MYRSINI KAILA

15/01/2015

educator secondary education-museologist

Thessis: C. P. Cavafy.5 places in the city for poetry

Abstract

The diploma thesis subject is the Conceptual Exhibition Planning and Exhibition Design of a periodical exhibition for C. P. Cavafy. The thesis objective is the composition of a complete study (on a pre-study level) both on a level of Conceptual and Spatial Design (see Evelina Garantzioti). The initial intention was about the setup of an exhibition for the Cavafy Archive, which is the archive that the poet himself preserved and that belongs to Onassis Cultural Centre since 2013. The archive was not available as a whole and, as a result, the exhibition had a periodic character and was supported by the published parts of the archive ─ mainly by the body of the Cavafy poetry itself. However, the uniqueness of the exhibition lies on the choice of its place. The whole project is supported by our intention to link Cavafy and his poetry to the contemporary urban space and lifestyle. Cavafy was an urban poet, who wrote, among other things, for the lives of urban people. The study of the periodical exhibition C. P. Cavafy.5 places in the city for poetry aims: a. to present the Cavafy poetry as a classical, universal and humane work that still concerns us; b. to interpret the Cavafy piece based not only on the conditions of its formation, but also on the questions of our era; c. to overstep “the walls” of the museum and choose various spots in the centre of Thessaloniki as the exhibition place (and potentially in every city); d. to become, thus, an energetic zone of dialogue with the contemporary city and its inhabitants; e. to connect with the daily lives of people, with situations that any of us can experience in a contemporary city; f. to make the Cavafy Archive open to the public; g. to approach people who may not be familiar with Cavafy or poetry in general; h. to show the Cavafy poetry in a way, which will be based on emotion and experience.