Mystery 0 Mysteries of Transition
project
Description
The Mystery 0 Mysteries of Transition is the Opening Ceremony of the 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, conceived by the General Artistic Director Michael Marmarinos and directed by the distinguished British director Chris Baldwin, held as a two-day celebration of the city on 4 and 5 February, activating the public space and a multitude of enclosed spaces.
A multidimensional production in Elefsina – a city of approximately 30,000 residents – that attracted more than 15,000 visitors from the city itself, Attica, Greece, and the whole world, with an additional 3,000,000 spectators watching the main event of the two-day Opening Ceremony on Saturday, February 4, via satellite from the ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation) television network.
The two-day ceremony began with the arrival of three Processions, each comprising individuals who traversed the geographical landscapes of Europe, Attica, and the city itself in order to gather at the open-air theatre and the parking lot of the Elefsina Old Oil Mill Factory. TimeCircus came from Belgium, having journeyed 3,000 kilometres over nine months across Europe aboard the Landship (Mystery 99 The Ark). Hemerodromes of 21km., disabled persons and others, spanned the Sacred Way, departing from Kerameikos in Athens at noon (21km: A Day of the Road to Elefsina). Meanwhile, the Eleusinian Movement, with more than 700 people, members of the city’s ethnolocal associations, filled the streets with music and dance from their land of origin. An amalgam of ethnolocal associations, runners, artists, and other groups arrived at the meeting point, the theatre of the newly renovated Old Oil Mill Factory, with greetings to mark the official opening, attended by institutions, representatives of
artistic organizations, embassies, and European Capitals of Culture.
The Main Event of the Opening Ceremony, the emergence of a mythical entity from the depths of the sea – a metallic sculpture (Mystery 0 Her [She Creature]), adorned with the motif of the iconic poppy at the archaeological site of Eleusis. This luminescent spectacle was accompanied by an original musical composition created specifically for the occasion, featuring a female polyphonic ensemble (Mystery 96 Chóres) and a brass orchestra.
The third segment of the first day’s activities featured an original cultural route along the city’s coastal front, encompassing 19 separate actions. These included experimental projects, choreographies, sound installations, a concert featuring the Pontian lyre, and seafood treats in unexpected spaces such as rooftops, courtyards, car repair shops, taverns, balconies, windows, and roofs. This meticulously planned route offered an immersive introduction to the city, not merely as a place but also as a community in its entirety. Seemingly disparate events, harmoniously intertwined and born from the core of the city’s identity, unfolded along Elefsina’s coastal front, a space under constant contention, which in the city’s everyday life is somewhat perceived as a non-place. Upon completing the cultural route, 5,000 spectators headed for the first time to the former IRIS Factory to witness the historic reunion of Stereo Nova. Celebrating femininity as the sole hope of the universe and the city’s mythical history through the two goddesses, Demeter and Persephone, the evening culminated in a party featuring five female DJs from European Capitals of Culture: Timișoara (Romania), Veszprém (Hungary), Kaunas (Lithuania), Elefsina (Greece) and Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg). Simultaneously, throughout the day, Nymphs made unexpected appearances in the city – at the Old Oil Mill Factory Amphitheatre during the official opening, on the pier hosting the Central Event, and as part of the Cultural Route.
On the second day of the Opening Ceremony, the city was to become an open-air stage with the opening of two iconic exhibitions (Mystery 17 Melina and Mystery 44 7 Columns by Heiner Goebbels), light and video installations (Mystery 34 Faces of Elefsina by Lina Bertucci), performances (Mystery 108 Kamares by Euripides Laskaridis), art exhibitions, special tours of
the archaeological site (Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology), and free roaming in the city, while the City Philharmonic filled the alleys with melodies, and boats at sea were choreographed to “Celebrate the Light”. However, the second day was blanketed in white, as snow covered the beach of Elefsina and the entire city, significantly affecting most of
the actions of that day, leaving only those held indoors to take place.
Archival Research
Artists
Μιχαήλ Μαρμαρινός - 2023 Ελευσίς (Michail Marmarinos - 2023 Eleusis), Chris Baldwin
Stages of Implementation
Launch of director's research for the two-day event: January 2022
Equipment installation: 21st January to 2nd February 2023
Technical testing: 31 January & 1 February 2023
Day 1 General check: 2nd February 2023
Day 1 Generale: 3rd February 2023
Opening Ceremony: 4th & 5th February 2023
Detailed schedule of the two-day Opening Ceremony in the relevant document
Partners
CCD Productions Ltd, ViewMaster Events
Category
Σύνθετη δράση τέχνης/Interdisciplinary art project
Axes
Keywords
Τελετή Έναρξης ΠΠΕ/ECoC Opening Ceremony, Ευρωπαϊκή Διάσταση/European dimension, Μυστήρια Μετάβασης/Mysteries Of Transition, Σύνθετη δράση τέχνης/Interdisciplinary art project, Εξωτερικός χώρος/Outdoor, Παράκτιο μέτωπο/Waterfront, Τέχνη στο Δημόσιο Χώρο/Art in Public Space, Εμπλοκή Κοινότητας/Community Involvement, Γενική Καλλιτεχνική Διεύθυνση/General Artistic Directorate, Θάλασσα/Sea, Ομάδα/Team
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