Pame Kaimakli Festival 2023 aims to ‘illuminate’ old stories and become the catalyst for new narratives to be written in traditional spaces in the settlement of Kaimakli. By shedding light on narratives anew or giving them the opportunity to be recorded for the first time, it will provide a fresh approach to the inclusion of various marginalized social groups living in the neighborhood, as well as the connection between different social groups such as the elderly, immigrants, and other species. The festival will unfold through walking events where new and old stories, performances, sound, artistic, and visual installations will be presented using light, shadow, and multimedia. Light and darkness will reshape landscapes, evoke memories, smells and sounds from distant and nearby places, connecting different worlds and individuals of different ages, nationalities, etc. The theme of Pame Kaimakli 2023 revives distant memories and sheds light on the emergence of new worlds, new realities, acknowledging and building relationships, while activating familiar public, private, and intermediate spaces and conditions under a new light. With inclusivity as its goal, PK 2023 negotiates concepts of collective memory, multiple readings of place and experiences, creating a platform for the recognition of space. Maintaining its open and participatory character, it aims this year to create a framework for artistic events, works, narratives, and installations that reshape history by connecting memories with people and places, while simultaneously reframing the local within the global. The new stories presented within the framework of the festival aim to overturn separations and exclusions, shedding new light on time and place.
Celebrating cultural identity in Kamakli or_ Celebrating the cultural layers of Kamakli-An invitation to co-create ENGLISH TEXT Short description OPEN KITCHENS is curated discussions over dinner in the neighborhood of Kaimakli, organised by Urban Gorillas and the residents of the area. The process of cooking and dining collectively is a tool to bring people together and discuss co-creation and development of the Οι ΑΝΟΙΧΤΕΣ ΚΟΥΖΙΝΕΣ είναι επιμελημένες συζητήσεις στην γειτονιά του Καϊμακλίου, που διοργανώνεται από τους Urban Gorillas και τους κατοίκους της περιοχής. Η διαδικασία μαγειρέματος και του συλλογικού δειπνου είναι ένα εργαλείο για να φέρει τους ανθρώπους μαζί και για να ξεκινησει μια συζητηση περι συν-δημιουργίας και την ανάπτυξη του φεστιβάλ Pame Kaimakli 2020. OPEN KITCHENS is research project where collective cooking and dining becomes a tool for engagement and participation in the upcoming Pame Kaimakli festival 2020. The passionate chefs are residents of Kaimakli of diverse ethnic backgrounds who are hosted in local homes. Οι ΑΝΟΙΧΤΕΣ ΚΟΥΖΙΝΕΣ είναι ένα πρότζεκτ όπου η διαδικασία μαγειρέματος και του συλλογικού δειπνου γίνεται εργαλείο συν-δημιουργίας και συμμετοχής για το προσεχες φεστιβάλ ΠΑΜΕ ΚΑΙΜΑΚΛΙ 2020. Οι παθιασμένοι σεφ είναι κάτοικοι του Καϊμάκλιου προερχομενοι απο διαφορετικες εθνικοτητες οι οποιοι θα μαγειρεψουν σε σπιτια της γειτονιας. ENGLISH TEXT DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS BELOW OPEN KITCHENS is a continuation of a series of events presented in previous Pame Kaimakli editions (open doors, open windows, open houses, open courtyards). This event takes place as an OPEN CALL addressing Kaimakli residents, artists, social practitioners, activists, academics and anyone interested in participating in the development of activities in the upcoming Pame Kamakli festival in 2020. OPEN KITCHENS is a co-creation tool in the form of a cooking and dining launched by Urban Gorillas. It aims to enhance the participatory aspect of the upcoming Pame Kaimakli 2020 festival by building a dialogue amongst diverse groups of people in a relaxed and inclusive manner. OPEN KITCHENS is a unique dining experience where residents of Kaimakli of diverse ethnic backgrounds with passion for cooking are hosted in the homes of local residents’ to stage dinners from around the world: eg. Italy, Somalia, Japan, Syria, Spain, China, the Carribean and more! A discussion will be curated during the dinner to generate a brainstorming session on arts-based practices for building an inclusive neighborhood, which will be the focal theme of Pame Kaimakli 2020 festival .
Due to the limited capacity to host numerous guests, participants should reserve their seat in advance. RSVP your attendance by July 14th. We will get back to you to announce the thematic dining experience assigned to you. *A donation of any amount would be appreciated and would be re-directed to pay for groceries and any excess will go to instantly to support vulnerable people.
Date : 21.07.2019 Meeting Time : 18.30 @ Kafeneio Arrival at your host house: 19.00 Cooking preparation: 19.00-20.00 Dining : 20.00-22.00 Dessert: 22.00-23.00 : All participants return at the Kafeneio for tradional Cyprus desert and wrap-up. Reservations and Questions: communications.urban.gorillas@gmail.com
Revolving around the topic of food, a programme of activities took place from the 4th thru 13th of September 2020, as part of the Pame Kaimakli festival in Nicosia. The activities included a collective planting action, a performative dinner, two video productions recording two community workshops, audio visual ethnographic performances, a book launch on the edible gardens of Kaimakli, and a pop-up cinema showcasing two international films and documentary video stories. The activities involved diverse stakeholders such as a local organisation for the elderly, a migrant association, children, artists, local activists, and the wider community. The participating organisations included the A-Place partners prostoRož (Slovenia), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), NOVA FCSH (Portugal) and KU Leuven (Belgium), as well as other organisations: Cultureghem (Belgium), MultiKulti (Bulgaria), BosserLive (Israel), LaFundici (Spain), ACRA (Italy), and Trajna, (Slovenia). Actions were supported by the Cyprus Ministry of Culture, the Nicosia Municipality, the Italian Embassy, the Indian High Commission, and Thomopol. Further information: https://www.a-place.eu/en/placemaking-activity/24 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUyu1Njwg0U
EXTRA TEXT: Pame Kaimakli* is a neighbourhood festival launched in 2013 by the residents of the Kaimakli district and Urban Gorillas. From a series of ad-hoc infor mal events that were taking place in the private houses of the neighbours, the Festival has grown into a well-known event, welcoming acclaimed artists; it became a cross-disciplinary place where local meets global. It is an annual community event that aims to explore ideas of publicness, co-creation and community engagement through creative interventions with the collaboration of residents and artists. The thematic of the 2020 festival focused on the act of making, sharing, and celebrating notions of food production and food consumption. Food as a placemaking topic has great potential to connect and to intrigue interest in commonalities, differences, but also opportunities for creative community actions during times of crisis. Pame Kaimakli 2020 included the following activities: 1. The production of three video stories about the Kaimakli neighbourhood – part of the A Delicious place project (funded by the Creative Europe project A-Place) 2. A pop-up cinema, with the screening of two international films, that looked into the relationships of place, communities and food – part of the A Delicious place project (funded by the Creative Europe project A-Place) 3. “A Delicious Place” pop-up cinema with video stories, and curated talk – part of the A Delicious place project (funded by the Creative Europe project A-Place) 4. The performance Mpoukia kai sygxorio written by Costas Mannouris and narrated by Popi Avraam 5. Dining Perfomance by intercultural community group WeCircle which was the result of an 8 week workshop 6. Theatrical Performance by community group of retirees EKYSI and Yiasemin Collective which was the result of an 8 week workshop. 7.Video performance of Kaimakli Gardens by Nicos Philippou and Christiana Stylianou. *Since 2013, the Pame Kaimakli Festival has been adopting artistic practices to foster exchanges between the diverse social strata of the district, through the participation of local and invited international artists and the general public. One of the objectives of the festival is to provide ways to overcome the distance between ‘local’ and ‘other’ residents, thus contributing to the creation of a healthier social environment for everyday urban life.
Let’s Go Kaimakli brings Kaimakli residents and friends together through creative and entertaining ways to celebrate culture, multiculturalism and neighborhood stories. For four years the group has been organizing festivals in the neighborhood; we go out on the streets to share moments, stories and learn about our surroudings. The festivals follow various theme; open windows, open doors, open yards. This year’s two-day festival opened its yards to the public who eagerly visited the gardens of houses in old Kaimakli and who discussed with the owners about the houses’ history.The guided yard tour on day 1 was led by an architect and an arborist and was concluded in the Urban Gorillas office with a storytelling session on community togetherness by storyteller Katerina Kyriakou. Regis Ice Cream, also are based in Kaimakli, celebrated 65 years with an ice cream exhibition showcasing their journey throughout the years (15-18th of June at Kaimakli´s Cultural Center “Μύλοι”) and offered festival-goers refreshing ice cream to quench our thirst during the tour. The day ended with a community dinner in Ayia Barbara square whilst listening to Kaimakli stories from local elders. Day 2 filled the streets with traditional Cypriot games and live rembetiko music as the neighbourhood came to life and residents and friends were given a new opportunity to experience the location. Πάμε Καϊμακλί FB page Organizers: Urban Gorillas, Social Space Kaymakkin, Kaimakli residents
Urban Gorillas in collaboration with the Kaimakli residents have co-organized Pame Kaimakli festival, 2018 edition, with the theme “Adopt an Artist”. Old Kaimakli became an open gallery, and a hub of creative and social actions. Residents of Kaimakli hosted the works of local and international artists, “adopting an artist” and co-curating exhibitions, installations, and happenings in homes, shops and social spaces of the neighborhood. Artists from the Milan-based network NON Riservato following a residency in Nicosia have been also adopted by the local community. Roads were closed for cars and public spaces were transformed through a series of actions, becoming a platform for discussion, culture, play and engagement. During the festival, a series of performances, workshops, exhibitions, sound and art installations, screenings, food and music were planned, or at times occurred unexpectedly. Funded by: Ministry of Education and Culture, Nicosia Municipality and Tandem for Europe. Activities/Projects: ● 38 projects presented in all the neighborhood ● 5 workshops ● 3 upcycling projects ● 23 Houses hosted an artist and opened their doors to the pubic ● 9 (Private Studios / Shops/business) opened to public ● 2 empty shops activated ● 2 private churches in peoples houses opened ● 6 Live performances ● 1 Documentary presenting stories of the neighborhood ● 11 projects in public spaces Public Engaged: ● Neighbors: 93 actively engaged ● Active engagement of older people: 16 ● Total number of Artists: 58 ● International Artists participation: 15 ● Kaimakli Artists Engagement: 22 ● Nationalities: 16 Further information: http://urbangorillas.org/uncategorized/pame-kaimakli-adopt-an-artist/ Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um8BcUYeSqo
Tittle: Pame Kaimakli: Adopt an Artist
Date: July 2018
Context: Annual neighbourhood cultural festival
Urban Gorillas in collaboration with the Kaimakli residents have co-organized Pame Kaimakli festival, 2018 edition, with the theme “Adopt an Artist”.
Old Kaimakli became an open gallery, and a hub of creative and social actions. Residents of Kaimakli hosted the works of local and international artists, “adopting an artist” and co-curating exhibitions, installations, and happenings in homes, shops and social spaces of the neighborhood.
Artists from the Milan-based network NON Riservato following a residency in Nicosia have been also adopted by the local community. Roads were closed for cars and public spaces were transformed through a series of actions, becoming a platform for discussion, culture, play and engagement.
During the festival, a series of performances, workshops, exhibitions, sound and art installations, screenings, food and music were planned, or at times occurred unexpectedly . :
Open windows is an unforgettable experience where the visitor follows an interactive route and discovers music through the windows of houses performances presented by its own inhabitants Kaimakli. At the same time there is a tour for neighborhood cultural heritage. A total of 46 cultural activities and artistic projects were presented in the 2015 edition of the festival. The children from the neighborhood took an active role in this festival edition. They have undertaken the role of local guides to the different events presented through the Open Windows. Further information: http://urbangorillas.org/our-work/urban-interventions/anthropometric-performance-at-lets-go-kaimakli-neighbouh ood-event-2/ Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkdxD6qp45c
The ‘open doors’ Pame Kaimakli festival in 2013 celebrated the interior world of about ten houses in the neighbourhood of Kaimakli. These houses opened their doors from the morning until late afternoon and were converted into an accessible public realm for all, a living room for all the community. That generating the forging of the community bonds and community sense.
The vibrant and culturally rich Pame Kaimakli Festival is back for its 2024 edition. The annual celebration brings together the community of Kaimakli and connects local and international participants through art, culture and social engagement.
The festival will take place on 20, 21, and 22 September. In the run-up to this, a series of pre-festival activities will take place which altogether aim to transform Kaimakli into a lively, interconnected socio-cultural landscape by activating over 20 location (amongst others houses, shops, terraces, bufferzone, rooftops), and in collaboration with the neighbours welcoming over 40 artists in various locations. This year’s theme, “RE*OPEN,” is inspired by the festival’s earlier concepts of “Open Windows”, “Open Doors,” and “Open Kitchen,” expanding beyond conventional art spaces to engage with the physical and social layers of Kaimakli. The festival focuses on the ideas of ‘Stratification’ and ‘Spaces in Between,’ encouraging artists to explore the rich, layered histories and social heritage of the area. Through this theme, Pame Kaimakli 2024 aims to blend traditional and contemporary art forms, creating an inclusive and multicultural experience that resonates with the diverse community of Kaimakli.
The festival will feature local and international artists and organisations, multi-layered artistic expressions, including music, theatre, film screenings, bike rides, workshops, sensory installations, dance performances. The festival will culminate with the play OUT OF NECESSITY in an updated version, returning for the first time in a public space.
This handbook is designed to serve as a comprehensive guide to the activation of public spaces in Cyprus. It draws on the findings of an extensive community survey and presents practical examples of spatial interventions, with a particular focus on the “Agora” -a transformative spatial installation at the heart of the MAPS (Mobile Agora for Participatory Spaces) project. The project was led by Urban Gorillas and supported by the Commonwealth Foundation, MAPS embodies a pioneering approach to reimagining public spaces as dynamic, inclusive environments.