Dimitris Kourtis

Dimitris Kourtis is a sociologist and community engagement expert. His professional path unfolds through involvement in community projects centered around stories, memory, and archival research. His work is focused on testing participatory arts practices and developing methodologies for innovative storytelling narratives.

His extensive involvement with storytelling practices started in 2006,by delving into archives and conducting field and academic research for the creation of documentaries focused on unraveling the story of less known communities such as Zeybeks, a minority group in East Turkey, and “Wandergesellen,” the wandering travelers of Europe, in collaboration with Arte TV. Moreover, being a member of Caravan Project, an artistic endeavor consisting of an interdisciplinary team of filmmakers and anthropologists, he has traveled around Greece supporting documentary filmmaking workshops and storytelling seminars, organizing participatory cultural events and multimedia exhibitions. For three years, he worked as Social Innovation and Urban Management Specialist at the UIA (Urban Innovative Actions) European pilot program Curing the Limbo, with the responsibility of designing community engagement strategies. In collaboration with the artistic organization Zoetrope Athens, he was Head of Development and Community Engagement for the project Mystery 37 – Voices of Elefsina, a permanent community radio station for the city of Elefsina, as a legacy project of 2023 ΕΛΕVSIS European Capital of Culture.

His practice also involves creating storytelling performances and designing intergenerational storytelling workshops for the elderly and children, focused on personal archives, biographical stories, and memory, with the support of institutions and organizations such as the Greek National Opera, Kea Storytelling Festival, and European Music Day. After nine years of research, he is now publishing a book for the depiction of the Interwar period by unveiling the story of the iconic musician and cartoonist Kostas Bezos, a bohemian Athenian artist of the 1930s.

Dimitris Kourtis is a participant of the Onassis AiR Extended Research Residencies program for 2024/25.