Workshop in Kalavrita, Greece
January 2003
January 2003
Under big excitement, 66 kids, almost the half our small school, 13, 14 years old they have participated in the program Kids’ Guernica. They have been working from January 28th for 3 weeks.
The work took place in the work out room of our school the hours of class time. These students were dismissed from classes, that means 4- 5 students each time.
They felt satisfaction and joy from drawing and from the ideas that they expressed about peace and war. They also had fun by playing with the snow at break time between courses-it was snowing those days- and by listening to music and dancing from the course of gym that it was going on right next to them in the same room.
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Participating Children : (date of birth)
Agrios Alexis (21.11.1989) Aidinidi Maria (09.02.1989) Aidinidis Edouardos (03.09.1990)
Alexopoulos Athanasios (31.12.1990) Alexopoulou Aristea (19.05.1990) Alexopoulou Georgia (19.09.1990)
Andrikopoulou Maria (20.03.1990) Benakis Dimitrios (03.04.1989) Diamantopoulos Georgios (13.07.1990)
Dimakopoulos Giannis (13.08.1990) Dimakopoulou Theodora (10.06.1989) Frantzi Konstantina (18.03.1989)
Gazeta Hrisanthi (27.02.1990) Gikas Alexandros (07.04.1990) Gourzela Martha (28.11.1989)
Kakava Maria (31.03.1990) Kaldiri Areti (04.08.1990) Kanakaris Nikolaos (09.11.1990)
Kanelopoulou Varvara (01.08.1990) Karamboulis Georgios (13.11.1989) Koutroubi Maria (29.09.1990)
Koutroumanis Athanasios (07.04.1989) Litsi Athina (23.03.1990) Nano Armanto (27.10.1989)
Panagopoulos Alexandros (30.12.1990) Panoutsakopoulos Aristos (02.12.1990)
Panoutsopoulou Georgia (10.08.1990) Panoutsopoulou Katerina (01.08.1989)
Papadatos Nikolaos (08.06.1989) Papadimitropoulos Konstantinos (25.11.1990)
Papadopoulou Floreta (15.08.1989) Papadopoulou Haritini (06.05.1989)
Papagiannopoulou Panagiota (18.03.1990) Papatheodorou Athanasios (24.06.1989)
Pavlopoulos Alexandros (16.08.1990) Pavlopoulos Panagiotis (05.01.1990) Pavlopoulou Pineloppi (25.07.1989)
Pavlopoulou Panagiota (27.01.1990) Petsa Eleni (30.08.1990) Popescu Roberta (1989)
Rigopoulou Elena (23.02.1990) Sakka Vasiliki (28.04.1990) Sardelianou Angeliki (27.02.1991)
Saridis Dimitrios (1988) Seranitis Aristides (20.03.1990) Skentzou Eleni (31.08.1990)
Soukas Nikolaos (17.01.1990) Sousanov Giannis (17.03.1989) Tagaris Nikolaos (23.09.1990)
Theodorakopoulos Giannis (22.06.1989) Theodorakopoulou Georgia (15.09.1990)
Theodosopoulou Iro (31.03.1990) Theologou Angeliki (16.05.1989) Triantafillou Artemis (27.10.1990)
Tsaparas Freiderikos (01.03.1989) Tsapikounis Ilias (09.10.1988) Tsenes Athanasios (29.01.1990)
Tzavala Matina (28.06.1990) Vardakastani Katerina (26.11.1989)
Vasilakopoulos Georgios (01.06.1990) Velanas Georgios (1989) Vogiantzi Athanasia (19.09.1990)
Zafiri Stavrianna (20.08.1990) Zaharaki Katerina (24.06.1990) Zisimopoulos Andreas (26.08.1989)
Charalabatos Konstantinos (02.10.1994)
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Kids' Guernica, peace through the eyes of the children from Kalavrita
The painting consists of three parts: A scenery, rolls of photographic film and duplicates of representations of the Olympic Games.
In the film, the children's memories are portrayed along with hope, horror, agony and depiction of the joy of life; in addition, heroes' wreaths and invocation to God who, as the children say, is stronger than armour.
The result of the war is reflected in the deserted scenery which is easily recognizable by the people from Kalavrita. The place of torture binds them and declares the identity of the town. This place instead of being full of life, is spread all over the picture full of graves.
The fire at the bottom of the painting is burning the village. Our people are absent. The sky unfolds with clouds in disorder and agitation. Clouds shape crosses in this cold sky. The war has caused insensible and painful death that does not bring rest in heaven. Didn't the dead of the war become angels, didn't they go to paradise? The dead of the war become themselves graves of sadness in the open sky, somewhat above the earthly graves.
Moreover, the deep red sun that merges into the blood of the beloved dead, apparently, stands too far to enlighten and warm the frozen land. Does the seeming immobility of the sun declare motion? Is it momentarily transformed into a threatening celestial body in conflict with the earth? The choice between war and peace is ours. Let the sun remain; the sun that brings hope and gives shine to our sky, the sun of life, the sun of peace. The sun that lights the Flame of the Olympic Games.
The reference to the Olympic Games is made through the classical period duplicates of representations of sports. It is clear that this part of the painting reminds us of the sacred truce that coincided with the Games along with the wish for eternal cease of hostilities and prevalence of peace worldwide.
Erasmia Kouri
Teacher of Arts
at Kalavrita Highschool
