ITERATIONS
PARTNERS
PROJECT NERO
A Multimedia Immersive Art Project
2010 - Present
In conjunction with the Athens Olympics in 2004, the construction of the Kifissias freeway, which began in the 1970s, was finally completed. As a result, the Kifissos River, where according to lore ancient Athens was founded, and which has historically served as the formative axis of its development, has since been nearly entirely covered within the city perimeter.
Project Nero (Project Water) focuses on the Kifissos River, which structurally builds, metaphorically speaking, its line of narration. When we set out, we were intrigued by the existence, or more accurately the non-existence, of the river. For the elders, the river is still engraved in their minds as a dramatic memory and experience – a river that at its essence was a sacred source of inspiration for economic, social and cultural development has now become a social and physical border. For the younger generation, the river has transformed into a geographical reference point, only to be reminded of its existence during annual floods but has otherwise vanished from their collective memory.
In a series of talks and interviews, German Artists, Alexander Schellow, follows local and trans-local narrations, weaving what becomes the urban reality of Athens. This process is strongly interlinked with research for the memory-drawing reconstruction, focusing on the structural change in perception of the urban riverside, simultaneously discovered by its parallel narratives. These stories become the mental map for walks following the broken line through the city. Reconstructed from memory, the visual surfaces of these walks become documents of a specific interaction between the artist, a selection of scholars and the people who live in proximity to the river. νερό melds ideas and utopias from experts in different fields including architecture, history, economics and politics creating a constellation to examine the past, present and future of the Kifissos River.
Project Nero is an on going experimental project, showcased in different formats throughout its evolution, ranging from formal exhibition and projection formats to children eco-workshops.
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World Water Day Symposium
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Eco-creative Workshop for Adolescents with Alexander Schellow & Valya Stergioti at Volos Elementary School
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Item description
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A 20-minute animation with live sound intervention
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Group Exhibition with Alexander Schellow at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore
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A community action in Athens, Greece
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A documentary Animation / 23’45” / 16:9 / Stereo
Goethe Institute, Athens
Piraeus Bank, Athens
Athens Municipality
PROJECT NERO FRAGMENTS
Fragment from Project Nero, project νερό melds ideas and utopias from experts in different fields including architecture, history, economics and politics creating a constellation to examine the past, present and future of the Kifissos River.
ARTIST: ALEXANDER SCHELLOW
WORKSHOPS
In 2011, three pilot workshops (NERAKI & MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE) were run by German Visual Artist, Alexander Schellow, Environmental Interpretor, Valya Stergioti, and GAIA CENTRE Education Officer, Sophia Louzi in Athens and Volos, Greece. These pilots were evaluated in the fall to then be proposed as part of the country’s educational program.
Neraki is dedicated to children (ages 9-11) living in neighborhoods on the fringes of the Kifissos River. The workshop blends the visual arts and music with environmental issues, focusing on the Kifissos River and putting us in a unique position to implement and develop a new interpretative program, to inspire, educate and motivate children to understand and respect the environment.
By using art and interactive games, the workshop deepen childrens’ understanding of basic sciences and environmental stewardship, by encouraging imagination, innovation and play with direct engagement and enjoyment to promoting learning.
Our aims are to bring awareness to young children regarding the issues surrounding the Kifissos River (its current problems, as well as its previous beauty and natural wealth to offer possible solutions) and to trigger children’s imaginations to create an alternate reality of the river.
STREAMING
In September 2013, Alexander Schellow’s STREAMING was showcased during the first online video festival, organized by Ikono TV (September 6 - May 12). Streaming, an adaptation of Project Nero for television, is a silent 20-minute loop exploration along Athens’ Kifissos River, which, as an actual urban environment, has nearly disappeared. The river’s material and imaginary ‘presence’ in daily life is researched, along with the related strategies of remembering, forgetting and actualizing. By that the project reconstructs the flow of the river through the perceptions and practices that preserve this former reference line of Athens’ cartography as an urban reality – despite its eradication through urban planning. In a series of talks and interviews, Schellow follows local and trans-local narrations, weaving what becomes the urban reality of Athens.
PREMIERED AT IKONO ON AIR FESTIVAL IN BERLIN, GERMANY - 2013
KIFISSOS / ANIMATION FILM TEASER
KIFISSOS is an exploration along Athens’ Kifissos River, which, as an actual urban environment, has nearly disappeared. The river’s material and imaginary ‘presence’ in daily life is researched, along with the related strategies of remembering, forgetting and actualizing. By that the project reconstructs the flow of the river through the perceptions and practices that preserve this former reference line of Athens’ cartography as an urban reality – despite its eradication through urban planning.