anymore anyless, 2018

Site specific installation, zip lock bags, tracing paper, ink, findings, artist’s breathe out air, dimensions variable.

The landscape design by the well-known church of Evangelistria in Tinos island, widely known as “The Garden of Virgin Mary”, was made by Panagiotis Vokotopoulos and his collaborators M. Viatzis and D. Kanakakis in 1983. My research was mainly based on the original architectural drawings and project report found in the P. Vokotopoulos archive, now belonging to the Modern Greek Architecture Archives of the Benaki Museum. “The single slope of the park should be divided into levels that are closer to the horizontal line and which, respectively, will separate the required functions into similar functional zones: a. game, b. recreation, c. viewing and homage zone. The zones’ alignment follows the above order in order to pursue the corresponding distance from the Temple*.”

The research behind the site specific installation titled ‘Anymore Anyless’ is mainly based on the time when P. Vokotopoulos submitted his project report: On this initial moment of the architect’s vision concerning this site, documenting all 197 pre-existing trees, which certainly influenced his architectural compositions. “The main concern of the solution was to preserve most elements of the existing situation and to integrate them into the new landscape design”, Vokotopoulos mentioned*.

The two elevations of the architect’s proposed composition are re-designed by myself in 22 parts, based on the original measurements and presented piece-by-piece on the plastic surfaces of zip lock bags. Each one of the 22 drawing parts are repeated three times on each sachet, following the original architectural design and related to the three developmental phases of the particular landscape: the first pre-existing image, before the architectural proposal, the second phase, related to the architect’s vision in 1983 and the third one that portrays the park’s present image, based on findings. In addition to all designs and accumulated findings, which include organic as well as structural material, the zip lock bags also contain my breathe out air.

Ephemeral gardens, curated by Nikos Podias, Kinono tinos art gathering, Garden of Virgin Mary and Weaving School, Tinos, Greece.

*Notes from “The Garden of Virgin Mary” project report by P. Vokotopoulos. I would like to thank the Modern Greek Architecture Archives of the Benaki Museum and the Greek Sanctuary of Tinos’ Evangelistria for hosting the research of the original drawings of the P. Vokotopoulos archive “The Garden of Virgin Mary”, as well as for licensing the use of the photographed images. Also many thanks to Manolis Iliakis and Vassiliki Boulerou for helping out my research process.

Documentation photos by Lea Petrou and Nikos Podias.