Description

European-funded project under the Creative Europe programme

​

Language:

English 

​

Duration:

09 -30 April 2024

​

Number of residents 

4 

​

Location:

Verga, Messenian Mani, Peloponnese, Greece (https://goo.gl/maps/6PKoL8En5BWAgRoz5)

​

Applications deadline

15 September 2023 (23:59, Central European Time)

​

Selection process

By the Karoussos Archives Academic Board

​

Topic 

St. Spyridon Chapel lies right next to the Center of the Karoussos Archives and as a pre-revolutionary monument, it is protected by the laws of Cultural Heritage. In 2021 Karoussos Archives undertook the revival of the chapel, in order to reinstate the monument, considering its artistic and cultural values. The project transcended standards across all artistic and religious fields to initiate the groundbreaking visualization of hybrid frescoes and profound metanarratives of its cultural context. The chapel of St. Spyridon, in Verga, is a model of creative management of cultural heritage, at a global level, created in the context of the organization's action for the re-establishment of Byzantine monuments. Freed from a linear framework of knowledge production, hybrid frescoes, and their linked metanarratives open up numerous powerful possibilities for cultural initiatives. To open up these possibilities, Karoussos Archives advances on to the next phase of the chapel’s regeneration, which addresses its reintegration into modern society. For this reason, Karoussos Archives welcomes scholars who work across the fields of art, culture, and humanities to build together strategic cultural policies of cultural participation, social cohesion, and innovation, so to promote better access and wider connection in the chapel’s new cultural framework.

​

Read More

​

​

Research questions

Back in Byzantine times, the people and the land were united. They lived in a unique environment in which agrarian, spiritual, and artistic elements were linked and subscribed to a seasonal cycle regulated by planting and harvesting, growth, and decline. As the villages were always under the protection of divine spirits, this cycle coincided with a calendar of ritual celebrations. Thus, the church served as a landmark and the beginning point for all the events in life.

Aiming to reintegrate the chapel into contemporary society and having all its metanarratives at its disposal, numerous significant questions are applied to the residency project:

Considering the new St. Spyridon church as our contemporary landmark, how might this holistic setting be transformed into our transhumanistic era?

In light of climate change, is it possible to develop a new seasonal cycle? If so, with what elements should a holistic and sustainable ecosystem be linked? What are the types of the new agrarian, spiritual, and artistic elements?

What would a post-humanistic ritual celebration look like? What would be the character of panygeries (fests) today, as they were one of the key ritual celebrations that kept the elements inextricably tied and the seasonal cycles sustainable?

Assuming that religious ideas such as miracles, epiphanies, transfiguration, and multidimensional aspects intersect with metaverse elements, how can they be expressed in a way that is consistent with our modern thinking without losing their cultural identity?

 

Research structure

​

The project will be carried out via research and meetings. Residents and external experts will be invited to make presentations on their topics at each meeting, which will lead to in-depth discussions. Residents will work on identifying practices and structuring the final report between meetings. To improve collaboration among the participants, a critique coordination session will be held in which each participant will take the role of either the presenter or the mediator. All participants will deliver and present research updates on a regular basis. Public presentations of the final reports and/or work-based projects will be made.

​

Mentoring activities include:

1. Two Introductory Sessions

2. Two individual one-hour sessions with each one of the participants

3. Brainstorm and research meetings

4. Supervision of reports

 

Outcomes

Each resident's final report will be a research paper based on their findings. The papers will be published on the organization's website. The final papers will be presented in public.

​

​

Offered by the host: 

The program ensures the validity of knowledge by providing a 100-year experience in Byzantine Monumental Art:

​

• With its unique Byzantine cultural repository, the Karoussos Archive offers leading cultural content for analysis and processing that can fully support research and ensure its integrity when introduced into new environments (digital or other).

​

• The original worksheets from frescoes executed in Byzantine churches, photographs, and slides from the study and work process, remain deliberately unpublished so that they can be used as a first-class resource for cultural heritage research.

​

• On-site studies of the frescoes and their prototype digital adaptations with parallel guidance and consulting.​

​

Accommodation Information

The residency is held at the Karoussos Center in Verga, Messinian Mani, Peloponnese.

Karoussos Center is located on a Mountain Taygetus hill at Verga village and offers a view of the entire Messinian Bay and the Ionian Sea. Verga village is a historic location in the Maniot area, which was favoured by the Byzantines since it lies halfway between two famous Byzantine castles, Mystras (Sparta) and Monemvasia (Laconia).  There is a distance of about 3km from the city of Kalamata. The Maniot house, which dates from the late 1800s, became a property of the Karoussos family in 1974. This place was the artistic shelter of the late painter Yannis Karoussos. The house has recently been used as a museum and also as a hub of research, lectures, roundtable discussions, and other cultural events. Verga village is distinctly un-urban, where agriculture, livestock, religiousness, and seasonal temporalities are everyday realities. Applicants must be ready to walk to get around. Thus, unfortunately, Karoussos Center is not suitable for people with mobility issues.

​

​

Facilities:

• two twin rooms

• two bathrooms,

• linen, bath cosmetics | amenities

• cleaning services,

• working places,

• kitchen

• gardens | 360 rooftop

During the residency, a specialised cook will prepare two three-course meals, for both lunch and dinner. Breakfast is given as a buffet. It is strongly recommended to follow the Easter fast, although this will be agreed upon based on the diet plans of the participants.

​

Gallery

​

​​

     Funding:

1. The programme is fully funded and covers the following:

• Round-trip air tickets

• Accommodation 

• Meals

• Transportation for scheduled visits

​

2. The programme does not cover:

• Transportation from and to the airports

       The nearest airport is Kalamata Airport KLX (In April, there are a few charter flights that might not depart from your country; in this case, fly to Athens and take the shuttle bus to Kalamata). 

• Insurance costs (travel insurance, viable health and liability insurance)

• Not scheduled local transportation.

​

Residents will be held liable for any damage or loss that occurs on the premises of the Karoussos Center.

​

Admission Requirements:

• Applicants must legally reside/live in one of the 40 Creative Europe countries

            See the list here  

        Please keep in mind that Greece is not included because it is the host country.

• The programme is mainly targeted at interdisciplinary scholars in the early stages of their careers. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree in one of the following fields: visual arts, integrated arts, cultural management, humanities, and/or digital humanities. Applicants with a Master's or a PhD in the aforementioned subjects will be strongly welcomed.

• Age: 25–40 (recommended)

• Fluency in English

​

Key Dates & Deadlines

• Application deadline: 15 September 2023

• Online calls with shortlisted applicants: 28-29 September 2023

• Notification of selection: week of 2 October 2023

• Online one-hour sessions: January - March 2024 (one per month)

• Residency: 09- 30 April 2024

• Presentations: week of 22 April 2024 (TBC)

• Continuous Work on Projects & Consultations, online (not mandatory)

​

The application must include:​

• Curriculum Vitae

• Copy of a valid passport

• Other documents you'd like to send to support your application (portfolio, papers, etc.)

Ineligible applications will be rejected, so it is important that you check you meet our admission requirements before you start your application. 

​

Submission Deadline:

15 September 2023 (23:59, Central European Time)

We recommend that you submit your application one week before the deadline to avoid any unexpected issues. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

​

If you have any questions, contact us at karoussosarchives@gmail.com

​

​