PARK NEO PETRITSI, GREECE

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Four years past and we returned to the north of Greece for a new workshop. In response to the hut we've built here before an interest to work with us arose from the village of Neo Petritsi, twenty five kilometres from Kapnofito. This time it's a reunion of 'old' acquaintances in the area, former fellow students and tutor. In addition an opportunity to visit the hut and dwell in and around it for a while.

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Like four years ago we've initially had the opportunity to work in this area thanks to Ioulia Eleftheriadou. A local journalist approached her with the idea to make a recently developed footpath along a small stream more accessible and attractive. Until just before we left for Greece the plan had been to do this with several bridges, stairs and at the end of the path a (dance) platform at a waterfall. The path follows the stream from the centre of the village up the mountain. Seen from the small and surprisingly lively centre of the village the path runs past three restaurants with very large terraces surrounding the stream, one in decay and one named oasis, and past a park in decay before leaving the village and entering the forest and the mountain.

The local authority that manages the forest on the mountain only decided shortly before the workshop was planned not to give permission to work along the stream in the forest. The inhabitants of the village that were involved and the municipality have shown resilience and proposed an alternative. To refocus our attention to the park in decay in between the village and mountain. And to realise a stage / dance platform there in any case.

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A different perspective on the frontier area in the north of Greece in this village compared to four years ago. We are all hosted by young families that have consciously decided to move from the city to the countryside eight to ten years ago. The young, old and everything in between come together all day and into the night in the small centre. The improbable amount of terraces are filled regularly.

There's no design, no drawing, there are seventeen bodies in the park, the timber for the bridges, stones from the stream, three days of sun and two days of rain, the unlimited hospitality and regular direct help from the inhabitants during the construction process. We worked and the village worked with us, the lighting in the park was fixed, the grass was mowed and the leaves were raked.

On Saturday we presented our work and some inhabitants treated us to music, theatre and as always food and drinks. The stage with a bench and fireplace of stacked stones underneath two large plane trees. And at the spot where the old foundations of an old aqueduct can be found on both sides of the stream, where two trees form a gateway, the start of a bridge. Approximately reaching out to a-fig tree. That's precisely where we want to be, dwelling underneath the fig-tree. We do not cross.

Furthermore we have made a few suggestions of what is possible with existing elements in the park.

Design and realisation by Alberto Altes Arlandis, Alla Onopchenko, Arusree Mohanty Chhaya, Egle Rutkauskaite, Eva Koopal, Ioulia Eleftheriadou, Joshua Taylor, Leda Voutsina, Mantas Gipas, Maria Theophanous, Mirjam Drechsler, Piotr Paczkowski, Rafaela Taylor, Rogier Rouwet, Sofia Musatti, Terézia Števuliaková, Victor Berg.

Organisation by Alberto Altes Arlandis, Ioulia Eleftheriadou and Panagiotis Savvidis.

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Thanks to the inhabitants of Neo Petritsi.