Parallel Events | “Science Fiction: Journey into the Unknown”

“The world of tomorrow I: The art of tomorrow”

The worlds of science fiction and contemporary art have been intertwined since at least the 1960s, but recent years have witnessed a resurgence of artists (often in the field of new media) using the tools science fiction provides to send out powerful socio-political messages... In a world of “alternative facts”, are art and fiction tools for molding reality?

Speakers: James Bridle (artist), Daphne Dragona (curator, Transmediale Festival), Giorgos Drivas (artist), Regine Debatty (art historian)
Moderated by curator Thanasis Moutsopoulos
Supported by the Athens School of Fine Arts

“Science fiction in Greek literature”

How is science fiction defined and what does it have to offer the reader and society? What's its relationship with technology in the Greece of today and tomorrow? And since we're already living in a sci-fi present, how can we recognize the everyday mechanisms by which it's penetrating our reality and the unknown future ahead?

Participating authors: Spyros Kintzios, Michalis Manolios, Kostas Charitos, Vaso Christou
Moderated by Manolis Manolas
In collaboration with the Science Fiction Club of Athens

“Mythic journeys and fantastic wanderings”

14 November | Onassis Library | 19:00 | Held in Spanish, with simultaneous translation | Reservation is required. For reservations, please contact infotickets@onassis.org (providing name, surname and mobile phone number)

A discussion that allows us to become travelling companions on a tour around the darker corners of the Earth in the footsteps of Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs' heroes, exploring uncharted lands, mythical islands and fantastic places in search of ‘perfect’ societies, lost tribes and fabulous treasures...

Speakers: Alberto Manguel (director, National Library of Argentina), Pedro Olalla (author)

“The world of tomorrow II: New images for tomorrow”

20 November | Panteion University | Amphitheatre “Sakis Karagiorgas II” | 19:00 | Held in English | The distribution of entrance tickets begins one (1) hour before the event

The world of today seems to lack the vibrant images of desirable futures that was such a feature of the 20th century. How can we shape our visions of a world as we would like it to be, and does science fiction still have the power to transform the world we live in?

Speakers: Steven Shaviro (science-fiction critic, author), Peter Frase (author), Giorgos Kallis (Professor of Political Ecology and Ecological Economics, Autonomous University of Barcelona)
Moderated by Despoina Katapoti (Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of the Aegean)

“A journey into the unknown: Artist talks”

27 November | Onassis Stegi | Upper Stage | 19:00 | Held in English

Artists participating in the exhibition, present their work and discuss with the public.

Participants: Larissa Sansour and Pierre-Jean Giloux
Moderated by Kyriaki Goni (artist)

“Digital Nights: Science fiction and video games”

What sort of worlds do we get to experience through video games? What gaming genres are inspired by science fiction and incorporate sci-fi into their mechanics? How are the latest generation of games using virtual reality to immerse sci-fi fans still more completely in their alternative worlds?

Speakers: Dimitris Trakas, Renia Papathanasiou, Christina Chrysanthopoulou
Moderated by Prodromos Tsiavos, Thodoris Chiotis

“Science fiction and Comics: communicating vessels?”

Sci-fi has borrowed images and ideas from comics, but comics have also built out-of-this-world structures on foundations underpinned by core science fiction concepts. At first glance, the two genres would seem to have a lot in common.

Speakers: Peter Milligan (comics writer), DaNi (comics artist), Evi Sampanikou (art historian and assistant professor at the Dept. of Cultural Technology and Communications at the University of the Aegean)
Moderated by Thomas Papadimitropoulos (journalist and editor at comicdom.gr)
In collaboration with the Athens Comics Library

Entrance to all the discussions is free

Starting October 17 | “Into the unknown and beyond”

How cinema learned to stop worrying and love science fiction

Odeon Starcity (111 Syngrou Avenue, N. Kosmos - Athens)

The Onassis Stegi and Flix.gr are organizing a series of sci-fi screenings with movies ranging from the daring efforts of the early days of film to the cinema of the present day. Classic films which helped define “sci-fi”, restored prints of rarities receiving their first screening in Greece, forgotten masterpieces from around the world, and surprising shorts are to be shown in eight triple bills between October and December. A revelatory journey to places cinema got to long before reality caught up.

“Control Center”

15 & 16 December | 21:00 | IFAC Athina (11 Galaxia St., Neos Kosmos -behind the Onassis Stegi building) | Free admission, on a strictly first come first served basis. The distribution of entrance tickets begins one (1) hour before the event.

A cinematic narrative which combines film production techniques which are usually applied out of the audience's sight with television broadcasting technologies which take place in real time. The viewer is transformed from a passive recipient into an eye-witness who is not only made privy to the tricks of the story-teller's trade, but also exposed to its innermost workings and processes.

With:
Stathis Crisidis: Artistic Creation & Audiovisual Programming
Stathis Tsemberlidis: Artistic Creation
Panos Alexiadis: Artistic Creation & Sound Synthesis
Laertis Liagkos: Technical Support
Supported by the International Fine Arts Consortium Athina

8, 9, 10, 16 & 17 December | “Sci-Fi Game Development”
Onassis Stegi
Co-ordinators: ViRA (Dimitris Trakas, Renia Papathanasiou, Christina Chrysanthopoulou)

13-14 January | “Satellite Hunting”
Onassis Cultural Centre
Interactive satellite communications laboratory
Co-ordinator: Libre Space Foundation

25 November | “HEBOCON Athens” at the Onassis Stegi
Robot-sumo construction tournament for the technically ungifted,
for ages 12-96
Co-ordinators: Costas Bissas, Kostas Sfikas

For teenagers aged 13-17
“Wanna make a film?”
Cycle I: Planning a Sci-Fi movie | October—November 2017
Cycle II: Filming a Sci-Fi movie | November 2017—January 2018
Co-ordinators: Oliwia Twardowska, Konstantinos Antonopoulos

For children aged 8-12
2, 3 & 4 January | “A sci-fi story for 2018”
The workshop is staged in association with Animasyros.

Children & teenagers aged 10-14
27, 28 29 December | “Odysseys on paper, travels in ink: The fantastic process of comic-creation”
Credit: Avraam Kaoua

Children aged 6-18
October 2017—January 2018 | Educational programs for schools | “Science Fiction: A Journey into the Unknown”
Co-ordinator: Nikos Voyiatzis