Under the Landscape is an educational and participatory project focusing on the local building traditions and the landscape of Therasia and Santorini (Cyclades, Greece). It unfolded through applied and theoretical learning settings for craftspeople, diverse practitioners, researchers and the local community. The unique materiality, the vernacular architecture and the cultural landscape are perceived as tools for collective learning, sustainable development and social empowerment.
Local
Greece
Region of South Aegean
Island group of Cyclades
Municipality of Thera (Santorini)
Community of Therasia
Settlement of Agrilia
Mainly rural
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Boulouki - Itinerant Workshop on Traditional Building Techniques Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Panagiotis Last name of representative: Kostoulas Gender: Male Nationality: Greece Function: Legal Representative, General Manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Nikitara 5-7 Town: Athens Postal code: 10678 Country: Greece Direct Tel:+30 21 1182 8348 E-mail:info@boulouki.org Website:https://www.boulouki.org/
Under the Landscape fosters a hands-on investigation into the traditional craftsmanship, vernacular architecture and cultural values underlying the landscape of Therasia and Santorini, a volcanic insular complex in Cyclades Greece. The project was implemented through diverse educational and engagement activities:
A five-week professional apprenticeship for local masons who worked in one of the last cave settlements of the region (Agrilia, Therasia) for the restoration of the central dry stone pathway and two water cisterns embedded in its route.
A two-week hands-on workshop for students and professionals of various disciplines from Greece and abroad, on two directions: a)‘Traditional building techniques’: 20 participants were trained on drystone and traditional mortars, assisting the restoration works, and b) ‘Contemporary Sculpture’: 9 students of the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA), experimented with the use of traditional mortars for creating sculptural artworks.
An international symposium on landscape research, comprising lectures by distinguished thinkers and a three-day workshop for 15 early-stage researchers.
A two-part exhibition, in both islands, overarching the outcomes of the project and disseminating the knowledge to the wider audience.
A series of activities for the capacity building of the local community and stakeholders; open lectures, participation in the works, an online handbook on the local techniques etc.
A fundamental aspect of the initiative is the multi-faceted research over the traditional building techniques and the cultural deposit of the area: interviews with elder masons and laboratory research on the local building materials were conducted to reclaim the historic knowledge and use it in the contemporary context for restorations and sustainable construction, fieldworks and studies shed light to multiple aspects of the cultural landscape of the area, feeding the design of the exhibition and setting the ground for the Symposium.
Theran mortars
Vernacular architecture
Cultural landscape
Hands-on and participatory learning process
Traditional craftsmanship and contemporary making
The unique geological history has substantially shaped the area's architecture; the use of volcanic stones and building materials based on lime and theran earth (a type of volcanic tephra with hydraulic properties) are documented since antiquity. The initiative aimed to unveil this interconnection of vernacular architecture with local materials and effectuate it through the restoration interventions in the settlement of Agrilia. This approach, apart from safeguarding local craftsmanship, highlights the use of locally sourced materials for reducing the environmental footprint of a building project. By the same token, mortars based on aerial lime and theran earth were designed according to the historical practice and applied for restoring the two cisterns, taking into account the former’s ecological features.
Another key objective was reinstating the functionality between the cobblestone and the cisterns for water management, contributing to the research of how traditional solutions can assist in tackling water scarcity, especially in this arid Aegean land. Locals indiscriminately use the terms 'road' and 'river' to refer to the pathway, as it functioned as a river’s bed with the seasonal flow of the streams, directing water to the cisterns.
The restoration project in Agrilia became the locus of a hands-on learning experience focusing on sustainability from the perspective of traditional knowledge and as a pedagogical framework. Sustainability was explored both in theory and practice; all participants acquired skills and knowledge on the above-mentioned aspects and on further topics such as the linkage between traditional building and agricultural practices, building-with-vegetation (rather than against it), small-scale stone quarrying and climate change related effects on islands. A round table discussion, during the symposium, focused on the re-introduction of local building materials and practices in the Greek context vis-à-vis the current construction model.
Agrilia serves as a pertinent example of the fundamental relation between the anthropogenic and natural environment: cave-houses, land terraces, underground cisterns, drystone walls and cobblestones compile an architectural assemblage of exquisite plasticity and functionality. The restoration works (re)introduced building traditions as a tool for modern design, respecting the above features, the local character and collective memory.
The project brought together an international community of residents, stakeholders, students and professionals, to travel from Santorini to Therasia, observe the evident contrast between the overdeveloped landscape of the former and the neglected landscape of the latter, explore and experiment with its materiality and think towards the future of the landscapes with(in) which we live. Participants worked with their hands, walked, learnt from and with old masons and locals, through an integrated educational setting which evoked thoughts and emotions; curiosity, awe, creativity, and connectedness to nature.
The experimentation on the use of traditional building mortars as a sculpture medium bridged craftsmanship with contemporary art, creating interfaces between the two fields in a local context.
During the symposium, researchers met in a powerpoint-free, outdoors workshop where theoretical explorations interacted with the physical landscapes.
The project was diffused to the local community and beyond through a two-fold exhibition: In Santorini the overall outcomes were presented along with aspects of the islands’ productive landscape and material culture. In Agrilia, a traditional wine-making space, along the restored pathway, transformed into a venue hosting the artworks of the ASFA students, as well as other creations of local and national artists.
The initiative achieved to showcase how art and culture can create an educational milieu and how small island communities may function as cores of social empowerment and creativity.
Therasia presents a significant historical and archaeological value, a unique architectural tradition and a natural environment of unquestionable beauty. Yet, this island community remains bound to a condition of economic and demographic decay, mainly due to the absence of alternative paradigms of growth; different to the example of mass tourism which seems to have sealed the fate of neighbouring Santorini, with adverse effects on the quality of life, local architecture and environment. The urgency of questioning established practices and models around heritage and landscape is underlined by the project.
Various topics were elicited such as the preservation of cultural heritage, the wise management of natural resources, the integration of low-impact and site-specific architectural approaches, setting the ground for the interdisciplinary and participatory design of the area’s development.
The symposium sparked a dialogue on the landscape of Santorini and Therasia and its potential use-values, beyond (over)tourism. Different models of economic and residential growth were discussed, in which cultural and natural heritage are core, while innovative measures were proposed for reversing the negative effects of over-development, building sprawl and commodification of many Greek islands, such as the integration of traditional practices and the inclusion of local communities in design processes.
Driven by the belief that more livable places may be shaped by a new generation of professionals who maintain the historical building knowhow and a civil society, sensitive to the morals of traditional knowledge, a two-fold priority was set: i) to train local professionals in traditional building techniques, promoting the revival of building crafts as a vehicle for (re)skilling young people and increasing employment ii) to foster the local community to engage, work and learn about the value of its local heritage and to further discuss and participate in designing for the future.
Older members of the local community and experienced non-active craftspeople participated in the research phase of the project through semi structured interviews. Their memories were a prerequisite to recover and document the local traditional building techniques.
During the restoration work phase, we managed to work with four craftsmen from Therasia and Santorini, employed by two different construction companies on the islands. We consider their participation a big success, as their training could lead to a shift in the established construction practices.
The involvement of the local community was beneficial for the educational process and the participants, but also for ensuring the sustainability of our work in the area, i.e. the regular maintenance of the cobblestone and the dissemination of the project’s values.
A series of events were organised meanwhile the restoration work and the symposium to raise awareness, build local capacity, empower this small community, and connect it with actors of national and international standing:
A three-day gathering for the collective cleaning of the pathway in Agrilia, along with the local community.
Three days of open participation in the restoration works at the central cobblestone in Agrilia.
A day of open lectures on architecture, archaeology, materials science and art by distinct speakers from Greece and abroad.
An open discussion concerning the management of the cultural assets of Santorini and Therasia.
A guided tour at the restoration project and discussion on traditional building techniques of the area with the teachers and students of the school of Therasia.
Two presentations at the Maritime Museum of Santorini.
Five open to the public lectures from eminent scholars and thinkers of our time.
Two round table discussions with national stakeholders addressing challenges for places and building practices in Greece.
The two-fold exhibition, which was open to the public for four months, after 3 extensions.
Under the Landscape functioned as a 'contact zone' between citizens, public authorities, craftspeople, students and engineers, academic institutes and local businesses in favour of cultural heritage and localised sustainable growth.
Research was conducted together with laboratories from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), the Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration (HSGME), the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering in Portugal (LNEC) and with Prof. Marie Jackson (University of Utah).
Restoration work was done in collaboration with the Municipality of Thera and the Ephorate of Antiquities, involving local craftspeople and residents. The hands-on workshop was co-designed and implemented with Boulouki’s associates, as well as tutors from ETH-Zurich and ASFA, and attracted participants from various backgrounds.
The implementation of the exhibition engaged one of the biggest museums of Santorini which granted one of its venues. Distinct national and European institutions and architects, as well as local researchers, artists and craftspeople, provided exhibits and audiovisual material.
The symposium’s scientific committee consisted of professors and scholars of international standing: Tim Ingold (University of Aberdeen), Karsten Harries (Yale University), Kenneth Olwig (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Teresa Gali-Izard (ETH Zurich) and Jane Mah Hutton (University of Waterloo).
Various stakeholders were engaged in panel discussions, such as representatives from HSGME, the Greek Ministry of Environment, property investment and restoration materials companies.
The project gained the aegis of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO and the Technical Chamber of Greece. It was supported financially by public institutions and private foundations from Greece and abroad, local businesses and people with a connection to Santorini and Therasia, and through crowdfunding.
To begin with, the design of the restoration work necessitated the combination of architectural studies with conservation and materials science. Boulouki, along, with specialised collaborators, delved into cave architecture and some of the most representative techniques of Therasia: the use of volcanic stones and natural pozzolans, such as theran earth is inscribed within a wider line of knowledge on hydraulic building materials throughout history, among which the famous Roman concrete technology. The team developed synergies with various laboratories and scholars, in order to fully address the complexity of the issue and contribute to scientific research.
For the design and implementation of the hands-on workshop, diverse fields merged into the pedagogical framework of ‘learning by doing’: architecture and engineering, craftwork and technical skills, geology, archaeology, agriculture, heritage management, art and sculpture. This led to a multispectral educational experience which offered a rich experience and toolkit for trainers and trainees.
The design of the exhibition necessitated skills and sought collaborations from the fields of museology, art curation and lighting design.
The symposium aimed to be a theoretical counterpart and to engage critically different fields around the study of landscapes: both the keynote lectures and the studies of the young researchers that were presented revolved around architecture/landscape architecture, environmental studies, geoscience, cultural ethnography, philosophy, geography, history, archaeology and fine arts.
All the above different fields and forms of knowledge generated crucial interactions on investigating the role of local cultures, in the context of climate change, global pandemics, mass tourism, mass migration and the so-called 4th industrial revolution, and to further reach integrated understandings of ‘substantive’ landscapes and sustainable places.
Under the Landscape aimed to infuse building culture in Santorini and Therasia with the tacit knowledge of traditional building techniques. Tradition is addressed as a source of innovation, bringing out new meanings which connect with the history of a place and contribute to social cohesion, through participatory building and collective care of common resources.
It is, furthermore, acknowledged as a design tool to achieve sustainability, reduce the environmental footprint of the construction sector, preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage and, thus, develop strategies aligned with the cultural assets and modern needs of each place.
Under the landscape is a non-formal and informal educational program, which unfolded through hands-on, participatory, interdisciplinary and relevant to local contexts teaching and learning processes.
The fact that an actual restoration project becomes an educational setting, the linking of field experience with a solid scientific framework and theoretical counterparts, the physical interaction with the landscape and the involvement of the local community signify elements of the project’s innovative nature.
In pedagogical view, all these features were indispensable for transmitting diverse skills and knowledge, which are not gained through typical curricula on heritage crafts or relevant seminars/workshops.
The format of apprenticeship addressed to professionals who want to specialise on heritage building crafts is newly introduced to the Greek context which lacks vocational training on the field.
Another innovative aspect of the project was exploring the ways in which contemporary art can be ‘gauged’ with traditional building practices and how art can be mediated as an educational framework.
The symposium was an innovative academic meeting where all participants travelled seas and walked within the landscape, met outside the typical academic context, in a face-to-face and ppt-free cognitive environment.
The project is a case study on how to transfer tacit knowledge of traditional building practices. The revival of the local know-how, as well as its re-appropriation by the craftspeople of the region is achieved through the professional apprenticeship. The understanding of the historic knowledge and its use for the design of compatible restoration interventions create a methodological toolset for a sustainable approach on cultural heritage preservation projects.
A restoration project that fosters the use of traditional techniques and engages local masons broaches how restoration/new building practices can become more sustainable and consistent with the cultural and historical context of a place.
Different educational formats of the project (hands-on workshop, artistic experimentation, outdoors academic symposium) can be considered good practices towards more innovative and inclusive pedagogical settings and could be replicable in other places and contexts. More specific dimensions such as the framework of sustainability, the ‘learning by doing approach’ and the intergenerational exchange could, also, be extracted as tools for educational projects.
The involvement and capacity building of the local community is considered a key aspect applicable in various cultural heritage, architecture, design and art initiatives. By the same token, the initiation of public dialogue and the multiple stakeholders’ involvement is crucial for ensuring diversification and actual impact.
Under the Landscape can be codified as a tangible and collective approach for the appreciation of the dynamics of a local culture: it is the key-approach for the conflation of the scientific and artistic perspectives and for tracing the interfaces between architecture and art, scientific methodology and unbound expression, theory and embodied knowledge. And it seems to be the same approach we all need nowadays in order to interpret and manage the various ‘landscapes’ of our modern life.
The participatory restoration project was implemented through a professional apprenticeship of five weeks, during which four young technicians were trained on the use of the local volcanic materials under the guidance of three expert masons and the architects/engineers of the team. Boulouki fosters the direct involvement of professionals who reside and are active in the areas where its projects take place, as a strategy aiming to the reclamation of the local building craft from its modern enactors.
Within the same timeframe, and for the duration of two weeks, a workshop was addressed to students and professionals from Greece and abroad, in two directions: one for the hands-on training on local techniques and materials through the restoration works and one for young artists who used traditional mortars for creating sculptural artworks.
Additional seminars were followed every afternoon by both directions on diverse thematics such as the cave architecture of Agrilia, the use of raw materials and tools, archaeological and agricultural aspects of the landscape. Lectures, guided tours, geological fieldwork and open discussions complemented the activities of the workshop.
The symposium was a two-part event: The first day took place in Santorini, as a conference, open to the public with four keynote lectures. In the following three days, the symposium moved to the island of Therasia in the form of an itinerant, outdoor workshop focused on the research of the selected participants. Four sessions, each chaired by one of the keynote lectures, took place in a different location in Therasia. The Symposium concluded with a final keynote lecture open to the public, back in the island of Santorini. All symposium activities were documented through graphic harvesting technique.
A core purpose of the project was to raise awareness, particularly within the local community, through a series of events held in the different phases and mostly through the two-fold exhibition.
New insights. A multidisciplinary research has brought forward important craft-based technologies of the past into the modern context, educating the technical and academic community in their various aspects. Research has enhanced our understanding of the cave architecture and local craftsmanship in Santorini archipelago, fostering their safeguarding. The scientific documentation has suggested the processes through which this traditional knowhow may be integrated in restoration practice and beyond. The project has shed light on how traditional infrastructure and local building techniques pave the way towards the ecological transition and tackling environmental issues, as well as how sustainability should be an inherent aspect of education on architecture and cultural heritage.
Training and (up)skilling. Under the Landscape has 'given back' to the community a restored cobbled pathway, two functional underground water cisterns in function and four trained masons, who will continue to live and work in Santorini, Therasia and the Cyclades. The project contributed to the upskilling of various professionals emphasising the need for vocational training and diversified educational programs on heritage building crafts. It also demonstrated how actual restoration projects can be leveraged as participatory learning opportunities.
A convincing paradigm. This multifold project has provided the local community and the regional government with tangible proof of how cultural heritage may be a valuable asset and a driver of alternative growth and that it is indeed possible to balance the preservation of traditional characteristics with meeting modern needs.
Interconnection and empowerment. Connecting the local stakeholders with actors of national and international standing has an empowering impact on the community and lays the ground for national and cross-border collaborations.
The project‘s already demonstrated results, outputs, and benefits are listed below:
Extensive laboratory research and architectural studies have been partially presented in academic events and professional meetings.
An open digital handbook on the traditional building techniques of Therasia and Santorini was developed (in Greek).
An integrated educational program was designed to transmit technical and embodied knowledge combining hands-on practice, theory and seminars.
265 sq.m. of the central cobbled pathway, 150 sq.m. adjacent walls and two underground water cisterns (approx. 30 sq.cm. each) were restored.
A 5-week professional apprenticeship was conducted with the participation of 4 technicians-trainees and 3 masons-trainers.
A 2-week hands-on workshop took place for 29 participants.
4 lectures by national and international researchers were given during the workshop.
15 early-stage researchers presented their scientific work and were reviewed by important scholars, during the Symposium.
2 documentaries present the participatory restoration project.
5, open to the public, keynote lectures during the symposium are online accessible.
Diverse capacity building activities for the local community (collective pathway cleaning, participation in the construction works, open lectures, discussions and presentations) were organised in which more than 350 people from the two islands participated.
The two-part exhibition in the two islands; more than 3.000 people visited the exhibition in Santorini and around 1.000 in Therasia.
Regarding the future dissemination of the work, several plans are being developed:
The exhibition will be hosted in Athens within 2023-2024.
A digital collection will be curated, presenting the major findings and conclusions of the project.
A collective volume for the symposium academic works will be published, while other publications on diverse aspects of the project will be further pursued.
Valuing sustainability: Participants reflected about human-centric worldviews, as well as their personal values while experiencing everyday life in both islands in terms of availability of water, accommodation and transportation options, land use, exploitation of heritage and natural landscape, etc.
Supporting fairness: Participants witnessed the dire consequences of over-tourism in Santorini; sprawling of buildings, traffic congestion, waste disposal issues, water and energy shortages, and economic displacement.
Systems thinking: Participants talked about the environmental impact of the construction industry, the life cycle of building materials as well as the different processes in modern and traditional construction from a holistic point of view.
Critical thinking: Participants argued about modern development and preservation practices and the value that local knowledge and/or traditional knowledge can add.
Futures literacy: Participants gained insight into the impact of reintroducing tradition and cultural heritage in modern design, of working collectively and how these translate into alternative development and cultural management patterns.
Exploratory thinking: The educational settings merged scientific and artistic perspectives and traced interfaces between architecture and art, scientific methodology and unbound expression, theory and embodied knowledge.
Political agency: Participants were given the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about cultural management and specific challenges for places and building practices in Greece. The overall project aimed to engage diverse stakeholders to address sustainability issues and reflect on how changes can be enacted through political and legislative frameworks.
Collective action: Participants experienced working, learning and exchanging views together with diverse stakeholders. It became evident that collective action was a prerequisite for the implementation of the project.
