After 2008, fire has been added as a new layer to the city of Athens; both as a sign of protest and as a source of light. The existence of fire creates critical moments, moments of anarchy which intensifies Athens, as a city in crisis. It is a tool for protesters, mostly anarchists to call for a change in their country's condition.

I have translated the condition of Athens into projections on a model of a city block and concentrated on the different moments of lightscape of Athens, in two time periods: pre 2008 and in the future as I see it. The second image shows the possibility of burning down the city in its most extreme state. What happens if fire is spread all over the city? Will it create a chance for a new beginning?

experiments with light

abstracting space with the existence and non-existence of light

different intensities and colors with different sources of light, using the same settings

49 rooms

I was browsing, and I came across this artist.
the way she has payed attention to details and tried to narrate social issues is interesting for me.
She has installed 49 rooms, each of them representing a frozen moment in life.

Layers of light in Exarchia

Extracting light, as layers on the built environment and studying how they change the perception of space, with different intensities and color codes.

Open publication - Free publishing - More exarchia

What happens if Athenians get a new perception of urban space? A layer is introduced to the city in form of a light landscape. 

Open publication - Free publishing - More final

NETWORK OF LIGHT

In addition to its physical effect in the city, light can be a metaphor for cultural identity, communication and political expression. In Hong Kong, branding and light are representatives of city’s economic strength , unlike Athens in which light has no role in presenting the  city or improving the state of economic stagnation that Athens is experiencing in the past four years.

light can be introduced as a physical and communicative network among all the layers that make up Athens. This network connects historically, politically or socially important nodes of the city, proposing different activities to attract people’s attention towards a potential for starting over and leaving behind the lethargy which is spread all over Athens. Empty and abandoned places are considered as starting points, as they show the extreme condition in current situation. This network is subject to change depending on the conditions that it is based on. 

an abstractive study on how different themes of activity illuminate the historic centre of Athens, Plaka.

Essay

Mitra Tafazoli

Underground

Born and brought up in Iran, I have always witnessed lack of freedom of expression in social, cultural and political matters; and how people have used different means of manifestation to shout out their beliefs and mentality regarding the society in which they live. These social movements have always been unpleasant for a certain group who surprisingly are the most powerful in terms of "control". 

When Mahtab and I were exploring Hong Kong to get an understanding of its artistic and social domain, we came up with an underground group of artists. They were three artists in their 20s, each with a certain field of interest, but all have a common concern about the Chinese society and how it is governed. One of them was a graffiti artist who has chosen tattooing as a financial support for his main interest, with his studio based in an industrial building in Kwun Tong district. The reason he and some fellow artists have chosen this area is the cheap rents and of course being remote and inaccessible as the nature of underground art asks for. 

As we talked more about the social aspects of their art, we all felt a common sense about our backgrounds, situation and hopes. We are all the young generation from developing countries with dictatorial systems, who are wide-awake about the global village and can no more be tricked and kept silent. The interesting thing about this fact is that no matter which country we are from, we have all chosen to object and manifest through art. It is at this point that the boundaries disappear.

After leaving their studio, I was experiencing a feeling of pleasance and grief at the same time. Why we are always being controlled in our societies; and what a hopeful movement towards our goals! 

graffiti in the industrial district

Kwun Tong

the studio

NEON

Talking about my obsession of Hong Kong, I was amazed by its numerous neon signs, hanging from the dark background of inelegant facades. These signs are more than advertisement elements in the city; they add a mental and cultural layer to it. A layer which becomes surreal, creating a 3D space overwhelmed by brightness. Streets of HK are so much lit up with these lights and colors that it has become an identity for the city. It has definitely influenced people's lifestyle, as the city is famous for its never-sleeping habits.


Being exposed by these still and flashing lights is an unforgettable experience. When I first saw HK, I was fascinated by this glamorous and joyful play of lights. 


Above their visual effects, these lights reflect an economic mentality. The businessmen and shopkeepers are competing for more audience, more profit. They need to expose their business to people who may not be interested in their services. Hong Kong has chosen this kind of advertisement overload. And it seems to be effective. This city is becoming more and more financially successful from a global point of view. This success is certainly exclusive to a low percentage of its residence; but it is this small portion of the society that projects the image of the city.


Busy streets of Mongkok, lined up with shops of every size, offer everything from food to clothes and electronics. Streets take on a new appearance when sun goes down. A different kind of chaos is seen during the night, with some streets closed to the cars, opening up the way for large crowds of not-so-real customers. Stalls are put up and ready for bargaining. All this liveliness can not be defined without the lights from the shops and signs. It is dazzling the way they decorate the streets.