Units of Infrastructure is an exhibition in Athens, Greece, curated by Founder and Creative Director of Athens Design Forum, Katerina Papanikolopoulos – presented by The Design Release. A theme of translatability is the guiding thread – shown through the adaptations of humble materials. The objects emphasize mobility and migration routes due to their size and use of reclaimed spolia. Zoë Paul’s tiles, made to be installed as a fireplace, breathe a new vitality when seen displaced from their functional role. Kleopatra Tsali’s hand-casted and fired melon lamps near the scale of totems; Holly Lueders’ watercolors of Patmian interiors reveal the making of a home in reverence to Greek craftsmanship; Elena Demetria Chantzis prompts viewers to question ceramic production and its place in Greek history as a tool of domestic use. The enigmatic ceramic vessels of Cypriot architect Yiannos Anastassiou, Lebanese-Greek designer Maria Halios, and Leros-based Marianna Xylina transform archetypal shapes to question the effect of heritage. Discarded pieces of surplus marble was used to create the shelving system, bench, and table by Theodore Psychoyos. The audience may encounter the effect of tradition in a multitude of dimensions.
Photography by Chris Kontos