Pariahs
Creative Europe project: Pariahs* (17.1.2023 - 16.1.2025)
What is about
"Pariahs: Performing Europe's Historical Memory" is an interdisciplinary, creative project that uses community-based activities and artistic practices to unearth communities' unspoken and collective memories of marginalised individuals who unintentionally shaped these communities and gradually sculpted historical memory.
The project brings together four cultural grassroots organisations from culturally diverse regions (Armenia, Greece, Slovenia, and France) for a two-year journey of creative explorations, mobilities, exchanges of artistic practices, and community participation. Artists from various disciplines, such as performing arts, music, visual arts, writing, and dance, begin an artistic research project by engaging in participatory community engagement activities to learn about each community's historical memories.
"Memory is one of the most difficult areas of social science to define and confine." There may not be a "one-size-fits-all" method for defining or demarcating the boundaries of the concept of memory. Memory is a living concept. It interacts with the daily lives of individuals, groups, and communities, prompting them to participate in a variety of activities. These actions are relevant to their personal lives and aid in the formation of individual memory. Community life and group membership shape and contribute to the formation of collective memory, which shapes collective identity and a sense of belonging.
Inspired by cinematographer Filippos Koutsaftis' documentary "Mourning Rock" (Agelastos Petra) (Eleusis 2000), which casts a poignant look back on the life of Panagiotis Farmakis, a marginalised figure whose decades-long collection of archaeological treasures unwittingly contributed to the modern shaping of Eleusis, which is currently the 2023 European Capital of Culture (ECoC). Farmakis' image has become ingrained in the local consciousness, serving as a part of the city's and its history's collective memory.
Starting in Eleusis, Greece, the project then travels through three more European countries and beyond, spearheaded by grassroots organisations in Yerevan and rural Armenia, Maribor, Slovenia, and Mont-Dauphin, France – four cities with very different sociocultural backgrounds. The project begins with an artistic research phase in which each community is heavily involved in a participatory session in which collective and historical memories are explored, unearthed, and recorded.
Following this preliminary step, professional and emerging multidisciplinary artists from the partner countries will be invited to participate in an artist mobility and residency programme, where they will collaborate with one another and with local audiences, incorporating local elements and other artistic practices into their productions.
A group of professional and emerging artists will collaborate with audiences and communities to reveal the common patterns of constructing local, national, and European identities through artistic expression and performance of untold and unrecorded historical memories of communities that have shaped their progress and sociocultural environment.
The central goal of the project is to create a methodology that will use artistic practices to unearth communal and historical memory while weaving a new network of transnational collaborations.
Partners of the project
Chorus, Greece https://chorus.org.gr/en/
Ascen-Dense, France ascen-danse-05.webnode.fr
TAI, Armenia https://todayart.org/
Jasa, Slovenia www.onezimosvet.si
Coordinator's contact: info@chorus.org.gr
t: (+30) 210 220 1691
* Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Literary workshop The secret thread connects us (Armenia, 27.10.2023)
The workshop set the common foundation of the project and clarified the understanding of the concept of Pariahs for the individual partner.
Special focus was on finding words, phrases, or short thoughts (quotes) that:
- creates identity ("tracks" of remembrance, proudance, bonding, merits ...)
- bring common points of different nations.
It brought a deeper understanding of the project and new ideas for future creations. At the same time, made deeper connections among cooperative artists.
Finding a “common thread that connects us” was a beautiful experience. Everyone contributed to a good result with his or her feelings and knowledge. We all grew and learned a lot, through enjoyable moments of great ltetary art!
Research of Historical memory in First Gymnasium Maribor (16.11.-23.11.2023)
The young (16 years old in two classes of first grade) interviewed older generations (parents, grandparents, neighbours...) in order to examine the historical memory.
Their reflection was divided into five broad topics: Organization of society, education, material and spiritual standard, nature and characteristics of Slovenes and the people of Maribor.
They prepared short summaries and represented it via zoom to researcher Effie Samara (Glasgow University), who lead the conversation with them.
Two zoom sessions were held on 23rd of November 2023
group 1 (8:40 - 10:25) and
group 2 (10:45 - 12:15)
Students used the school's digital conference tool - a 360-degree camera and a microphone. Therefore, researcher Effie Samara had an overview of the entire group of participants. Together with their teacher Brigita Praprotnik and the representative of the organization Jasa, Mateja Jamnik, who coordinated the conversation when necessary.
The research was interesting and fun, as students shared experience, they learned something new about Slovenia and the history (as well as about their parents).
Showcase event at Ljubično (Poljčane) 15.6.2024
What Would the World be Without Outsiders
At a time of accelerated disappearance of nice customs and all-encompassing unification of the world, this project offers some possibilities for preserving the originality of life and strengthening humanity.
Also that was the reason for organizing a showcase event on Jasa's traditional vineyard cottage in the countryside. Only recently the renovation works of the dilapidated cottage started in order to preserve cultural heritage, beautiful customs and stimulate artistic creation. To create a special place for various cultural events.
Neighbours, Jase's colleagues, friends and artists from different parts of Slovenia
joined the event. In a pleasant atmosphere, the Pariahs project was briefly presented. Few pages of the new book What would a world be without outsiders, which was created in this project was read out and also artistic achievements of other partners were seen on the short videos.
With different forms of artistic expression, all partners confirmed the same: meaningful difference enriches us - special people are socially beneficial. As everyone would follow the advice of the cat mother of the main character of the book Cat The Cat: "May all good-hearted cats be your family".
Sharing collective memories through the artictic production
Dancing co-creation (Verticalete festival, 5.8.2024, Mont-Dauphin)
The book: What Would the World be Like Without Mavericks?
Theatre performance Amisthos Fylakas (19.10.2024,Eleusis)
Summit, 10th of January 2025
What Would the World be Without Mavericks?
We have been asking ourselves for the last two years in the European Creative Europe project – Pariahs (*means: special, outcast, marginal…).
And also, how can we preserve the historical memory of special characters who were pushed to the margins, even though they brought many different benefits to society.
And so from Slovenia came a dramatic story about a lonely traveller cat the Cat: What would the world be without mavericks?, from Armenia music and visual creations interwoven with traditional lace, from Alpine France a dance of heights, and from Greece a dramatic play.
On Friday evening, we presented the results with a special event that took place simultaneously in all four countries (you can still watch the video https://www.youtube.com/live/qMviW8wdEIs?feature=shared).
Here, we share some snapshots from the Slovenian venue (Cafe Nero in Maribor).
The meaningfulness of the topic is also evidenced by the reflections of a project participant from Greece (drama actress Katerina Papageorgiou):
"What right do we, who go to work just to earn money, have to push aside those special people who work for the common good without expecting payment?
Panagiotis Farmakis was an educated man. It is true, he was different. But he did what the state should have done. His finds are now in museums. He preserved historical monuments, not only for us Greeks, but for all of humanity.
That is why this is a question for me, a question of meaning: what is important to us and what is not. It is an invitation to reflection and dialogue about ourselves, about our lives, about humanity and our values. That is why participating in this project is also a hope for me that with our creations of this project we will contribute at least a little, just like Panagiotis, to the common good."
We will also persist in the difference that ennobles our reality in Jasa!
