Takingintoconsiderationtheimportanteventsofthetransitionaldecadeofthe1980sthatledGreecetowardsMediaart,wewilllookatthefirstperiodofthedevelopmentofElectronicMusicwiththefewtechnologicalmeansthatGreekartistscouldaffordandhaveaccessto.Wewillalsolookattheintegrationofvideoasatool,bothasarecordingandacreativemedium,(videoart)inthearts.

TheuseofcomputerinfineartswasintegratedlateinGreece,withtheexceptionsofthepioneerartistNestorasPapanikolopoulos,whoseworkwasnotappreciatedbythelocalartisticcirclesthatexistedthen,andtheadvertiserKostisAkritidis,whoforesawtheuseofcomputerapplicationsinvisualcommunication.

ThefirstlargescaleElectronicMusicLabinGreecewasfoundedin1975.Fouryearslater,IannisXenakissetuptheContemporaryMusicResearchCentreinAthens.[30]TherehestarteddevelopinghisPolyagogic(UPIC)system,whichhehadalreadypresentedinBonnein1977.SomeoftherepresentativeelectronicmusiccomposersinGreecewere:AnestisLogothetis(19211994)[31]andStefanosVasiliadis(19332004)[32],whointroducedtheideaofmusicSchoolsinGreece.Also,LenaPlatonos[33]belongstotheyoungGreekgenerationofelectronicmusiccomposersofthe1980s.Attheendofthedecade(1979),theInstituteforResearchonMusicandAcousticswasfoundedinAthensandaimedatextendingtheuseofnewtechnologiesasworkingtools.[34]

Intheearly1980s,theAthensSchoolofFineArts,alongwiththecontemporaryGreekartscene,missedauniqueopportunitytocoordinatewithinternationalmediaart.From1983to1986,thepainter,sculptorandthencomputerartistNestorasPapanikolopoulos(1928)[35]taughtattheAthensSchoolofFineArts(ASFA),afterhereturnedfromFrancewherehehadfledbecauseofthejunta.Papanikolopoulosfirstdiscoveredtherelationshipbetweencomputersandart,whenhevisitedtheprominentexhibitionElectrainParis,in1984.InGreece,accesstotechnologyandtechnologicalmeanswasextremelydifficult.HetaughthimselfhowtoprogramusingBasicandPascalandwroteprogramstocreatedigitalgeometricforms.InacomprehensivearticleAggelikiGaridisofArtMagwritesofPapanikolopoulosthathe:wasoneofthefirstartiststo

TheTransitionalDecadeofthe1980s

experimentwiththegraphicpossibilitiesofcomputers,butatthattimetherewereonlyafewwhocouldappreciateandtakehisworkseriously.EvenattheAthensSchoolofFineArts,wherehewasteaching,hiseffortstointegratethecomputerwererejected.()Atatimewhencomputerprogramsandthestateoftheartsoftwarewerenotyetavailabletoeitherartistsortheaudience,Nestorasworkwaspioneering.[36]

ContemporaryGreekartlostitsopportunitytosynchronizewiththeinternationalMediaartcommunitynotonlybecausethebrillianceofNestorasPapanikolopouloswasoverlookedintheAthensSchoolofFineArtsbutalsobecausetheMinistryofCulturewasprimarilyconcernedwithcontemporaryGreekcinema,theatreandmusicfestivals.ThefactthattheAthensSchoolofFineArtsfoundapermanenthomeandcreatedartlaboratorieswasduetoNikosKessanlis(19302004),apaintereducatedinParisduringMay1968andoneofthemostimportantRectorsinthehistoryoftheSchool.

RegardingthethemesintheworkofGreekartists,itwasnaturalthatthosewhowereactiveinthe1970sandthe1960sfocusedonsociopoliticalissuesthatweredominantGreeceimmediatelyaftertheregimechange,aperiodknownasMetapolitefsi.In1973,thecityofAthensexperiencedthestudentsrevoltandtheseriesofeventsthattookplaceinAthensPolytechnic.Aftertherestorationofdemocracy,selfexilesbegantoreturntoGreece.Inthesamedecade,GreecebecameamemberoftheEuropeanCommunityandacquiredcolourtelevision(1981).

ThehomelandofvideoartisGermanyandthefirstvideoartistwasWolfVostell(19321998)[37]withhisfirstvideoartworkSuninyourhead(1963).ThefirstfamousvideoartistwastheKoreanNamJunePaik(19322006).DuringthesameperiodwhenNamJunePaikwasrisingintheinternationalartscene,theGreekcityplannerNikosPapadakis[38]created,underadversecircumstances,aspeciallydesignedvideoartspaceintheAthensvenueofPolyplano.

Thefirstexplorationsinthefieldofvideoartoccurredinthelate1970sandearly1980s,althoughartinstallationsexistedsincethe1960switheventsandperformanceshappeningsincetheearly1970s.ThefirstexamplesofvideoartinGreeceweretheoutcomeoftheindividualworkofartists,whohadlivedorstudiedabroad.Thosesporadiceffortswerelargelydependentonpersonalsacrificesandthegreateffortsexpendedbythe

MarianneStrapatsakisInvisiblePlacesTheVastWhite,(2011)Videostill

TwoGreekartistsMarianneStrapatsakis[42]andManthosSantorineos[43]returnedtoGreeceafterstudyinginFranceandworkedsolelyinthefieldoftechnologicalart.ThevideoartistMarianneStrapatsakis,whocollaboratedwiththeFrenchartistRobertCahen[44],hadalreadyparticipatedinmanyexhibitionsabroadwhensheexhibitedherfirstvideoartworkinGreecein1985.ManthosSantorineoshasbeenamultimediaartistsincethemid1980s.HefoundedtheLabIkona[Image],collaboratedwithIleanaTountaContemporaryArt

artists,duetothelackofaccessibilityofelectronicmediaandtothecompletelackofsupportbyanyartsmechanismforproductionanddistribution.InFebruary1980,aLabforVideoArtwaslaunchedandtheArtSpacePolyplanopresentedvideoartprojections.TsikoutaDeimezi,2005[39]

ReturningtoGreece,someartistsexperimentedwithvideohowever,notemployingitasasingletoolforartmaking.Theyusediteithertorecordevents,orintegrateditasanelementintotheirsculpturesandonlyafewofthemdeployeditasameanstocreateautonomousartworks.Forexample,LedaPapaconstantinou[40],whowasinEngland,workedwithvideoandfilmquiteearly.Moreover,KostasTsoklis[41]hasfrequentlyworkedwithvideosincethe1980s,representingGreeceatthe42ndVeniceBiennalewithavideoartwork(1986).

Centre,andheisalsothefounderofFournosCentreforDigitalCultureandtheMedia@terraFestivals.[45]

Inthe1980s,videowasthedominantmediuminGreekMediaartbecauseitwasthemostaccessiblemediumintermsofaffordabilityandtechnology.Aneducationalcommunitywithatechnologicalartisticdrivethatwouldopenthedoorstoexperimentationhadnotyetexisted.DespitethevolatilityofthepoliticalandsociallandscapeoftheGreekpostjuntaregime,videoartwasnotabletoplaythepartofaninterventionistor/andsubversivemedium()initslocalversion,videoartdidnothaveanedgycriticalorsubversivecharacter,asdidguerrillaTVoralternativeTV.Whatwasfavouredwastheadoptionofvideoasatoolforrecordingeventsthemonitorwasseenasatechnologicalobjectandascreenforprojectingthefinalartproduct.Thecapabilitytorecordtheimageinananaloguemannercreatingstructuralrepetitions,transpositions,linearornonlinearnarrative,stableordistortedimage,wasprimarilysoughttotranslateitintopoeticmetaphors.Videoinstallations,whichhavebeenthedominantwayofthepresentationofvideoart,evenintheinternationalscene,fromthe1980sonwards,werethecentreofinterestinGreece.AretiAdamopoulou,2005.[46]

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[30]ContemporaryMusicResearchCenter:http://www.ksyme.gr/(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[31]AnestisLogothetis(19211994):http://anestislogothetis.musicportal.gr/(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[32]StefanosVasiliadis(19332004):http://composers.musicportal.gr/?lang=el&c=vasiliadis(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[33]LenaPlatonos:http://www.myspace.com/lenaplatonos(Accessedon:01/08/2012)/Flight201:http://youtu.be/EdkbJ4fa92E(Accessedon:01/08/2012)/ParrotsInitiativesLilipoupoli:http://youtu.be/tLocva5vzR8(Accessedon:02/08/2012)

[34]nstituteforResearchofMusicandAcoustics:http://www.iema.gr/aboutus/?lang=el(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[35]NestorPapanikolopoulos(1928):http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/sarek/NESTOR.htm(Accessedon:02/08/2012)

[36]NESTORAS.MUSICIENDEL'IMAGEbyAngulikiGaridisinFrench:http://www.artmag.com/techno/nestoras/nestor1.html(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[37]WolfVostell:http://www.wolfvostell.com/(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[38]NikosPapadakis,thefounderoftheartspacePolyplano,passedawayinGreek:http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_civ_2_02/09/2004_114646(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[39]Video:anexpressivemedium,LinaTsikoutaDeimeziinGreek:http://www.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_kathglobal_1_06/02/2005_1283725(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[40]LedaPapaconstantinou:http://www.aaart.gr/Content/Artist.asp?c=2&l=gr&a=155

[41]KostasTsoklis:http://www.biblionet.gr/author/15131/Costas_Tsoclis(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[42]MarianneStrapatsakis:http://avarts.ionio.gr/el/department/teachingstaff/336strapatsaki(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[43]ManthosSantorineos:http://www.medialab.asfa.gr/santorineos/gr/santorineos_main3.html(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[44]RobertCahen:FilmographieVidographie:http://www.jeudepaume.org/index.php?page=document&idArt=1218&lieu=1&idDoc=730(Accessedon:05/08/2012)

[45]Fournos,CenterforDigitalCulture:http://www.fournosculture.gr/(Accessedon:25/07/2012)

[46]GreekArtistsandTechnology,AretiAdamopoulou:http://www.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_kathglobal_1_06/02/2005_1283726