Apocalypse

It has been exciting imaginations since the first century CE, summoning utopias, dystopias, and revolutionary movements. It is divine prophecy? Escatological preaching? A message of patience, belief, and hope in a better future? A call to insurrection? What’s certain is that this ominous phantasmagoria is a world-changing text.

A director of the new generation, with an idiosyncratic visual sensibility, Thanos Papakonstantinou pays close attention to the Apocalypse of John, takes inspiration for a contemporary ritual, and notes:

“Behind every insurrection is the desire for a radical reformation of humankind and of the world.

Behind every move toward reforming humankind and the world is the violence of the harvest.

Behind the violence of the harvest is the hope for rebirth.

Behind the hope for rebirth is the joy of destruction.

Behind the joy of destruction is the fear of death.

Behind the fear of death is the belief in beauty.

Behind the belief in beauty, there is light.

The myth of the Apocalypse is a kind of parable for the constant transformations of the human faith in a better world to come.”

According to the Christian tradition, the creator of the Apocalypse (95-96 CE) is John the Evangelist, exiled from Ephesus to Patmos.

The Apocalypse (“The Book of Revelation”) is the only apocryphal text included in the Canon of the Bible.

Here are some appreciations of the text of the Apocalypse:

“A text not of one age or generation, but for all ages and all generations” (George Seferis)

“A book of comfort and hope” (Jean Delimo, historian)

“A terrifying meteorite of a text that broke free from the Old Testament’s graviational field and dropped into the orchard of the Gospels” (Ilias Petropoulos)

“It is not merely a biblical description but a very practical possibility” (Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, former General Secretary of the United Nations)

“A source for various expectations and revolts. A permanent prototype of the anticipation of a disaster and a hope for transformation. A tool for challenging any kind of established meaning.” (Umberto Eco)

Part of the research for the performance took place during the 12-hour action “Hack the drama” of the Onassis Stegi’s Dramaturgy Department, which took place on 9 and 16 July, 2019, run by Iliana Dimadi and Estelle Papadimitriou, with the valuable contribution of Savvas Michail (doctor, theologian, political activist), Giorgos Koutsodiakos (theologian, vivlioipallilos), Eurydice Kravariti (pathologist and geriatrician), Elias Stouraitis (historican and creator of educational computer games for children), Christina Chrysanthopoulou (VR artist), Christos Vrettos (ecoanthropologist), and Tina Mandilara (journalist and book critic). On the part of the Stegi, co-coordinators were Poka-Yio (artist and visual curator), Iraklis Papatheodorou and Katerina Varda (Department of Digital Development), Christos Sarris (cinematography and documentation), and Eirilena Tsami (production).

Thursday 10 October

After performance talk
Moderated by Tina Mandilara, journalist and book critic