“NARRATIVE ARCHAEOLOGY”
— Performance in archaeological sites and excavation of human experience —
The conference will focus on the one hand on the model methodology of Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology: a Model Action, as it is usually called, one of the most important projects of the organisation’s Legacy programme, which aims to highlight through the performing arts the inexhaustible topographical archaeological wealth and its potential on a national and European level. On the other hand, the conference will focus on the promotion of good practices in the application of Performing Arts in archaeological sites and monuments in Greece and internationally, and on the transformation of archaeological information into an experience for the visitor.
The conference is structured in four different, interrelated and complementary modules: Keynote speeches, Discussions (round-tables), Masterclass, Film Screenings and 2 live in situ presentations of Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology. The themes include, among others, “Synergies between Archaeology and Arts: New Perspectives in the Promotion of Cultural Heritage Sites,” “Innovative Approaches to the Revitalisation of Historic Sites through the Performing Arts,” “Interactive Archaeology and Social Inclusion through Art,” “Digital and Performing Arts in Cultural Heritage,” “Archaeology – Art, Sustainability and Legacy: an open Dialogue for the Future.” The detailed programme of the conference will be announced in early March.
The conference is structured in four different, interrelated and complementary modules: Keynote speeches, Discussions (round-tables), Masterclass, Film Screenings and 2 live in situ presentations of Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology. The themes include, among others, “Synergies between Archaeology and Arts: New Perspectives in the Promotion of Cultural Heritage Sites,” “Innovative Approaches to the Revitalisation of Historic Sites through the Performing Arts,” “Interactive Archaeology and Social Inclusion through Art,” “Digital and Performing Arts in Cultural Heritage,” “Archaeology – Art, Sustainability and Legacy: an open Dialogue for the Future.” The detailed programme of the conference will be announced in early March.
The meeting is open to students, researchers and academics in the fields of History, Archaeology, Theatre and Cultural Management, Archaeologists, Artists (with a special interest in the in-situ creation), Tour & Tourist Guides, Cultural Managers, national and international public and private organisations and cultural institutions, along with the general public with an interest in history, archaeology, narrativity and theatre.
In the context of the conference, on 22, 23, 28 & 31 March, the activity Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology will be presented at the Archaeological site of Elefsina. Seat reservations will start on 11 March here. Finally, on 29 March the sculptural work of Dionysis Christofilogiannis “The Goumas Army” will be presented with a live performance action. Forty-nine ceramic heads from the clay universe of Haralambos Goumas will come to life in the Old Oil Mill Factory Αmphitheatre, formed into a contemporary art installation in collaboration with Lysandros Spetsieris and galleria pemuvia. Admission free.
A few words about Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology
Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology started its preparatory procedure in February 2022. Approaching methodological tools of artistic and research projects that have been successfully carried out in Italy, in collaboration with the Archaeological Society of Florence and the city’s National Archaeological Museum, artists-researchers from different fields of Arts and Sciences, under the curatorship and artistic direction of Michail Marmarinos, embarked on a long evolutionary process in the context of an on-site conversation with the archaeological site of Elefsina, in close cooperation with the archaeologists working there. In the framework of the European Capital of Culture, this prominent site is creating a model field of encounter between Arts and Archaeology, aiming to become an example of applied methodology for other cultural heritage sites in Greece and beyond.
