Greek design

144

DESIGN — Greek design: Take a piece of Greece with you

Greece, widely known for its ancient art and culture, is increasingly becoming a hub for creative and award-winning international talents in contemporary design. — BY FILIA MITROMARA

Gods, ancient columns, copies of temples, faithful copies of antiquities... Memorabilia that the visitors of the country took with them on their return - and their aesthetics - were unchanged for decades. Now a new generation of creators is changing their face.

How can a Greek creator of useful and decorative objects create something in relation to the culture and the dominant culture of the country, overcoming the huge shadow and at the same time the direct reflection of the faithful reference to antiquity and current life. To transcend the reef of folklore and the typical depiction of the glorious past, the answer is given in practice by the creative Greek designers.

For a long time, dominated by an overwhelming cultural heritage, Greek creation began to take off as new talents are freed from the greatness and weight of Greek antiquity, but without being deprived of it, without turning their backs on it. Items that we mainly find in specialty stores or museum shops. The case of the «Sophia» brand is typical. There is a reference to busts of gods, columns, in bright and even neon colors, objects made by hand, which can be found today in the shops of the Louvre Museum or in the British Museum. The creator of «Sophia», Alexandra Alevra, started her business in 2014, in the midst of the dire financial crisis.

Tina Daskalantonaki, curator of the Shop of the Museum of Cycladic Art commenting that the history of the Greek nation remains a huge influence, but the young creators are ready to reinterpret the episodes of Greek mythology to create new illustrations. In the Shop of the Museum of Cycladic Art one can find faithful copies of Cycladic figurines but also creations of young Greek artists with a characteristic creative way and signature.

These expressive talents seek to create a beauty with durability, responsibility towards the environment and work as much as they can with the recycling of materials.

The case of Spyros Kizis created by Locul Design is also special, referring extensively to the chair he created under the title Artichair, using as a raw material wild artichoke that he turned into a kind of «ecological plastic».

The article points out that many of these young creators travel a lot. It refers to the case of the architect Myrsini Alexandridis who lives between Stockholm and Athens and to the constant reports she has from her homeland, namely the Greek islands, in her creations. Reference is also made to Forget Me Not, which has been created in the shadow of the Acropolis, where it was the first house of Theodoros Kolokotronis.

Stergios Fotiadis of We design studio refers to the great weight and importance of the handicraft tradition in Greece, opening a discussion on the difference

Items that we find in museum shops, items that tourists love to buy to bring with them as memorabilia from Greece. There is a much larger and wider field of designers who create beyond this territory.

between the professions of craftsman and artist. On the outskirts of Athens, tourists find the studios of the creators who use mainly marble, clay, textiles and the brass pendants by Ioanna Koulouris of Meet the Cat. Padatif, which are actually small pieces of handicrafts like the ones our grandmothers made for the tablecloths they laid on the Sunday family tables.

Vast Design, by brothers Vasilis and Stathis Petropoulos successfully joined the contemporary design market and promotes its product collections worldwide. Decorative and utilitarian ceramics, porcelain and furniture are only some of their creations, always inspired and based on simplicity, function and aesthetics. Vast Design stands out for the imaginative toy design, as well as its illustration services for the children’s book market. Among their most impressive designs are four decorative figurines out of white matt ceramic, inspired by and created for the New Acropolis Museum.

Spyros Drakos created his own sophisticated, yet simple label, The Simple Life Project: Wood Stories. Always keeping the functionality of the object in mind when he designs, he delivers high-quality individual and refined wooden constructions, tailored to meet quotidian needs.

Crafts and design as arts are developing in Greece in recent years at a very fast pace, although often in the country itself they are not aware of their rapid development - many do not even know the names and elements.