Photo: beetroot
Design

Strange cities: Athens

Dates

Tickets

Free Admission

Venue

Athens

Time & Date

Day
Time
Venue
Day
Monday-Sunday
Time
12:00
Venue
Diplareios School (Theatrou sq 3, Athens center)

Information

Tickets

Exhibition: Free Admission

Parallel events: Prices vary, depending on the event.
Reservations: T. 213 017 8049

Introduction

See Athens through the eyes of those who have never seen it before. A strange exhibition about the strange city we call home.

Photo: beetroot

It’s hard, but try to imagine that you’ve never laid eyes on Athens. Now imagine an exhibition in which artists from around the world were invited to create their own images of our Athens; there was just one condition: that they’d never seen it!

That was the challenge laid down by “Strange Cities”, for which the Onassis Stegi, in collaboration with the team of curators from London’s Double Decker, carefully chose a team of visual artists from around the world.

Providing just an ‘inspiration box’ by way of help -containing a recipe, a scent, a poem, a book and recordings of the sounds and music of the city- the show seeks to arouse the curiosity and activate the imagination of artists and visitors alike.

What did the words, sounds and tastes reveal? What routes did an unseen Athens lead the artists down? What seeds did this strange and unseen city with its unparalleled history and unique myths plant in their imaginations?

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Parallel Events

Invisible routes: Get to know Athens in the company of a vendor of Schedia, Athens' street paper.

The Onassis Stegi and the Onassis Foundation have joined forced once again with Schedia, Athens' street paper, this time to arrange guided tours of downtown Athens led by Athenians who are or have been homeless. The tours are just one of many events that are to be staged in parallel with the Strange Cities: Athensexhibition. A city tour with a difference in the context of "Strange Cities: Athens", an experience rooted in the vendors' life on the streets.

Every Sunday from 26 April to 28 June 2015 | 13:00-15:00 | Price: 6 €
Duration: roughly two hours | Starting point: Diplareios School
The tours are in Greek, but simultaneous translation into English, French, German, Italian or Spanish can be arranged for groups providing notice is given at least 10 days in advance.
Groups will consist of no more than 15 and no fewer than 5 people.
The guides (Schedia vendors) are remunerated directly from the ticket sales.

Route: Diplareios School – Athenas Street (Varvakeios Market) – Omonoia Square – Sokratous Street – Agiou Konstantinou Street – the corner of Sofokleous & Peiraios streets – Theatrou Square (Diplareios School)
Reservation: Tel: 2130178049

Make your own street food

Workshop led by the chef Vasilis Kallidis.
Friday 8 May 2015 | 20:00 | Price: 7 €
Diplareios School

Party Athens Voice

Saturday 9 May 2015 | Starts at 21:00 | Entry: 10 € with one drink
Diplareios School | Basement

Strange Itineraries: Athens through the eyes of 19th century European travelers

Want to see where they planted tomatoes for the first time in Athens? Which is the oldest building still in use in the city? Where the different neighborhoods had their hamams during the period of Turkish rule? Follow in the footsteps of the travelers who visited Athens in the 19th century in association with Big Olive.

Every Thursday and every Saturday from 9 May to 27 June 2015 | 18:00-20:00 | Price: 6 € | Tours in English and in Greek.
Groups will consist of no more than 15 and no fewer than 5 people.
Starting point: Diplareios School
Finishing point: Onassis Foundation, Dionysiou Areopagitou

Rehabitations: Living in the same city, we’re all neighbors

Imagine your home, but different. An action by the Onassis Foundation Scholars. Panagiotis Tournikiotis, who teaches in the Faculty of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens, Myrto Kourti, Io Paschou, Pavlina Spandoni and other recipients of architecture scholarships offer their personal advice on your personal space.

Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 May 2015 | 10:00-20:00 | Free admission
Diplareios School

Glow in the dark

Glow in the dark! A silkscreen workshop for kids and adults from the TIND team. Using dyes that glow in the city night, we’ll print on old city maps and posters.

Friday 22 May 2015 | 19:00-22:00
Diplareios School

And yet Athens is still animated

Animation workshop with Babis Alexiadis for children aged 7-14 and their parents.

Τhe weekends of June 6-7, 13-14, 20-21 2015 | 12:00-14:00 | Free admission | Every child has to be accompanied by one adult
Diplareios School

What did you think of Athens, Your Excellency?

Hear ambassadors "appointed" to Athens from other nations speak about their experience of the Greek capital.

Tuesday 26 May 2015 | 19:00
Diplareios School

The Travelers' Athens: "The journey to Athens: Fiction, inspiration, reality"

A discussion about the travellers who visited Athens and wrote about their stay in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Chaired by Maria Georgopoulou, Director of the Gennadius Library.

Thursday 28 May 2015 | 19:00
Diplareios School

Stray Cities: An afternoon dedicated to stray animals

Positive animal trainers, vets, representatives of the animal welfare movement and everyday heroes share their knowledge and experience to allow the people and stray animals of Athens to live together better.

In association with the Panhellenic Animal Welfare Federation.
For safety reasons, pets won’t be allowed inside the venue.
Following the event, there will be a provender lottery, offered by Royal Canin.

Wednesday 3 June 2015 | 18:00-21:00
Diplareios School

Bizarre teenage cities

Workshop in which the artist Zafos Xagoraris, the educator Magda Dasakli, the journalist Argyro Bozoni, the artist Natasa Biza and the director Aimilia Milou explore the meaning of "strange" cities in collaboration with the Art Department of Kaminia High School.

For all ages.
Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2015 | 14:00-16:00
Diplareios School

Playtime: Taking a fresh look at Athens

Different ways of capturing Athens. A workshop for young artists led by the photographer Dimitris Tsoublekas.

Saturday 6 and 13 June 2015 | 16:00-20:00 | Age guidance: 16+ | Free admission | Reservation is required
Diplareios School

Strange bicycles

Exhibition of vintage and rare bicycles from another era.

Wednesday 10 to Tuesday 16 June 2015 | 12:00-21:00
Diplareios School

Bicycle workshop

Do you know how to use your bicycle correctly? Can you keep it in good repair? Advice and on-the-spot interventions from professionals.

Wednesday 10, Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2015 | 19:30 | Free admission
Diplareios School

"The city will follow you": Urban routes through Cavafy’s poetry

Alexandria is brought to life again and again in the work of C.P. Cavafy. In this workshop led by the author Christos Chrysopoulos and the architect Thanasis Manis, teenagers create an installation on their own Alexandria. See their work at the Diplareios School.

BIKE CITIES: Athens bike rides via the Strange Cities: Athens exhibition.

An organized bike ride through Athens, starting at the Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian walkway.

Wednesday 10 to Tuesday 16 June 2015 | Daily: 18:00 | Weekend: 11:30 and 18:00 | Ride duration: roughly one hour
Meeting point: The start of Dionysiou Areopagitou (on Amalias Avenue) an the finishing at the Diplareios School, where a tour to the "Strange Cities" exhibition will be held.

Reservations: bikecities@onassis.org, until Tuesday 16 June 2015 | Participation on a first come, first served basis. (Please don't forget to include your: name/surname, phone number and preferable day and time)

The parallel events "BIKE CITIES: Athens bike rides via the Strange Cities: Athens exhibition", "Bicycle workshop" and "Strange bicycles" are supported by: MBike.

City Prints

Open-air printmaking workshop. Create ink prints of city-center manhole covers with graphic artist Giannis Karlopoulos and printmaker Ira Spagadorou. The workshop will take place in the vicinity of the Diplareios School. Participants will be producing their own print and are advised to bring old clothes with them and disposable gloves. The prints will be theirs to take home at the end of the workshop.

Thursday 25 June 2015 | 18:30 | Duration: roughly 90' | Free admission
Starting point: Diplareios School
Reservations: memory_art@yahoo.com

Watch a video of the workshop

Participating artists

Photographer (The Netherlands)
Eva Roovers
Painter (UK)
Adam Dix
Graphic Artist (Germany)
Alexander Egger
Photographer (Canada)
Amy Friend
Artist (Sweden)
Ekta / Daniel Götesson
Collage Artist (USA)
Jesse Treece
Illustration Artist (Brazil)
Kako
Photographer (Germany)
Michael Mann
Illustration Artist (UK)
Peter Judson
Graphic Artist (UK)
Thomas Robson
Collage Artist (USA)
John Diebel
Fine Artists (Czech Republic)
Jarmila Mitríková & David Demjanovic
Artist (Sweden)
Emma Löfström
Print / Textile Artist (UK)
Kit Miles
Photographer (UK)
Angela Moore
Graphic & Illustration Artist (France)
Seb Jarnot
Illustration & Graphic Artist (UK)
Tom Radclyffe
Graphic Artists (UK / USA)
Craig Redman & Karl Maier
Photographer & Installation Artist (Brazil)
Fernanda Rappa
Photographer (Belgium)
Joris Vandecatseye
Sculptor (USA)
Ryan Russo
Digital Artist Collective (Japan)
Amana (Kazuhiro Hashimoto)
Photographer (Sweden)
Eva Stenram

Credits

Organization
Communication & Marketing Department, Onassis Stegi, Onassis Foundation, Afroditi Panagiotakou
Curated by
Double Decker (Wilhelm Finger, Melita Skamnaki)
Exhibition Design & Supervision
Spacelab Architecture (Sotiris Hainis, Vana Krimnioti)
Special thanks to
Ké for the copyright assignment of the song Strange World
Indoor scent sponsor
Copelouzos Group

UBER taxi offers one free ride (worth up to 20€) to the visitors of the “Strange Cities: Athens” exhibition, to/from the Diplareios school building (3, Theatrou sq., Athens center), every day, 12:00-21:00, until 28 June 2015.
Valid only for new UBER platform subscribers who will redeem the “STRANGECITIES” code.

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