weekly
Weekly supplement by Insider Publications • www.insider-publications.com • No 2 • Friday, March 21, 2014 TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY CASH
The 15th edition of the French Film Festival showcases Francophone cinema and screens a special retrospective on acclaimed French actress, Nathalie Baye, the guest of honour at this year’s festival. The festival runs until April 2. www.ifa.gr
The Peter Principle
When brand strategist Peter Economides stood on a podium in Thessaloniki two and a half years ago to deliver a presentation on his specialist subject, branding, the date should have served as a promising sign that something pretty special was about to happen. It was the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011 when the Greek-South African explained to his audience of about 400 people that it was time to re-brand Greece. Since then, it is estimated that a few million people have been exposed to his presentation and have responded phenomenally to his revolutionary idea: to take Greece from its lowest ebb and transform its image. The presentation was so compelling that it has been included in MBA programmes at several Universities across the globe and Economides is frequently solicited by businesses and institutions for his counsel on branding strategies. Insider Weekly catches up with Economides at Thessaloniki airport on March 18 for a snap interview.
Since your inspiring speech, the Greek creative scene has exploded. Did you expect your presentation to have the resonance that it did? I had always said that we cannot cheat our way out of this crisis, nor buy our way out of it. We have to create our way out of the crisis. The response I’ve had from young Greeks tells me that there’s quite a sea change happening in the way Greeks think about themselves and their future. The creative output is more than I would have imagined two years ago. There are two factors at play here: 1) The crisis has forced people to get out of their comfort zones and innovate and 2) There has been this realization that one had to do it without expecting the state or anyone else to intervene. What’s been keeping you busy these days? I’ve been busy working on a number of projects around the world and spend most of my time being up in the air. My visits take me to London, where I’m re-branding a real superstar architectural practice; Holland, where I’m working on one of the world’s most exclusive shipyards; Istanbul, as a brand strategist for a large Turkish
retailer in fashion and furniture and to several Eastern European cities, working on fascinating projects. In Greece, I have been consulting with Ktima Gerovassiliou and working with AMD Telecoms, one of the world’s largest mobile tech companies, located in a tiny village on the outskirts of Thessaloniki. I’ve also had several speaking assignments, including one at the European Parliament two weeks ago and I’ve been a volunteer strategic consultant for the Benaki Museum. The good news is that we will be opening up a branch of the museum in Melbourne later this year and plans to expand other Benaki Museum outposts are on the horizon. As a frequent traveller, have you sensed a shift in the way Greece is now perceived, in your business and personal interactions? I don’t think there has been a better time to be Greek. I travel a lot, and it has often to do with Greek businesses and Greek products. Greece’s awareness has never ever been higher. There is an affinity with what Greece stands for. There is another affinity with the Greek story of life and deep admiration for the Greek joie de vivre. You’ve got a world waiting for a modern alternative Greece, with high expectations of receiving quality products and services from here. I’m often asked why I live in the capital of a basket-case economy and my response is ‘because it’s the most beautiful place in the world.’
EVENTS THIS WEEK
Music
Art Past Perfect - Simple Future Artists Thanassis Bathas and Alex Spathoulas present their paintings of imaginary and unreal landscapes as stories of the past and the future in present time. www.artzone42.gr
Exhibition
Borderline Festival More dynamic than ever, the Borderline Festival returns to the Onassis Cultural Centre with the latest in experimental music from April 4 to 9. www.sgt.gr The Souljazz Orchestra The Souljazz Orchestra revives the music of Sun Ra Arkestra, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Lalo Schiffrin and James Brown in their new album, Inner Fire using soul sounds as if straight from old vinyls. At Gazarte on March 24. www.gazarte.gr
The Ghost Exits: Rhetorical Installation and/or Theatrical Experience Directed by Andonis Galeos, the installation is a combination of theatrical elements and constant motion. At the National Museum of Contemporary Art until April 3. www.emst.gr Magritte’ dominating the wall. It is not just the setting that exudes French flair and finesse Chef Dimitris Stamoudis creates French dishes with a modern twist. The menu starts off with a soup of the day and a large selection of appetizers, including his signature steak tartar. A rather un-Lenten choice, but do try the entrecote ‘Café de Paris’ and Bourguignon beef cheeks with potato foam. Over lazy weekend mornings, the bistrot serves croque monsieur and croque madame! The wine list boasts of French and Greek labels and to complete the French indulgence, tuck into sinfully Parisian desserts such as crème brulée with vanilla. Haritos 39B, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.724.2717
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Parisian bistro in Kolonaki
Restaurateurs John Malouchos and George Likiardopoulos launch Bistrot le Mignon, a refined version of a classic Parisian bistrot, with Apostolos Trastelis acting as its gastronomic consultant. The decor is quintessentially French: marble top tables and leather sofas, allusions to the French capital with its metro stations spelled out in gold lettering and a large mirror with Magritte’s famous phrase ‘Ceci n’est pas un
BOOK WORMS
CITY LIFE
What better way to understand a country’s mojo than to read a few good books that hold up a mirror to its soul. This column covers two books each week that I consider recommended reading for anyone who chooses to understand Greece in all its complexity. Dinner with Persephone by Patricia Storace A brilliant book replete with scathing wit and pithy observations on life in Greece that engages your interest from its opening line “I lived in Athens, at the intersection of a prostitute and a saint” to its very last chapter - a must-read for anyone trying to crack the code to Greece’s paradoxical nature. Whether interpreting Hellenic dream books and soap operas or describing archaic villages, Storace, winner of the Whiting Award, rewards the reader with informed and sensual insights into Greece’s psyche. Eurydice Street by Sofka Zinovieff Eurydice Street weaves in and out of Greece’s turbulent history, diving into its failed political ambitions and its customs steeped in tradition and superstition to understand the dynamics of modern Greek society. Written with a lot of empathy, here is a fresh, funny, and inquiring account on Greece’s recent history delivered in a very personal, engaging manner. Zinovieff parlays how memories of Athens’ past haunt its present in its music, poetry, and history and passes on detailed anthropological notes on everything from hailing a taxi to roasting the perfect lamb for Easter.
How often have you heard the refrain that this could happen Only in Athens! Capturing all the quirks and paradoxes that either make everyday life easier or more difficult, Marianna Rentzou and Konstantinos Pantazis of Point Supreme Architects and Stathis Kefalouros from Blanco launch a new line of souvenirs capturing Athens’ unique character with self-deprecating wit. “We are constantly inspired to improvise and are incredibly open to stimuli,” Pantazis observes. From March 20 to April 5. Tue, Thu, Fri.: Noon to 4 pm & 5.30 pm to 9 pm, Wed & Sat.: Noon to 4 pm at Matalou at Home, Ipitou 5 & Voulis, Syntagma. Tel: 211.184.5416
An informed insight into Greece’s soul by Sudha Nair-Iliades
LIVING HERITAGE
Musings of an Athenian
A striking figure with a vivid headdress and a face that has a timeless allure, Matina Agiorgiti, is a self-professed ‘distiller of experiences’ transporting one to an era she likes to inhabit in. Matina offers a complete living experience of Greek heritage at her beautiful home in Fokionos Negri - letting guests drink from her 2000 year old cups, taste ancient foods and hear music from fragments of papyrus one only sees behind glass panes at museums. A unique way to appreciate Greek heritage. How do you come up with the ideas for your programmes? I wanted to find a way to sustain our family home as a place serving Greek heritage. The concept was to give an authentic yet eclectic insider experience to discerning guests visiting Athens. The experiences are just extended versions of what my parents did with their friends and what I was often ‘dragged into’ as a child. I remember endless political discussions, poetry readings and midnight excursions into caves with their musician friends. With these influences in your blood, it is hard not to recreate these experiences!
CELEBRATION A LA FRANCAISE Golden Hall and the French-Greek Chamber of Commerce organize Vive La France until April 2. The Basil and Elize Goulandris Foundation display works of arts by French masters such as Rodin and Matisse and the French Archaeological School display copies of objects excavated by the school. It is also when Greece’s only French magazine, Bonjour Athènes celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Dustbowl presents a complete tribute to Johnny Cash covering songs that shaped American folk music during the ‘30s from artists like Bob Dylan, June Carter and Kris Kristofferson. At Megaron on March 21. www.megaron.gr
INTERVIEW: PETER ECONOMIDES
A little more about your thematic experiences? I choose themes and create experiences around them for my guests. I am fascinated with haute couture, so the programme of Haute Couture in Antiquity was created (with live demonstrations of how Athenian ladies tied their chitons). I adore caviar and wine so we launched a thorough research on the Grand cru wines and caviar of antiquity choosing wines of ancient vine stock or wines distilled using ancient methods. My mother always liked serving Anatolian coffee on handmade rugs laid on the tables, so I decided to add a lesson in the art of making this dark delicacy on open flame with readings from passing scholars describing 18th century travelers to Ottoman Greece like Byron, Edmond and Greek writers like Papadiamantis. Live music played on the kanonaki, often escorts the lecture. Our most intriguing experience revolves around ancient gastronomy with an opening lecture by archaeologist Naya Melissinou, followed by a presentation of our family’s ancient cups dating back to the 3rd century. From the repertoire of ancient Greek music, we like to add a live acoustic ‘degustation’ on ancient lyra or flute. What kind of food do you serve your guests? Ancient Greek texts did not state quantities. They just mentioned ingredients and how these were cooked- so it is always a challenge with an an-
Ohad Naharin’s Minus One is one of the most innovative pieces from the repertoire of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. To a soundtrack of popular songs, baroque music, ethnic rhythms and original compositions, 35 dancers perform at a gripping speed and then melt into movements that are slower before coming full circle to explosive expressiveness. On Αpril 3 and 4 at 20:00 at Megaron.
TV THIS WEEK MAN UP on FOX Life
Man Up gets under the skin of modern masculinity with presenter Olivia Lee plunging hopefuls out of comfort zones and immersing them into a highly charged testosteronedriven world. Premieres on Friday 28/3 @ 20.10
©FOX INTERNATIONAL CHANNELS
SPORTS
Soaring to new heights Greek athletics may be on its knees in the financial stakes, but it reached new heights this week following the success of the newly crowned indoor pole vault World Champion Kostas Filippidis. The 28-year-old athlete has been in and around the elite challengers for the past few years and his determination and talent in spite of the crippling spending cutbacks on athletics is a triumph for the romance of sport. Everything simply clicked for Filippidis as the Greek star cleared 5.80 meters in Sopot, Poland on March 9 to win his first ever world championship medal having cleared all heights at the first attempt. After his historic win,(only Greece’s fifth gold medal in the history of indoor world championships), Filippidis received a hero’s welcome at Athens airport on his return. “This medal is very important for Greek track and field and my country,” said the 6’3 Athenian. “I am glad that I have made many Greeks happy with this performance. Essentially, the achievement vindicated the effort and the work I have put in over the years.” Filippidis’ coach Dimitris Kyteas added of his protégé: “Kostas has finally won the medal he deserved and this is dedicated to those who
LEISURE
On the high seas
The Athens Eurolymp week, a major sailing competition involving the top skippers of Europe, took place from 14 to 20 March at the Olympic Sailing Center at the Delta Falirou Marina. Several sailing boat categories took part during this amazing week of races: Optimists, 49ers, 420s, 470s, Finns, RS: Xs, Laser Radials, Stars and Nacras converted the azure Saronic bay into a kaleidoscope of billowing sails as competing sailors tried to get the better of the elements.
by Graham Wood
support us and our families who tolerate our tough schedule!” Filippidis’ success comes at a time when Greece’s beleaguered Olympic sports federations are struggling for their very existence following a new round of cuts in state funding - halved for most disciplines in the government’s proposals for the 2014 budget compared with last year, causing uproar among the federations who are already only able to afford basic operating costs just 10 years on from the 2004 Athens Olympics. Federations have received some positive news that they will benefit from, among other things, free usage of state-owned venues for training and the staging of national competitions. The state also pledged to cover the costs of doping controls. But this is mere “crumbs” according to the athletics authorities. “While the government has showed the willingness to listen, it would be fair to say that at the moment we are being asked to survive on just crumbs,” Cycling federation president Athanasios Terzis said. The Greek athletics federation (SEGAS) claims that the government is completely deleting sport from its list of priorities and revealed that its budget has been cut by 48 percent compared with 2013 and by 70 percent compared with 2012.
COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY on National Geographic Channel
A follow-up to the legendary original series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey transports viewers across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest scale. Every Sunday @ 21.00
©NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNELS
DA VINCI’S DEMONS 2 on FOX
Da Vinci’s Demons presents a fictional account of Leonardo’s life as he pushes the limits of his mind and body to defend Florence against the forces of Rome. Premieres on 23/3 @ 23.30 right after the US.
©2014 TONTO FILMS AND TELEVISION LIMITED
Watch FOX on NOVA, OTE TV, HOL, CYTA Watch FOX Life on NOVA, OTE TV, CYTA Watch National Geographic Channel on NOVA, HOL, CYTA
CINEMA THIS WEEK 300
Greek General Themistokles leads the charge against invading Persian forces led by mortalturned-God Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
THE LEGO MOVIE
An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.
Only in Athens
cient recipe I find. Some of the dishes we prepare are octopus with olives & maranth, large shrimps in spices & saffron, marinated beef in oinomelon with quince, delicate pate with pomegranate, caramelized almonds etc. I do not change the recipes to suit modern tastes but try to keep them as authentic as possible. Who are the guests who partake in your heritage experiences? Small groups, VIPs, international groups like foreign embassies and expats based in Athens. We do have interest also from the corporate sector, who wish to combine an executive meeting or hosting of CEO with a unique experience. Our ideal number is 8-24 persons. We are not event-organisers but rather offer sophisticated learning experiences. The house? Entering the house is like going back in time. Ashton Kutcher described my house as a place filled with ‘cool antiques and art’. My parents retained the 1930’s style but added their art and object collections which represented their own odyssey and return. www.athenianmuse.com
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