The Cycladic island of Sifnos, was chosen as a “research model”, to clarify, from an anthropological perspective what defines island identities in the Eastern Mediterranean, a region where European, Asian and African bio-geographical history and evolution intersect.
This film of visual anthropology is an integral part of the wider research project “Being an Islander“: Art and Identity of the Larger Mediterranean Islands (2500 BCE-300 CE) (2019-2023) culminating with a major exhibition opening 21st February 2023- 4th June 2023 at the Fitzwilliam Museum/University of Cambridge, UK. It was created by Dr. A. Christofilopoulou, Curator of Greek, Cypriot and Roman Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and Dr. Dimitrios Bouras, social anthropologist researcher and filmmaker.
The production of the documentary is a creative and an organic outcome of the project, both in terms of research and public participation. Museums rarely go on to create documentaries, and when they do they are usually single-topic and concerned with promoting a particular exhibition.
This documentary tackles the ideas of insularity, mobility and a timeless human presence in the Aegean, using as a case-study the island of Sifnos. It uses methodology from the fields of visual anthropology, empirical archaeology and archaeology of the senses, as well as ethnographic investigation in the field of island studies.
The documentary “Being an Islander” was first screened on Friday 28 October, at Sifnos Cultural Centre “Marianthi Simou”.
The documentary seeks to make visible the synthesis of the multifaceted forces that contributed to the diversity and multiple levels of memory of this human ecosystem. The project attempts to break through the frozen, mono-thematic images of a nostalgic (touristic) Mediterranean and give space to the narratives of its inhabitants. The polyphony of the islanders reminds us that the Aegean is not simply a picturesque retreat, the islands do not constitute a nephelococcygia, they do not describe an abstraction of the “social”. A mosaic of different voices invites us to unfold with them the coexistence of contrasts and convergences, the symbiosis of differences and similarities, reminding us of the value of bonds.
The filming lasted a full year and a half with the active participation of twenty-six residents as well as academic collaborators, post-doctoral researchers and technical consultants, who together answered the same questions: “What does it mean to be an islander?”, “What role does the natural environment and the natural resources of the island play in shaping island life and culture?”, “How important is the intangible heritage on the island and how does it manifest itself in the lives of the inhabitants?”
This interweaving and the exchange of views, experiences and ways of living and coping with difficulties, between the researchers and community members, allowed for their natural interaction, the participation of community members in the research objectives of the project shaping the results of the documentary. Island community members are not merely interviewees, as in past documentary practice, but are equal respondents and influencers of the research topics, thus making the documentary an exercise in community participation, co-creation and engagement outside the boundaries of the traditional academic community.
The documentary was created with the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, as well as with the kind permission of the Ministry of Culture and is under the auspices of the Municipality of Sifnos Cyclades.
The Premiere of the documentary is supported by ZANTE FERRIES A.N.M.E.Z., which also supported the filming in Sifnos by providing free tickets for the transportation of the crew and equipment.
Read also:
Sifnos: Chic Cycladic island offering a relaxed atmosphere
Amorgos: Immerse Yourself in an Authentic Cycladic Experience
Andros – An international hiking destination in the Cyclades
