Athens by Sound

Architecture is not only that which is built. Architecture is made up of different aspects, both material and immaterial. The atmosphere, the sounds, the smells, the possibility of interaction between human bodies: these all constitute characteristics of space, characteristics that are assuming an increasing importance within architectural research worldwide. Within this field of thought about “Architecture Beyond Building”, we focus on one particular non-material spatial phenomenon that lies ‘beyond the built’: sound. We have created, thus, an interactive sonic map of Athens, which presents, in an unexpected way, fragments of the atmosphere of the city. What would a non-visual map look like? What would it feel like if you wandered within a forest of headphones, playing sounds from different places in Athens? How would it feel if you found yourself in a ‘map’ that only appeared when you walked in it? What would it be like if the map only appeared when you invited one more person to be with you? The Greek pavilion addresses these questions through an atmospheric interactive ‘game’, presenting fragments of sounds and visual sequences of Athens. The visitor recreates the space around him through his own presence and movement. The map appears only where he walks, and/or when he invites one more person to sit next to him. The bodies of the visitors react with one another and with the space itself, creating a dynamic, changing field. This walk in the pavilion takes you “out there”, through invisible Athens. The pavilion brings forth the aspects of architecture that are ‘beyond the material’: the ‘beyond the built’, the almost unreachable, elusive aspects of space, such as sound, non-visual senses, atmosphere. It challenges, thus, the limits of architecture, the limits of what can be mapped and re-located and what cannot. An edited collection by A. Karandinou, C. Achtypi, S. Giamarelos, including texts by: Ιntothepill, Katie Lloyd Thomas, Martin Parker, Panayiotis Tournikiotis, Mark Wigley, Dorian Wiszniewski, Leslie Kavanaugh, Stephen Cairns, Jonathan Hill, Vassilis Ganiatsas, Anastasios Kotsiopoulos, Constance Classen, Stavros Stavrides, Ole Bouman, William Mitchell, Richard Coyne, Neil Spiller, Kas Oosterhuis, Nora Schueler, Zissis Kotionis, Stelarc, Andreas Angelidakis, Aristide Antonas, Slavoj Žižek, Nikolaos Laskaris, Argyris Rokas, Andreas Kourkoulas, John Peponis, Yorgos Ioannou, Yorgos Tzirtzilakis, Konstantinos Vita, Dionyssis Kapsalis, United Visual Artists, Platon Rivellis, and Dimitris Filippidis. Contributors to the Greek National Participation to the 11th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia "Out there. Architecture beyond building" (2008) Organised by: Hellenic Ministry of Culture [yppo.gr] General Directorate of Modern Culture Directorate of Visual Arts Department for the Promotion of Contemporary Art Curators: Anastasia Karandinou Christina Achtypi Stylianos Giamarelos Video works by Intothepill net [intothepill.net] Artists: Yiannis Grigoriadis Yiannis Isidorou Lina Theodorou Sound Recording / Sound Design Dimitris Miyakis [movement.gr] Vangelis Lympouridis Exhibition Graphics / Catalogue Design Company [company-london.com] Design and Implementation of interactive environment 2monochannels [2monochannels.com] Audiovisual and interactive systems design / acoustic design / construction supervision Iraklis Lampropoulos Giorgos Lampropoulos Software programming Vassilis Boukis Electronic subsystem design Michail Kritsotakis Electrical Design Giorgos Satolias Interconnection of interactive elements Vangelis Lympouridis [inter-axions.com] Dimitris Miyakis Light design L+DG lighting architects [lightingdg.com] Thomas Gravanis Christina Frangeti Construction Gavrilos Michalis [gavrilos.gr] Digital printing Polichromo [polichromo.com] Translations Rachel Howard Nikos Masourides Catalogue photographs Intothepill – Internet video platform Catalogue published by futura publications Marketing communication Chryssa Vrouzi Communication associate Katerina Stamidi Photographer Cathy Cunliffe [cathycunliffeΑΤgmail.com] For their financial and material support for the Greek participation at the 11th International Exhibition of Architecture, La Biennale di Venezia, we express our deepest thanks to the sponsors: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation [onassis.gr] Akzonobel [akzonobel.com] Carteco - Architectural Materials & Design [carteco.gr] L+DG Lighting Architects [lightingdg.com] Plaisio [plaisio.gr] Polichromo Advertising Applications [polichromo.com] iGuzzini illuminazione [iguzzini.com] Diathlasis Architectural Lighting [diathlasis.gr