History converses with art through the documentary “The Wedding Dress of Argyro: Three Readings”, which was screened on Wednesday in Nicosia. The documentary is a production of Aglantzia High School, within the framework of the programme of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (CPI) “We record Memory: production of documentaries by students”.
The documentary presents the story of Argyro Christoforou, who was preparing to marry her fiancé, Kyriakos Christou, on July 21, 1974, in her village, Peristeronopigi, Famagusta. However, the wedding was postponed due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and Kyriakos was called to fight in Pentadaktylos mountain to repel the invaders. When it became clear that the Turkish army was approaching Peristeronopigi, Argyro left her house. The wedding dress she would wear at her wedding was left behind, hung on a hanger at home.
Argyro’s personal experience became the means for the creation of the documentary, in which history converses with art in three different readings. The first reading is an artistic creation, which is the work of the visual artists Andriana Nicolaidou and Marianna Constanti, the second is the poem of the philologist and poet Panagiotis Nicolaides, while the third is the documentary prepared by the students of Aglantzia High School.
The high school students said that they got acquainted with all the stages of producing a documentary and the virtues of teamwork, and that they worked on the production of the documentary during the summer months. They added that they learnt about the story of Argyro from the poem of their teacher, Panagiotis Nicolaides. In the course of their research, they learnt about the wedding dress exhibition that was held at the Leventis Municipal Museum as well as the wedding dress made by artists Andriana Nicolaidou and Marianna Constanti.
On their part, Adriana Nicolaidou and Marianna Constanti stressed that the personal experience of Argyro became a collective one through a work of art, which evokes specific memories. They added that their creation, which was based on a sketch sent to them by Argyro, was intended to make the viewers think and that they tried to marry two emotionally charged, but different events, war and marriage. They also focused on the importance of recalling the history of our country, the power of art to transmit experiences, memories and emotions, as well as its healing properties.
Philologist and poet Panagiotis Nicolaides emphasised the “shocking” -as he put it- depiction of historical experience in a work of art, especially in Cyprus, where “the hidden winds of history have been blowing for centuries.” The way we capture history determines our identity and our survival, he pointed out, adding that art begets art. “Only through creative and innovative efforts can we keep memory alive,” he concluded.
Argyro Christoforou-Christou, whose story was the inspiration for the production of the documentary, said that her experience, which she had buried deep inside her, became known thanks to Demetra Bakirtzi, Director of the Leventis Municipal Museum and a personal friend of hers, and Panagiotis Nicolaides. “The documentary reminded me of the wounds that we had been trying to bury for 47 years, because the problems we had to deal with were great,” she added. “Young people need to see the present and the future. We must set an example from the past,” she pointed out.
“In 1974, the social and economic fabric of Cyprus was dissolved”, said Demetra Bakirtzi, who curated the wedding dress exhibition at the Leventis Municipal Museum. In addition, she stated that the exhibition should have ended in 1974. In this context, she said, she had discussions with Argyro and the artists who created the wedding dress, which is hovering as a reminder of the life that the refugees left behind in Turkish occupied Cyprus.
Source: Cyprus News Agency