The project: Invited by the Routes in Marpissa festival, Beforelight travelled to the island of Paros and illuminated the picturesque alleys of Marpissa in a special way that activated the residents and brought back the unique stories and memories of the village. Beforelight created a map of selected locations in the labyrinthine village, creating bright buoys in hidden arches or courtyards. The residents of Marpissa had the opportunity to make their own bright “Bijoux” that decorated the alleys of the village during the three-day festival. In the context of a lighting design workshop, they were given different light sources and construction materials, so that they can make their own artwork, signing their own lighting fixture. Light bulbs with different colours and led stripes were combined with geometrical surfaces of mirror, transparent and semi-transparent plexiglass, and metallic layers.
The location: Marpissa is a village in Paros, built on a hill on the east side of the island. Marpissa has been characterized as a traditional settlement, with many houses in the village dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. In the central square of the village there are four distinct windmills. Marpissa remains an unchanged over time Cycladic settlement, with narrow streets and small squares springing up between the whitewashed houses and churches.
The Festival: Routes in Marpissa is a three-day, experiential, cultural festival that shares as its central idea to create routes and points of interest in the traditional village of Marpissa, in Paros island. There is strong emphasis on themes of architecture, folklore, music, art and environment, as the unique character and traditions of the place emerge with respect through a modern artistic perspective. The activities of the Festival are designed through an experiential approach, so that everyone can take part in the happenings. Routes in Marpissa is developed in two axes: the “stations” (visiting sites-art exhibitions) and the program of various events. Under the framework of the festival of 2021, the “return” was the main inspirational idea.
Beforelight came to add light and colour to the quiet night alleys of the village and to create small bright “jewels”, challenging the Festival visitors to spot the small, playful interventions.
