Where The Sun Never Sets
Department
Critical StudiesAuthor
Gervaise Savviasalongside artist and curator, Irini Khenkin, we joined a group of Cyprus-based artists by way of artistic residency to explore notions of commemoration, community, fatigue, and slowness around the 20th of July––a date which marks the partition of Cyprus, which endures until today. In the words of artistic director, Dimitris Chimonas, "...starting with the theme of burnout as proposed by Viktor Szeri’s performance ‘fatigue,’ we wondered: what do we want to happen on the 20th of July in 2024, in Cyprus? What would the commemoration of this date look like inour school, one built on collaboration, solidarity, respect, and experimentation for all those who proudly embrace their otherness? We gathered to stretch and distort time, to make noise, and to foster a genuine connection between art and our environment. We rejected traditional spectatorship, and instead engaged in deep conversation, listened intently, and attempted to build and destroy together organically, mirroring the improvisational nature of the plants and insects inhabiting the site hosting us." *documentation by Dimitris Shammas [https://www.shammas.xyz] and Haris Pellapaisiotis [https://www.unic.ac.cy/pellapaisiotis-haris/].
