Where there’s use, there’s value everywhere

Nisyros is a polymorphic landscape: insular, frontier-bound, volcanic. It forms a psycho-geography evoking primal memories and associations. The passage of time intersects with the decline of population: 2,516 inhabitants in 1950, 1,048 in 2021 – how many remain today?

Nisyrians who have settled in other parts of the world often preserve their traditions and culture, creating a bridge between Nisyros and the world. Ηοwever, as years pass and generations change, this connection often appears to fade.

Beginning my research on Nisyros, I encountered numerous phrases and proverbs steeped in local idiom. I was particularly struck by the quote “Where there’s use, there’s value everywhere”, meaning that when someone is useful in one place is useful everywhere. This, initially, hopeful phrase became the focal point of my research around industrial heritage and population movement – a dialogue and renegotiation with the past.

During informal interviews I asked residents questions such as, “Do you have family members who have permanently left the island?” “Do you keep in touch with them?” “What products did the island produce?” “What has changed over time?” “What are the relationships within the community?”, “What has kept you on the island?”.

I collected artifacts, documents and rocks from the island in relation to the responses provided. Many of these elements highlight the island’s unique geomorphological features. I designed personalized commemorative cards, small enough to fit in a wallet or a pocket. These objects articulate a dialogue with issues that are an important part of life on the island. The work itself is a composition with net – an ancient survival tool gathered from the island – combined with individualized painted depictions from the interviews and replicas of rocks; an attempt to illustrate change and re-signification.

Τhe net becomes a cell that carries the varied elements of the island revealed through research on daily life, social bonds, and collective action. The work aims to spark a conversation about how the local community is shaped and influenced, and how it rewrites its past and future, aiming for a more conscious and sustainable relationship with the surrounding world.