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Pandώra is a long-durational, interactive and multi-sensory project that started in Athens in 2012 and will be completed in 2024.
-Why Pandώra?
Pandora ( pān, i.e. "all" and dōron, i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving) is mentioned by Hesiod as the first mortal woman, the cause of all suffering, similar to the biblical Eve. According to the legend, Pandora released and spread to humanity all the sufferings and diseases that were hidden in a "box".
Pandora, however, was earlier another name, along with the name Anesidora (the one who brings gifts), of the deities of the earth (Gaia, Demeter, Persephone, Hekate etc). They were directly related to the fertility of the earth and its ability to offer its goods to humanity.
So we could say that the concept of the offer and gift through the archetype of the Great Mother, but also her dark side, is the central theme of this series of works.
-The content of the project
The entire work is an autobiographical story, a narrative made public in an "open" and symbolic way, so that it functions as a mirror where everyone can see aspects of their own personal stories reflected.
-The structure + form of the project
Pandώra is structured in 7 parts which include the 3 following interactive modules:
Painkillers
Pandώra in progress...
Pandώra +1
Painkillers
Painkillers is Pandώra's first interactive work.
In April 2012, photos of parts of the work in progress
in the studio began to be posted on Facebook, creating a subsection called Painkillers.
The works appear only in fragments and the posts are accompanied by captions that, if read continuously, create a personal narrative, a diary in the form of a poem.
Painkillers follow the general structure of the 7 sections and are separated from the STEPS. As a result, a project within the project is created, that moves almost parallel in time with the construction of the final works, but online.
This way, the viewer enters the workshop and the creative process from the start and is welcome to comment. The project runs in real time, until today.
Pandώra in progress...
“Pandώra in progress…” is the second interactive work of Pandώra and it is the procedure of collecting molds of 3000 fingers in order to construct one three-dimensional piece.
The final piece consists of the seven colors of the rainbow, so "fingers" were collected from different locations, each corresponding to a color, working from south to north. These were the “sessions”.
People were invited to pose for the project by allowing to mold their fingers using plaster strips. From the final cast pieces, one finger is going to be returned to each one of the sitters as an exchange for their contribution. Participation was not limited to one “session” as everyone was welcome to attend again, every time there was a color change!
"Pandώra in progress..." started on February 2013 and ended on November 2014, with 1420 participants from 15 different locations.
Pandώra + 1
Pandώra +1 is the final editing of the works with the help of other artists -one at a time- from diverse artistic fields.
Through the creative interaction, in some cases new works are born, bearing the signature of both Elia Iliadi and the collaborating +1 artist.
