The public installation ΘΥΜΗΣΟΥ - REMEMBER was part of the group exhibition Micro-stories of a Mutable Landscape, together with works by Dimitra Kondylatou and Foteini Palpana. The exhibition was the result of the artist residency program Ios Art Residency #1, conceived, organized and curated by Dimitris Foutris. Among the main objectives of this initiative was the contribution to the development of environmental and social sensitivity of the residents and visitors of Ios, at a time when the uncontrolled privatization of large areas of land was highlighting the need to protect the free access to beaches, as well as the natural and cultural heritage of the island.

The project revolved around a series of 10 traffic signs from the road network of Ios island. Built on the initiative of the Municipality of Ios in 2012, outside the framework of the Greek Highway Code, the signs carried the message ΘΥΜΗΣΟΥ - REMEMBER with the ambition to increase the drivers’ attention. Of these 10 signs, only 1 was still in use. For the period of the exhibition, the original sign has been moved from the area of Mylopotas to the KDAP building in Chora, while 10 new replicas have been placed on empty poles throughout the island.

By reconsidering the established objects (traffic signs) and using the existing infrastructure (poles), the project explored the feasibilities of creating with the least possible production. This methodological choice derived from a concern to avoid the imposition of an imported idea or aesthetic. Instead, it aimed to reveal the narrative possibilities inherent in the public space of Ios. The intention of the project was to revisit the actions taken by the local authorities 10 years ago, for reasons related to the strengthening of personal and collective memory in a place of constant change. By placing the signs in widely privatized areas, I aimed to emphasize the fact that certain places could only be visited through our memories.

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The art residency program Ios Art Residency #1 and the exhibition Micro-stories of a Mutable Landscape were organized by Save Ios Association and the Active Citizens Group for the Protection of the Environment, Traditional Aegean Character and Monuments of Ios island.
With the support of Ios Municipality and NEON Organization for Culture and Development.
With the support and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Art residency duration: 17.4.2022 – 01.05.2022
Exhibition duration: 13.08.2022 – 13.09.2022
Artists: Dimitra Kondylatou, Orestis Mavroudis, Foteini Palpana
Conception, organization and curation: Dimitris Foutris
Coordination: Georgia Voudouri

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Copy editing: Marla Heid
Prints: MACART
Traffic signs: I. NTOKOS & SIA O.E.