Routes in Marpissa Festival
August 22, 23 & 24, 2025

Clumsy Routes

 

With a title inspired by the series of books Paros, Clumsy Drawings by photographer and folk-art researcher Zacharias Stellas, the 15th Routes in Marpissa festival returns this year on August 22, 23, and 24.

Taking as its reference point Stellas’s invaluable work, this year’s theme invites us to travel back to a time when spontaneous folk expression gave rise to clumsy and often imperfect, yet always harmonious and functional lines, as they are reflected in various aspects of everyday cultural life. Through the proposed routes and carefully designed experiential activities, the festival seeks to explore and highlight these now rare, rough, and unrefined characteristics of the authentic Cycladic landscape. At the same time, it calls upon us to reflect on what modern, “filtered” culture sacrifices in pursuit of an elusive perfection.

Inspired by the village, accompanied by the residents and aiming at action…
come and walk with us in Marpissa!

 

Friday, August 22; Saturday, August 23; and Sunday, August 24, 2025
Marpissa, Paros
Admission to all events is free

Organisation: Routes in Marpissa
Co-organisation: Region of South Aegean, Municipality of Paros
Under the Auspices of: Ministry of Culture
Grand Sponsors: Avant Mar, Blue Star Ferries, Cosmote

POSTERS

PROGRAM

Friday 22 August

Friday 22 August

 

19:00 “ A Lantern and a Haiku !”, workshop for children aged 5–8, in collaboration with the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation
[Agrotoleschi]

 

19:00 “ Clumsy Heroes on Clumsy Reading Paths ”, workshop for children aged 9–12, by educator Koula Panagou
[Aristotelis Square]

 

19:30 «It just happened to me» , interactive storytelling in English for children and families by Belgian author Wally De Doncker (activity in English)
[Prophet Elias Square]

 

20:00 Guided tour of the contemporary art exhibition “Mishaps”, by curator Despina Zefkili. During the tour, performance “The Turner” by Dimitris Ameladiotis will take place.
[Starting point: Marpissa Municipal Sports Centre]

 

21:15 Talk: “ The Work of Zacharias Stellas Through the Archives of the Hellenic Photographic Society ” by Kyriakos Kokkos, President of the Hellenic Photographic Society
[Courtyard of Marpissa Municipal Community]

 

22:30 Human Touch concert
David Lynch: tenor & soprano saxophone, vocals, flute, piccolo, recorder, percussion
Giotis Kiourtsoglou: electric bass (fretted & fretless), vocals, cajon
Stavros Lantsias: piano-keyboards, drums, classical guitar, melodica
[Christos Square]

Saturday 23 August

Saturday 23 August

 

Morning Event
08:00 Incantations / Aetheiés , performative walk along the Byzantine path by Antonis Antoniou and Marios Chatziprokopiou, part of the exhibition “Mishaps”.
Estimated duration: 1.5 hours
With the participation of: Sofia Kefala
(Closed shoes, hat, and water are recommended)
[Meeting point: Prodromos Square for transport to Lefkes]

 

19:00 “ A Lantern and a Haiku !”, workshop for children aged 9–12, in collaboration with the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation
[Agrotoleschi]

 

19:00 “ Clumsy Heroes on Clumsy Reading Paths ”, workshop for children aged 6–8, by educator Koula Panagou
[Aristotelis Square]

 

20:15 Roundtable discussion:
“If I must rely solely on the Hotel…”
On artistic practices in the periphery as an alternative (?) to the dominant tourism model.
Speakers:
• Vassilis Karamitsanis, President of Animasyros International Animation Festival
• Elpida Karampa, Associate Professor, University of Thessaly, Department of Culture and Creative Media & Industries (specialist in cultural mediation and arts education)
• Manto Psarelli, Art Historian – Curator at Tavros Space
Moderator: Despina Zefkili, Art Critic and Curator of Contemporary Art for Routes in Marpissa
[Christos Square]

 

22:00 Myrto Vassiliou Concert
Arrangements/Bass: Giorgos Bouldis
Electric Guitar: Giorgos Kardianos
Keyboards: Alexandros Dimopoulos
Sound Editing: Manolis Pantelias
Drums: Panagiotis Vrachiolidis
[Courtyard of Marpissa Municipal Community]

Sunday 24 August

Sunday 24 August

 

19:00 “ A World Made of Paper !”, workshop for children aged 6–10, in collaboration with the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation
[Agrotoleschi]

 

19:00 “ The Journey of the Clumsy Drawing ”, art experiments for children aged 3–5 and their families, by Katerina Dermata, Early Childhood Educator, PhD in Visual Culture and Social-Emotional Literacy
[Courtyard of N. Perantinos Sculpture Museum]

 

20:15 Dance Workshop “From Rough to Refined and from the “Artful” to the “Unpolished”: Discovering Aesthetic Criteria in Greek Traditional Dance”
by Giorgos Fountzoulas, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
[Christos Square]

 

22:00 “ With tsampounes and toubakia ”, traditional music by musicians from Paros and Antiparos
[Starting point: Windmills Square]

 

22:30 Traditional Island feast with Nikos Economides and Kyriaki Spanou, Panagiotis Vergos, Yiorgos Gavras, Yiannis Sifneos, Nikos Tsantanis.
[Papa-Yiorghi Stamena Square]

Parallel Events (August 22–24, 19:00–22:00)

Explore the traditional village and visit:

  • Sites of interest and thematic experiential activity routes designed by the Routes in Marpissa volunteer team:
    St. George – St. Panteleimon Church
    Zacharias Stellas’s Family House
    Nativity – St. Efstathios Church
    Delagrammatis Residence
    Virgin Mary “Anapliotissa” Church
    Dimitroula Square
    St. Demetrios Church
    Stamena Evlogia Residence
    Annunciation “Evangelismos” Church
    Annunciation “Evangelismos” Square
    Kaparou Residence
    Former Workshop of Maria Agourou
  • Digital Tours of traditional Parian houses in collaboration with HERMeS (HERitage Management e-Society) and the Marpissa Oral History Group
  • Participatory Textile Installation “Weaving Memories, Uniting Paths” by textile artisan Alexandra Bissa
    [Dimitroula Square]
  • Traces of Light , an artistic workshop by Theodora Kanelli, artist – architect
  • Visiting places: Anoussakis Residence and Agouros Windmill
  • Contemporary art exhibition: Mishaps
    Artists:
    Dimitris Ameladiotis
    Antonis Antoniou & Marios Chatziprokopiou
    Alkisti Efthymiou
    Markella Ksilogiannopoulou
    Doreida Xhogu
    Curated by: Despina Zefkili
    Featured Works:
    • Dimitris Ameladiotis, The Turner, performance, 2025
    [Annunciation Square (A9)]
    • Antonis Antoniou & Marios Chatziprokopiou, Incantations/Aetheiés, performative walk, 2025
    The traces left behind take form as a visual/poetic installation in Marpissa
    [Annunciation Square (A9)]
    • Alkisti Efthymiou, Tasia’s Complaint, video, 2025
    [Across from the Tsantoulis–Stellas Residence (T)]
    • Markella Ksilogiannopoulou, Topika, sound installation, 2025
    [Marpissa Sports Centre]
    • Doreida Xhogu, Dordolecat (The Scarecrows), installation, 2025
    [Across from the Agrotoleschi]

Friday 22, Saturday 23 & Sunday 24 August 2025
Marpissa, Paros
Free admission to all events
The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the programme.

Organised by: Routes in Marpissa
Co-organised by: Region of South Aegean, Municipality of Paros
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture
Major Sponsors: Avant Mar, Blue Star Ferries, Cosmote
Media Sponsors: ERT, ERT3, ERT South Aegean, Deftero Programma 103.7,
COSMOTE TV, STAR, Kathimerini, Diesi 101.3, Empneusi 107, Parola

2026 – Routes in Marpissa Festival
2024 – Routes in Marpissa