Föreställning kl. 20:30: Encounters | Συναντήσεις

Next year the famous Swedish Cyprus expedition celebrates a hundred years since the extensive archeological exploration of Cyprus! We kick off the jubilee a year with a documentary theatre performance that revolve around the encounter between swedes and Cypriots, before, during and after the excavations. These characters from the past, well-known and unknown from the expeditions fascinating history, come together for one exclusive night in the museums Cyprus collections. Welcome!

The Swedish expedition 1927-1931 laid the ground for modern Cypriote archeology. The members of the exhibition, Einar Gjerstad, Erik Sjöqvist, Alfred Westholm and John Lindros excavated at 25 sites and the finds that were given Sweden forms the core of the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities. Read more about the Cyprus exhibition here.

The unique history of the exhibition is created in the performance of the actors from both nations accompanied by video installation and sound performance. The historical material derives from various archives and from Swedish and Cypriote families to the people that was directly involved in the exhibition.

The production is part of the project Performing Collections, Performing Archives: Creative afterlives of the findings, photographs and writings of the Swedish Cyprus Expedition, which started in Cyprus in 2023, led by Ellada Evangelou and Despo Pasia as creative directors and coordinators.

The project’s first production [In]Credible Histӧries: A Promenade Devised Theatre Performance on the Swedish Cyprus Expedition focused on the hidden and untold stories of the workers of the Expedition and was presented in 2024, at the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia.

The texts, archaeological findings and photographs of the Swedish Cyprus Expedition are the starting points of the project. The project’s methodology actively links multiple research fields with the performing arts. It includes archival research, interviews with descendants of those associated with the Expedition, interdisciplinary discussions and interartistic workshops in order to study the Expedition material and the material that emerges from the group’s own research. Through its interdisciplinary approach, Performing Collections Performing Archives traces new, multiple narratives that lie beyond archaeological research, translating the critical reading of early 20th century archaeology into site-specific theatrical experiences, audio tours and educational programs in museums and cultural heritage spaces.

Credits: Artistic Direction & Production: Ellada Evangelou & Despo Pasia Dramaturgy & Director: Elena Agathokleous & Ellada Evangelou Archival Research: Ellada Evangelou Photographic Research: Despo Pasia Actors: Elena Agathokleous, Ivar Forsling, Andreas Makris, Lovisa Svensson Voice: Frederick Whitling Video Art (Scene 1): Artemis Evlogimenou Image Projections (Scene 2): Curation: Despo Pasia | Editing: Aleksandar Ljubojevic Costume Design: Eleni Ioannou Camera & Video Editing: Aleksandar Ljubojevic Technical Director: Cemil Bayhanlı Graphic Design: Artémis Psathas

Collaborators & Research Advisors: Department of Antiquities Cyprus, The Medelhavsmuseet, Frederick Whitling.

Sources: Family of Ttooulis Terkourafis (Souidos), Lindros family, Westholm family, Åström editions, Pierides Foundation archives, Världskulturmuseerna collections, UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage - Research Center MNEMOSYNE Cyprus University of Technology, DigitaltMuseum.

Supporter: The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Sweden

More on the project https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558005403355 .