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BBB in the neighborhood: The Pagkrati Project

[For Greek click here]

The Pagkrati Project is under the framework of BBB in the neighborhood, a BBB’s broader action scheme aims at the interconnectivity of local people, residents, and artists via cultural and interactive events. It was organized as part of the program “Culture in the neighborhoods“, an initiative of the Municipality of Athens and the Athens Culture Network. The action Pagkrati Project (El: Ιστορίες από το Παγκράτι και τον Άγιο Αρτέμιο) took place in spring 2020 in the shadow of the global coronavirus which transformed the offline form of the project into an online,  and affected the creation and the content of the map.

The Pagkrati Project at a glance: 

Balkans Beyond Borders was inspired by the concept of the neighborhood captured as an integral part of the city and the idea of creating an interactive and multimedia map that will present different, experiential, and cultural routes. 

This pilot project is based on the dynamic nature of the map which is a multimedia tool that transmits different aspects and views of the neighborhood. The Pagkrati Project aims to highlight a neighborhood of Athens, the Pagkrati, through different routes and stories created by 31 selected users-participants.  

Each route is geographically defined and aims to present an alternative viewpoint of different local places/points. All routes together create an artistic and social puzzle of sounds, images, and experiences that visitors may follow through the eyes of the collective map while visiting and discovering Pagkrati.  

So, how does a blind woman see Pagkrati? What role has the shopping center of Ymittos, which is currently “dying”, for the area and its inhabitants? How does one of the most modern buildings in Athens become part of an experimental editing video? 

These are some of the questions that inspired the participants to explore Pagkrati by using different tools and means and finally to create this new alternative map! This is the beginning of a new journey that we all hope to continue in many neighborhoods not only in Greece but also worldwide!

Athens Culture Net is the city’s first collaborative network of cultural organizations, providing a forum for arts leaders to build relationships, share resources, and develop joint programming across Athens. Athens Culture Net was founded on the belief that collaboration is the key to the long-term success of any cultural community. By bringing together the leaders of Athens’ diverse and vibrant institutions, along with the artistic groups and collectives, we hope to build a united and resilient creative sector and increase access to quality cultural programming in all neighborhoods.

Watch the map below:


BBB in the neighborhood – The Pagkrati Project routes:

Chamber, street and corridor Orchestra, by George Samantas / Dana  Papachristou

Millennial ghost mall, by kikatchu

Pagkrati park, by Giouli Chalari

Through the senses, by Alexandros Zilos / Irene Z.Charitopoulou

Elf, Bunny and the Mantis, by Anna Alexoudi

CINEMA PALAS, by Thanos Liberopoulos and Vasilis Kalemos

The process leading to the map: Building skills – discovering the neighborhood

On March (7th-8th) a two-days creative workshop was implemented by BBB in the Skrow Theater. The workshop of the first day aimed at the development of basic theoretical skills and concepts like identity, cultural history, storytelling, and street blogging techniques. The second day aimed at the development of technical skills in street video, photography, sound recording, and storytelling. The 31 participants formed groups, or they worked individually, and they were inspired by the neighborhood of Pagkrati, in Athens. The participants had the opportunity to be mentored by four experts during the workshops and the follow-up activities Yorgos Samantas (the identity of the neighborhood), Vasiliki Maltasoglou (story-telling, street-blogging), Panagiotis Diapoulis (photography) and Michalis Uhu Mathioudakis (filmmaking/video making).

On March 15th, the participants had the opportunity to talk with the mentors and the BBB team and to discuss their ideas and the evolution of their artworks. This workshop was implemented online due to the outburst of the pandemic the outcomes of which were also captured in some of the projects. 

pagkrati project

pagkrati3 pagkrati online

With the support of

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