DISSONANT CLASSICIM

Solo Show & Performance
Athens Deign Forum , 12 September 2022, Athens

Design has become a true form of contemporary language, breaking down the barriers between architecture and art and transcending the two disciplines. Designers are now approaching traditional production techniques by re-adapting them to a contemporary aesthetic while enriching them with an experimental vision, turning them into tools for innovation. The re-appropriation of these classic production processes has formed a discipline in which old crafts are reinterpreted and adapted by contemporary designers to modern socio-economic dynamics.

"Dissonant Classicism" is a performance project that arises from breaking down the value that traditional techniques have within the world of the arts, both applied and plastic, in the current production of a design piece.

After being invited to the Athens Design Forum, we took as a study case one of the most exploited examples in contemporary Greece, the Classical Ancient Temple, with particular reference to the Zeus Temple of Athens, about 500 meters southeast of the Acropolis.
After a very brief visual examination, we decided to reproduce four objects during our performance This first step called ''the Extraction," consisted of selecting a series of objects from the Temples and decontextualising them, repositioning them in a new and unfit environment, an Industrial Archeology that was also the location of the performance itself.

The second step concerned the choice of craftsmanship. We needed a craft that belonged both to Ancient Greece and to our practice and that could be used during the performance. Stucco is a technique used for covering pillars and walls in Greek Temples and it was perfect for our needs. We adapted the technique using it in a personal way; the "stucco" is no longer plaster, and the base is no longer stone walls, but contemporary materials, such as polystyrene as a base, a resin-based plaster mixed with local sand as covering materials.

The action of producing these pieces live, being able to interact with viewers while working, is the fundamental aspect of this project. A way to bring the making-off closer to the people while investigating new production processes. "Dissonant Classicism" is concerned with the conceptualisation of an object and the action of creating; it is about the performance, not the final form achieved. In this way, old and new techniques are fused with different visions and aesthetic needs, material studies and possible applications, reflecting not only on functionality but also questioning the aesthetic values and perceptive standards regarding the production of an object.
A working methodology that goes beyond the products, and opens up space for a discipline that aims to encapsulate its context.