60s: A Lost Play of Forms

City Spirit
Urbanization, Independence Day, the start of economic, cultural and tourism growth; these are some of the glory factors which shaped Cyprus during the 1960s. More importantly however was the arrival of certain young Cypriot architects from abroad with new ideas and a thirst for modern productivity. Many of them set up offices in the capital Nicosia, a metropolis that was in demand of a new cityscape. Projects realized then are still considered to this day as the founding structures of Cypriot architecture.

Although most of those buildings are still functional today, many of them have yet to be properly recognized and stand forgotten and helpless as they give way to modern architecture erected around them. Geometrical shapes caught between the rubble, they have immersed unwillingly into the shadows, becoming an empty shell of their former self.

Revealing the Animate in the Inanimate
Starting off on a documentary approach by focusing on pre-74’ Cypriot Architecture in Nicosia (the town I grew up in), my objective is to engage in a dialogue with the visual language that is constantly changing, in taking a look at the old to develop the new.

Choosing to shoot from a low viewpoint, I was able to isolate each structure from its common surroundings (pavements, people, street signs, the horizon) and concentrate on specific details bringing into view a lost play of forms and spaces. Where each building stood static in time, up above the ground a new dynamic geometrical form was emerging.

Giving emphasis on the interplay between various geometrical elements such as intricate patterns, tactile qualities of surfaces together with tonality of light, led me in finding alternate ways of exposing the structural organization of forms and elements in space.

“Structure is the maker of light. A column and a column bring light between them. It is darkness-light, darkness-light, darkness-light, darkness-light”

Louis Khan (1901-1974) one of the most influential architects of the mid-20th century believed that great architecture is formed from continuous interaction of structure and light.

A building never ends where the lines form corners…it is a continuous breathing space…a building of living matter…it creates a new sense of direction.

The edge of the building was taking on a new persona. This movement of structural form was able to create a new visual language, which changed dramatically by each change of angle, altering its original appearance.

The audience is given the freedom to experience a new journey or a continuation of an old one through each image. Applying one’s visual language through the given space can alter the perception of boundaries and perhaps at the same time re-awaken a sense of cultural pride. What is documented is displayed on angle and light. The final word is the ‘unsaid’ word of the viewer.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on 29th of September at 20:00.

Opening Hours
10:00-13:00 & 17:00-20:00