Short Description:

Constructing Utopia is a pedagogical art project within the community of Eleusis. It has gathered artists, pedagogues, and teenagers with the aim to create collective virtual and physical works of art around the themes of utopia and ideal worlds.

With the goal of re-examining the city and the participants’ lives in it, the nine workshops of the project “Constructing Utopia” proposed activities that enhance the ability to imagine ideal worlds through performing arts, video games, and sculpture. For the implementation of the project, 18 participants (aged 12 to 17) from the Greek city of Eleusis, who frequent the social center “Filiki Folia”, volunteered to meet with a multidisciplinary team of specialists once a week. During the meetings, the participants formulated basic rules of coexistence, a decision-making system, and architectural models of cohabitation. They also proposed a name for their world: “The Utopia of Dreams. Our utopia is beautiful, happy, joyful, ideal, and there are dreams in it”.

The works realized within the program have a material form (three-dimensional maps, LEGO constructions, collective brainstorming sketches, messages to visitors, etc.). Additionally, during the workshops, the participants modelled their ideal world in the video game Minecraft. Through visual creation along with material works of art, the participants have conceptualized in the Utopia of Dreams a fictional way to talk about freedom and desires.

The program Constructing Utopia, conceived by Ioanna Neophytou, was financed by the 2023 ELEVSIS European Capital of Culture. It was designed and implemented in collaboration with the Hellenic Children’s Museum and realized in the facilities of Kentro Agapis Elefsinas – Filiki Folia.

Project Timeline:

• Research and development: 2021-2022
• Design and production of the workshop: September 2022 to February 2023
• Implementation of the workshop: February to May 2023
• Exhibition of the “Utopia of Dreams”: November 9th, 2023 – November 12th, 2023, X-Bowling Art Center, Charilaou 12, Eleusis, as part of the program Culture 2030.
  https://2023eleusis.eu/en/events/…/

Participants:

Alexandros Xefteris, Amanda Alia, Anilla Alia, Angelo Meçe, Christiana Cayia, Despina Sidiropoulou, Drisilda Hotza, Evgenia–Maria (Evge) Kaletsi, Giorgien Tsaknagai, Nikolas Papadopoulos, Nourié Kamperoglou, Petrit Cayia, Sotiria – Valentina (Roula) Roumelioti, Theodora Hinta, Rafael Samaras, Yiannis Reïna, Marianna Liori, Demetra Liori.

Credits:

Leading Artist: Ioanna Neophytou
Design & Implementation of Workshops: Katerina Rogkakou (HCM), Mariam Kiouri, Ioanna Neophytou
Production Management: Christos Christopoulos (TooFarEast)
Creation of Minecraft Environment: Mariam Kiouri
Minecraft’s Video Editing: Christos Papadopoulos
Workshop’s Video Documentation: Grigoris Panopoulos
Workshop’s Sound Documentation: Dimitris Stamatis
Documentary Editing: Grigoris Panopoulos
Guest Performer: Ioanna Bourazopoulou
Technical Manager: Giorgos Tsipos
Volunteers: Nasia Mpania, Panos Ratis
Project Manager for 2023 ELEVSIS: Yiannis Koukmas

Special Thanks:

• Zambel Mouratian and Evelin Banaka from the Hellenique Children’s Museum
• Giorgos Pirounakis and his amazing team of workers and volunteers at Kentro Agapis Elefsina – Filiki Folia
• Teleperformance Greece for their contribution of the computers