the public and
private sectors, the Pafos Aphrodite Festival has
emerged as an institution of international scope,
one that occupies a significant place on the European cultural map. Even more important is the
confidence the Cypriot public has in the Festival,
combined with the number of foreign visitors who
return year after year to attend the performances.
After 14 years of contributing to the cultural development of Cyprus, the Festival has helped to increase awareness of the arts and has contributed to
shaping Cyprus into a vibrant melting pot of people
and cultures. This goal was achieved after painstaking efforts to promote the Festival abroad as a
tourist destination via tourism trade fairs; partnerships with overseas tour operators; advertisements
in the international press and on radio and TV stations; press conferences; direct invitations to government officials in various countries, and contacts
with global opera companies, as well as outreach
to embassies and institutions in Cyprus and abroad.
Up until three years ago, the number of foreigners
attending the Festival outnumbered Cypriot attendees 60 to 40. The increased participation of Cypriot
soloists in the productions, and the publication of
programmes and the implementation of supertitles
in Greek and English, has helped draw more Cypriots to the Festival.
The Pafos Aphrodite Festival is already in search
of the next producer and in consultation with vari-
ous agencies, as proper planning is essential to cooperation with world renowned opera companies.
Fortunately for the Festival, many famous directors
of large production houses have been inspired by
the breathtaking setting of the Medieval Castle of
Pafos. Although every year the Festival encounters
a number of difficulties arising from staging a large
production in the open area of the square, it is a
unique performance space, one that draws opera
companies from all over Europe.
The organisation of the Festival is a flurry of yearround activity, including design (cultural policy,
strategy, structure and function); enrichment of
the product; sourcing and managing sponsorships;
marketing and public relations, and the overall organisation of all activities related to the Festival.
The Pafos Aphrodite Festival Company evaluates
statistical data, delivers measurable results and
assesses the company and its operations once the
Festival has concluded – the Company undertakes
analysis and prediction, including market research
and evaluation, in tandem with product development and design.
An underlying objective of the Pafos Aphrodite
Festival Cyprus is to increase cultural awareness
in Cyprus, thus the Company directly associates its
activities with education and training and plans to
Act 1 of the performance at Pafos Castle
45
Act 4 of the performance at Pafos Castle (past September)
fold workshops, seminars, school lectures, master
classes and music competitions into its programme
going forward. The Company is also looking to
stage co-productions, both in Cyprus and abroad,
with renowned lyrical organisations.
Funding
The Company is largely and mainly supported by
state sponsorship, by private sponsors and by ticket
sales. Unfortunately, private sponsorships are an
inconsistent source of funding, as private companies are always subject to national and international
economic conditions.
The path the Festival has taken has resulted in
its significant presence on the contemporary arts
scene. Its success speaks for the continued growth
of the Festival and its contribution to contemporary
artistic creation. Developments in the international
arena, as well as modern approaches to cultural
events, require the Pafos Aphrodite Festival Company to continually adjust its trajectory and develop new structures. It is crucial for the Company to
remain true to its vision and strategic goals.
46
Synopsis of the Opera
Act One
The people of Cyprus anxiously watch as a storm
rages on the sea and the ship carrying Otello, the
hero of the military expedition against the Turks,
desperately tries to make it into port. The storm settles, the ship anchors safely and cheering Cypriots
welcome the hero (Otello’s triumphant ‘Esultate!’).
Only Ιago, the ensign, does not cheer. Since Otello
promoted Cassio to captain over Iago, Iago hates
Otello and plots revenge. Iago encourages Cassio
to court Otello’s wife, Desdemona, and urges him
to drink (Iago’s ‘brindisi Qua, ragazzi, del vino!’).
Cassio gets drunk and engages in a quarrel with
the former Cypriot governor, Montano. Otello arrives and recalls Cassio’s recent promotion. Night
descends, and Otello and Desdemona recall their
courtship under the starry sky.
Act Two
Iago suggests that Cassio ask Desdemona to talk
to her husband about his demotion, in the hope
by defending Cassio. Iago tricks Cassio into
speaking with him while Otello, hidden nearby,
listens, and Iago manipulates the conversation
in a way that convinces Otello of Desdemona’s
guilt. Otello has no doubts about Desdemona’s
guilt once he sees Cassio with Desdemona’s
handkerchief – he doesn’t know Iago tossed
it through a window into the room prior to his
meeting with Cassio.
Otello is in deep despair. An envoy arrives
from Venice. The Doge has summoned Otello
to Venice and appointed Cassio as general.
Otello is enraged. He insults Desdemona in
front of the assembled court and collapses to
the ground. Everyone leaves the room. Iago
puts his heel to Otello’s forehead in triumph.
Act Four
Τhe performance at Pafos Castle showing Otello and Desdemona
that Cassio’s conversation with Desdemona will
make Otello jealous. Iago’s desire to destroy
Otello is devilish; his creed is the essence of
malice and nihilism. With cunning intrigue, he
succeeds in convincing Otello that Desdemona
and Cassio have become lovers.
One of Iago’s tricks is to obtain Desdemona’s
handkerchief, which had been a gift to Desdemona from Otello – Iago acquires the handkerchief with the help of his wife, Emilia, Desdemona’s attendant, who is unaware of her husband’s plan. Otello’s jealousy is inflamed, and
Desdemona’s pleas on Cassio’s behalf only enrage him. To fan the flames, Iago insinuates that
he once heard Cassio speak lovingly of Desdemona in his sleep. He then produces the handkerchief, which he alleges Desdemona gave to
Cassio. Otello becomes desperate and swears he
will have vengeance.
In her chamber, Desdemona is tormented by
her husband’s behaviour and reminisces about
life in her native town. She prays and falls
asleep. Otello enters, wakes her and accuses
her of infidelity. He strangles her. Alarmed by
the noise, Emilia runs into the room and announces that Cassio has killed Rodrigo. She
reveals Iago’s intrigues and, together with
Cassio, explains how Iago obtained Desdemona’s handkerchief. Iago escapes. Otello stabs
himself and drags himself to Desdemona’s
body, dying after a final kiss.
Act Three
Otello accuses Desdemona of infidelity. She
unwittingly enrages her husband even more
Performance of Otello at the Slovak National Theatre
47
Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis Programme
4 July – 30 December 2012
Τ
erra Mediterranea–In Crisis is a contemporary art program organised by the Nicosia
Municipal Arts Centre and the Pierides Foundation under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency
of the Council of the EU. Aside from the Terra
Mediterranea–In Crisis contemporary art exhibition, curated by Yiannis Toumazis at the Nicosia
Municipal Arts Centre [Old Power House], the
project includes a second contemporary art exhibition, [at Maroudia’s], curated by the Re Aphrodite team at the Ethnological Museum–House of
Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios. An educational and
academic programme accompanies the two exhibitions. The project also includes a special edition
of the journal The Cyprus Dossier, a monthly series of social and food events and interventions in
public spaces.
48
Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis
Curator: Yiannis Toumazis at the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre [Old Power House]
Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis, at the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, attempts to detect, investigate and
present contemporary artists’ reflections on today’s
universal economic, political, religious and social
scenes, in tandem with a deep existential crisis.
The Mediterranean is both an enclosed sea and,
in essence, a political space. It has operated as a
conduit for “transferring energy” from the Orient to the Occident and from the Occident to the
Orient since ancient times. This transfer has included peoples, innovative ideas and ideologies,
in times of war and peace. Our current global
economic crisis is recognised as having a universal effect on socio-political, economic, ethnic
and cultural structures worldwide. In addition,
and to a very significant degree, the contemporary post-colonial realities of the Eastern Mediterranean, an area with a long colonial past and a
charged political fate, contribute to the evolution
of East-West relations.
A dynamic group of 41 artists from Cyprus, the
surrounding area and beyond (Bulgaria, Egypt,
Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey
and the United States) will scrutinise our current global turbulence through “Mediterranean”
eyes from promontories both political and poetic.
Within the framework of the exhibition, some of
the participating artists will collaborate with the
Research and Restoration Centre of the Museums
of France housed at the Louvre Palace. They will
produce new works inspired by their research at
the Louvre.
[At Maroudia’s] Exhibition
Curators: Group Re Aphrodite (Evi Tselika &
Chrystalleni Loizidou) at The Ethnological Museum - House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios
Another part of the Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis
programme is the collaboration of the Nicosia
Municipal Arts Centre, the Pierides Foundation
and the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus with
Group Re Aphrodite, a curatorial and research
group devoted to exploring of art and difference.
Re Aphrodite will curate an exhibition for the
Ethnological Museum–House of Hadjigeorgakis
Kornesios entitled [at Maroudia’s] with 27 artists
participating.
The exhibition and an affiliated series of events
comprise existing and new contemporary art
works, as well as research. The exhibition presents
the unwritten histories of Cypriot women. It makes
use of the layered history of the house to challenge old myths and narratives and develop new
ones, while reflecting on a number of real and perceived crises. The exhibition touches upon social,
educational and ethical concerns around sexuality,
gender issues and conflicts. The works of art are
concerned with the effects of tourism on tradition,
heritage and nationhood; the body (its portrayal,
beauty, mortality and sexuality); the trivial and the
kitschy, as well as more general issues of difference.
A number of performances and critical workshops
will be held within the museum space.
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Educational and Academic Events
Developed by the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre and Re Aphrodite
The two exhibitions will be accompanied and united by an educational program. This programme
features workshops and academic roundtables for
students, professionals and the wider public.
The Cyprus Dossier (Publication Project)
Aside from the exhibition catalogue, a special issue
of the critical magazine The Cyprus Dossier will be
published. The theme is crisis, and it will include
texts by eminent academics and researchers from
Cyprus and abroad.
Editors Peter Eramian, Entafianos A. Entafianos
and Marios Menelaou issued an open call for cooperation:
Crisis has come to define the post 9/11 era. It has
become so central to our thinking and language
that we hear it uttered in the media almost every
day. But what does it mean? From politics and
the economy to identity and consciousness, crisis has become an everyday existential historical
reality we take for granted. There is an urgency
to understand crisis more critically. When is it
used to oppress, when is it a device for legitimisation, and when can it provoke resistance?
Social Ride
242 art group
Old Powerhouse Restaurant
Second Tuesday of every month
Another unique dimension to the Terra Mediterranea–In Crisis project has been contributed by 242 art
group and will take place in The Old Power House
restaurant of the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre under the general title Social Ride. Costas Mantzalos
and Constantinos Kounnis, together with the curator
of the exhibition and a group of individuals from the
arts and design industry, will convert the restaurant to
welcome and accommodate 24 people from marginalized social groups, including financial immigrants,
prisoners and people with addictions. The selection of
the guests will be decided after consultation with Ms
Andrea Athanasiou of the Social Work Department
of Frederick University and through various state
and non-governmental bodies such as KISA, the Red
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Cross, the Welfare Office and others. The process will
initially involve a guided tour to the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre and will conclude with a dinner, which
will be designed and prepared especially by the 242
art group and their Social Ride collaborators. Each
month the entire event will be different.
Something Feasible
Phanos Kyriacou
Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre (19, PaliasIlekrikis
Street)
Corner of Stasinou Avenue & Aigeos Street
(opposite Caraffa Bastione, Famagusta Gate)
Old GSP Stadium (Corner of Evagorou & Gregori
Afxentiou Avenue)
Three “urban” installations at public spaces in Nicosia. As the artist says, his aim is to create “places
of socio-political commentary and reaction in our
space and time proposing a historically and aesthetically detached landmark, a landmark capable
of operating as a core of probability, encounter and
communication.”
Participating Artists
Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre
Klitsa Antoniou
Katerina Attalidou
Banu Cennetoğlu
Savvas Christodoulides
Kyriaki Costa
Joseph Dadoune
Tom Dale
Peter Eramian
Sumer Erek
Theodoulos Gregoriou
Elizabeth Hoak-Doering
Mustafa Hulusi
Pravdo Ivanov
Lamia Joreige
Constantinos Kalisperas
Stelios Kallinikou
Stefanos Karambabas
Gülsün Karamustafa
Susan Kleinberg
Servet Kocyigit
Glavkos Koumides
Νikos Kouroussis
Phanos Kyriacou
Yannis Kyriakides
Michel Lasserre
Υοussef Limoud
Maria Loizidou
Martin Meason
Panayiotis Michael
Panagiotis Mina
Demetris Neocleous
Erkan Özgen
Vicky Pericleous
Yorgos Sapountzis
Andreas Savva
Efi Savvides
Socratis Socratous
Constantinos Taliotis
Paola Yacoub
Akram Zaatari
242 art group
The Ethnological Museum
House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios
Αntonis Antoniou
Christos Avraam
Yiannis Christofides
Daphne Christoforou
Melita Couta
Özge Ertanin
Alkis Hadjiandreou
Christos Hadjichristos
Mayia Hadjigeorgiou
Yioula Hadjigeorgiou
Sophia Hadjipapa-Gee
Katerina Iacovides
Alana Kakoyiannis
Orestis Lambrou
Lia Lapithi
Latiterranean
Pembe Mentesh
Maria Papacharalambous
Despo Pasia
Haris Pellapaisiotis
Νikos Philippou
Mary Plant
Rozy Sarkis
Vasso Sergiou
Elena Stylianou
Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert
Natalie Yiaxi
Social Ride
10 July 2012: Maria Anaxagora and Christophoros
Charalambous
11 September 2012: Maroula Antoniadou and Erotokritos Antoniades
10 October 2012: Elma Panayidou and Elena Parouti
13 November 2012: Marika Ioannou and Andreas
Coutas
11 December 2012: Melina Shukuroglu
18 December 2012: Myrna Pattichi
51
Painting and Photography Exhibition
by Cypriot Armenian Artists
Τ
he European Presidency has inevitably drawn
much attention to the Republic of Cyprus,
and the Armenian Community took this wonderful opportunity to display a small fragment of the
multicultural mosaic of what we describe as the
civilisation of Cyprus. This civilisation comprises
various ethnic and religious groups, all of which
serve our homeland in their own way. Thus the
Armenian Representative, Vartkes Mahdessian,
organised a unique exhibition within the framework of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of
the European Union featuring work by nine Armenian painters and six Armenian photographers.
On 16 July, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Demetris Christofias, inaugurated the exhibition – the event was attended by ambassadors,
consuls, representatives of political parties and
permanent secretaries of ministries. The exhibition was housed in the superb Casteliotissa Hall
and remained open until 31 July. The photographs
on display took visitors on a trip through time to
the idyllic Cyprus of the mid-20th century, while
President Christofias poses with some of the participating artists
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the paintings provided a glimpse of the richness
of Armenian culture and heritage. The entire twoweek exhibition was a tremendous success.
Artist Biographies
Garbis Bezdikian was born in Cairo in 1923. After
graduating from the Melkonian Educational Institute, he worked as a graphic designer, a cartographer
and a comic artist, but his chief occupation was as a
music producer for Turkish radio programmes at the
CyBC. He was a member of the Chamber of Fine
Arts, as well as a member of the Artists’ International
Association and an honorary President of the Selftaught Artists of Cyprus. The subjects of his paintings were always life and people. He passed away in
2009, leaving behind works full of life.
Sossee Eskidjian Nikolaides was born in Nicosia
in 1969 and received her BA in Fine Arts from
Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She
has been working as a set and costume designer
and an art director, having directed a number of
Painting and Photography Exhibition by Cypriot Armenian Artists - at the superb Castelliotissa Hall
TV commercials and launching events in Cyprus
and abroad. Her art is influenced by her long experience in costume and stage design, and the materials she chooses include threads, fabrics, pins,
wires and various metals, components which no
longer have a utilitarian value but which have accrued emotional substance and artistic importance.
She had her first solo art show in 2009.
Tatiana Ferahian was born in Lebanon in 1970
and fled to Limassol during the Lebanese Civil
War. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from Empire
State College and an MA in Liberal Studies from
the University of Denver. A well-known cartoonist, her work explores local standards and the
boundaries imposed by our current cultural, religious and political milieu, with the intent of raising awareness and interest. Tatiana has exhibited
locally and has represented Cyprus in numerous
exhibitions and Biennales in Europe, Egypt, Turkey, Korea, China and the USA. She is currently
an art teacher at Nareg Armenian Schools.
John Guevherian was born in Ethiopia in 1948.
After graduating from the Melkonian Educational
Institute, he received his BA in Architecture from
the American University of Beirut. An architect by
profession, he has distinguished himself by participating in Pancyprian competitions and winning
several first prizes – he also designed the Armenian Genocide monument in Nicosia. Guevherian’s nostalgia for his homeland is apparent in his
paintings of ancient Armenian churches, while the
Cyprus landscape and Greek mythology also inspire him. He maintains a steady presence in the
art world, which includes 11 solo exhibitions and
more than 30 group exhibitions. He is actively involved in the Armenian community.
Sevan Malikyan, of Armenian-Cypriot parentage,
was born in London in 1972. He received his BA
Hons in Fine Arts from the Bath School of Art and
Design and is considered one of the outstanding
young artists of London, where he has exhibited
work at various venues. His extensive portfolio
demonstrates a dramatic and inventive technique
which documents sensation through the use of
colour. His work, which is rife with social and personal drama, can be found in private collections in
53
President Demetris Christofias inaugurates the exhibition
Visitors had the opportunity to enjoy artwork by Armenian
painters and photographers
Cyprus, England, Barcelona and Tunisia.
After graduating from the Melkonian Educational
Institute and the American University of Beirut, he
settled in Nicosia. Today Tashdjian is one of the
most important contemporary artists in Cyprus.
His paintings are a celebration of the beauty of nature and life – the diverse landscapes of Cyprus are
one of his primary inspirations. An internationally
renowned artist, he has had 47 solo exhibitions in
Cyprus and abroad, as well as group exhibitions
in various cities. His work can be found in public
and private collections all over the world and at his
gallery in Nicosia. Tashdjian is actively involved
in the Armenian community.
Aznive Papazian was born in Larnaca in 1956.
She graduated from the Melkonian Educational
Institute, where she also taught. Papazian studied painting, drawing, engraving and mosaic art,
as well as wood and small-scale clay sculpture.
She also worked with the painter Raphael Atoyan
in Armenia for two consecutive summers. Papazian’s art exists within the sphere of figurative
and abstract expressionism – the two-way interplay between man and the world is the inspiration
for Papazian’s work and its main axis. Her interests are portraits, landscapes, still life, compositions featuring the human figure and life drawing.
Papazian has had solo exhibitions in Armenia and
in Nicosia and has also taken part in a number of
group exhibitions in Cyprus.
Nanor Tashdjian was born in Nicosia in 1974.
She holds a BA in Graphic Arts from Frederick
University in Nicosia and an MA in Fine Arts
from the University of Wales in Cardiff. She loves
experimenting with different arts and crafts by
combining different colours, media and materials
in her paintings – she also works with glass fusing
and framework. The ocean is a prevalent theme in
her work. Tashdjian is an accomplished artist who
has presented her work in many solo and group
exhibitions in Cyprus, the UK, Sydney and Bangkok. She lives and works in Cardiff, Wales.
Vartan Tashdjian was born in Lebanon in 1941.
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Hourig Torossian was born in Nicosia in 1967.
She holds an Honours BA from the Wimbledon
School of Art and an MA in Fine Arts from the
Royal College of Art. Since graduating in 1994,
she has been an active artist, exhibiting in Cyprus,
Greece and the UK. In 2005 she represented Cyprus in Austria in an exhibition highlighting artists
from the ten countries that joined the EU in 2004.
Torossian’s large-scale colour paintings on canvas
are essentially transformed from monochromatic
imagery. The raw materials for her figurative work
come from old family photographs or from decorative iron window guards. Hourig is currently an
Assistant Professor in the Applied Arts Department of Frederick University in Nicosia.
Georges Karnig Der Parthogh was a veteran
journalist, an international news photographer and
an active member of the Armenian community.
Born in Ethiopia in 1923, Georges came to Cyprus
with his family in 1935, where he attended the
English School and served with the Air Ministry.
He then joined the Times of Cyprus (1955-1959)
and later worked as a correspondent for Reuters
(1959-1963) and UPI (1963-1979), covering wars
and civil commotion in Cyprus, Malta, the Middle
East, Iran and East Africa. In 1979 he co-founded the Cyprus Weekly, and beginning in 1989 he
served as a correspondent for Azg newspaper in
Yerevan and for the Armenian Mirror-Spectator
in Boston. Georges actively supported photography – he encouraged young photographers and received several awards as a member of the Cyprus
Photographic Society. He passed away in 2008.
Edward Voskeritchian was born in Zeitoun,
Cilicia in 1902. His family witnessed the tragic
Genocide of the Armenian people, during which
they were forced to abandon their hometown for
the nearby island of Cyprus. Kyrenia offered its
hospitality to the Voskeritchian family, and after a short stay, they left for Nicosia. Life proved
difficult there, so the large family moved to Larnaca, where they opened a photo shop which soon
closed. In 1920, well-known businessman Movses
Soultanian encouraged Voskeritchian to move to
Limassol to apprentice with photographer John P.
Foscolo. Voskeritchian established his own business, Edward’s Photo Studio in 1926. He loved
Limassol and lived there until his death in 1990.
Veronica Mahdessian was born in Nicosia in 1968.
She holds an MA in Photography from the London
College of Printing and Distributive Trades. She
has had one solo exhibition in Beirut, in 1997, and
she has participated in numerous group exhibitions
in Cyprus and London. Amongst her awards is the
third prize for photojournalism at the 25th Dunhill
Pancyprian Photographic exhibition, which was
organised by the Cyprus Photographic Society in
1995. Veronica lives and works in Thessalonica,
Greece, where she and her husband own and operate Kalfayan Galleries, a well-known familyowned gallery that organises art exhibitions in Athens, Thessalonica and worldwide.
Sebough Voskeritchian was born in Limassol in
1975. The fourth generation of this talented and
pioneering photographic family, Voskeritchian
blends the acutely sensitive and artistic side of his
late grandfather, Edward, with the advanced technical knowledge of his late father, Albert. Voskeritchian pushes the boundaries of photography into
the realm of modern-day art and multimedia. He
has taken part in many international group exhibitions and has won numerous photographic awards
– he has also had a solo exhibition in Cyprus.
Voskeritchian’s keen eye is unparalleled, and his
application of mixed media has made him one of
the most exciting and talented young photographers in Europe.
Haigaz Mangoian was born in Adana, Cilicia in
1907. Having suffered persecution by the Ottomans and the Young Turks, he and his large family
arrived in Cyprus in December 1920. After Mangoian graduated from the American Academy in
Larnaca, he and his brother, Levon, started a photographic studio, the first in Larnaca. They then
opened a photographic studio, briefly, in Famagusta, before settling in Nicosia. Their Nicosia studio
developed successfully, particularly after World
War II. In 1947, together with Levon, Mangoian
published a travel guide, The Island of Cyprus.
Mangoian continued with his photography, both in
the studio and beyond it, where he photographed
the places and faces of Cyprus, the country he
came to love, until his untimely death in 1970.
Giragos Zartarian was born in Adana, Cilicia
in 1915. In 1921, due to the political situation in
Cilicia, in which the region’s Christian population
faced continuous threats from the Turks, Zartarian
and his family immigrated to Cyprus. After graduating from the Melkonian Educational Institute,
Zartarian established his own photographic studio
in Nicosia in 1935 and for some years was an official photographer for the colonial government.
He is considered to be a prominent publisher of
postcards of Cyprus; his postcard images capture
the landscape of Cyprus during the middle of the
20th century. After losing his wife in 1957, Zartarian closed his studio. In 1959 he and his family
immigrated to England, where he died tragically
in 1962 of a heart attack.
55
United States of Europe (U.S.E)
A travelling exhibition about European identity and today’s Europe
Opening from 17 September until 14 October 2012
D
o you feel European? Does Mr O’Keeffe in
Ireland feel more or less European than Mrs
Stylianou in Cyprus? And if so, why? What is the
idea behind Europe and do Europeans feel included? Do Europeans trust their leaders? Maybe
there are as many different answers to these questions as there are citizens in Europe.
The artistic project United States of Europe
(U.S.E) deals with these questions in the context
of a travelling exhibition through ten European
countries. The exhibition opened in Lodz, Poland,
in November 2011; the second destination was
Helsinki, the third was Vilnius and the fourth was
Guimarães. In September the exhibition opened
in Nicosia, as part of the cultural programme of
the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
United States of Europe (U.S.E), a large-scale collaboration project about European identity, will
also be presented in public spaces, galleries and
museums in Germany, Bulgaria, France, Ireland
and Belgium until spring 2013.
56
The concept
U.S.E is not propaganda for a federal Europe. It
aims to create commitment in the Europe in which
we live and to function as a communication platform for people living in Europe. The exhibition
offers a lot of different interpretations on European
identity through diverse disciplines and from different angles.
U.S.E comprises four dimensions:
1. Artists interpretations: Curators and artists
have been invited to give their interpretations of
European identity through photos, multimedia,
video and other installations.
2. Sociological studies: 50 people from 10 different countries have been interviewed. The result is
video-recorded interviews that give comparable results of a potential belonging to a European entity.
3. An interactive laboratory: This is a place in the
exhibition where the artistic and sociological parts
are combined. The laboratory is a creative environment for real-time exchanges about Europe today.
4. A series of debates: Several aspects will be discussed: “What does it mean to be European and
how is contemporary art dealing or not with that
question?” and “Europe, its politicians and the people – about confidence and commitment today”.
Johanna Suo (Sweden/France/UK) has initiated the
project and created the exhibition concept.
The sociological core team includes Professor Andrzej Piotrowski (University of Lodz), Dr Tomasz
Ferenc (University of Lodz) and Dr Lyudmila
Nurse (Oxford XXI, UK). Ten local sociologists
conducted five interviews in each participating
country.
The U.S.E in Nicosia
The artists
Diversity, which is the core of the U.S.E., is embodied by the artistic team.
Three curators, Ryszard W. Kluszczyński (Poland), Anna Bitkina (Russia) and Sinziana Ravini
(France) have each selected a group of artists. The
chosen artists have international and multicultural
backgrounds, and they all deal with identity questions.
U.S.E presents works by Luchezar Boyadjiev
(Bulgaria), Anna Konik (Poland), Gerda Lampalzer (Austria), Maria Lusitano-Santos (Portugal),
Deimantas Narkevicius (Lithuania), Artur Zmijewski (Poland), Jean-Charles Hue (France), Kaarina
Kaikkonen (Finland), REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT (Germany), Tanja Muravskaja (Estonia),
Kennedy Browne (Ireland), Apostolis Polymeris
(Belgium), Kyriaki Costa (Cyprus) and Anu Pennanen (Finland).
The multimedia artist and researcher Jānis Garančs
(Latvia) created the interactive laboratory. In the
lab you can see interviews with people from all
over Europe, you can interact and share your points
of view, and you can view 3D visualisations.
In Nicosia a walk was organised through the city:
“Discover your city and discover Europe.”
Several different venues were included to open the
exhibition to a wide audience. Among the presentations of the interactive laboratory was an interview
with the former Mayor of Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou
(visual-audio). The artist Kyriaki Costa presented
brand new work created for the U.S.E exhibition
at the new Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum.
The exhibition in Nicosia was organised by the
Pharos Arts Foundation, in collaboration with the
Goethe-Institut Paris, the Goethe-Institut Cyprus,
Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum, Institut Français Cyprus, the Embassy of the Republic
of Poland in Cyprus, Nicosia Municipality, Classic Hotel, Temporary Space, Ledra Properties, The
European University Cyprus, Cyprus Theatre Organisation and the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Your participation
U.S.E is a project for citizens by citizens, and it
aims to work as a communication platform. On the
57
21st century Iconoclasm by Kyriaki Costa
Lab Presentation
website http://www.go-use.eu, as well as in the laboratory on site, visitors are encouraged to express
themselves and share their experiences in the form
of photos or stories on the theme “My Europe”.
Look for the headline “Participate” and “Stories
from Europe” on the website. Information is also
available in the exhibition passport.
social, economic and political dimensions. In the
exhibition, these young students have their say
about their plans and expectations.
The Pharos Arts Foundation was pleased to collaborate with the Goethe-Institut in Paris and
with a number of organisations in Cyprus for the
exhibition.
REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT (which could be
translated with “Cleaning Service” or “Purification
Society”) is an artists’ project group that works at the
point of intersection between art and social reality.
A Connection (2011)
Kaarina Kaikkonen (born 1952, Finland)
Site-specific public space installations
United States of Europe - Artists’ Presentations
REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT
(Artist duo: Henrik Mayer, born 1971 & Martin Keil, born 1968, Germany)
Risk Society
Projection and flat screen 26: 15 min, HDV 16:9
2011, loop
This project examines the prospects and life perspectives of young people in today’s Germany.
They inherit the legacy of a society that is aware
that economic growth and consumption won’t provide the determinant odds for development. The
sociologist Ulrich Beck described the sociological
change from wealth production towards risk production with the term Risk society in his book of
1986, Risk society. This transition takes place on
the micro level of people as well as on the macro
level of corporate and global changes. It comprises
58
For the United States of Europe exhibition the artist presents new site-specific installations related to
the space and to present day Europe. In each city
her work is adapted to a venue and the site. One of
the new pieces that Kaarina creates for the exhibition is called A Connection, shirts in many colours
and sizes represent connections between people
and countries. The work has been presented once
in Lodz, Poland, where the shirts were attached to
a long pipe running from a walking zone in the city,
leading the visitor to the main exhibition space in
an old textile factory.
Kaarina has so far created one more work for
U.S.E., “Where is my home?”, a house made of
bags and luggage of different kinds. It can be seen
as a small house that is collapsing or that isn’t completely constructed. The piece tells a story about
different kinds of people and states trying to live
together, but it’s difficult...The work was installed
at Helsinki Main Railway station and at Vilnius In-
ternational Airport.
Kaarina Kaikkonen is known for her large installations made from men’s jackets, ladies’ shoes,
shirts and found objects exhibited in different spaces, both indoors and outdoors. She has participated
in numerous international exhibitions, most recently in the Cairo Biennale 2009, the Liverpool Biennale 2010, the Vancouver Biennale 2010 and the
Venice Biennale Collateral Event, 2011. At the moment Kaarina is working on several projects, one in
Italy and one in Chile. She recently did an installation at Art Miami.
the leaders removed and sent “On Vacation”. This
is a symbolic unification by liberating the public
space from its past and opening it up for the future.
Luchezar’s work has been presented widely and
internationally, both in solo and group exhibitions. Luchezar is also active as a curator, and
he has organised numerous lectures and presentations. His work can be found at the CAMK
(Contemporary Art Museum of Kumamoto, Japan), the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, USA, the National Art Gallery, Tirana,
Albania and elsewhere.
On Vacation (2004-2011)
Thoughts Are Free (2011)
Luchezar Boyadijev (born 1957, Bulgaria)
Gerda Lampalzer (born 1959, Austria)
On-going cycle of 15 digital prints, each one 53 x
73 or 73 x 53 cm
Video projection, 3 minutes, loop
On vacation is a funny series, but at the same time
it undertakes in a serious way the problem of histories of particular countries and the role these histories play in the process of political and cultural
integrations of European countries and societies.
Boyadjiev began discussions of European identities in 1997 at the Documenta X, when he proposed the concept of overlapping identities. Images
from On vacation represent equestrian monuments
from various European countries, with figures of
Lab Projections
Winter by Juha Niemi
This single channel video installation examines
the relations between different European countries
with regard to languages. This examination looks
at problems other than language barriers, however
– Lampalzer’s work looks at how people from different European countries observe each other; what
sort of relations are created at the governmental
level; to what extent their relation to power shapes
the way people experience their belonging to any
community and how it affects the way they build
their collective identities.
The video addresses the lack of linguistic exchange
between Austria and its so-called “former eastern
European” neighbours. The borders have been
open for years, but even now hardly any Austrians speak these languages. In the video the texts
of four people speaking Czech, Slovak, Hungarian and Slovenian are cut apart and reconstructed
into the German phrase “Die Gedanken sind frei”
(Thoughts are free). This technical trick is an ironic comment on the situation, especially because
“Thoughts Are Free” is often associated with liberation movements, which are re-uniting Europe as
it should have been.
Gerda Lampalzer has worked since 1980 as the executive of the Medienwerkstatt Wien. Since 1987,
she has been teaching for Applied Arts in Wien.
She is active professionally as a media artist, lecturer and curator.
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Uprooting: The story of our grandfathers (2011)
The Lord’s Ride (2010)
Apostolos Polymeris (born 1984, Belgium)
Jean-Charles Hue (born 1968, France)
Video installation, 2:32 minutes, loop
Feature film: 1h 24 min
This installation tells the very personal and moving
history of the artist’s grandfather and his immigration to Belgium in 1972. The video is shown in a
very impersonal archive environment that makes
Kafkaesque associations with the big archives that
house stories of uncountable numbers of people.
One of these stories is brought to life in the artist’s
video.
The film is about the life of a Roma family, thus
presenting a living symbol of a constant metamorphosis of identity. Jean-Charles Hue searches for
his origins. He spent some time with the Dorkels,
a Gypsy/Yeniche family on the outskirts of society
in the north of France, and filmed their daily life.
This film recounts the search for origins in these
marginalised worlds, worlds that prefer to remain
separate rather than integrate. The film relates the
events that punctuate a nomadic life spent in caravans: poaching, a strange conversation, a quest for
redemption...This unconventional reality seems
fictional to the viewer, as the events are so foreign
to normal life. The camera records everything,
even the explosion of a bullet a few inches from
the artist one drunken night.
“In the building of the archives in Brussels, in a
small room with hundreds of lists with names of
foreigners who had moved there until the middle
of the 1970’s, I found my grandfather’s name. He
and his family immigrated to Belgium in 1972. The
video illustrates the difficulties they faced in Istanbul and how they decided to move to a new country,
hoping for a better life.” Apostolos Polymeris
Apostolos is an artist and graphic designer born
in Brussels but with roots in Greece. In Brussels
he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His
main fields are poster and book design, illustration,
animation and film.
Jean-Charles Hue is an artist and video filmmaker who specialises in documentary films. JeanCharles’s grandfather was Yenniche, giving him a
blood tie to this people. In 2009, Hue also explored
the life in marginal areas together with the inhabitants of Tijuana, a border city between Mexico and
the United States, in his film, Tijuana Carne Viva.
In the Middle of the Way
(work in progress, 2001-2007)
Anna Konik (born 1974, Poland)
Seven-channel video installation, loop
Lab touchscreen and projection background
60
In this seven-channel video installation, Anna
Konik presents a very personal narrative about
the lives of several people living in different cities.
They are homeless, marginalised people, but at the
same time full of dignity. The artist follows them in
their everyday activities, giving them a chance to
present themselves in very different ways. At the
same time, Konik reflects on her own nomadic way
of living, which she does between three cities and
two countries (Dobrodzien and Warsaw in Poland
and Berlin in Germany). The issue of home and its
role in the process of forming identity is the very
focus of the installation.
“The mobility of Tadeusz, Herman, Svetlana, Gerard, Hans-Dieter, Jana & Pele and Anna opens up
a dialogue in which geographical boundaries and
nationalities are not important. Instead, their individual stories, experiences and dreams build their
unique identities and confirm their differentness in
a world where nationalities are fluid. Every person
I met dreams of a better life, of respect and freedom, they are all trying to find their way in the new
reality of the EU.” - Anna Konik
Konik makes video installations, and her practice
combines video semi-documentary, installation,
performance and sculpture. She has been exhibiting widely and internationally since 2000.
21st century Iconoclasm
Kyriaki Costa (born 1971, Cyprus)
Video stills, 6 photos, 24x30cm
The project is a ‘visual sequence’ of six photos
of significant monuments (i.e., sites and personalities) of both European and non-European origin,
all placed around the Athenian Acropolis, a symbol (par excellence) of democracy. Initially, the
viewer’s eye is puzzled as to whether these images
speak of symbiosis or disorder. Ultimately, the
answer to this dilemma brings us to the concepts
of fluidity and mobility. In this photo series, the
artist has allowed herself to mix monuments as a
‘virtual place’ (in her mind? in her heart?) where
everything fits; a (peaceful or restless?) dream is
born.
Just as in everyday life, the triptych of history,
experience and memory is always an issue of
boundaries (their acceptance or negation): What
do we perceive as ‘reality’ or ‘dream’? How do we
understand ‘fact’ or ‘fiction’? Where does ‘sense’
end and ‘nonsense’ start? How do we draw the line
between ‘emotion’ and ‘logic’? Finally, how does
Europe fit in all this? Are we or are we not ‘Europeans’? Should we speak of belonging or fragmentation? Are we ‘at home’ or ‘homeless’? At the onset of the 21st century, these are absolutely crucial
questions that spark artistic creativity, especially in
countries at the outskirts of Europe, like Cyprus.
Estonian Race (2010)
Tanja Muravskaja (born 1978, Estonia)
Digital C-type photograph, 92x68cm, 68x50cm,
12 photos in series
The aim of this portrait series of strong Nordic
faces was a portrayal of a modern post-Soviet
state developing in the mono-national way. There
is no such race as an Estonian race. This project
asks us to reflect on historical mistakes, on dominance of the “main” nation, tolerance – all of the
issues which are still relevant in the new European countries. The photo series addresses one
of the “elementary particles” of nationalism as
an ideology - race. Muravskaja is using encyclopaedic thoroughness to find the most typical, the
“purest Estonians” among Estonian people, turning to academic authorities for help and portraying the young men who have no names or social
security numbers, let alone life stories or identities
in the exhibition hall, but who obviously have a
nationality, at least within the framework of this
visual story. This artistic search could also lead
us to a question about a “pure European identity.”
Can we possibly define it? What does it mean to
be a European nowadays?
Tanja has previously worked on the subject of
identity – her work, ‘Positions’ (7 photos in series, 2007), is part of the collection of the Tartu
Art Museum. ‘Positions’ was the artist’s first work
on the subject of contemporary Estonian identity
and opened a period of four years dedicated to it.
Works reflecting modern Estonia, the elite of the
Russian speaking minority in Estonia, and the recent Soviet past followed this series.
61
Ausgeträumt (2010)
whole series of the travelling exhibitions to come.
Deimantas Narkevičius (born 1964, Lithuania)
The ‘Lab’ is a feedback/communication platform
for you, the visitor, where you can talk about your
ideas. You can submit ‘your European story’ or
photos, check out a quiz, answer a questionnaire or
just get in touch by visiting the online guestbook.
All these can be found on the website www.go-use.
eu, where people will be able to read your thoughts
and follow your feedback.
Music video installation, 5:30 minutes, loop
The title could be translated into English as a
state between dream and reality on the cusp of
waking up, or it could simply mean the dream
is over. Sometimes one has to approach a theme
through a beautiful and meditative film, rather
than with a strong message. Ausgeträumt shows
a bunch of young men playing in an empty cafeteria – they have just started a band. They look
beautiful but sad. The video is about their vision
of their future, their reflections on their political
or, more importantly, their unsatisfying cultural
environment.
Outside they are surrounded by a snowy landscape. Now and then a car drives through a city
and onto a road leading nowhere. The scene is
filmed in Lithuania. What is the future in this
country, for this generation? For the young boy
who happens to be the son of the artist? Where
will these snowy roads lead them? Ausgeträumt
approaches the notion of cultural identity in the
most simple and fascinating way.
Narkevičius is one of the most consistent and widely recognised Lithuanian artists on the international
scene. He represented his country at the 49th Venice
Biennale in 2001 and exhibited at the 50th Venice
Biennale in 2003 in “Utopia Station.”
The Laboratory
Please enter the United States of Europe laboratory…
Find out what, for instance, Maria from Cyprus
thinks about European unification, or how John
from Ireland perceives European citizenship. In
these videos you can watch interviews with citizens from ten different European countries, which
form part of the U.S.E project’s sociological study.
It is here, in ‘the Lab’, where sociology meets art.
A work in progress, the ‘Lab’ is being developed
by the Latvian multimedia artist Jānis Garančs
who, together with other international collaborators, will advance the laboratory further over the
62
The Laboratory
By Jānis Garančs*
As Europe can mean so many different things from
the perspective of political powers, business “markets,” large and small countries, nationalities and
families and individuals, the approach in the Laboratory is to explore the complexity of European
identities as an interplay of historical, demographic, geopolitical, economic and cultural concepts.
I encourage the interpretation of the project’s title
not only through its politically-coloured meaning
(a state as a country), but also through its more abstract meaning, at least in English – i.e., a state as a
condition/status.
The workshop participants, on-site as well as online, can submit their reflections as text messages,
images and even video sequences. The Laboratory
will feature several interactive screens and projections, webcams and computer terminals for short
text input. It will act as a temporary virtual embassy
of the United States of Europe, connecting U.S.E
exhibition venues with satellite events and locations.
Thus, the Laboratory works as a ‘processing device’ – that travels from place to place and adapts
accordingly – that will collate the co-creators’ and
visitors’ input and manifest itself as a self-organizing map or overview, offering multiple layers for
exploration, and becoming, through immersive
3D visualisations and sonifications (also featuring
computer generated stereoscopic projection and
multi channel audio), an evolving multimedia artwork itself.
*Multimedia artist and researcher, Riga, Latvia
Christos Bokoros - “Odos Eleftherias”
Exhibition at The Office Gallery
T
he Office Gallery is tucked deep within
the Venetian city walls of Nicosia, having
taken root at the edge of town but standing at
its innermost centre. Located on the eerie and
removed Kleanthi Christofidi Street, at number
32, it walks a tightrope over the divide of history. Before it became a war zone, Kleanthi
Christofidi was an industrious street lined with
stable shops – now time is imprinted in disintegration and rust on the shuttered storefronts
standing in an almost military formation along
this narrow, high street. To look down Kleanthi
Christofidi is to trigger a visceral connection to
history, to implicitly feel its former crowded-
ness. It is a place both disconcerting and intriguing. It is open to redefinition.
An evocation of the craftsmen of old Nicosia
The Office Gallery was deliberately conceived in
this setting in an attempt to shake the foundations of
conventional urban living in Nicosia, to stimulate
its nervous system from the centre. The premises of
the Office Gallery were used for over half a century
as the workshop of shoemaker Andreas Matsas and
even today the space is home to the aura Matsas
created; his signature is visible in the space, an evocation of the craftsmen of old Nicosia.
National Memory by Christos Bokoros
Candles (at the memory front)
63
Candle in the Trench
If, as Seferis reminds us, “the strong craftsman is
one of the most responsible individuals born in
this world,” then the Office Gallery maintains and
upholds that sense of responsibility. As a place of
“handcrafted” ideas, the Office Gallery continues
the heritage of the handmade, while at the same
time refining and redefining craft, demonstrating
a postmodern willingness to pose tradition against
the new, to draw from and blend both the dark and
bright sides of all traditions.
How does the Office Gallery function? The Office Gallery serves as a meeting place for “handcrafted” ideas through thematic exhibitions. It
hosts the work of the niche fashion designer
Carol Christian Poell and functions as a personal and professional escape for writer Tassos A.
Gkekas. The Office Gallery stands as a triptych
comprising three separate yet linked functions: a
meeting place for the Handmade, escape and professional lieu. Each of its functions is autonomous
and distinct but, much like a Francis Bacon triptych that acts as a single indivisible entity narrating a particular story, the functions of the Office
Gallery meet and complement each other. Like the
unifying flow of mercury, dialectics and discourse
connect its three facets.
“Odos Eleftherias” by Tassos A. Gkekas,
Director of The Office Gallery
With the launch of the series of paintings titled
“Odos Eleftherias,” Christos Bokoros attempts
a direct conversation with spaces, buildings and
roads which are adjacent to or which lead to the
Green Line in Nicosia. Many of these buildings
are damaged and worn. One could say that they,
64
in turn, create the second crack
next to that of the Green Line.
Amongst these trenches, the
artist has installed his own
paintings, planting his own
“Freedom Street,” in the hope
that he will offer new fruits
and joyful vibrations to the
centre of town, quietly and
humbly “conspiring” with
all the domestic rejuvenating
powers. Bokoros’s flames: small, genuine carriers
of “Romiosini” (Greekness), of sorrows and of desires, in their own way warm up a vital part of the
town within the walls. The artist communicates
directly with the spaces and monuments which remain the birthplaces of Hellenism; he rekindles the
interest centres in the heart of the capital. As long
as Bokoros sows his rogue paintings as “signals”
at the “border” points in the trenches of old Nicosia, he continues to remind us that broader parts
of our country, the very ends of our state, when illuminated sufficiently, emerge gleaming and alive.
In the Artist’s Words
“I use surfaces damaged by previous organic uses
to incarnate my pieces, aside from the theme and
any representational skill, as a constant reminder of
a collective time and place from which my reasoning originates, which I address in the final outcome
of my craft. I select my subjects on the basis of
recognition, both as native signals and as universal
symbols of communication between people and the
ineffable intimacy of the mystery which surrounds
the material objects around us. The process of preparation and painting leads me, at times of concentration and discipline, to unexpected realizations of self
and conciliation with our common condition, the
accomplished world. There, the surface of beauty
is revealed, and exceeded eternity and truth come
together. I yearn for these clearings, and these are
what I work for. I speak words, and painting moves
further, as if the matter and spirit it embodies is always elsewhere, away from the images and their descriptions. It holds a distance, however close. In this
distance, the aura preserves the secret and saves us.”
The World Youth Choir in Cyprus
F
or the first time ever in Cyprus, we got
the chance to enjoy concerts by the World
Youth Choir. The choir performed three a cappella concerts of works by F. Poulenc, B. Britten and others, under the direction of conductor
Cecilia Rydinger Alin. There were performances across the island: on 16 August in Pedoulas,
on 18 August in Paphos and on 19 August in
Ayia Napa.
The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation invited the choir to Cyprus, and the choir gave a series of concerts with the Cyprus Youth Symphony
Orchestra as part of the 2012 Kypria International
Festival, two evening concerts titled “Towards a
Europe of Peace” under the direction of Ayis Ioannides.
To prepare for the 2012 Kypria International Festival programme, the choir, which comprises 60
members, participated in the International Summer Music Academy of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra. This year, like every year, the International Summer Music Academy took place in
the mountain village of Pedoulas from 20 August
until 2 September 2012.
World Youth Choir 2012
An original concept, the World Youth Choir
(WYC) brings together talented young singers
aged 17 to 26 years old from all over the world.
Managed by the World Youth Choir Foundation,
WYC was founded by three organisations: the International Federation for Choral Music, the European Choral Association-Europa Cantat, and the
Jeunesses Musicales International. Its principal office is at the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands. Since it was founded in 1989, the WYC has
established itself as one of the most remarkable
musical and intercultural experiences available to
young European musicians.
Every summer the World Youth Choir, made up of
half new, half re-invited singers, meets in a different country for two weeks of intensive rehearsal
of a new repertoire with two different conductors
with contrasting programs. This is followed by a
two-week tour of the host country and neighbouring countries – the choir performs in major concert
halls and prestigious cultural centres. During the
tour, the choir fulfils its social and pedagogical
mission by interacting with local schools, choirs
and music lovers, through master classes, workshops and clinics.
Regardless of political or cultural differences,
thanks to the WYC up to 100 young people with a
common passion for music and a love of singing
share a month of their lives together, a month of
work, play, conversation and debate. This creates
a genuine spirit of friendship, helping the group
cohere and imbuing it with a unique brightness
which amazes those who attend WYC concerts.
Without any speeches or banners, the World Youth
65
Choir brings with it on tour beautiful music and,
with its presence, a message of international peace,
brotherhood, and the vitality of life itself. This is
why UNESCO has named the project “Artists for
Peace” in honour of its social and artistic mission.
The diversity of the World Youth Choir repertoire
reflects the cultural diversity of its members. Over
the past 23 years, the choir has had the privilege
of performing beneath the baton of a number of
world renowned conductors. Its annual sessions
have thus far taken the choir to more than 30
countries around the globe, including 16 European
countries, South Africa, the Far East, the USA,
Canada and Latin America. The choir performed
at the Olympic Gala in Barcelona in 1992, at the
opening ceremonies of the Olympic Equestrian
Games in Hong Kong in 2008, and at the Nobel
Peace Prize award ceremony on 10 December
2011. On 11 December 2011, the choir performed
at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, the annual musical tribute to the year’s Nobel Peace
Prize laureate.
Cecilia Rydinger Alin – Conductor
Cecilia Rydinger Alin is a leading figure in Swedish musical life. Her wide range of activities encompasses orchestral concerts, opera, choral conducting and teaching, in addition to her regular
66
appearances with Swedish and other Scandinavian
symphony orchestras. She was the principal conductor of the Wermland Opera in Karlstad from
1994 until 1998; she has also conducted opera
productions at the Royal Swedish Opera and at
Denmark’s Jyske Opera, as well as highly regarded Wagner productions at the Dalhalla limestone
quarry.
From 1988 until 2009, Cecilia Rydinger Alin was
the artistic director of the mixed choir Allmänna
Sången. She won a number of international choral
competitions while at the helm of Allmänna Sången, including the 2005 European Choral Grand
Prix in Varna, Bulgaria. In the autumn of 2008
she was elected conductor and artistic director of
male-voice choir Orphei Drängar in Uppsala. Ms.
Rydinger Alin is Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm,
and during the 2012-2013 academic year she will
serve as deputy Principal at the Royal College of
Music.
Cecilia Rydinger Alin has been a member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Music since 2004.
She was awarded the medal ‘Litteriset Artibus’
by King Carl Gustaf XVI for her contribution to
Swedish musical life in 2005, and she received the
Swedish Choral Society’s Choral Conductor of the
Year award in 2009.

July - September 2012 - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Transcription

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