With great success, the 2nd Ecoculture Festival took place from 3 to 6 October, including projects dedicated to the environment, ecology, and sustainability.
As one of the key legacy actions of the artistic program of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, the 2nd Ecoculture Festival was held from 3 to 6 October and was a great success, creating a platform for exchanging ideas and proposals aimed at shaping new strategies for protecting the planet and creating a sustainable future.
The festival featured open activities that took place in Elefsina and the wider Thriasian Field region, as well as in neighboring cities such as the municipalities of Aspropyrgos, Corinth, and Loutraki, Perachora, and Agioi Theodoroi. The festival was structured around four different themes: Ecoculture, Sky, Water, and Earth.
The Ecoculture Festival was attended by representatives from the scientific, educational, and artistic communities, as well as from civil society, who participated in impactful discussions throughout the four-day event, addressing major environmental challenges facing the planet. The discussions mainly focused on issues related to climate change, water scarcity, light pollution, and noise pollution.
In addition, scientific and artistic workshops were held for both children and adults, while artistic activities inspired by nature and the environment were presented, fostering dialogue on sustainable development.
Eleni Panouklia, through Mystery 47 Mnemonic Garden, introduced the audience to the daily practice of collecting, using, and caring for seeds, creating a participatory workshop environment – a nursery.
On Thursday 3 October, a discussion on Ecoculture and its relevance to contemporary life took place, with the participation of members of the Timecircus collective, Sofia Aivalioti from the One Health 4 Cities network, and Spiros Karnezis, a physicist and skater. Following this, there was a presentation of the LANDSCHIP calendar—an outcome of the Mystery 99 “The Ark” project—which documented Timecircus’ journey from Antwerp to Elefsina. The first day concluded with a presentation by the youth group of Elefsina, Cultterra, which showcased the project “Edible City Nature” at ARKOPOLIS, highlighting the connection between urban life and nature with a focus on the edible flora of cities, while the Skate Park was reactivated.
On Friday 4 October, the central discussion, held in the courtyard of the Stefani Observatory in Corinth, focused on light and noise pollution. Participants included Lambros Doulos, a physicist and professor at the Hellenic Open University’s Lighting Department, Andreas Papalamprou, head of DarkSky Greece, Anna Sboku, lighting designer and head of ASlight Studio, Konstantinos Dadiotis, physicist and PhD in acoustics, and Dimitris Papadopoulos, general director of D. Papadopoulos & Co – Acoustic Studies Company. The discussion was followed by a wine-tasting session with Theodoros Kontogiannis from the biodynamic winery Kontogiannis family farm. The evening ended with a unique atmospheric jazz concert by the trio of pianist and composer Spyros Manesis.
On Saturday 5 October, attendees toured the Loutraki Municipal Thermal Springs, while a live participatory graffiti creation event was also held in collaboration with the GENIA17: Urban Murals initiative, at one of the abandoned buildings in Pefkakia, Agioi Theodoroi.
On the final day of the festival, Sunday 6 October, after a hiking trip to Mount Pateras with the E.O.S. Elefsina group, a discussion followed, focusing on initiatives and strategies related to water scarcity and the prevention and management of forest fires. Participants included Michael Fischer from Save Ios Association, Vangelis Ioakeimidis, program director of Land and Water, Petros Filippas, councilor for Civil Protection of Elefsina, Nikolaos Iliopoulos, head of the administrative department at the Western Attica Fire Services, and Socrates Vasileiou, creator and head of the volunteer group “Life Patrol.” This was followed by a screening and presentation of the international photography award “Prix Pictet,” focusing on water, and a screening and discussion about the art project “Burning Issues” by Danae Stratou, curated by Christoforos Marinos, with their participation.
The festival culminated in a series of workshops: The TAVROS team, in collaboration with Konstantia Manthou and the 3137 group, held a workshop for children using bread as the primary material, aiming to reconnect with survival roots. Konstantina Litsa created a “Forest Garden” with children at Oasis, while Christina Mitrentse conducted a workshop for adults to create sculptural constructions from old books. Earlier the same day, visual artist Zafos Xagoraris, as part of the project Isolated Tracks, which is part of the broader project Mystery 130 “Eleusis Walks,” curated by Daphne Vitali, conducted a sound-based walking activity for children. Meanwhile, throughout the four-day festival, many creative activities for young festival goers were organized by the creative play center “Ta Paidia Paizei – Eleni Varasa.” Finally, Mystery 67 “Amoli,” conceived and curated by Aimilia Bouriti in collaboration with the artistic platform “SYN+Ergasia,” was presented for the second consecutive year at the Anastasia Kallergi farm in Aspropyrgos.
The festival concluded at OASIS – the former campsite where it began in 2022. The audience had the opportunity to enjoy screenings of the documentaries “Fishing for Litter” by Sotiris Danezis, which highlighted a sea waste collection initiative, and “Challenging Everesting” by Kostas Danis, which took viewers on a journey of challenges and self-discovery.
Throughout the festival, Mystery 37 “Voices of Elefsina,” the city’s community radio, broadcasted the festival’s activities through the website voicesofelefsina.eu, allowing listeners to experience the event’s atmosphere.
The Ecoculture Festival is realised as part of the Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience Plan with funding from the European Union – Next Generation EU.
