A Derme da Crise: Imaginando Atenas em Crise Como uma Colagem Urbana

Abstract

A close look at the urban surfaces of Athens during the years of the economic crisis revealsthe extensive phenomenon of the people’s interaction with the surface of the cityscape, the skinof Athens. A derma of crises that reflects Greece’s socio-political conditions over this period, andthe austerity measures enforced by the official state. This rapidly transformed and ever-changingsurface imagery can be recorded and used for reading and further understanding of how thepublic sphere responds to this period of decline, and reacts to the recession’s strategies of sovereignty. The urgency to document, give prominence to this urban field and examine it as a wholeis of pivotal importance, considering the fact that the official authorities (such as the mayor ofAthens) have recently taken action to eliminate the urban traces. However, these inscriptionsbear witness to the continuous crisis mirrored on the Athenian walls and architectural volumes.Over the last years, there have been numerous scholars and researchers that have engaged withthe study of the Athenian cityscape. Nonetheless, they particularly focus on graffiti, street art andslogans, and this engagement sometimes facilitates the emerging artistry or the discussion ofsocio-political connotations. In contrast to this, this article moves towards the identification ofthe phenomenon as a dynamic potential of a derma–city skin and does not specifically focus onthem as mere details (often intentionally made, e.g. a graffiti). It examines the wholeness, theanonymity, the unintentional activity; how they contribute to the formulation of an urban collage,an assemblage of visual elements that co-exist making Athens a unique case of an over-markedcity. The study of various dimensions of this skin and of the virtual preservation means aims toadd a further layer of understanding to the urban space as a main field of socio-political connotations during the crisis.

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