A philosophical, surprising and exclusive art walk through Moss
– made for those who want to explore, understand and love the city.

In this walk prepared especially for Moss, Alexandros Mistriotis takes the audience into an experience where the urban space and the audience’s consciousness become the stage.

>> CLICK HERE FOR THE RECEPTION FREDRIKSTAD

Time travel

A city is both a physical space and the mental image the city’s inhabitants have of it. It is the audience’s image of the city that Mistriotis wants to challenge.

During the trip, the audience will be presented with surroundings, places and city stories in new and surprising ways. We get to visit several unexpected destinations where both stories and refreshments are served. The story moves both forwards and backwards in time and sees Moss in a larger context, both geographically and economically.

Perfect for everyone curious about the city’s development, interested in history or to get a new perspective on familiar surroundings!

Read art critic Arve Rød’s review of The Reception here (in Norwegian) >>

What exactly is The Reception? Read Rami Maktabi’s reflections here (in Norwegian) >>

The center for you is where you are

The Reception was originally developed in Athens. The once proud city was hit by economic downturns and heavy pollution and was suddenly on the periphery of Europe. Mistriotis felt a need to bring out the other sides of the city’s distinctive features and stories in the public discourse.

The Reception therefore explores the alternative stories: We cross the urban space to discover places that may not be known or mentioned in the textbooks, but which are nevertheless significant by virtue of their history, aesthetics, architecture – or as the scene of random events.

Mistriotis is concerned with the significance of the personal experience – both in political, philosophical and poetic perspective.
– In a global world, it is important to remember that the “center” is not a geographical location. The center for you is where you are, he says.

– En fortelling som setter Moss i kontakt med de lange linjene, i historien og i geografien, der det lille ses i lys av det store, og vise versa. 

English translation: – A story that puts Moss in contact with the long lines, in history and in geography, where the small is seen in the light of the big, and vice versa.

Arve Rød, art critic

The mirror of the city

The Moss version of The Reception was first presented by IN SITU FOCUS during the Nonstop International Theater Festival in September 2018. Mistriotis has been an artist in residence in Østfold five times from June 2017 to September 2018. The art walk in Moss is a result of research, a number of workshops and many walks with i.a. urban planners, architects, historians, politicians, artists and committed citizens. One could say that Mistriotis in this way mirrors the city back to itself, while the reflections are filtered through his perspective: an artist from the southernmost part of Europe.

-I do not think in any way that I can tell the inhabitants of Moss anything about their city that they do not know from before, but I can contribute with a different perspective and other references, he says.
We are happy to welcome Alexandros Mistriotis back to Moss in the autumn of 2020!

Practical information:

The art walk is aimed at an audience from older youth and upwards and is done in English. The entire walk, including breaks, lasts for about 4 hours. Much of the walk takes place outside in public spaces, so dress according to the weather conditions. If you need universal adaptation, contact the organizer. There will be several seated breaks and refreshments along the way. Meeting place is given by phone a few days before the performance.

About Alexandros Mistriotis:

Artist Alexandros Mistriotis was born in Ottawa, Canada and grew up in Athens, Greece. He graduated from the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, France and has studied literature, painting, film, photography and multimedia. He started working as a video artist in Greece in the early 2000s, but eventually became a playwright and eventually a performer. He performs his own texts during the project called The Theater of Quietude. The social development in Greece and Europe in general has been a central starting point for and theme in his later artistic practice. Among other things, he focuses on how history and discourse is orally handed down, or how the way we talk about the outside world helps to shape it.  

Reviews:

– Som innfødt mosseboer (mange generasjoner tilbake) var det herlig å få overraskende blikk på egen by, med pekere til Europa og verden for øvrig. Alexandros’ «manus» var utrolig presist og samtidig rikholdig. En fryd å høre på.

English translation: – As a native of Moss (many generations back), it was wonderful to get a surprising look at your own city, with pointers to Europe and the rest of the world. Alexandros’ “script” was incredibly precise and at the same time rich. A joy to listen to.

Dag Jansson, Førsteamanuensis i kulturledelse, Handelshøyskolen ved Oslo Met

This is what the audience says:

– Alexandros’ script was absolutely perfect – a delicate balance between scarcity and richness. Delivered without a script as a free actor. […] It was really striking how powerful he was in his kindness and quietness. A reminder that if you are going to convince someone, there is nothing that beats mobilizing the listener’s own thinking.

– He managed to stimulate the idea of my role and my responsibility for the development of the place I live in and my time on earth – that’s really something.

– Quietly and consistently [he] kept coming back to the opposition between those with power and those without – “the powerless.” In mild words, he conveyed a razor-sharp social analysis. Strong content in almost seductive friendly indictment.

– Perhaps the most powerful thing was to experience that history pointed forward to me/us, without moralizing, but opening our eyes to a responsibility towards the place, the city, which will/can make us more “human”.

Press images

Press images can be downloaded here