i-Speak

Growing up in an environment shaped by intense changes in social, cultural, economic, and technological realities, a new generation of teenagers has a lot to teach us about the world around us. From their identities, their dreams for the future and other aspects of their personal lives, to their urban environment, social justice, and climate change, the ‘voices’ of contemporary teenagers reflect not only their particular experiences but also their shared values and concerns: but how and where can we hear their voices?

Specifically designed for first-year high school students in the neighbouring areas of Tavros and Kallithea, the educational programme of creative workshops, i-Speak, utilises the expressive means and tools offered by both art and technology, to highlight and strengthen teenage ‘voices’. Building on their work in designing educational activities that promote contemporary art and creation, the independent art space TAVROS, and the theatre group blindspot, invited professionals from the fields of theatre, music, literature, and graphic design to plan and implement four cycles of workshops. Over the course of eight weeks, each workshop cycle will take place in one of the partner schools, offering students the opportunity to explore and express their personal understanding of issues of contemporary reality through the tools offered by arts education.

Our hope is that students will have the chance to connect emotionally and creatively to their city and their neighbourhood, allowing them to imagine and dream their lives otherwise, to be producers and participants and not just passive consumers of artistic stimuli, promoting their vision for the future.

Workshops 

From Hamlet to Greta / Theatre & Performance Workshop by Yota Argyropoulou

Through the basic principles of acting and theatrical expression, students as creators will compose theatrical scripts using their own experiences as material as well as unpredictable means to write their dialogues. The raw material of the workshop will be composed by the thoughts, reflections, and goals of the group. A monologue by Shakespeare or a speech by the young Swedish environmental activist, an Instagram post, a conversation with a friend, a political happening, a nightmare, or the most beautiful evening, can all be turned into theatrical material. A closing performance open to the public will be created together with the participants and could take the form of a theatrical presentation with an original text or a performative action, possibly even in public space. 

Let’s Write! / Creative Writing Workshop by Takis Katsampanis

The creative writing workshop will encourage students to get in touch with their imagination, to express feelings and experiences and to trust their instincts. During the sessions, the participants will not only develop skills related to storytelling but will also go through the process of discovering their own personal voice, forming associations, challenging existing rules, creating new ones, and delving into the unknown. Towards the end of the cycle, their stories will turn into narratives, documented, and encapsulated in podcasts serving as an auditory journal of their overall work.

WeMap / Psychogeography & Mapping Workshop by Bend Design Studio

Through a collective visual dialogue consisting of traditional and contemporary mapping tools, students will record the social and cultural features of their everyday lives and the public space of their neighbourhood. The field of research will be based on the principle of psychogeography (cognitive mapping), cartographic narratives, urban movement as well as street art elements, with the aim of introducing participants to new fields of visual experimentation and representation. Together they will work on the process of editing, designing, and publishing ‘personal’ maps in both digital and printed formats for a final presentation.

Operation Tavros: 0-TΛVROΣ / Sound & Music Workshop by Black Athena

During the workshop, participants will experiment with the means and tools of sound and music production and the various ways in which they can create, express, and position themselves through them. More specifically, students will engage in skill-building exercises related to creating and presenting a radio show, as well as honing their abilities in the art of DJing, beat mixing and scratching. By the final stage of the workshop, they will be able to create synthesised sounds and beats using user-friendly apps, collaborate on recording a music track with a guest rap musician, and gain insights into the workings of the music industry. All the material produced during the workshops will be presented in the format and context decided by the students in collaboration with the group facilitator.

About the workshop facilitators

Yota Argyropoulou is an actress, performer, director and founding member of blindspot theatre group. Born in Athens, she studied theatre and art history. In the wide range of her artistic activity, she has directed works at the Athens & Epidaurus (2022), the Onassis Youth Festival (2016), as well as the Ibsen Festival at the National Theatre of Oslo (2016). Alongside her participation in plays, she has organised theatre, performance, and poetry workshops in collaboration with the National Theatre and the Onassis Stegi.

Takis Katsampanis was born in Athens. He studied at the School of Philosophy and worked as a philologist for some years. From 2007 to 2012 he lived in Australia where he worked as a linguist, journalist, and researcher at the University of Sydney. He has written articles for newspapers, taken part in collective editions, and published two novels.

Bend Design Studio is a graphic design team founded in 2005 and based in Kallithea, Athens. Combining activities such as design, illustration, digital media, photography and fine art, the team specialises in the production of digital and printed visual communication materials. Through their work, they seek to establish original collaborations with local cultural organisations such as the Cycladic Museum, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and Onassis Stegi.

Costis Nikiforakis is a music promoter, radio producer, and one of the two members of the duo DJ Black Athena. He is responsible for the Black Athena Record Label, releasing a total of 80 tracks since its inception in 2016. He manages his own radio program at Onassis Stegi, and in the past, he has been in charge of several underground music-themed exhibitions and projects, as well as stage management at local festivals.