Eye's Walk Digital festival is opening the way to initiatives that will hopefully transform the ruins of our Cultural Heritage into alive places. We want to save Syros Lazarette, and we believe we can do so, as we wonder through the ruins.
People "cross over" to visit Lazaretta, the old quarantine station of Syros. They see the destruction of a monument of cultural heritage, standing since 1840s in the port of Syros island. They remember and dream about the future.
Irish artist Andrew Duggan is presenting the collective performance "milk+honey", along with participating islanders and with the support of Culture Ireland. The Quarantine station of the 19th century has visitors -once again- today, in the context of the current pandemic. Soft ingredients as honey and milk, are flowing through their hands, creating a new immune system, new arteries of hope.
The timeline of the project
Project “Reviving Lazaretta?” has been underway for 7 months and is ongoing. It incorporates the following, modular actions:
In March 2021, the digital gallery "Project Lazaretta" was launched, with the support of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports. A digital culture platform with 22 works of Digital & Video Art, Screen Dance, Video Performances and Sound Art. The works, made by artists from 14 countries, were inspired by the lazarets of Syros and Corfu while focusing on the modern historical moment of the Pandemic.
From July to September 2021, the curator of Eye’s Walk Digital festival, Filia Milidaki, accompanied artists, historians, educators, journalists, residents and visitors of Syros, in the historic building of the Quarantine Station, which is ruined and abandoned to decay.
Visitors got to know Lazarette through unheard stories, browsed through the pages of the digital platform of "Project Lazaretta", studied and got inspired by the artists’ work.
They finally shared their thoughts and dreams for the future of Syros Lazaretta.
With the support of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Co-organized by: Region of N. Aegean & Municipality of Syros-Ermoupolis.
Advocates:
Jean-Pierre Xiradakis [France] former owner of the restaurant La Tupina
Maria-Cristina Machin Sanchez [aka Alba] [France-Spain], Painter
Haris Athanasiadis [Greece] Historian, Professor at the University of Ioannina (Department of Philosophy) and Director of the postgraduate program "Public History" of the Hellenic Open University.
Archontia Mantzaridou [Greece] Educational Coordinator - 6th Pe.K.E.S. of Attica, Consultant-Professor at Hellenic Open University.
Evi Stamou [Greece] Journalist
Andrew Duggan [Ireland] Visual Artist
Yiannis Fakonellis [Greece] Business Strategist and Digital Marketing Consultant
Liana Skordi [Greece] Event curator at CliQish events
Stelios Fontrier [Greece] Business Development Advisor
Peggy Grigoriou [Greece] Marketer, Communication Strategist.
Performers:
Chara Giannakopoulou, Eleni Grilla, Thodoris Trifyllis.
Music: Lina Zina
Curator of the campaign: Filia Milidaki
“Reviving Lazaretta”: Let us open our eyes to bring cultural heritage back to life. Take a leap faster than decay.
Art in Public space is a live experience
