M

about MΜaria (1995) grew up on an island, and moved to live and work between the acropolis and the noisy traffic of the greek capital.she focuses on paradoxical connections between diverse elements of human experience, mundane rituals and materials aiming to create absurd landscapes that feel both strange and deeply familiar. however, her main concern is that people delve into her worlds and derive a sense of connection from it.
she is currently interested in water, human tears and bread making.maria enjoys taking long walks with no headphones, to sketch and observe the textures, sounds and smells of the urban chaos, but her casual needs are a steaming cup of tea, soft sunlight and tender silence.

Melpignanothis place is still untouched. untouched from overtourism and greediness that comes with it.
this place is their PEOPLE.elder people
who never left, or immigrated to the central-northen europe and then came back telling us their STORIES.young people
who come back home to vote or deciding after their studies to the north, that their life is here, next to the sea , in their human scale hometown.parents
who wait for their children to visit, but they don't feel alone; they all have each others company.
of course they miss their children.
but in the south, to study, usually, there is no other way
than to leave.new families with
children
who have the most
enviable childhood.
i envy their future drawer of
MEMORIES and DREAMS_s o u t h_ my first time being in south of italy. people, the food, the water of the sea. many things looked familiar but at the same time they weren't. the uniqueness of salento as a place, especially melpignano is something that i never experienced before in the south of europe.
OPENESS, CARE and PROXIMITY.
the shutters at the front doors of the houses, allowing the breeze but not the sun to enter.
the square, the heart of the entire life of melpignano.
everyone knew each other, everyone knew us. openning their homes, sharing their time with us, giving space to a bunch of foreigners who didn't even speak the language to be with the community. i felt huged, i felt welcomed, i felt home.
[small knots in my throat, holding my weeping down.]_n e s p o l a_ and_ p r o s e c c o
my mouth is full
of nespola
davide's panino
prosecco
cafe
and PASTICCIOTTO
experiencing a place first comes from the taste. the mouth palette. where unregistered memories and present moment come together in unexpected connections.
sharing food, is an action of sharing time, space and care.
conversations around a dinner table become symposiums._c a r e_ a n d_ l i s t e n i n g
-------under construction---------melpignano, people of melpignano, cats of melpignano, the town itself, fountain, church bell, limstones and nespola trees,thank you for letting me sneak into your world for a while. i am more than grateful.
yours,
M.

Metabolization

WORK fragments

• angel
• backyard
• song
• sound
• flowers
• rain
• photo album

the task was simple. prepare yourself to meet an angel in the main square. start from a faraway place and carve your path for three-four hours. there is someone with you that records. before starting i felt the need for a silence, a short of a ritual; washing my body, getting dressed and looking myself in the mirror. i decided to write on my arm "i am going to meet an angel soon, what do you want to say to the angel?" and take my voice recorder with me. without actually knowing how this journey is going to be, i started barefoot on a field. i slowed down, and gradually everything was slowing down with me; there was no rush to interact with the people that i came across. the energy was dense, like as if i was inhaling the entire landscape of the town to exhale it in the mouth of the angel.
inner transformation, heat of the concrete above the feet, people who wanted company and recorded questions for an angel.
encountering the angel was an action of care, tenderness and intimacy in a public space. this meeting in a public square amongst cars cafes was a proof that public space can be inhabited poetically.
life striked again and brought an extra layer. death, funeral, mourning.

RESEARCH

water
food
griko
cats

LEFTOVERS

age
nespola
quary