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OKTANA
RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION FOR ANDREAS EMPIRIKOS
The brief
OKTANA exhibition was part of a tribute organized by the National Book Centre of Greece to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the poet Andreas Empeirikos.Part of Amour Amour Exhibition organized on the occasion of the 100th anniversary from the birth of Andreas Empiricos
National Book Center of Greece &
Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Technopolis, Athens
December 2001
The exhibition was held in a former gasometer of circular floor plan, occupying mainly two of its three levels. The aim of the exhibition was to communicate the surrealist’s poet work to the visitors. We attempted to accomplish that through the interpretation of OKTANA – the utopian city described by Andreas Empeirikos in the poem of the homonymous collection – from the language of poetry to the language of imagery. Ten teams of young architects produced models, videos and illustrations that highlighted different aspects of the poem. The exhibits were developed in parallel with the exhibition design, giving a very interesting dynamic to the process. In the last level of the circular building, twelve historic utopias were presented through illustrations and miniature models. The introductive texts were printed in reverse and read through mirrors that were placed horizontally.
