Iconography 2.0: Cultural Project of Tradition and Innovation NextGenerationTradition

Start of reservations: 04.08

Dates

23.08 — 24.08.2025

Start Time

19:00

Venue

Holy Monastery of Our Lady of Akrotiri and Saint John the Theologian in Toplos, Sitia How to get there

Description

Iconography 2.0 is a groundbreaking cultural project that aims to redefine the dialogue between traditional iconography methods, technological innovation, art, faith, and aesthetics.

The event culminates in an original visual art installation at the Holy Monastery of Our Lady of Akrotiriani and Saint John the Theologian in Toplou, Sitia, where light, image, and sound create a hybrid phygital setting that unfolds throughout the spaces of the Monastery and transforms the visitor’s experience into a multi-sensory journey between the past and present.

Byzantine music and the natural soundscapes of Crete engage in conversation with modern musical compositions and poetic texts, supporting the visual works that will be created as part of the three-day educational and artistic programme preceding the event. This polyphonic dialogue among sound, image, and speech allows for the co-existence of tradition and innovation, creating a new, vibrant space for cultural expression, where art becomes the language of faith, memory, aesthetics, and collectiveness.

Contributors

Concept, production, museological design, visual arrangement of space:

LOOX – Organization for Research, Innovation, and Culture

Artistic and scientific direction:

Loukas Ziaras, Christos Kalaitzoglou

Academic and theological support:

Sotirios Despotis, Kirki Kefalea, Stavros Giagkazoglou, Athanasios Antonopoulos

Visual arts advisor:

Marianna Strapatsaki

Architectural consultant:

Frosso Poimenides

Visual arts education:

Hierom Ilarion Stamatakis, Olympiada Kelaidi, Evangelia Kelaidi

Visual artists and iconographers:

Ioakeim Koumoussis, Angelos Chatzidimitriou, Dhimodinea Murataj

Musical direction, sound design:

Giorgos Andriotis

Artistic training, music & theatrical performance:

Ilektra Sarri, Eleni Alifragi

Digital design, technology & digital documentation:

Konstantinos Lazos, Olga Ziara Maja Wilder, Christos Papanastasiou-Kontos, Vaggelis Karapetsas

Production consultants & international collaborations:

Zorica Rašković, Marianna Kourti, Stavroula Kalaitzoglou, Natalia Tsilogianni, Stella Evripidi, Nikolaos‑Christoforos Gkoutselis, Grigoris Patrikakos, Lampros Topaltsis, Giorgos Papaioannis, Evangelia‑Ifigeneia Kapsomenaki

NPO

LOOX

Information

The event is offered for free by the Ministry of Culture.
Advanced booking is necessary.

This project is part of the broader program of the LOOX – Organization for Research, Innovation, and Culture under the title “Living Tradition and Cultural Innovation in Crete: Alternative Routes of Culture, Faith, Spirituality, and Digital Creativity.” The program is carried out under the auspices of the Hellenic Tourism Organization and the Region of Crete, and will take place in Crete from August 18 to 30, 2025.

In particular, between August 18 and 23, within the Holy Monastery, there will be experiential workshops on traditional arts and digital transformation, theology, and contemporary culture, featuring the participation of artists, university faculty, and members of the wider community.

Under the Auspices and in Collaboration with: Hellenic Tourism Organization (EOT), Region of Crete, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Theology, NKUA Department of Social Theology and the Study of Religion