The Mingei team visited Axos, a mountainous Greek village located on the northern slopes of Psiloritis Mountain, known for its history and its rich tradition. There, we had the opportunity to meet and interview Nikos Manias and Niki Koutantou, who are the owners and the inspirers of a family owned workshop of carpentry. Nikos and Niki, driven by their love for authentic products and making use of the twenty-five-year experience of Nikos, took the initiative one year ago to start the construction of wooden products that could be used every day by people. They started making a rich variety of handmade, wooden handbags, and sell them to locals and tourists.

In this video, Nikos and Niki tell about their carpentry workshop. English subtitles are available in the settings, at the bottom of the screen.

Natural materials

Based on their love for authentic products Nikos and Niki decided to design and create in their workshop handmade wooden handbags. Their main goal is to make good use of natural materials, such as wood and leather in order to construct functional artifacts for both women and men. Wood is a natural material that can be easily found in the wider area of Axos Village and can come from different kind of trees for example, olive trees, cherry trees, beech trees and oak trees. With sensitivity and desire for a controlled exploitation of natural resources, the woodworker collects wood from dried trees and processes them in a suitable way until they take shape. In this way, they do not intervene in the environment by destroying it but on the contrary, for each dry tree a new one is planted aiming to maintain the ecosystem balance. The whole idea is based on giving life to a material that is already considered dead and converting it into a useful object.

Logos

This idea is emphasized by the brand name ‘Logos’. It stems from the Greek word «Λόγος» which includes several meanings, such as thought, speech, insight, and inspiration. Furthermore, the word ‘Logos’ consists of the English word ‘log’ and the suffix –os that is the ending of the word ‘Lagos’, the place name of the area where the workshop is situated. As the owners tell, “Logos is our face in what we do. We want to show people how we can create useful objects for our daily life from a product that exists in nature and is dead.”

Construction

The woodworker collects the trunks of the trees and cuts them by using the band saw. Afterwards, the craftsman places them into a wood fired kiln in order for the humidity to be eliminated and then he cuts the wood again with the band saw to create thin sheets of wood, on which he draws the patterns and then start constructing the handbags.  A large amount of designs can be created, such as handbags, briefcases and bags for portable computers, some of which are made only from wood and others combine wood and colorful real leathers.  Besides the offered variety, every handbag can be custom made to meet your special wishes and an effort of four to five working days is required to create this final wooden unique product of high construction and aesthetics.

The video above shows a 3D reconstruction of one of the handmade handbags of Nikos Manias, made from natural materials, such as olive wood and real leather.

Revival of crafts

The construction of handmade bags gives visitors the opportunity to see up close the process of processing natural materials, such as wood from trees that thrive in the surrounding area. The revival and preservation of old traditional professions contributes to the economy of the place where they flourish, boosting trade and offering new jobs, as well as to the touristic domain.

At the same time, it allows scientists in general – and us from the Mingei project – to study the manners and customs of the area, as manifested through the objects and the process of their construction, making both tangible and intangible aspects of Heritage Culture accessible in this way.

Written by Argyro Petraki (FORTH), photography and video by Nikitas Michalakis (FORTH)

How can the latest digital technologies help people to understand, protect and promote old and traditional crafts? To answer that question, Euronews dived into the Mingei project to learn about the innovative ideas that engage today’s youth with past traditions.

“Mingei is aiming to capture the motion and tool usage of heritage crafts practitioners, from living human treasures and archive documentaries, in order to preserve and illustrate skill and tool manipulation,” Euronews explains.[1] In the video, Xenophon Zabulis and Nikolaos Partarakis, computer scientists at FORTH in Greece, show how they create 3D scans of the tools that are used in traditional cheesemaking and weaving.

After digitization, the information will then be available through compelling presentations, using storytelling and educational applications, based on AR and MR and the Internet. In a second video, they showcase some interactive installations in a museum setting, that are engaging people with the crafts.

For example, they show an interactive comicbook that describes and shows people how glassmaking was done in France years ago. Another example is an old dial-up telephone that allows the museum visitors to hear the traditional songs that were sang during the mastic harvest at Chios.

“In order to maintain the traditional crafts, we must draw the interest of people in different ways. We have to modernize the stories,” Xenophon tells. Digital tools can help with that goal.

The videos are also available in French and German.

References

One of Mingei’s pilot studies involves mastic; a product from the mastic tree which exclusively grows in the south-west of Chios in Greece. The craft is highly localized, and the cultivation of mastic has historically shaped the local life. The 24 villages from where mastíha is harvested are known as Mastihochoria, or Mastic Villages – their name being an indication of the importance of mastic for the region. In order to explore and illustrate how the craft practice of mastic and its community have shaped the urban context, we created 3D reconstructions of the villages. How does the practice of crafts shape its surroundings and the local life?

The Island of Chios

The Island of Chios is situated opposite of the large natural bay of Smyrna, Asia Minor on the seaway from the exit of Dardanelles to the island of Rhodes or Alexandria. In 1571, the island passed from the Genoese under the rule of Ottoman domination. Both until 16th and the beginning of the 20th century, many visitors and navigators stayed on the island and passed down important texts and pictorial material over many generations. On the one hand, the rare product mastic, which can only be extracted from a common kind of a tree called “Skinos” on southern Chios. And on the other hand, the beauty and courtesy of women as well as their lavish costumes inspired foreign visitors to describe and represent the Island’s uniqueness.

At the beginning of the 15th century, Chios Island is mapped in “Liber Insularum Archipelagi” by Cr. Buondelmonti, which became a standard for the later maps of islands, such as those of B. Dalli Sonetti (1485) and B. Bordone (1547).

Nowadays, Chios is one of the largest islands in the Aegean Sea and is famous for the mild climate, the beautiful beaches and the variety of historical monuments. First and foremost, Chios has been well known throughout the world for the cultivation of mastic trees since ancient times. Mastic (μαστίχα) is a natural product collected from the bark of mastic trees, which exclusively flourish in the southern part of the island and due to this fact, the medieval settlements in that area are called “Mastichochoria”, as from mastic villages (χωριά).

The development of mastic villages

These settlements date back to the Byzantine Era and they are still Cultural Heritage monuments, although they have suffered disasters over the centuries. During the Genoese occupation (1346–1566), the mastic cultivation becomes progressively systematic and 22 mastic villages are founded in the southern part of the island aiming mainly at exploiting mastic, as a monopolistic product. Τhe geographical position of the villages was not visible from the sea and their layout reminds of a fortress, of which the aim was to protect the inhabitants from the frequent incursions in the Aegean Sea.

Latin architects, engineers and contractors oppressively had local farmers build the villages, according to the Italian architectural model of that era. In the center of each settlement, there was a tall rectangular tower, around of which there were houses very close to each other. The walls of the houses located circumferentially of the village formed an external wall with a cylindrical turret with crenellations on each corner to avoid invaders who tried to approach the center of the village by confusing them. This architectural draft gave masters the opportunity to close the gates in order for protection.

The houses of Mastic Villages follow the same architecture. They are stone-built, consisting of ground and first floor and are covered by semicircular domes called “Germata”. On the ground floor were stables and a storage room for agricultural products. On the first floor were the other rooms, which spread around a central outdoor space, the “Poundi”, which served to illuminate and ventilate the floor. The roofs of all the houses were about the same height, making it easy for residents to escape from the top of them in case of threat.

Τhe best preserved Mastic Villages are those that did not suffer major damage in the disastrous earthquake of 1881: Pyrgi, Mesta, Olympoi and less Vessa, Kalamoti and Elata.

To illustrate craft practice and community needs shaped the urban context we used aerial images of the Pyrgi, Mesta, Olympoi and Elata villages to show the densely-constructed houses which formed continuous external walls and the location of maximum security: the central tower in the village where mastic was stored and guarded during day and night. The 3D reconstructions of these villages are shown to illustrate and understand these architectural structures. It ought to be noted, that in later years, the towers in Mesta and Elata were replaced by churches. The location of the central tower for our four villages and the wall perimeter is shown. Can you find them in the 3D reconstructions?

Pyrgi Village

Pyrgi is a rich village for its folklore, archaeological and linguistic importance. The village is surrounded by a medieval fence that is formed by the external walls of the houses. There were only two exits from the village, which used to be sealed with two iron gates. The roads are narrow and the two or three storey houses are tall. The name of the village comes from the tall tower around of which the rest settlement was built. The Byzantine temple of Holy Apostles, with the well-preserved frescoes inspired from the Old and the New Testament, is situated at the village square. The existence of this church proves that the village was not constructed by Genoese for the first time, but several nearby settlements merged with the existing village during the Genoese occupation.

In Pyrgi the façades of the buildings have been decorated in a different and unique way throughout Greece. More precisely, this technique is based on the black sand of the roughcast, which is painted with white color and then it is scratched diligently. In that way, a variety of black patterns can be created on a white background, such as triangles, circles, semicircles, or rhombus. This technique is called “Xysta” and many walls of houses and churches have been decorated in this manner, giving an outstanding impression to the village. At last Pyrgi is a village of folklore interest and the only one of several villages that maintains many customs and traditions till today.

Mesta Village

Mesta is the most typical sample of fortification and the most well-preserved of the rest mastic villages, in the south of Chios. The village was built in a pentagonal form, which is perhaps unique in Greece, during the Byzantine Era, while later Genoases improved its fortification. Each house is built next to the other, without gaps but only two entrances to the interior of the village. The alleys are narrow and most of them are covered with arches, on which some residences are built. The layout of the village reminds of a labyrinth, aiming at preventing pirates from easily approaching the center of it.

The oldest monument of Mesta is the church of Old Taxiarches. It is a single-aisled Basilica, built during the Byzantine period. In the interior of which there are traces of frescoes, although most have been destroyed. The largest church in the village is the newest church of Taxiarches, built in 1868 on the site of the old circular castle tower. Next to it, there is the central, traditional village square with taverns and cafes. Nowadays, Mesta is a major attraction for many tourists, both for its unique architecture and the natural beauty of the area. The main occupation of the inhabitants is agriculture.

Olympoi Village

Olympoi Village lies in a small, treeless valley far from the sea. It is a medieval village of the 14^th century and has been declared a listed monument. The village maintains the form of the medieval “castle-village” quite well, enclosed by the exterior walls of the houses, which joined together. Those residences had no doors or windows, so as to deter their owners from seeing the outside of the village. The stone-paved streets of the village are narrow and lead to the main square. The functional character of the houses supports the village’s defense against pirate raids. The church of St. Paraskevi with its wood-carved iconostasis and the Trapeza of Olympoi, a two-storey building with long hallways preserved in a good condition since the Middle Ages, are of noteworthy interest. Just outside the village, near the beach of St. Dinami with the homonymous church, there is a cavern with remarkable natural decoration of stalactites. It was first visited in 2000.

Elata Village

Elata Village is located in a semi-mountain area, on a rocky hill in the southern part of the village where three windmills were built and are preserved to date. The position of the village is away from the sea, although there is a clear view of the Aegean Sea. The position and the architecture of Elata illustrate the dread of the inhabitants due to the frequent raids of the pirates from the Middle Ages till the Turkish Occupation. The “village-castle” architecture of Elata is still preserved to a certain extent. Seven older Byzantine settlements united to build the castle of Elata, probably around 1300 AD. At that time, the inhabitants of the village were engaged in the farming of a wild bird called partridge, which is not the case nowadays. The name of the village is thought to come from the Greek phrase “elate, elate” (=come, come) which was shouted at the inhabitants of the surrounding settlements to enter the castle when they were informed about the arrival of pirate ships.

To sum up, Chios island is a destination that invites visitors to discover it. Apart from beautiful beaches with clear waters, Chios stands out for the medieval villages in the southern part of the island, which are famous throughout the world for the production of mastic. This natural product is cultivated entirely by hand and is nowadays used in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and cosmetics. Mastic villages also display exquisite architecture and unique decorative elements on the facades of the houses, offering visitors the opportunity to travel back in time.

Want to learn more about the mastic villages? Go visit The Chios Mastic Museum! The museum is situated in the wider area of Pyrgi Village and aims at presenting the history of mastic cultivation and the processing of its resin, which integrates into the cultural landscape of Chios. The permanent exhibition of the museum lies emphasis on the mastic as a unique natural product. The first module presents the traditional know-how of mastic cultivation. The second module focuses on how managing the cultivation and its produce shaped the agricultural landscape and the settlements of southern Chios and the Mastic Villages historically. The third module is dedicated to mastic resin’s cooperative exploitation and processing in modern times, which marks an important chapter in the productive history of Chios. The museum guidance is completed with an outdoor experience, since the public comes into contact with the mastic trees and the natural habitat, where they prosper.

Written by Argyro, Polykarpos and Xenophon from FORTH, photography and video by Thodoris Evdaimon (FORTH)

Pottery is one of the oldest human inventions, originating before the Neolithic period, practiced by elemental materials and processes: Earth, water, and fire. The pots are hand made on the potter’s wheel and fired either in an electric or a wood kiln. Pottery objects are made — as it has always been — to be filled with water, to offer wine, to store olives, fruits, honey, goods or flowers. They also beautify the surroundings with their purity of their materials and the simplicity of their form.

To better understand traditional, participatory crafts and their transition into the modern age, we visited the pottery workshop Keramion. Keramion (Κεραμεῖον) is a modern pottery workshop situated in Margarites (Crete, Greece) which presents handmade utilitarian and decorative pottery, inspired from the Neolithic period and fitting the modern age aesthetics and practical requirements. Keramion operates under the supervision of potter Giorgis Dalambelas and Mariniki Mania and is a partner of Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark.

At Margarites, pottery tradition dates from the Neolithic period and is highly-relevant to the ample reserve of clay found at its rural surroundings at the mountain of Psiloritis. Pottery is made of domestic soil and schist, a kind of soil of very high granularity and concentration in argyle that is extracted from Psiloritis Mountain. Next, following an ancient technique, the pottery is decorated with “plokos”, a piece of sheep’s wool made of sheep hair and colors made from natural dyestuff. In the past, all pottery from Margarites was decorated with plokos-drawn flowerings as a certification of their origin.

The process of traditional pottery

1. Earth and water

Pottery items are made of domestic soil and schist, which is a kind of soil of very high granularity and concentration in argyle that is extracted from the Psiloritis Mountain. In this video we witness the collection of the material.

2. Kneading: from soil to clay

Before being shaped, soil is kneaded into lumps of clay to ensure an even moisture content throughout, and to remove air and lamination. This is accomplished manually by wedging, which is a procedure for preparing clay by hand at which a lump of clay is repeatedly thrown down on a workbench. The purpose is to disperse water uniformly, to remove lamination and to remove air.

3. The potter’s wheel

The next step is to shape the clay into pottery on the potter’s wheel. A ball of clay is placed on the wheel which rotates on foot power or an electric motor. During the process, the wheel rotates while the solid ball of soft clay is being pressed, squeezed and pulled gently upwards and outwards into a hollow shape.
The first step is called centring and involves pressing the lump of clay downward and inward into rotational symmetry. The next steps are opening (making a centred hollow into the solid ball of clay), flooring (making the flat or rounded bottom inside the pot), throwing (drawing up and shaping the walls to an even thickness), and trimming (removing excess clay to refine the shape or to create a foot). Objects can be further modified by the attachment of handles, lids, feet and spouts.

4. Burnishing and decoration of clay bodies

Burnishing is a form of pottery treatment in which the surface of the pot is polished, using a hard smooth surface such as a piece of wood, a bone, or a smooth pebble, before firing. They often use a small pebble called “drakonaki”. As a result, the surface becomes very shiny.
Following an ancient technique, pottery is decorated with “plokos”, a piece of sheep’s wool made of sheep hair and colors made from natural dye. In the past, all pottery from Margarites was decorated with plokos-drawn flowerings as a certification of their origin.

5. Firing ceramics in a wood kiln

Firing ceramics in a wood kiln produces irreversible changes in the clay body and its purpose is to permanently harden the clay. It is only after firing that an object becomes pottery. Earthenwares are normally fired at temperatures in the range of 1,000°C (1,830 °F) to 1,200 °C (2,190 °F).

6. Removing the pottery from the kiln

After firing, the pottery is carefully removed from the kiln. Wood kilns produce smoke, soot and ash. In the past, kilns were located outside the village. Often many families share the same kiln to fire their pottery collectively.

Workshops and visits

At Keramion, Pottery seminars are held for international students and visitors, disseminating the art and craft of pottery to the public. Visitors are able to view and participate in demonstration of traditional pottery. Educational programs present pottery, from the raw earth materials to the making of fine pottery, to schools and adult groups. Visitors are presented with the stages of soil collection, clay production, shaping pottery on the wheel, burnishing with pebbles, and firing pottery in the wood kiln.

Educational programs

Keramion curates and presents educational programs in schools of all levels, students and adult groups from Greece and abroad.
Keramion also collaborates with schools, universities and institutions such as: University of Crete, British School at Athens (BCA), Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete (INSTAP-SCEC), College Year in Athens (CYA), Centre for the Study of Traditional Pottery, Museum of Ancient Eleftherna (MaE), etc.

The value of crafts preservation

Our trip to Keramion has enabled us to better understand how to provide relevant educational content and engaging experience for uses prior, during, and after a cultural tourism visit. The purpose of our visit to Keramion was to explore ways to support thematic and cultural tourism with heritage craft themes in order to contribute to the preservation of these forms of cultural heritage. The importance of preservation and continuation of the practices of heritage crafts can be motivated by the benefits of thematic tourism. Craft workshops and pertinent thematic tourism can provide participatory experiences and access to local culture. Crafts flourish in multiple, distributed rural areas, and craft workshops can therefore alleviate visitor load from mass tourism destinations. The promising possibilities of thematic tourism emphasise the importance of the preservation and representation of heritage crafts.

Nearby Locations of Interest

Margarites

The village of Margarites is one of the largest pottery centres in Greece. The old and new techniques coexist in harmony in all 20 of the pottery workshops and showrooms of the village, where traditional and modern pottery is produced. The village visitors can admire the traditional architecture, old churches, the Monastery of Christ the Savior, the Late Minoan vaulted tomb of 1350 BC and route E4, leading to ancient Eleutherna.

Eleutherna

The neighbouring town retains the name the ancient city-state of Eleutherna that is an archaeological site whose findings are on display at local the archaeological museum of Eleutherna. One can see pottery found in the nearby archaeological site and the necropolis of Orthi Petra, including local pottery artefacts from the Neolithic age.

Psiloritis

Keramion is a partner of the Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark. Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark is located on the island of Crete, Greece, extending over an area of about 1200 square km. It covers the central part of the island including the entire area of Mountain Idi (Psiloritis) which is the highest in Crete, reaching up to 2456 m.
Outstanding scenery and wonderful climate are embedded in the cultures of all the civilizations that lived there. Many antiquities can be found within the Geopark, such as the Minoan settlement of Zominthos , the cave of Idaion Andro, and the city of Eleftherna. Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark provides excellent opportunities for recreation and education. The visitor has an extensive choice of activities ranging from sports, geology, flora and fiona observation, and visits to archaeological sites.
Shepherds’ houses, called “mitata” are landmarks of Psiloritis Mountains. Totally waterproof and fully adapted to the landscape, they are still used for cheese production. Mitata are made using the dry stone building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar binding them. The art of dry stone walling was inscribed in 2018 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, by as France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Switzerland and Spain.

Videos directed by Konstantinos P. Ioakeimidis (Director & Photographer)

Written by Argyro Petraki, Nikolaos Partarakis and Xenophon Zabulis from FORTH