On Monday 16 June, at the Old Town Hall of Elefsina, 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture presented one of its most significant legacy projects: the digital platform The Invisible Map. This
initiative stands as a model and guide for other European cities and includes four interconnected projects: Mystery 30 Invisible Map, Mystery 72 Persephone Walks, public space interventions, and heritage buildings.
Through the specially designed digital platform and the use of simple headphones, visitors are invited on a new journey through Elefsina—one that reveals both the modern and lived tradition and micro-history of the city.
A dynamic sculpture of memory and the city.
Former General Artistic Director of 2023 Eleusis, Michael Marmarinos and the project curator, Erato Koutsoudaki, in the presence of the creative team, presented the platform and spoke about the power of memory, the collective mnemonic imprint of Elefsina—and by extension, every city—and the city’s “second”, invisible map: the map of lived experiences and residents’ memories. A map that this platform seeks to “unlock” for every visitor.
“It is one of the first projects conceived within the Cultural Capital, revolving around the theme of memory and its retrieval. Without memory, there is no past—and without a past, no future can be envisioned. In a city like Elefsina, where memory is pervasive and multilayered, the need for its recall is almost imperative. I find it deeply compelling to walk through the urban fabric and come across places that testify: ‘Something happened here.’ These are, in essence, public traces of deeply personal stories,” said Michael Marmarinos.
Erato Koutsoudaki added:
“To me, this isn’t just a digital work. It necessarily has a digital presence because these stories must be communicated somehow. But what makes a real difference is the voice and sound. It’s the stories we whisper into the ear. And the elimination of other senses and the intensity of that voice in your ear—I think it adds a personal quality to the map. I’ve been delving into the city’s historical material for years, walking around Elefsina, listening to narratives and collecting experiences. Like the story of Eros, a woman from Elefsina who fell in love with Errol Flynn and faced public ridicule, or the memory of Mikis Theodorakis’ concert at the Orpheus cinema—where the National Bank now stands in the city’s central square. The dramatization of narrative, the balance between myth and reality, the moment and timelessness—all that matters deeply.”
About the Digital Platform
The Invisible Map reveals the soul of a city—where exactly, how, or when an event occurred, through the lived personal experiences of residents, artists, and those connected to Elefsina.
Whether by wandering through the Mystery 30 Invisible Map, with its spontaneous path and public markers, or by following the curated route of Mystery 72 Persephone Walks, exploring well-known and hidden aspects of the city, or by engaging with artworks and heritage buildings, users immerse themselves in collective memory—falling into the city’s shared unconscious, into the memory of experience itself.
Users can interact with the platform content from anywhere in the world, experiencing Elefsina through a contemporary digital lens.
The content is largely based on the work of local historians and collectors, offering access to rare archival material. It preserves memories and human stories, moments and places, and respectfully honors the micro-histories it encloses. Part of the audio narratives comes from the oral history archive of Mystery 32 Open Eleusis, with testimonies from local residents.
With headphones, comfortable shoes, a phone in hand, a sun hat, and a bottle of water, Elefsina draws visitors into its stories. Stories like those hidden in every city—yet also deeply, unmistakably Eleusinian.
The platform is available here
CREDITS
Concept & Artistic Direction: 2023 Eleusis General Artistic Direction – Michael Marmarinos
Curation & Design: Erato Koutsoudaki
Audio Route Design: Stefanos Pavlakis, Giorgos Rymenidis
Platform Development: ATHENA RC
Graphic Design: MNP Design Athens
Production Organization: DeltaPi
Project Coordination for 2023 Eleusis: Isabella-Dimitra Karouti
Highlights of the Sub-Projects
Mystery 30 Invisible Map
The Invisible Map is a conceptual and physical second map of a city—a manifesto of what could be termed a microhistory.
It includes rare archival material and narrates stories of where, how, or when forgotten events took place. This “invisible” map is layered over the traditional geographic one, forming an intangible memory map, built from personal testimonies.
This constellation of memory points is marked in the real world with small public sculptures—reminders that something happened here. Over time, this constellation expands, integrating new memories and places, building what can be described as “Memory as a City”.
Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, under the Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Concept & General Artistic Direction: Michael Marmarinos
Design & Curation: Erato Koutsoudaki
Sound Design & Recording: Kostas Bokos
Technical Supervision: Vasilis Saltas
Sculpture Production: Antonis Kiourktsis
Narration: Erato Koutsoudaki, Michael Marmarinos
Special thanks to Kostas Lykidis and Giorgos Pavlopoulos.
Mystery 72 Persephone Walks
This is a pre-designed audio walk through Elefsina that invites visitors to discover hidden aspects of the city through the voices and lived experiences of its people.
Spanning from antiquity to modern history, the walk collects and weaves together memories—from a woman from Symi who settled in Elefsina, to a teenager working at the TITAN factory; from the arrival of the first train, to the sorrow over the last harvest before the new airport, and the invisible boundary between Upper and Lower Elefsina.
This compact and layered “pocket-sized” experience lets users navigate Elefsina while immersing themselves in the voices of its residents.
Research, Curation & Direction: Stefanos Pavlakis, Giorgos Rymenidis
Sound Drama & Music Composition: Giorgos Mizithras
Production Assistant: Zoi Drakopoulou
Navigation Voice: Giannis Askaroglou
Narrators: Spyridoula Gkini, Zoi Drakopoulou, Giorgos Michas, Thodoris Kouneles, Iraklis Bekas, Bram Soli (voiceover), Georgia Liapi, Popi Papaggeli
Platform Development: ATHENA RC
Design & Implementation: Lori Kougioumtzian, Myrto Koukoulis
UX Design: Stefanos Andreadis
Production: DeltaPi
The Invisible Map is part of the project “Sub.4.8-2023 Eleusis: Digital Platform for Promotion & Distribution of the European Capital of Culture Project”, funded by NextGenerationEU under the Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
