The second round of the Local Urban Lab (LUL) in Evοia has been nothing short of transformative. Building on the momentum and heartfelt connections established in Round Ι, this phase welcomed two exceptional artists, Angela Liosi and Maria Gouveli, whose creative visions have deepened our understanding of Evοia’s environmental struggles and cultural richness. Through workshops, field visits, and countless conversations with local communities, both artists have woven together art, research, and genuine human connection to explore the complex relationships between people, nature, and the ecosystems that sustain us. Their focus on areas affected by recent floods and environmental change has brought fresh perspectives to the island’s ongoing story of resilience and adaptation.
What made this round truly special is the spirit of collaboration that has infused every step of the journey. From the very beginning, the main priority was the creation of meaningful spaces for learning, reflection, and creative exchange. The “Passing the Baton” digital meeting brought together artists from both rounds, sparking vibrant conversations, ensuring that the wisdom gained from Giorgos Gerontides and Christina Maridaki experiences would continue to inspire and guide the next chapter. This wasn’t just about handing over a project; it was more about building a community of practice, where ideas flow freely and every voice matters.
Workshops That Inspire, Activities That Connect
Our workshop series kicked off with another illuminating session led by Dr Spyros Bofylatos, whose insights into sustainability, climate resilience, and art as activism set the stage for deeper exploration. Angela and Maria dove into discussions about ecological justice, community healing, and how their creative practices could honour Evοia’s struggles while opening up new possibilities for hope and change. The energy in these digital gatherings was palpable. Questions sparked new questions, ideas built upon ideas, and the theoretical frameworks came alive through passionate dialogue.
Angela Liosi – Water Walk
Angela Liosi’s Water Walk is a work that stops you in your tracks and asks you to remember. This powerful sculptural installation honours the countless animals—domestic and wild—that lost their lives in the devastating floods that swept through North Evοia. The ark-like form evokes the haunting images we’ve all seen: floating carcasses of livestock, drowned turtles, the silent casualties of ecological disaster. But Angela’s vision went deeper than documentation. She’s created a space for grief, for witnessing, for refusing to look away from lives that are too often dismissed as mere collateral damage.
The sculpture itself is remarkable, an amphibious creature born from multiple species, capable of moving through both land and water. It’s an ark, yes, but not one of salvation. This is an ark of mourning and memory, a subversion of the traditional narrative that challenges us to see survival and loss in new ways. At its heart, Water Walk confronts the all-too-common refrain we hear after disasters: “At least no human life was lost.” Angela refuses to accept this hierarchy of grief. Her work elevates these forgotten lives, giving them the honour and significance they deserve. The installation will remain in Mela’s building in Limni until 2027, standing as both memorial and witness, a long-term reminder of what we’ve lost and what we must protect.
Maria Gouveli – Nexus Project
Maria Gouveli’s Nexus Project takes us on a completely different kind of journey, one that maps not just places, but the invisible threads that connect us all. Inspired by the fertile Lelantine Plain, with its long history of flooding and renewal, Maria has created something truly extraordinary: a multi-layered, interactive map that captures not just geography, but emotion, memory, and the lived experience of being part of this landscape. Her work asks us to reconsider what maps can be and what stories they can tell.
What makes the Nexus Project so compelling is its refusal to be pinned down. The map is rhizomatic, branching out in unexpected directions, following the logic of rivers and floods rather than straight lines and borders. It documents Maria’s conversations, her wanderings, her discoveries, all woven together in a way that mirrors how we actually experience place; messily, emotionally, full of detours and connections that only make sense in retrospect. Drawing on dynamicist theory and eco-feminist perspectives, Maria blurs the lines between research and art, creating something that’s constantly evolving, constantly inviting us to see Evοia’s relationship with water and community in new ways. It’s a map of interconnection, showing us that we’re all part of the same web-people, land, water, memory, all flowing together.
A Testament to Resilience and Interconnection
Round 2 of the Local Urban Lab in Evοia has proven what we’ve believed all along: that art has the power to make us see differently, feel more deeply, and connect more authentically with the world around us. Angela and Maria haven’t just created beautiful works; they’ve opened up conversations about loss, memory, adaptation, and belonging that will continue long after their installations are complete. Their art reminds us that environmental disasters affect all living beings, and that true resilience comes from acknowledging every life, every loss, every connection that makes up the intricate web of our shared existence.
Looking Ahead
As we look to the future, we’re excited about the conversations these works will spark and the communities they’ll bring together. Water Walk and the Nexus Project are more than artworks; they’re invitations to engage, to question, to care more deeply about Evοia’s present and future. As Turning the Tide continues to evolve, we’re already imagining new collaborations, new voices, and new ways of bringing together art, community, and environmental action. The dialogue that began in Evοia is just getting started, and we can’t wait to see where it takes us next.
To get the full picture, make sure to explore Maria’s and Angela’s works in detail. Stay tuned; there’s so much more to come!
