*Dense fog created by westerly winds that frequently covers Olympos village.
The village of Olympos in Karpathos encompasses the peculiarities of an island and, at the same time, of a mountainous landscape. Its distinctive characteristics, the multiple roles carried out by each member of the community as well as the connection with the land constitute factors that influence the inhabitants’ mentality and physiognomy. Its great tradition, mores and customs, preserved to this day, are well-known and much photographed. What piqued my photographic interest, though, is the reconnection of the villagers on the occasion of Easter. The anticipation of those who stayed in the village and the return of those who left. The different characteristics that the people of Olympos now have – relatives from America, sons and daughters-in-law from Athens, youngsters from neighboring Rhodes, along with those that spend the winter on the island, children that never stop roaming around the village and, the prevalent but subtle women’s gaze- interact to compose the essence of Olympos.
In searching for the identity of the place, of the community, of the individual, I look at tradition as the accumulated experience of social endeavors and as something alive in the here and now. The observation of the body, the movement, the speech, the singing and dancing, become valuable tools in this exploration, yet they are not enough.
At some moments, in the misty landscapes of Olympos, where all one can discern is silhouettes and shapes, my interconnection with the people of the island and everything that surrounds them took shape. What was finally captured is my passage from there. For that is what this is about; instinct, impression, experience.
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