Eleni Bagaki | Fussing with Cavafy over the weather

Engaging with C. P. Cavafy’s diary and his first visit to Athens in 1901, Eleni Bagaki follows the poet’s footsteps through a city he found oppressively hot, humid, and blindingly bright. Through this retracing, both physical and literary, she aims to weave a narrative that connects our experiences across time, using the complaint as a mode of reflection on weather, place, and identity.

Rooted in a personal need to make sense of place and self, her practice uses autofiction to merge autobiography and fiction. By following in Cavafy’s footsteps through contemporary Athens, she intends to recreate his experiences, reimagining his narratives through the lens of her own subjectivity. She uses his reflections as a backdrop for a new story, one that speaks to her own relationship with the city and explores the complexities of identity and belonging today.

In addition, she investigates how weather shapes our experience of place—how environmental factors, such as temperature and light, affect not only our perception of the world around us but also our bodies and moods. Weather is an embodied experience, one that registers both physically and mentally. As she walks through Athens, sweating, the simple, daily question—“What should I wear today?”—will take on new meaning, highlighting not only the unpredictability of the weather but also the absurdity of dressing for a climate that no longer follows familiar patterns. This question becomes a lens through which to explore the intersection of personal narrative and global reality, revealing how intimate experiences are increasingly shaped by the broader context of climate change.

To broaden her research, she will engage with other poets and writers who have explored weather in personal ways, examining how their reflections shape narratives of place and identity. This will provide a richer literary context, allowing her to draw connections and contrasts with Cavafy’s work while deepening her exploration of the weather’s influence on emotional landscapes.

Through walking, photographing, and writing, she explores how her body and senses connect to the physical environment, creating space for contemplation, critique, and artistic expression. This dialogue between past and present—mediated by weather, body, and wandering—continues her exploration of place and identity, inviting reflection on navigating an ever-changing city while grappling with the transient nature of home and self.