Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice.
- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
This project observes the geography of Athens and the surrounding Greek Islands as a meditative response to financial crisis and ongoing political turmoil. Particular attention is given to the streets as modern incarnations of the classical Greek terms ‘Polis’ – an urban centre where demonstrations take place against austerity measures, together with a surrounding ‘khora’ or countryside; and ‘demos’ – ordinary citizens who play unique roles in forging new political movements, including Syriza – a contemporary left-wing political party specializing in a radical form of post-capitalist democracy.
The series attempts to formulate its own rhetorical path, contradicting notions and stereotypes of Greece as a tourist destination or troubled European Union State by constructing its own narrative. Each image is qualified by its precursor, building a sense of continuity, yet the final outcome, like the future of the nation state and the individuals pictured, is not universally defined.
Citrus trees line many of the streets in the city, promising sweet reward for those who can reach their ripening fruit, though the reality is far sharper than the image they represent.
©djnorwood 2017
- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
This project observes the geography of Athens and the surrounding Greek Islands as a meditative response to financial crisis and ongoing political turmoil. Particular attention is given to the streets as modern incarnations of the classical Greek terms ‘Polis’ – an urban centre where demonstrations take place against austerity measures, together with a surrounding ‘khora’ or countryside; and ‘demos’ – ordinary citizens who play unique roles in forging new political movements, including Syriza – a contemporary left-wing political party specializing in a radical form of post-capitalist democracy.
The series attempts to formulate its own rhetorical path, contradicting notions and stereotypes of Greece as a tourist destination or troubled European Union State by constructing its own narrative. Each image is qualified by its precursor, building a sense of continuity, yet the final outcome, like the future of the nation state and the individuals pictured, is not universally defined.
Citrus trees line many of the streets in the city, promising sweet reward for those who can reach their ripening fruit, though the reality is far sharper than the image they represent.
©djnorwood 2017