2nd Drystone-wall School of Andros Island, 12-19 March 2022
Despite the extreme weather conditions of March, the 2nd Drystone-wall School of Andros Island is taking place with only minor differences in the program that was initially announced. The welcome of the trainees by organizers and trainers took place on Saturday morning, March 12, in the emblematic hall of the Environmental Education Center of Korthi, the first school of Andros and one of the first to operate in pre-revolutionary Greece (1813). The same morning, topics related to drystone construction techniques were analyzed (Nikos Hazapis, Grigoris Koutropoulos), and projects that have been implemented in Greece by the Itinerant Workshop on traditional Building Techniques "Boulouki" (Grigoris Koutropoulos) were presented.
Although the snowstorm forced us to postpone the afternoon session of Saturday, March 12, to a later date, the activities of the next day, Sunday, March 13 –attended by 20 trainees and 5 trainers and organizers– took place under unprecedented snowstorm, but in an enthusiastic atmosphere. Moreover, a reconnaissance trip to the drystone structural elements took place on this day along the path that connects the Archaeological site of Ancient Zagora with the Holy Monastery of Panaghia Panahrantou, in the center of the island. The afternoon session of the same day included outstanding presentations by the NTUA professors, Manolis Korre and Tassis Papaioannou, who kept everyone's interest alive for more than three hours.
On Monday, March 14, the workshop was set-up on the access path to the Archaeological site of Ancient Zagora. After locating the damaged parts of the drystone enclosures of the path, built with the technique of "stimata", the trainees proceed to their gradual restoration, under the supervision of the craftsmen Iraklis Gavras and Giannis Papadopoulos from Andros. In the afternoon of the same day, at the Environmental Education Center of Korthi, the speeches given by Villy Fotopoulou (Ministry of Culture) and Grigoris Koutropoulos set the framework of the intangible and tangible cultural heritage, connecting theory and practice of drystone building in Greece and internationally.
The program continues today, Tuesday, March 15, in the same places, with undiminished interest and enthusiasm from the trainees, who come, apart from Andros Island and Attica, from other Aegean islands (Ios, Syros), from Agrafa, Karditsa, but also from Spain and the Netherlands. For anyone interested, the afternoon meetings (17.00-19.00) will be freely accessible, via the link: https://aegean-gr.zoom.us/j/96334277753.
The program, as well as other information about the School, is given on the website of the LIFE TERRACESCAPE project, in the framework of which it is implemented: lifeterracescape.aegean.gr.
The purpose of the School is to promote the art of drystone through theoretical and practical knowledge transfer to young stone craftsmen. The ultimate goal is the preservation of the art of drystone that has shaped the landscape of the Aegean islands over time, hoping that the same art will continue shaping it.
The 2nd Drystone-wall School of Andros Island is dedicated to Eleni Alexaki-Pagratiou, the heart of our 1st School, in November 2021, who is no longer with us.
Theodora Petanidou, coordinator of LIFE TERRACESCAPE project
