ART-PRESENTATION: Dimitris Lamprou-Time Warps-Labyrinth Land
Dimitris Lambrou presents “Time Warps-Labyrinth Land”, and Installation of a maze and a sound system in Topos tou Voskou, a thematic park to promote traditional animal husbandry in Creta Island. Mitato is a term meaning “shelter” or “lodging” in Greek. In modern Greece, and especially on the mountains of Crete, a mitato is a hut built from locally gathered stones to provide shelter to shepherds, and is used also for cheese-making.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Dimitris Lamprou’s Archive
The artful construction of mitato, built only of stones without using binder, was the best solution in the bare rocky mountains of Crete. This is indicated by the fact that after so many centuries, even today many shepherds of Crete use mitata in order to stay close to their flocks during the summer months and using them as creameries. Dimitris Lamprou’s “Time Warps-Labyrinth Land” consists of a metal construction of a labyrinth with led lights, in the surrounding area of the mitatoo, and inside the empty space of it the visitor hears the sound imprint of the magnetic field of rotation of Jupiter planet during the year 2020 (waveforms at frequencies of 20 Herz in the human spectrum). “Time Warps-Labyrinth Land” will be transformed through a VR (virtual reality) program and will be transferred as an experience to Athens. Most of the mitata are concentrated high up on the slopes of Mt Psiloritis. This is where shepherds would spend their summers – alone, except for their animals and other passing shepherds. Being so remote, the mitata were also used as hideouts during the Ottoman occupation; during the Second World War, they provided cover for resistance fighters. These shelters, built of locally-sourced stones and shaped like Minoan tholos tombs, have entrances that face due east and, although they’re unique to Crete, somewhat similar structures can be found in other parts of the Mediterranean as well. Each one was surrounded by a drystone wall about 1.5m high, which was used as a corral to gather sheep and goats for milking. Made of nothing but stone on stone, the mitata continue to stand on the mountain rock as examples of perfect vernacular architecture – modest, sturdy and functional in the extreme. Larger, squarer stones were placed at the bottom in a circle, with the stones at the top being carved into shape. The structures became narrower as they grew taller, much like an igloo, in order to stand the weight of the winter snow. The gaps between the stones were deliberately not filled in with clay or any other material, in order to allow air to pass through the walls to dry out the cheese, maturing it in the process. A small window – like a skylight – was left at the top of the dome, where spiders would be able to weave a nice thick web, catching flies and other insects and keeping them away from the cheese: a brilliant example of man and insect working together in symbiosis. Sociologically the circular shape of the mitato symbolizes the communal way of life, the equality between the members who live there and the interaction of one in the life of the other. Everyone works as a team, sleeps together and is warmed by the same fireplace.
Info: Curator: Faye Tzanetoulakou, Topos tou Voskou, Anogia, Creta island, Greece, Duration: 30/7-15/8/2021, Days & Hours: Daily 19:30-22:00
