“Chisel and memory. The contribution of marble crafts in the restoration of monuments. Exhibition and activities at the Piraeus Bank Conference Centre in Thessaloniki”

Chisel and memory. The contribution of marble crafts in the restoration of monuments.
Exhibition and activities at the Piraeus Bank Conference Centre in Thessaloniki

The Committee for the Conservation of the Acropolis Monuments (ESMA), the Acropolis Restoration Service (YSMA), and the Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage (DINEPOK) of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (YPPOA) in collaboration with the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP) are organising an exhibition entitled "Chisel and memory. The contribution of marble crafts in the restoration of monuments". The exhibition is part of the events for the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 (#EuropeForCulture) and has already travelled to Corfu and Lesvos. On the occasion of the celebration of the European Heritage Days on the subject of "Pol(e)is" ("Cities"), the exhibition will be hosted at the Conference Centre of the Piraeus Bank in Thessaloniki.

The core of the exhibition is the display of photographs from the restoration work at the Acropolis. It includes photographic material from the Committee for the Conservation of the Acropolis Monuments and the Acropolis Restoration Service of the Ministry of Culture, the entities responsible for the restoration and conservation of the monuments at the Acropolis. A main thematic axis of the exhibition is to highlight the human factor in the specialised restoration work under way at the Acropolis. The exhibition addresses a range of questions: How do marble craftsmen contribute to restoration work and how involved are they in the project? What feelings do they experience and share upon plying their craft? How is the community of marble craftsmen organised and how does it function through collaboration, exchange of knowledge and experience, leisure time?

Concurrently, the exhibition aims at showcasing marble craftsmanship as an intangible cultural asset, highlighting not only the work of the craftsmen but also the tradition, the cultural experience and the collective interactions and memories in the framework of which this art has been transmitted for centuries from generation to generation. In 2013 The Marble Craftsmanship of Tinos was inscribed in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece, and in 2015 in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the department responsible for implementing in Greece UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), promotes awareness as to safeguarding and showcasing the intangible cultural heritage that is part of the collective memory and identity of all of us.

Lastly, the exhibition opens a window of extroversion in Tinos, the most significant centre of marble craftsmanship in modern Greece, due to the rich marble deposits on the island and the tradition that has this art transmitted from father to son. In 2008 the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation inaugurated here, at Pirgos, Tinos, the Museum of Marble Crafts. The Museum presents the art of marble craftsmanship and the social and economic context in which the local workshops were developed. From its foundation to this day, the Museum has welcomed more than 235,000 visitors. Concurrently, through publications, itinerant exhibitions, workshops and the activities for children and adults it organises, it has become an important venue for the cultural expression of the local community and for showcasing marble craftsmanship on the local, national and international level.

The exhibition will run from October 1 to December 31, 2018
Visiting hours: Monday to Friday 10:00-17:00, Saturday 10:00-16:00, closed on Sundays
Entry is free of charge

For additional information please contact:

Acropolis Restoration Service: 210 3251620, 210 3243427 (Monday-Friday 08:00-16:00)

Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage: 210 5219097 (Monday-Friday 9:00-14:00)

PIOP Thessaloniki Headquarters: 2310 385662 (Monday-Friday 10:00-17:00)

Piraeus Bank Conference Centre
12-14 Katouni Street, Thessaloniki 546 25
Tel. no.: 2310 385662 | www.piop.gr
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