LIFE & CULTURE
XpatAthens
Tuesday, 08 January 2019 07:00
Odd But True: Tennessee Has Its Own Full Scale Replica Of the Parthenon
Living in country that’s less than 250 years old, it’s understandable that some Americans decided to import a little extra history from abroad. There is a faux-Venice in Las Vegas, a Stonehenge II in Texas, and a replica of the Athens Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tennessee’s full-scale replica of the Parthenon was created in 1897 for the Centennial Exposition in Tennessee. The recreated ‘Parthenon’ served as the exposition’s art gallery and intended to amplify the city’s self-declared reputation as the ‘Athens of the South.’
Even though the Nashville ‘Parthenon’ was intended to be a temporary structure, by the time the fair ended, the unique structure had grown on the local population. Over the years the building underwent major restorations and still stands proud amidst a large public park.
Finally, in 1990 a 42-foot-tall replica of the statue of Athena was unveiled. While the replica appears opulent, concessions were made: The original was coated in over 2,400 pounds of gold leaf, whereas Nashville’s version boasts just eight pounds.
Despite intricate attention to detail, there are some major differences between the original Parthenon and the one in Tennessee. The Athens Parthenon, the most prominent landmark in Athens, is built on a hill and can only be approached from behind; the replica in Nashville is situated in a park and can be entered from the side or front. Also, each structure’s building materials differ significantly; the original was built from gleaming marble while the Nashville version is made of concrete.
Compared to the ancient ruins in Greece, the Nashville ‘Parthenon’ boasts a major historical detail: color. Along with other parts of the building, the massive Athena statue is painted in bright colors. It’s a bit odd-looking by contemporary standards, given that people are used to the inaccurate notion that ancient buildings and statues were dominated by a simple, unadorned white marble aesthetic. In fact, the ancient Greeks painted all of their statues and seeing them painted in bright colors is actually more historically accurate.
Even though it’s odd to think of a Parthenon outside of Athens, especially such a new and shiny version of the original masterpiece, the ‘Parthenon’ in Nashville has definitely become a vital part of the city’s landscape and heritage.
To read this article in full, please visit: Artsy.net
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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International Travel
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Thursday, 10 January 2019 07:00
The National Library of Greece Opens Its Doors In Its New Premises At SNFCC
A new chapter has begun for the National Library of Greece (NLG), as it has opened its doors to the public in its new premises at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC).
The library's collection, which includes 5.400 manuscripts dating from the 9th to the 19th century, is one of the most extensive in the world. Among others it includes old maps, rare prototypes, engravings, and historical documents that constitute a valuable testament to Greek civilisation and culture.
Researchers, students, and the general public will have free access to collections of thousands of journals and manuscripts, while they will also be able to borrow works of literature and essays through the Library’s Lending Department. On Monday, January 14 the general public will gain access to all the collections of the research library, while on the same day the historical Vallianos building, in the center of Athens, is expected to reopen as a newspaper reading room and the main information portal of the National Library of Greece.
It is worth noting that the historic transition of NLG to the SNFCC was made possible through an exclusive grant of €5 million from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, covering the development of the NLG’s collection, the creation of the Library’s digital services, the development of the Library’s Public Section, an audience development campaign, staff training, and more.
Photo Credit: @NLG_NikosKaranikolas
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Local News
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Friday, 04 January 2019 02:39
FokiaNou Art Space - Athens Under The Microscope
FokiaNou Art Space is pleased to present a group exhibition of artists who focus on the minute details of Athens to produce a wide array of interpretation in the form of paintings, photography, sculpture, mixed-media work and video. Works were selected by curators Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris from an open call conducted in the fall of 2018.
The participating artists are: Lilia Agathou, Sebastian Boulter, Mary Cox, Susan Daboll, Vasilis Galanis, Alexandros Garnavos, Athina Kanellopoulou, Katerina Katsifaraki, Georgia Kyriakidou, Ilia Machaira, Dimitra Maltabe, Katerina Moniaki, Poppy Panopoulou, Alegia Papageorgiou, Eleftheria Rapanaki, Fiona Spathopoulou, Evi Stamou, Iliana Theodoropoulou and Kiveli Zachariou.
The participating artists are: Lilia Agathou, Sebastian Boulter, Mary Cox, Susan Daboll, Vasilis Galanis, Alexandros Garnavos, Athina Kanellopoulou, Katerina Katsifaraki, Georgia Kyriakidou, Ilia Machaira, Dimitra Maltabe, Katerina Moniaki, Poppy Panopoulou, Alegia Papageorgiou, Eleftheria Rapanaki, Fiona Spathopoulou, Evi Stamou, Iliana Theodoropoulou and Kiveli Zachariou.
On Saturday, 26 January at 18.30 there will be an artist talk, with artists making a brief presentation of their work, and discussion to follow.
FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in the intimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The apartment has been transformed into an open space that encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis.
Opening: Wednesday, 16 January 2019, 18.00
Duration: 16 January – 2 February 2019. Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday 17.00 - 20.00.
Artist Talk: Saturday, 26 January, 18.30
Opening: Wednesday, 16 January 2019, 18.00
Duration: 16 January – 2 February 2019. Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday 17.00 - 20.00.
Artist Talk: Saturday, 26 January, 18.30
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Art
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Saturday, 16 February 2019 02:02
The Witches Of Smyrna - Pallas Theater
Theatrikes Skines presents the much-anticipated theatrical extravaganza The Witches of Smyrna by Mara Meimaridi, adapted for the stage and directed by Stamatis Fasoulis, with an all-star cast and production team.
A production which is expected to prove a landmark on the Athenian theatre scene, it sold an unprecedented 20,000 tickets before it even opened.
Mara Meimaridi's multiple-award-winning atmospheric novel, which captivated a million readers worldwide and received rave reviews when it was transferred to the small screen by Kostas Koutsomytis in 2005, has now come to the Pallas stage, ready to transport theatre-lovers back to late 19th-century Smyrna for a tale of passion, magic, spells, perfumes and love affairs.
Stamatis Fasoulis captures the atmosphere of an incomparable era, taking us back 130 years to the coast of Asia Minor and bringing to life a unique community and its social structures—a multicultural society that would serve as a model for generations born long after its demise.
The production stars Maria Kavogianni in the role of Evtalia, Smaragda Karydi in the role of Katina, who enchants Memos Begnis and Meletis Ilias—the brothers Konstantinos and Syrios Karamanos.
In the role of the witch Attarti, Madame Mirka Papaconstantinou.
The stage designer Athanasia Smaragdi created a small city on the Pallas stage for the production, giving physical presence to collective memory, while Deny Vachlioti conveys the essence of the characters and their stories through her costumes. The incidental music, which was written for the production by Thodoris Economou, spirits us back to Smyrna, its clubs and celebrated fin de siècle cafés: the ‘Ke’ and the ‘Café du Paris’. Dimitris Papazoglou oversaw the production's choreography.
Smyrna, 1887. Katina is poor, quick-witted and ruthless. Her life changes when she meets Attarti, a Turkish witch who takes the girl under her wing. Which is when Katina sets herself a goal: rising just as high as she can in the city she calls home. Love potions, hexes, incantations and spells never miss their mark. She leads four men to the altar, each one better than the last and richer than his predecessor. And as she rises through the social ranks, Katina involved herself in her husbands' businesses, handling deals, banks and tobacco with great aplomb until, one day, she finds herself queen of all she surveys. A hundred years later, her writings, spells and magic resurface in a dusty trunk in her Aegina home.
For children over 15
With English subtitles
For children over 15
With English subtitles
Published in
Performing Arts
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Tuesday, 08 January 2019 01:43
Street Soccer 5x5 - SNFCC
Free football match events suitable for schoolage children (6–12) in five-member teams.
Design-Implementation: Regeneration & Progress
When: Saturday 12, 19, 26/01 & Sunday 13, 20, 27/01
Time: 10.00 - 13.00
OUTDOOR GAMES AREA
Up to 10 children per 30' session
Design-Implementation: Regeneration & Progress
When: Saturday 12, 19, 26/01 & Sunday 13, 20, 27/01
Time: 10.00 - 13.00
OUTDOOR GAMES AREA
Up to 10 children per 30' session
Published in
Kids
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Tuesday, 08 January 2019 01:20
“Three Sisters” By Anton Chekhov - Onassis Cultural Center
Forget Moscow and pre-revolutionary Russia. Dimitris Xanthopoulos stages “Three Sisters” (1901) in the belief that every place and every era finds itself on the point of rupture, in a state of constant turmoil. He does retain the military environment of the provincial town, though, in which the three daughters and only son of a dead general now find themselves. They nurture a burning desire to return to the idealized city of their childhoods. But they are not in a position to make this happen.
“They sink into a state of inertia, into the fantasy of a ‘life’ in some ‘Moscow’ or other. Trapped within themselves, they lose touch with reality. Beyond the four walls of their home, they fall apart. This confrontation with Outside lies at the heart of the production. And this confrontation is all our stories— our anguished struggle to find our place in a world into which we were thrust, without reason or cause”, the director notes.
“They sink into a state of inertia, into the fantasy of a ‘life’ in some ‘Moscow’ or other. Trapped within themselves, they lose touch with reality. Beyond the four walls of their home, they fall apart. This confrontation with Outside lies at the heart of the production. And this confrontation is all our stories— our anguished struggle to find our place in a world into which we were thrust, without reason or cause”, the director notes.
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Performing Arts
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Tuesday, 08 January 2019 05:00
Several Schools In Attica Will Remain Closed Due To Heavy Snowfall
Schools in several Attica district municipalities will remain closed on Tuesday due to heavy snowfall that has been forecast for the coming days, according to a letter Attica Regional director Rena Dourou sent to mayors on Monday.
Students were expected to return to school today following the Christmas, New Year and Epiphany holidays. However, due to the weather forecast, schools in 46 out of 66 municipalities of the Attica Region will remain closed for at least another day.
Please click here for a detailed list (Greek only) of the schools that will remain closed on January 8 due to the bad weather conditions in the Attica Region.
Source: ANA-MPA
Please click here for a detailed list (Greek only) of the schools that will remain closed on January 8 due to the bad weather conditions in the Attica Region.
Source: ANA-MPA
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Local News
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Monday, 07 January 2019 07:00
A Photo Of The Full Moon Over The Parthenon Goes Viral
A photo of the full moon over the Parthenon and the Propylaea in Athens that was recently posted on Instagram by National Geographic has gone viral, attracting more than 1.2 million likes.
The photograph capturing the last full moon of 2018 was taken by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Muhammed Muheisen on December 22. This stunning photo of the Parthenon under the moonlight is one of the most popular photos on National Geographic’s Instagram feed.
Published in
Greece In The News
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Thursday, 03 January 2019 00:33
Canadian Brass Μeets Athens State Orchestra
The Athens State Orchestra joins forces with Canadian Brass – an award-winning ensemble renowned for its genre-bending versatility and joyous performances – for a special show at the Athens Concert Hall, which also features the Rosarte children's choir.
The program ranges from traditional Christmas tunes, Handel and Bach, to a mini-tribute to The Beatles and the European premier of Jeff Tyzik's “New York Cityscapes.” The performance is being held with the support of the Canadian Embassy. Doors open at 8.30 p.m. and tickets cost 14 to 50 euros.
The program ranges from traditional Christmas tunes, Handel and Bach, to a mini-tribute to The Beatles and the European premier of Jeff Tyzik's “New York Cityscapes.” The performance is being held with the support of the Canadian Embassy. Doors open at 8.30 p.m. and tickets cost 14 to 50 euros.
Click HERE for more information!
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Music
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Thursday, 03 January 2019 07:00
Discover The Museum Of Illusions In Athens
The center of Athens is the hub for most of the city’s museums, attractions, and cultural events. One of the newest additions to Athens’ museum and entertainment scene is the Museum of Illusions in Monastiraki which opened its doors to the public last September.
Get ready to enter a world of illusion, a world that will confuse your mind and senses. The Museum of Illusions is a visual, sensory, and educational experience that will impress children and adults alike.
Be brave enough to jump in an illusion created by the Vortex Tunnel that will drive you crazy and make you believe you’re struggling to make a step forward through the rotating cylinder – on a surface so stable and flat! See a deformed reflection of yourself in the Mirror Room, let yourself free in the Infinity Room, resist the laws of gravity and size ratio, and take pictures of yourself and your friends in every possible pose!
Before leaving make sure to visit the Playroom, a room full of intriguing and educational games, puzzles, and brain bashers that are great fun but can be quite frustrating as well.
Museum of Illusions
Address: Ermou 119 (entrance from Astiggos 12)
Address: Ermou 119 (entrance from Astiggos 12)
105 55 Monastiraki, Athens
Phone: 210 3238065
Working Hours:
Sunday to Thursday: 10.00 am – 10.00 pm
Friday: 10.00 am – 11.00 pm
Saturday: 10.00 am – 11.00 pm
Phone: 210 3238065
Working Hours:
Sunday to Thursday: 10.00 am – 10.00 pm
Friday: 10.00 am – 11.00 pm
Saturday: 10.00 am – 11.00 pm
Photo Credit: Museum of Illusions
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City Discovery
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