Mystery 85 City Patterns & Mystery 13 E_FYGA

On Wednesday 19 June at 19:00 at Cine Eleusis, 2023 Eleusis presents the outcomes of two special projects that were part of its programme as European Capital of Culture. Two projects that emerged from the close collaboration between acclaimed artists and the local associations of Elefsina, Mystery 85 City Patterns, conceived, designed and curated by the M2P creative team, and the trilogy Mystery 13 E_FYGA, conceived and directed by Yolanda Markopoulou.

How intangible cultural heritage and local traditions can be transformed into contemporary artistic creation? The answer to the above question will be given by the creators of the two projects who will talk about the methodology followed and, along with the projects participants, will share their experiences with the audience.

More specifically, at the event at Cine Elefsis, Mystery 85 City Patterns will be presented, a project by the recently awarded M2P creative team (Aliki Kakoulidou & Dimitra Vasilakou), which was part of the opening ceremony of 2023 Eleusis as a public space installation. This project aims to restore the linguistic memory of the city and its people through the language of visual communication. The M2P team collaborated with members of the ethnic associations of Elefsina, recording their experiences and memories from their unique homelands, their art, and their symbols as they appear in embroidery and other traditional crafts, giving them new life.

They combined images and patterns from local traditions with narratives, creating a new visual language that invites the viewer to reread and reconnect with the place and time. The creators of the project will present the 10 new patterns that were created, as well as the publication that documents the entire project.

Subsequently, the distinguished director Yolanda Markopoulou will discuss Mystery 13 E_FYGA, the three performances (E_FYGA, E_FYGA Mikrasia, and E_FYGA Pontos) that were presented from 2018 to 2024 in the public spaces of Elefsina and received a particularly warm reception. At Cine Elefsis, the publication E_FYGA will be presented for the first time. This printed chronicle not only documents the trilogy but also the years-long field research and methodology of the director and her team. The publication captures the works as a unique legacy of 2023 Eleusis, analyzing through texts and rich visual material a singular case of long-term artistic work with active community involvement.

The publication was edited by Ioanna Valsamidou, with Maria Koukiadi as the editorial consultant, designed by Ioannis Markakis, who also led the artistic direction in collaboration with Yolanda Markopoulou. At the event, along with the director, the participants of the performances—Station Athens Group (E_FYGA), the Association of Asia Minor Refugees of Elefsina (E_FYGA Mikrasia), and the Association of Pontians of Elefsina “Nea Trapezounta” (E_FYGA Pontos)—as well as contributors to the volume will share their experiences from the project.