POMPE [procession]

A field of more than 100 LED columns of different typologies welcomes visitors who enter Stavros Niarchos Park from the diagonal path leading to the Great Lawn. The work aims to create a visual event, in which visitors get to actively participate, forming part of a silent, luminous path towards uplift. The columns of light evoke the human figure in the context of a ritual, while the straight, absolute alignment and steep incline of the path intensify this feeling.

The installation aims to immerse visitors into an atmosphere of spirituality and introspection, as they become part of the sequence, one more unit of light within the whole. The pure white light of the columns is inspired by the mystical ritual character of ancient processions. The minimalist visual language and the use of LED lights come in contrast to the natural character of the Park’s vegetation. This continuous field of light, geometry and course exploration conveys the tensions between nature and built space, between the human element and architecture, between motion and stillness. Pompe was presented in December 2022 at the Planted Roofs of the SNFCC. This year, it returns to a different part of the Park, aiming to prompt visitors to experience the work from a new point of view, one that calls for both a different stance towards the installation and a new way of viewing it.

Eleni Maragaki is an award-winning visual artist, with distinctions from organizations such as Tate Modern, The Muse Gallery, and Maison/0 Sustainability Awards. Her artistic work focuses on various techniques, such as sculpture, drawing, engraving and video, and has been presented in exhibitions in Greece and abroad. George Nikas (architectural engineer, NTUA) has worked at architectural offices in Athens and has been distinguished in several architecture competitions in Greece. In recent years, he has been working at the archaeological site of Mystras as a restoration architect, while also undertaking private and public projects.

Photo credits: Nikos Karanikolas