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Street art: Ioannina from grey to colour
Street art in Ioannina 2014 Photo by Kostas Gkarametis
A bottom-up change in the image of the city of Ioannina
This steet art action happens a third time in a row. It is an important action since
- working together with the local population and with the Municipal authority can become a future model for participation of the citizens in the bid for being ECoC in 2021
- reclaiming public spaces and unused buildings and thereby bringing back life in the city has multiple possibilities from creating new hubs to altering the way past, present and future can conjoin to give everyone a platform for freedom of expression
- it introduces another kind of aesthetics within the tension field graffiti and painting so as to obtain support of shop keepers and cafe owners while making art become truly public
- the lively scene includes a public not just passing by, but supporting with food and taking photos as a sign of participation in the event (participation = taking note) and which can be translated into ongoing experiences how urban space can be transformed by street art
- since it happens for a third year in a row, it takes on slowly the character of an alternative festival for which is crucial that it is being slowly accepted by the local population (compare this with the dance festival in Kalamata and acceptance by local population, but also how the Galway festival became successful by having a different venue every year and thereby letting everyone discover unused spaces with potentials for new developments
- brings together many artists and cultural operators in a way that interdisciplinarity allows new forms of cooperation so as to overcome the negative ramification of an economic crisis leading to a logic of austerity which seeks to cut short funds for the arts and culture
- street art entails a visual communication with a definite impact upon the image of a city thought of until now as being only 'gray' and now is transformed when suddenly dipped into colour
- it makes a street into a road of hope capable of giving an uplift to human spirits over and beyond the mere coercion of survival and consumption as other layers of human experiences on a daily basis are related to.
Hatto Fischer
25.11.2014
A report about what makes a colorful Ioannina
http://popaganda.gr/ekthesi-pou-ekane-polichroma-ta-giannena/
(translation of Greek article with help of Google)
Over 40 artists gave a new look to the grey city. We talked with the organizers.
Photos: Kostas Gkarametsis
From 3 to July 11 Ioannina was filled with color due to the impressive project Gradient: From Grey to Colour Scale!
The group Multi art Projects organized a big celebration on the road involving more than 40 artists. Murals, graffiti, performances in public space, views, facilities licensed shops in the old market in Independence roads Tsirigoti Kaniggos and crystal and other public places have given a new face in the gray city. After completion of the project, we talked with the organizers Irene Papanikolaou, Kostas Gkarametsi and Kostas Haidos for their impressions and their future plans.
Tell us a little about the launch of Multi-art Projects.
H Multi-art Projects is a civil, non-profit organization of corporate and promotional art events that was established in April 2012, based in Ioannina. The main objective of the company is re-appropriation of public space and the use of empty buildings of the city of Ioannina, and to promote the performing and visual arts through the creation of viable nuclei brainstorming and creative expression.
In Ioannina there are several public spaces for recovery. How do you choose them? I remember how special place is the old bus station.
Depending on the nature of each project selected and the respective seating. In Ioannina and the rest of Greece there are many public places like public buildings that have been left and deteriorate over time. From old schools, hospitals, university facilities, parks, sites which try to integrate in our actions, to enable them to civic participation and a public space is a mirror of our society and by extension of our culture. Since you mentioned the old bus Ioannina in 2013 took over the organization of production [Project 2] Anger by [nomades artcore]. In collaboration with Ioannina artists, actors, dancers, visual artists, film makers, musicians and photographers created jointly an artistic action for the emergence of a central building of the city that remains anaxiopoiito. The artists invited the public to sympathize with them on a path of action and reaction, a path where people started as a spectator slowly winning the role of the protagonist.
Tell us For the last project you headed Gradient: From Gray to Colour Scale. What led you need to draw? How did you find the resources to do this?
We deal already with the Street Theatre Festival and the public space. We used the performing arts in the public space and wanted to do the same with the visual arts. This was the signal to begin the artistic project: "Gradient: From Gray to Colour Scale". When we started the Street Theatre Festival, we wanted to integrate the visual arts program but it was very difficult to support all this cost to develop it so much. So, we presented our idea Gradient artistic project in the competition of Samsung "Launching People" in the category "Arts and Creativity". Our proposal emerged first among 70 entries. The project "Gradient: From Gray to Colour Scale" was intended to create a large-scale artistic interventions in the public space of the city of Ioannina, in the creation and presentation of permanent and ephemeral nature works. Murals, graffiti, paste ups, public space facilities and in closed shops, performances, screenings took place from 3 to 11 July in Ioannina.
In Gradient included approximately forty artists. What the criteria selected?
Besides «invited artists» preceded artists open call for proposals in each category separately. We made too many requests too valuable proposals and jobs. Unfortunately we could not place them all in the program completely Project selection was based on originality and creativity of the proposed idea, harmonizing the project selected by the organization places as the cost of implementing the idea.
How easy was it to find sites for this project? Did you encounter difficulties?
To find the sites mainly for murals, as well as for installations in closed shops was a difficult, tedious and time consuming process. The people with whom we came in contact was quite hesitant and do not necessarily understand the idea and what we wanted to do. The word graffiti sounded negative in many ears, so it was replaced with the word painting! On the other hand the project we did with the rolls on Independence Street shopkeepers are excited because already had their shutters soiled with various slogans and I was delighted to be the paint. Apart from the difficulties we had with the owners / managers of apartment buildings and shops, the positive was that we had on our side the hospital municipality who embraced our efforts and very easily came out licenses for the various actions undertaken in the public space .
What was the deal with the public? And how those who responded were just passing through the points of intervention?
The world seemed to enjoyed it enough. Especially in the days to conduct the project, where artists create in situ their works, people passing through these points seemed happy, reward us when they were not few those who supplied us with water, soft drinks and all sorts of snacks! The Ioannina pass follow the signs and photograph the large murals. Web masters café located across from one of the two large murals told us as: "I feel that I am next to the Acropolis with so many people passing daily and photographed constantly." Also, the positive response of the project demonstrated by the fact that we already have several proposals for new collaborations by local authorities but also by individuals. Others want to paint shutters, others want to make paintings multifamily etc. This response gives us joy and energy to keep us this.
What are your next projects?
On August 28-30 we conduct third Ioannina Street Theater Festival, which the Gianniotiko public has embraced with love and tends to become an institution in the city. The festival reflects the entire spectrum of performing arts [theater, circus, puppetry, dance and music] hosting performances from established and emerging artists in squares, parks and pedestrian streets of the city. During the two years of conducting, hosted over 25 theater, puppetry, circus, music and dance in public open spaces in the city, as well as variety of workshops and seminars for adults and children (animation and puppet construction, aerial acrobatics, movement etc.). Among the artists who participated were significant holdings, as the group "Yet moving", the "Plefsis", the chairman of Unima Hellas Stathis Markopoulos, the puppet theater group "Wings of Myth" and international participants with Fire eaterterterter [BG], the Tavuel al Domun [ARG] and Dromo Cosmicas [IT / BR].
The artists involved:
Street artists: Dome, Boohaha !, Achilles, Simoni Fontana, Cacao Rocks, Splash, Nausicaa Moschopoulou, Dimitra Gousis, Ozma, Snoe, Wild Drawing, SER, Christos Kollios, Nicholas Paradiselo, Karlito, Marina Siouti, Vocal Crew, Reb MWC.
Performance: Andreas Pasias, Nikolina Stylianou, Graam, Angeliki Haido Tsoli Christos Papamihail Thomas Kontos.
Installations: Marianna Kaza Ada resurrection Royal Spirou, Dimitris Papadopoulos, Christos Vagiatas, Penelope Thomaidis and Marina Siouti George Kevrekidis Andreas Pasias, Gifts Belegrinou.
multiartprojects.org
streetheater.gr/
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