STERNA FELLOWSHIP 2023 – NEIGHBORING

The geographical position of Nisyros in the Aegean as well as its landscape are a source of inspiration composing a diverse mosaic. The main characteristic of my artistic research concerns the communication and the proximity of the inhabitants of Nisyros in their different manifestations. Specifically, in the form of informal interviews about the island and its physiognomy, I tried to investigate the ways in which the inhabitants communicate both with each other and with me. The people who participated in this process were diversified as much as possible according to the willingness and response to my proposal resulting in the creation of a diverse group.

Turning the topic of the discussions around the idea of neighborhood, I asked questions such as: “What does neighborhood mean to you?”, “Do you remember any event in your neighborhood?” or “Does the island have neighbors?”. Then, examining the systems in which communication takes place I collected audio material from places and neighborhoods described by the interviewees in the form of radio excerpts. Along with this process, I visited different parts of the island with geomorphological interest, collecting raw materials such as agram, rocks, sulfur and soils.

Gathering these findings, I created a series of flags that encode conversations with the local population and traces of my own experimentation with the fabric. Characteristically described by the residents: “Nisyros is a big hotel [. .] the phones are all 2242031 and something from the back, everyone has their own three digits”, “We leave the keys on the door”, “Ladies used to gather here in the afternoons and have a good time”. “Nysial Proximity” is an open proposal for reflection on the one hand with the proximity between the inhabitants of a place, on the other with the ways of interaction with nature and the relationship with other countries. The flags with their symbolic extension define a new capacity-border, recalling the conditions of the island reality and at the same time giving material substance to the words of the local community.