In the striking landscape of the Acheloos River delta, within one of the best-preserved ship sheds of the ancient world, artists Angelos Krallis and Panos Charalambous present, on 7 and 8 July, 2025, their new interdisciplinary work "RAST Diversion", curated by Eleni Riga, with the support of 3 137.
The work takes as its point of departure the myth of the Acheloos River, through which memory is explored as an active force of transformation. It focuses on the geomythology of Acheloos, linking the geological, climatic, and cultural history of the area to contemporary issues: water management, extreme weather phenomena, human intervention in the environment, and the vulnerability of local communities. Specifically designed for the ship sheds of the archaeological site of Oeniadae, Aetolia-Acarnania, the work unfolds in a place where the river once met the sea.
The concept of “diversion” acquires multiple meanings: it refers not only to the physical redirection of the river and human efforts to control its waters, but also to the shifting of historical and cultural narratives. Just as a river changes course, memory, too, is redefined—keeping the past alive through a continuous process of revision and re-creation. The “myth” of Acheloos functions as a living archive, where natural phenomena are interwoven with human narratives, overturning structures of power and redefining our relationship with water and land.
"RAST Diversion" combines visual performance with original musical composition. It employs a variety of traditional and improvised sound sources—such as pipes and metal objects—together with live sound processing and microacoustic environments. The result is a sonic happening—an act of “acoustic archaeology” that activates space, time, body, and nature.
Angelos Krallis creates a sonic palimpsest based on the Rast Makam—a musical mode that reached Greece through the Ottoman Empire and influenced Byzantine, rebetiko, and folk music. Here, Rast is interpreted as a slow, ritual tsamiko, enriched through live processing and improvisation. The outcome is a new acoustic experience that resists categorization, attuned to voices and ecologies that challenge human dominance.
Panos Charalambous draws on familiar motifs from his practice—irrigation pipes, metal basins, and a boat from Lake Amvrakia, his place of origin. The boat is transformed into a musical instrument, embodying the intertwined stories that shape our relationship with water and land. He adopts an auto-ethnographic approach, grounded in lived knowledge from the agricultural and fishing communities of Xiromero and Lake Amvrakia. This embodied knowledge reflects a population that is vulnerable yet deeply connected to its environment. Here, “diversion” becomes an act of liberation from linear narratives—a turn toward ecstasy and collective experience, a reflection on the memory of the body and the landscape.
"RAST Diversion" proposes a new way of approaching cultural heritage: as a living, dynamic relationship with landscape, past, and sound.
Supported by All Greece One Culture
RAST Diversion
Artists: Angelos Krallis, Panos Charalambous
Curator: Eleni Riga
Organized by: NPO 3 137
Photographer All Greece One Culture: Christos Karras
Photography: Alexandra Masmanidi
Useful Information:
The event is offered free of charge by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. The entrance fee to the archaeological site is required (€5, reduced: €3). Reservation is mandatory. The duration is 50 minutes.
For more information, please visit the website: https://allofgreeceone.culture.gov.gr/en/event/rast-diversion/
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RAST Diversion at the Shipyards of the archaeological site of Oeniadae, Aetolia-Acarnania
