Vassarai

Community Art Project, Photographs & Exhibition.
Vassaras Community, Peloponnese, Greece.
Collaboration with Philip Day, Resident & George Meletis, Town Mayor. 2011/2012
Vassaras is a small village in the Peloponnese mountains in Greece once a thriving community of over 2000 inhabitants. By 2011 this had become fewer than 150 inhabitants, the vast majority over the age of 60.  Vassaras has large communities which have emigrated in Boston, Chicago, New York & Australia. It lies in the mountains surrounding Sparta, its way of life preserved untouched by the economic crisis in Greece. In the summer months the town swells with visiting Vassarai submerging themselves in family cultural roots.
Its local newspaper a monthly publication reflects this as it contains stories and information from all these communities combined. This project was inspired and sprung into action on seeing Kristitsa for the first time… a face telling many tales.

Over two weeks in December the streets, fields and roads of Vassaras were wandered to capture portraits of over 140 villagers, in their day-to-day activities.
An exhibition was installed for Easter 2012 with prints in three various locations within the village. The community embraced the project with the local taverna providing wine, olives and paximadia. The Exhibition brought abandoned spaces back into use and re-established current spaces for new purposes. The abandoned school came back to life and the, town hall (Kinotico), was draped with olive nets and props from the abandoned olive mill.

A local man Sarando (93) who used to own & run a local taverna called Café Neo, offered up his space as the third venue. This had been a bustling taverna in its day. It wasn’t long until local card players arrived in and breathed life into the space again. It became a living reenactment of the old days. For that short time in the village the community was ignited. The streets became alive as all the locals made their way with visiting families to have a look at all three venues on the trail.
Creative and resourceful as nobody else. The kind of person who has art in their blood.
- Edgar Rojas Cervantes