15th Festival “Routes in Marpissa” – Paros Clumsy Routes. Three days of celebration in the heart of the Cyclades

This year’s Festival Routes in Marpissa came to a close in an atmosphere of joy and nostalgia, having been held for the 15th consecutive year in the picturesque traditional settlement.

From 22 to 24 August, hundreds of visitors wandered through the maze-like paved alleys of the village, this time following the steps of photographer and folk-art researcher Zacharias Stellas, who led us on a clumsy route, filled with bright surprises, tender memories, moving emotions, creative inspiration, and food for thought.

Among other activities, children and adults had the chance to become photographers, and painters, capturing Marpissa’s hidden corners with the precious guidance of artist–architect Theodora Kanelli; to weave on a giant loom alongside textile artisan and weaver Alexandra Bissa; to take part in a treasure hunt for sharp-eyed players; to join a traditional Greek Dance Workshop with Giorgos Fountzoulas; to attend the interactive storytelling It just happened to me by author Wally De Doncker; and to listen to a lecture on the photographic work of Zacharias Stellas, given by Kyriakos Kokkos, President of the Hellenic Photographic Society.

Visitors also explored Agouros Windmill, the Anoussakis Residence, and the churches of St George, St Efstathios, Virgin Mary “Anapliotissa”, St Demetrios, and Annunciation. Following this year’s route, they admired rare photographs of Zacharias Stellas from the Benaki Museum archives, while thanks to HERMeS (HERitage Management e-Society) they digitally visited four traditional houses: Stellas’s paternal home, the Delagrammatis residence, the Stamenas-Evlogia residence, and the Kaparos residence, through VR headsets, a projector, or simply their mobile phones.

Our young friends enthusiastically unfolded their talents in the creative workshops A Lantern and a Haiku! and A World Made of Paper! hosted by the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, in the reading workshop Clumsy Heroes on Clumsy Reading Paths led by Koula Panagou, and added their own touches to the Journey of the Clumsy Painting guided by Katerina Dermata.

As every year, audiences visited the contemporary art exhibition curated by Despina Zefkili—this time titled Mishaps. It also hosted Dimitris Ameladiotis’ performance The Turner, the performative walk Incantations/Aetheiés along the Byzantine path by Antonis Antoniou and Marios Chatziprokopiou, and a stimulating roundtable on contemporary art and artistic practices in the periphery as an alternative to the dominant model of tourism, with speakers Vassilis Karamitsanis, Elpida Karampa, and Manto Psarelli.

The first two evenings closed atmospherically with Human Touch and Myrto Vassiliou, while the festival concluded in its traditional way “with tsampounes and toubakia” played by musicians from Paros and Antiparos, followed by an authentic island feast with Nikos Economides and Kyriaki Spanou.

Thank you for walking with us once again in Marpissa!

Organized by: Routes in Marpissa
Co-organized by: Region of South Aegean, Municipality of Paros
Under the auspices of: Ministry of Culture
Major Sponsors: Avant Mar, Blue Star Ferries, Cosmote
In collaboration with: Community of Marpissa
Media Sponsors: ERT, ERT3, ERT South Aegean, Second Programme 103.7, COSMOTE TV, STAR, Kathimerini, Diesi 101.3, Empnefsi 107, Parola