PARALLEL ACTIVITIES

ORAL HISTORY SEMINARS
"Elefsina narrates its memories"

How was life in our city, when the thrum of the factory machines permeated its streets? When the smell of the fumes entered Elefsina's abodes? When workers' parties were held at the factory grounds? Elefsina is changing, the industries are disappearing and the life of the city is transforming, but people's memories are still alive. How can we take firm steps into the present, if we remain unaware of our past?

As part of the art project "Mystery 32 Open Eleusis - one documentary, many stories" we organized a four-day oral history seminar in June 2023 with the aim of creating an oral history group of Eleusis. We met at the old railway station of Elefsina: the Elefsinians who wanted to join the group, under the guidance of historian Tasoula Verveniotis and with the technical support of filmmaker Michalis Kastanidis, were informed about the value and methodology of oral history, its interview techniques, and the network of oral history groups spreading throughout the country. The goal now is to create an audiovisual archive of oral histories, consisting of testimonies of local residents.

Educational workshop for children
"Stories of our city: an introduction to the art of cinema"

Within the context of the art project "Mystery 32 Open Eleusis - one documentary, many stories" and in collaboration with the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE in Greek) of Elefsina, we organized a five-day workshop during the summer of 2023 for children attending the fifth and sixth grade. Under the team's guidance, the children participated in all stages of planning and production of a short film. They became familiar with scriptwriting, the creation of characters, building the sets, adding sound to film, and telling their own stories about their perception of the city.

The films made by the children in the educational workshop were submitted for participation in the 23rd European Meeting of Youth Audiovisual Creation at the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Youth. The submission was accepted and the films were screened on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 in Pyrgos, Elis, Greece.

The event resulted in the creation of a short guide for teachers who might wish to take part in this workshop in the future.

Guide for teachers (download link)

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR
"DEINDUSTRIALIZATION & MODERN CITIES"

On Saturday, the 23rd of September 2023, the OPEN ELEUSIS team welcomed colleagues from Lavrio and Leeds within the context of the workshop on "Processes of industrialization and de-industrialization in the study of history, culture and society in contemporary cities".

The groups met at the old town hall of Elefsina to discuss common themes and issues arising from their research in three different cities experiencing the effects of industrialisation and massive, abrupt and controversial deindustrialisation processes during the 20th century.

• The OPEN ELEUSIS team presented their work to date, which involved the study of the history, culture and society of Elefsina, a city that oscillates between its ancient life as a religious site, its consolidation as an industrial center during the 20th century, and its rapid transformation as a result of deindustrialisation during the 1990s.
• Dr. Lisa Taylor, lecturer in cultural studies and Head of Media in the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities at Leeds Beckett University, presented the findings of her research into the Firths Carpets carpet factory that was the community center of Bailiff Bridge, a town in West Yorkshire, UK, which underwent abrupt deindustrialisation, radically altering community life.
• The team of the Lavrion Historical and Industrial Archive presented their work aiming to rescue the rich archival material of Lavrion's industrial past, including the classification, digital cataloging and digitisation of large volumes of archival material. At the same time, the team highlighted the various research and methodological issues that rose during the establishment of a modern industrial history archive.

The meeting provided an occasion for constructive dialogue on the diverse, interdisciplinary methodologies (coming from history, ethnography, oral history, art and architecture) and the radical role of engagement with local communities in academic research. Ultimately, it became apparent that these three research projects sought to go beyond archival work, bridging the gap between academic research and contemporary issues of the communities and urban spaces involved.

OPEN DAY FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

On the 14th of April 2024, we celebrated the completion of a multidimensional project implemented in collaboration with the residents of Elefsina. At CINE ELEUSIS we talked about the research, watched the documentary, enjoyed the students' creations, and met with friends and partners.