Double Feature: Theodoulos Polyviou
The third edition of the Double Feature series includes video, sculpture, archival objects, photography and prints by Cypriot artist Theodoulos Polyviou and shows the third chapter of his series Transmundane Economies (2022 - ongoing) for the first time in Germany. The artist uses virtual reality and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) to examine the cultural heritage of Cyprus: With this reconstruction, he tries to close the gap revealed by official historiography. His speculative approach bypasses nationalist ways of thinking by showing alternative ways to better understand the historical complexity of the island and its founding as a nation-state and to imagine the future of the island state.
The site-specific video installation A Palace in Exile (2024) , created in collaboration with design architect and designer Loukis Menelaou, is at the center of the two exhibitions in Berlin and D眉sseldorf and marks the culmination of Polyvio's many years of research. The video consists entirely of computer-generated images that jump back and forth between two places and eras: the Julia Stoschek Foundation in the present day and Cyprus in the 1950s; a decade marked by ethnic and nationalist tensions as the island struggled for independence from British colonial rule.
The video is about the first architectural competition held in the region in the 1950s to build a new palace for the Archbishop of Cyprus. The subject was hotly debated in the press, highlighting the crucial role that architecture played in shaping the island's national identity. These debates are recounted through newspaper articles from the 1950s and 60s, excerpts of which are read out in voice-over. The new palace was ultimately built in a neo-Byzantine style after the three finalist designs were deemed too modern by the Church and other conservative forces.
In the video, Polyviou and Menelaou present their virtual competition entry, which puts real and speculative history into dialogue. Their design draws on the teachings and drawings of Daskalos, a Cypriot mystic and healer who worked from the 1950s to the 1990s and whose esoteric practice represents a counterpoint to the hegemonic identity of church and state. In addition to the video installation, a print of the design for the palace by Polyviou and Menelaou can also be seen in the exhibition rooms.
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The third edition of the Double Feature series includes video, sculpture, archival objects, photography and prints by Cypriot artist Theodoulos Polyviou and shows the third chapter of his series Transmundane Economies (2022 - ongoing) for the first time in Germany. The artist uses virtual reality and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) to examine the cultural heritage of Cyprus: With this reconstruction, he tries to close the gap revealed by official historiography. His speculative approach bypasses nationalist ways of thinking by showing alternative ways to better understand the historical complexity of the island and its founding as a nation-state and to imagine the future of the island state.
The site-specific video installation A Palace in Exile (2024) , created in collaboration with design architect and designer Loukis Menelaou, is at the center of the two exhibitions in Berlin and D眉sseldorf and marks the culmination of Polyvio's many years of research. The video consists entirely of computer-generated images that jump back and forth between two places and eras: the Julia Stoschek Foundation in the present day and Cyprus in the 1950s; a decade marked by ethnic and nationalist tensions as the island struggled for independence from British colonial rule.
The video is about the first architectural competition held in the region in the 1950s to build a new palace for the Archbishop of Cyprus. The subject was hotly debated in the press, highlighting the crucial role that architecture played in shaping the island's national identity. These debates are recounted through newspaper articles from the 1950s and 60s, excerpts of which are read out in voice-over. The new palace was ultimately built in a neo-Byzantine style after the three finalist designs were deemed too modern by the Church and other conservative forces.
In the video, Polyviou and Menelaou present their virtual competition entry, which puts real and speculative history into dialogue. Their design draws on the teachings and drawings of Daskalos, a Cypriot mystic and healer who worked from the 1950s to the 1990s and whose esoteric practice represents a counterpoint to the hegemonic identity of church and state. In addition to the video installation, a print of the design for the palace by Polyviou and Menelaou can also be seen in the exhibition rooms.
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Spanning video, sculpture, archival objects, photography, and prints, Double Feature: Theodoulos Polyviou聽introduces the鈥� third chapter of the artist鈥檚 series鈥� Transmundane Economies (2022鈥搊ngoing) to Germany.
The Julia Stoschek Foundation presents the third Double Feature in D眉sseldorf and Berlin.
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