“The Drop of Knowledge” is a bronze sculpture designed by Nikomachi Karakostanoglou, inspired by the displacement of populations, the transfer of knowledge and the promotion of cultural values.
Commissioned by Onassis Stegi, the installation brought art into the said neighbourhood of Neos Kosmos, Athens, formerly called Dourgouti, an area where refugees initially from Armenia in 1914 and then from Minor Asia in 1922 settled in. Drawing inspiration from the district’s history, the artist has forged a work that invites us to contemplate the past, present, and future of the Greek urban scape and, therefore, the modern Greek identity itself.
Installed above the green rooftop of the Onassis Stegi new office building, the minimalistic “tear” hovers between the blind façades of two buildings, directing our gaze from the neutral vacant space to the absoluteness of form.
The understated perfection that characterizes the sculpture converses harmoniously with the unfeigned intimacy conveyed by the Neos Kosmos neighbourhood—a neighbourhood that transforms daily for the better without altering its character.
Lighting this suspended piece of art was an artistic challenge: its symbolism of re-birth and transformation had to stay apparent, its material had to shine and also merge into the urban environment.
Having a background in stage lighting design, Eliza Alexandropoulou decided to incorporate a more dynamic lighting scheme with different scenarios which will succeed one another during the night. The light would stay ON from sunset to sunrise telling a parallel story. Both light and shadow create optical illusions and continuously reshape the form of “The Drop of Knowledge”, Athens’ new landmark.
Passing in front of the sculpture, one can see its colour temperature changing, or hidden aspects of it illuminated sequentially, referencing the phases of the moon.
The ephemeral character of the lighting and the constantly changing scenes, enhance the feeling of surprise. The timeline of the creation of “The Drop of Knowledge” captures the urban space’s ceaseless mutations as we experience them daily as citizens over time.
Credits:
Artist: Nikomachi Karakostanoglou
Mold Construction: Stelios Sarros
Bronze Scultpure’s Construction: Vagelis Hountasis
“The Drop of Knowledge” Lighting Design: Eliza Alexandropoulou
Specification and Lighting Calculation: Dimitris Theocharoudis
Installation and Programming: Dimitris Kapetanelis
Videography of all production stages and creation of relevant video: Nikos Frangoulis
Photos: Giagkos Papadopoulos (1-8), Pinelopi Gerasimou (9)
