Original article
Extract:
Ancient Athens’ golden glory may be the reason why the city’s vibrant present is often overlooked by visitors. Its inhabitants, though, don’t like to dwell on the past. Well, sort of..
It’s been a few years now that the city’s modest old neighbourhoods, like the once unwelcoming industrial Gazi (Gas in English), have been given a new lease of life courtesy of a vast choice of modern restos and bars. But when faced with a grim model of austerity, Athenians of all ages, trades and styles rebelled, revamped and livened up even more numb, forgotten corners of the city. This added great splashes of imagination and self-expression to the urban map. From experimental music compositions to exotic alcoholic concoctions, Athens’ old center is now packed with new ideas and alternatives for the monument-weary traveler.
The Arcade of Merchants, near Klafthmonos Square, and its characteristic kitschy collection of neon signs had been laying in obscurity for over 20 years until, in May 2014, the “Traces of Commerce” initiative filled it up with cooks and inventors, musicians and architects, technicians, designers and curators.
For a time period of 3-6 months, a different group of creatives come to galvanize the arcade, setting up shop for free in exchange for giving back to the people with workshops and events that heartily disseminate their know-how. The second phase of the project took up the arcade until mid-March 2015, building “New Creative Cells of Exchange”. Here you could mingle with puppeteers and theatre craftsmen at DollHouse, get a taste of do-it-yourself music production at Phase! & Orila Records, or watch the mouth-watering performances of the art group The Flower Girls, starring their sculptural edible flowers.
