The green line, embedded into the land, separates the island. It is woven into our urban fabric, and therefore is woven into our culture and our history. This green line varies in appearance across, and in certain locations one can see straight through. In these locations, what is in the middle is thus visible on either side.
For this experiment I wanted to weave a tapestry, inspired by traditional folk art, into the border itself. The piece is hung up on a section of the green line located in the downtown region of Nicosia, visible on either side. This piece intends to bring life to these middle points and bring viewers in both regions together (occupied and non-occupied) by reminding viewers of the islands cultural history.
The goal of the project was to address a currently charged socio-political issue within a chosen city, and develop the project through research but also using different experimental processes each week as a means of artistic expression. The project is thus a culmination of research and work across various disciplines including poetry, film, drawing, and sculpture.
I focused my project on Nicosia, the capital of my home country - Cyprus. Since 1974 the Cyprus Issue continues to be an open wound for the country and its people. The invasion of 1974 left a third of the island illegally occupied, displacing an estimated 210,000 people and resulting in the division of the island to this day. The green line is a physical entity that divides the country and runs through the capital, Nicosia. To this day, Nicosia remains the only divided capital in the world. Walking along the green line, one can see abandoned buildings and homes left untouched since the time of the invasion. Many of them are slowly decaying after being abandoned and exposed to natural elements for decades. These buildings are an integral part, as well as an important reminder, of our history.
This project explores ways in which we can revive these abandoned areas. Over a three month period, interviews were conducted with people who lived through the invasion and who spoke of their memories of the currently occupied region. Traditional Cypriot patterns from craft arts were also looked at for design inspiration, and were reproduced in the context of each week’s delivery.
