It is with great success that was held the third iteration of Mystery 62_Nights of Slowness – Discourses about Time, from 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, against the backdrop of the full moon of May. A special event with free entrance, which re-focused on the concept of time, including walking routes in Elefsina, an original musical performance-fruit of an original participatory process, film screening and discussion with prominent speakers.
Starting from the Old Refreshment Room, five (5) separate walking routes with great participation took place in the city. Under the guidance of the director Dimitra Loupi and the help of five “guides”, the participants photographed or recorded in silence and in a state of slowness, whatever interested them. The traces that were collected until they reached their final destination, the Courtyard of Agios Nikolaos, at the Archaeological Site of Elefsina, were dramatized under the guidance of director Marilena Katranidou and transformed into a guide for the musical performance in an original composition by Vassilis Mantzos after.
The night continued with the screening of the film “Journey to the West” (France-Taiwan, 2014), directed by Tsai Ming-liang, a unique wandering of a Buddhist monk in extreme slowness, in the center of modern Marseille. Immediately after, a particularly interesting discussion took place on “The time of the streets of the Metropolises” with prominent speakers the architect Stavros Stavridis and the professor of philosophy Stefanos Rozanis, under the coordination of the director and Professor of Directing at the University of Leton.
The Night of Slowness of May took place as a wandering, introducing the public to the art of slowness and reducing the frantic pace of a world that moves very fast.
The Nights of Slowness until today
The event “Nights of Slowness” is part of the section of events entitled “Ordinary Mysteries.” It was presented for the first time in Elefsina in 2018, in collaboration with the French Institute of Greece, as part of an annual event, dedicated to the exchange and circulation of ideas, organized by French Institutes all across the globe. Eleusis 2023 European Capital of Culture repeats and further develops the action, under the title “Nights of Slowness – Discourses about Time / Nuits de Lenteur – A propos du Temps”, hosting the event twice a year, under the light of the full moon, and presenting a series of original discussions featuring distinguished guests, always focusing on the concept of time. At the same time, each event is accompanied by different cultural actions. The first event of Mystery 62 took place in June 2021 and included talks by director Syllas Tzoumerkas and film critic Alexandros Papageorgiou, with the participation of composer Giannis Veslemes. The second event took place in October of the same year, featuring the director Patrick Bokanowski and the music composer Michele Bokanowski.
Contributors
Editing, Direction: Giannis Leontaris
Coordination of walking route: Dimitra Loupi
Coordination of drama / music performance: Marilena Katranidou
Film screening coordination: Vassilis Konstantopoulos, Carousel Films
Music performance in original composition: Vassilis Mantzoukis
