Manolis Manousakis & Eleni Riga: The sound of Eudaimonia
What makes a neighborhood eudaimonic? What priorities do they set themselves? What combination of self-organization, state planning and private initiative would facilitate their realization? How do the sounds, soundscapes, voices and music of Kypseli capture states of eudaimonia?
"The sound of Eudaimonia" research takes place at the intersection of art, technology, sound research and field recording, which at the same time opens up to the field of anthropology - sociology of the city through collected interviews, narratives, soundscapes and compositions. Manolis Manousakis and Eleni Riga are exploring the sound of 'eudaimonia' in the neighborhood of Kypseli in Αthens.
The starting point was a mutual desire to challenge the hierarchical system of measuring the quality of life in the urban fabric of Αthens. Tapping into the infinite possibilities of the literary concept of eudaimonia, commonly interpreted as 'happiness' or 'welfare', eudaimonia became the main multisensorial and synergistic tool. Moreover, eudaimonia allows one to tailor the definition of happiness, but in order for it to be realized, collective effort has to be implemented, whether grassroots or institutional.
Through a relational approach, curated interviews, fruitful encounters and embodied experiences, an ongoing sound archive will emerge from the collected shards of lived knowledge.
