Stratos Bichakis | between soil and signal

The hour-long sound composition can be understood as a media autobiography in itself, since it includes material developed over a long period of time. It includes improvisations with analog and digital systems, urban field recordings, code-based experiments, and signal-oriented approaches to sonification, using biometric data and studies on the resilience of ecosystems. Through this process, I wanted to explore different ways, temporalities, and modalities of observation and sensing. Coming from a music and sound background, I was searching for ways to enter into dialogue with the camera as an instrument. The project’s visual lexicon involved wide zoom ranges, motion blur, mirror foils, dynamic lighting, and double exposure. I was fortunate to be accompanied in this work by Efthimis Theodosis, director of photography, and Manolis Kypriotakis, production manager for the field trip to Tinos.

The project was shaped significantly by my time in Athens and by my interactions with the Onassis AiR cohort and the local artistic community. The development of the material was influenced by conversations and collaborations with several artists and curators. For instance, during one of the Onassis AiR collective lunches, artist Natalia Manda mentioned a grove of thousand-year-old olive trees located on an estate near Athens. These grandmothers, full of stories, appear in the second part of the performance. I was deeply moved to meet the caretakers of these trees and am beyond grateful for their permission to use the video material.

Early in the residency, I took part in a feedback workshop with the cohort. The well-structured methodology developed by the residency as a shared toolkit provided a fantastic opportunity to jumpstart the creative process, introduce my work, generate new ideas, reflect on my approach, seek resonances, and gauge reactions. The session concluded with generous offerings from the participants, who shared their intuitive thoughts through words and drawings.

During the residency, we planned a field trip to Tinos to film the former black marble mine on the island’s northern coast, in one of its most remote areas. Despite our preparation, the landscape presented its own challenges, almost seeming to resist capture. Heavy rain and harsh weather conditions made filming nearly impossible. In the end, however, the result was incredibly rewarding. The video dance performance created for the final part of the piece was a strong team effort. I was fortunate to work alongside Kostis Fokas as artistic director, performers Christos Tzovaras and Mariana Tzouda, and production assistant Marilena Georgantzi.

Access to the Onassis Stegi facilities was also crucial. I used the Stegi studios for rehearsals and was able to inaugurate Onassis Ready as a workspace. These resources, along with the support from the Onassis AiR team, allowed me to test materials and further refine the technical aspects of the project. The final outcome took the form of a hybrid cinema and live music performance in three parts, lasting one hour. Instead of a formal screening, I wanted to create conditions in which people could casually coexist and share the space. The setup was designed to be transparent, with designated positions for each instrument so that the audience could follow the live sound interaction alongside the screening. I also received substantial support from the technical teams (sound, lighting, and video) and the production department in realizing this arrangement.

I am currently back in the editing phase. Having some distance from the initial production process helps me see the material more clearly. Rather than adhering to a fixed narrative, I am exploring various ways of framing and organizing the footage I gathered. Moving forward, I plan to develop the work into a multichannel installation for galleries, release the sound composition as a music album, and create a touring version of the performance for festivals. The residency presentation confirmed for me that there is a strong interest in this hybrid format, and I look forward to presenting the finished project in different contexts.