As part of the retrospective exhibition Past-forward: Stavros Economou Unarchived, you are invited to an event of public talks and discussion on: 

‘The Architectural Archive: Creative Practices of Documenting, Collecting, Displaying’ 

The discussion on ‘The Architectural Archive: Creative Practices of Documenting, Collecting and Displaying’ explores how architecture and its histories are written, visualized and curated. Archives as collections are bound to decision processes of inclusion and exclusion from those in authority, as well as to issues of accessibility. What are the dominant narratives and how can a critical rethinking on Modernism inform our understanding of it? The architectural archive, unlike other collections, consists of representations (such as drawings, models, photographs, reports) of artefacts (buildings) that communicate design processes and final un/built proposals. How does the partial nature of architectural representation impact our understanding of a building and its history? What is the relation between a surrogate and its original? And is there an original? Buildings, unlike static objects, get inhabited and constantly transform in time. Often, they also get abandoned and demolished. What are the historiographic methods, the creative documentational tools and curatorial practices that allow us to reconstruct their past lives in the present and speculate their futures? How can we rethink other ways of knowledge production and knowledge transfer that enable us to do this? 

The event will take place on Friday 17 September 2021, from 16:30 to 18:30, at the State Gallery of Contemporary Art - SPEL (73 Ammochostou Street, 1016 Nicosia). 

Coordinator:
Popi Iacovou (Lecturer, Dept. of Architecture, University of Cyprus) 

Speakers:

 • Panayiota Pyla (Associate Professor, University of Cyprus) 

‘Histories of the Present: Critical Repositioning on Modernism’ 

 • Petros Phokaides, (Assistant Professor, University of Thessaly) 

‘Archiving Cyprus Modernism’ 

 • Léa-Catherine Szacka (Assistant Professor, University of Manchester, 2021-2022 Academic Guest, ETH-Zurich)  

‘Practices Display: Between Surrogates and Images’ 

• The lectures will take place in English.   

Curators: 

• Popi Iacovou

• George Artopoulos

• Michalis Sioulas

• Marina Christodoulidou

Co-organisers:

• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth – Cultural Services

• University of Cyprus 

• The Cyprus Institute 

• Neapolis University Pafos

PLEASE BOOK A SEAT AT 22479600 DURING OPENING HOURS.  

Entrance to the exhibition and events is free for the public – Safe Pass certificate required.  

The exhibition space operates in compliance with the guidelines of the health protocols of the Ministry of Health. 

Use of face mask is mandatory.

Opening hours 

Tuesday - Friday 10:00–18:00

Saturday 11:00–19:00 (closed on public holidays) 

Information:

T: 22479600

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