2009

Coordinator: Yannis Ziogas

Artistic Coordinator: Mark Durdeen

Artistic/Organizing Committee: Filippos Kalamaras

Sophia Kiriakou

Nikos Panayotopoulos

Pinelopi Petsini

Maria Troullou

Visiting artists/lecturers: Aggeliki Avgitidou

Russell Roberts

Yorgis Yerolimpos

Dimitra Ermidou

Panos Kokkinias

Lina Theodorou

Educational Program: Penny Geka

Hiking Guide: Theodoris Fatsis

The aim of Visual March to Prespes 2009 was to develop, based on the experience of previous years contemporary artistic activities in the area of Prespes. It was decided that every year there will be an Artistic Committee an Artistic coordinator who will introduce a subject of that will be developed from the participants.

The participant for 2009 was the British artist and theoretician Mark Durden. Mark Durden has introduced the following thematic for Visual March to Prespes 2009:

Global Landscapes /Τα Παγκόσμια Τοπία

The topic considers current approaches to landscape. In particular it will consider the new sublime of a photography critically responding to the primarily destructive and negative relation we have with the natural world, including Edward Burtynsky's portrayal of our ruthless exploitation of natural resources, Joel Meyerowitz's landscapes of Ground Zero and Andreas Gursky's preoccupation with the spectacular fields of mass consumerism.

Instructors and students of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, visiting artists and theoreticians, as well as art amateurs have wandered in the area around Prespes and have worked on the thematic Global Landscapes. They also attended lectures, and have further developed the contemporary framework of visual art activities that was established the two previous years. The framework for Visual March to Prespes 2009 was consisted of:

-Six Days of Action (Tuesday June 23^rd to Sunday June 28^th)

-Three Days March (Friday June 26^th to Sunday June 28^th)

-Conference (Sunday June 28^th)

The artworks created from the participants during the process have shaped a nucleus of ideas as well as of actual works that initiated in Prespes a Contemporary Sculptural Park.  This momentum will transform Prespes into a workshop of ideas without borders, into a place-frame where nomadic activities will shape visual artworks, as well artworks of other disciplines, that will record activities of meetings, exchange of ideas and of creativity. The area will be transformed into an absolute field where there will be tested the ideas and possibly the convictions that shape the international contemporary scene. Prespes will be transformed into a Museum without borders, where the only walls and limits will be people's intentions.

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The total number of the participants (instructors, students, visitors) was 52.