Artistic Vision and Strategic Objectives of 2023 ELEVSIS

1. The city of Elefsina

ΕLΕVSIS: arrival of a notable someone | person, thing or event

Synonyms: advent, arrival, appearance, emergence, materialisation, surfacing,
occurrence, dawn, birth, rise, coming, looming, nearing, advance, embodiment

One of the five most important sacred cities of antiquity, the city of the
Elefsinian Mysteries and birthplace of Aeschylus, Elefsis - thanks to its natural
port and strategic location, 21 km west of Athens, in the Thriassian Plain, the
northwesternmost tip of the Saronic Gulf - was transformed from the 19th
century onwards into the productive engine of Greece and one of its largest
industrial centers. The signs of industrialization are prominent on the body of
the city, affecting it and often building the perception of a place that keeps its
cultural wealth well guarded, like a timeless mystery.

The image of Elefsina as a city that has been hit hard by industry remains
dominant in public perception. 2023 ELEVSIS European Capital of Culture
seeks to unveil the invisible side of Elefsina, marking a new era for the city and
its transition to a new model of development, focusing on its dynamic cultural
assets.

Photos & video about Elefsina:

Dropbox | Youtube | Flickr

2. General Principles & Strategic objectives of 2023 ELEVSIS

2023 ELEVSIS European Capital of Culture:

Fostering and development of the tangible and intangible Economy of the city
through culture and research.

The European Capital of Culture as an institution focuses on highlighting the

richness, diversity, and common aspects of European cultures, seeking to
reinforce ties and mutual understanding between European Citizens. It also
aims at the revelation and development of the tangible and intangible Economy
of a city via the interventional contribution of Art, Culture and Research. With
these main principles as a guideline, 2023 ELEVSIS focuses on four strategic
objectives: Culture, People, City, Environment.

Α. Culture

● Supporting, vitalizing artistic creation, cultural expression in all terms,

cultural resourcefulness. Introducing/Acknowledging Culture as the 4th
possible pillar of sustainable development/economy for the city.
● Revealing and developing informal forms of existing culture in daily life
activities within the local society.
● Stimulating, encouraging, interdisciplinary dialogue in the realms of
culture, science, technology and society.
● Offering a platform for original creations and facilitating the
implementation of a sustainable cultural development plan
● Addressing a broad and diverse audience and developing ways and
methods of engagement, participation, communication

Β. People

● Warming up confidence, pride, enthusiasm in the people for their city

by unveiling, vitalizing, promoting, opening to others, features and particular
qualities that weave it.
● Encouraging community’s involvement and creativity.
● Enhancing cultural diversity and developing pleasant methods for
sharing or exchanging their particular outfits between each other.
Establishing/introducing happy festive days or nights for actions of the
exchanging.
● Reminding and developing cultural ties that unite Europeans and -
enriched by local habits and ways - illuminating the “community” spirit as
inspired by (traditional) Greece’s and Europe’s fundamental values of
freedom, dignity, democracy, equality and respect for human rights.
● Supporting, stimulating, developing education about culture from the
earliest age.
● Improving ways and methods of access to culture for communities
usually staying aside, and thus offering a step for further integration in the
society
● Address the ever-changing field of Work and Production through
research and practice on innovative combinations of high-end technology and
science with crafts and design.

C. City

● Disclosing, presenting, communicating the obscured features, values

and cultural heritage of the city.
● Establishing, revitalizing infrastructures that can facilitate and improve
the quality of daily life for the people. Contributing in developing a new - or
enhancing existing structures that interfere in the contemporary face of the
city, reclaiming it’s advantageous location and uniqueness.
● Introducing the city as a peripheral center for Culture education and
creativity through models of innovative actions, offering platforms and
developing networks with other cities of equivalent potential in a national and
international level.
● Creating a debate on the sustainable cultural development of the
Greek cities and regions over the next decade, as well as good practices in
terms of cultural decentralisation in Europe
● Stimulating Informal Tourism via cultural activities, awkward trips,
special trekking, displaying city’s secret aspects, heartening local economy.

D. Environment

● Introducing scientific and artistic initiatives, actions and activities that

stimulate cultural and social awareness about environmental issues and
values that directly affect quality of life in regional and wider levels.
● Placing sustainability at the heart of every local activity, starting first
by Incorporating a series of green practices into 2023 ELEVSIS day-to-day
running and it’s productions
● Shaping a collective eco-consciousness in local and regional level,
enhancing the already high awareness about the Environment.
● Expanding the use of public space in unexpected and playful ways.

3. Concept & Thematic Areas of 2023 ELEVSIS

Elefsina as a RAW MUSEUM

3.1 Concept

The substance of the city is composed of exceptional traces of antiquity,

modern stories of internal migration, industrial development, labor movements,
but also de-industrialisation and unemployment. In the same web, sensitive
issues are intertwined such as the strong impact on the environment, while the
ambiguous relationship of the city towards the sea deserves attention,
exploration and exploitation. The importance of Elefsina as the birthplace of
Aeschylus, the notable place of women throughout the long life of the city, the
special place of the city in the folk songs about immigration, unfulfilled love and
hard work - through the presence of the legendary bard Stelios Kazantzides,
representative of this music genre - add to this city colors and aspects of
uniqueness.

3.2 Thematic Areas / Axes

People / Society

The first axis runs through the thread of the evolution of society from antiquity
to the present, in order to connect the alien with the familiar, to discover
hidden aspects, memories, and elements of cultural diversity. Possible
individual themes:
• Antiquity, Archeology, History, Memory
• Migrations
• Aeschylus, issues on drama
• Women’s place in the society of the city throughout history, past and
present

Environment

The second axis focuses on the environment, sustainability and wellbeing,

seeks new ways of appropriating the city and focuses on the need to redefine
our relationship with the natural environment as a prerequisite for sustainable
development. Possible individual themes:

• Environment and industrial development

• Degradation of the environment
• Sustainable future
• the Sea of the city
• the Land, the Waters of the city
• Public space as the actual theater of the city

Labor

The third axis explores the past and future of Labor, the common European
challenges of precariousness and the cultivation of a model of a
contemporary, sustainable economy, characterized by the innovative
interconnection of art with sectors such as industry, science, technology and
social innovation. Possible individual themes:

• De-industrialization, Unemployment
• The future of Labor
• Labor Movements
• Creative innovation
• Digital Fabrication
• Fine Arts and Crafts

4. Vision and methodology: Social Sculpture & The City as an Exhibit

Social Sculpture
(A cultural intervention in the frame of an expanded notion of Art)
or
the Performance of City’s Dramaturgy in the broader public space,
that manifests its theater.

4.1 Social Sculpture

Social Sculpture could be defined as a set of actions aiming to highlight and
reveal the potential identity of the city, the locus, the people and their
capabilities, through subtle or more palpable interventions in its corpus, in
direction of shifting or expanding the perception. Actions that transform the
normal into the exceptional, the obvious into an artistic or aesthetic event.
Actions generating a tangible and intangible Heritage, which ensure the
cultural and environmental continuity and uniqueness of the city as a historical
landmark of ancient and contemporary Greek history. They include initiatives
for the development of young people, through a series of actions of experience,
information, soft education, etc., against the devaluation of their environment.
Examples may include:

● Performative events of all kinds

● Networking and exchange events
● Actions and infrastructures / institutions fostering innovation
● Actions to highlight landscapes, locations, places
● Formal & informal education and capacity building programs

4.2 The city as an Exhibit

Actions that turn into "exhibits" elements or traces of the present, of history, of
social conflicts and images of the city. Using a gesture of “Embossing" as an
analogy, these actions highlight and reveal the special features of the historical
event that is a city, the human interventions, the "wounds" on its skin. Examples
may include:

● Art Residencies
● Original site-specific works of all artforms
● Exhibitions of works of art, photography, historical materials,
documents, etc.
● Ephemeral actions, highlighting the character of the city or disclosing
something of its present, historical or mythical self
● Discreet “embossing” of city elements

4.3 Actions as MODELS of intervention

Original actions as implementation models for a city. These actions can be

the result of artistic and scientific collaboration and suggest a model
applicable in any other city with similar qualities or aspirations. Examples
may include:

● Alternative interactive ways to visit and experience places, landmarks

and events of the city with the contribution of the Arts
● Research and documentation of unexplored aspects of the
contemporary history of the city (19th – 20th century), focusing on industrial
culture and beyond
● Hybrid mechanisms of dissemination and participation in the memory
and history of the city.
● Novel structures and synergies promoting Networking and innovation

4.4 Audience Participation / Community Engagement

The inhabitants of the city as participants in the creation process of actions

constitute a prominent dramatic staff (dramatis personae) in the overall work.
Τhe promotion of communication between European peoples, the exchange
of knowledge, experience and emotion, holds an important place in the
programme, while special care is given to the connection and cooperation
with the other ECoCs of the same year. Enhancing citizen participation, as
well as networking of city residents and groups, is a key goal of all actions, to
the extent it is possible. Examples include:

● micro-engagement projects
● Participatory projects and actions of model and original creation
● Actions in collaboration with communities, groups and associations
● Transnational exchanges and collaborations