Εxhibition opening: Thursday 30 January 2025 | 20:30
Presentation of the two-volume illustrated encyclopedic dictionary “A. F. Vettas. Scenes. Notes on the Art and Technique of Scenography” | Thursday 30 January 2025, 18:00-20:30
The technique of scenography "takes the lead" in the exhibition entitled "Scenes made of paper" as well as in the two-volume illustrated encyclopedic dictionary of Apostolos Fokion Vettas, emeritus professor of scenography at the Drama School of the Faculty of Arts of AUTh, and in the end it becomes clear that it was the main protagonist and love of the same, during his life.
The inter-artistic dimension of scenography (theater, speech, movement, visual arts, sound, architecture) as well as the possibilities arising from every form of applied art compose a special, new, malleable, constructivist backdrop in the exhibition in question, in MOMus-Museum of Modern Art-Costakis Collection in Thessaloniki, from 30 January until 23 March 2025. Children and adults can intervene with special lighting techniques in the already existing scenery in the space and bring them to life in any way they wish.
The exhibition of models and paper-sculptures functions as an ideal setting for the presentation of the two-volume illustrated encyclopedic dictionary of scenography, stage architecture and theater technology entitled "A. F. Vettas. Scenes. Notes on the Art and Technique of Scenography", a high educational contribution of the author, published by MOMus under his supervision and with the support of the J. F. Costopoulos Foundation. The presentation event will take place on Thursday 30 January 2025 at MOMus-Museum of Modern Art, 18:00-20:30.
Speakers will be: Apostolos Vettas, emeritus professor of scenography, School of Drama, Faculty of Arts, AUTh, Petros Martinidis, emeritus professor of architectural theory and criticism, School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering and writer, Platon Mavromoustakos, professor of 20th century theater history, School of Drama, Faculty of Arts, AUTh, Lois Papadopoulos, emeritus professor of architecture, Department of Architecture, School of Engineering, University of Thessaly.
There will be an opening speech by Eleni Doundoulaki, General Secretary of Contemporary Culture, Dr. of theatre studies. Maria Tsantsanoglou, the artistic director of MOMus-Museum of Modern Art-Costakis Collection, will coordinate the event.
The talks will be in Greek, without translation in English.
The dictionary is written in Greek. It is written in a simple way, so that it also functions as a teaching aid for young people who want to get involved in the theater.
The edition is available in all MOMus art shops.
Biography
Apostolos Fokion Vettas was born in Athens in 1945. He studied architecture in Thessaloniki and did postgraduate studies in Edinburgh, Scotland (College of Art, School of Architecture, Herriot-Watt University). He lives and works in Thessaloniki. He is Emeritus Professor of scenography in the School of Drama of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). As an architect, he deals with issues related to the view of the theater space, its technical characteristics, form and function. Since 1981 he has collaborated as a scenographer with theater organizations and theater troupes in Greece and abroad. His scenographic works have been presented at the festivals of Epidaurus, Athens, Dimitria, etc. He has collaborated with the National Theatre, the National Theatre of Northern Greece, the Greek National Opera. He has collaborated with the Municipal and Regional Theatres of Kalamata, Patras, Larissa, Volos, Kavala and Veria, with the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun, the Experimental Art Theater in Thessaloniki and other troupes in the region as well as with private troupes in Athens. In 2003 he was the curator of the Greek participation in the Prague Quadrennial for Scenography, which received a special honor "for the quality of the presentation". For his work, he received several distinctions both in Greece and abroad. For his overall work, he was honored by the study and research center of the Hellenic Theatre and the Theatre Museum with the Panos Aravantinos prize. He has at times served as President of the National Theatre of Northern Greece (1995-97), of the School of Drama of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the AUTh (1997-99 and 2003-05), Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the AUTh (2000-03), and President of the School of Film (2006-07). He was a member of the Advisory Committees of the Greek Ministry of Culture on grants for the independent theater. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Center for Theater and Dance, involved in the operation of the Municipal and Regional Theatres.
