Needle Residency & Festival
Introducing Needle: A multidisciplinary artistic residency with six artists that will culminate in a festival in Larnaca’s Zouhouri Square
Larnaka 2030 is joyfully announcing its latest project: Needle, a new, multidisciplinary artistic residency with six artists that will flourish through Zouhouri Square from 29 March, taking visitors on a six-week journey to uncover Larnaka’s cultural identity, before culminating in an all-day festival on 12 May to celebrate. The entire experience promises an unparalleled adventure of discovery, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Larnaka’s new generation of artists.
Envisioned as a harmonious convergence of inspiration and fresh talents from Larnaca and Famagusta, Needle’s six resident artists represent four art disciplines who will take a deep dive into the city’s history from ancient times until modern day. Their canvas? The very soul of Larnaka itself - the stone surfaces of Larnaca’s architecture, the city’s whispered secrets that draw us in around winding streets, the sea-salted aromas that kiss our noses, and the gentle caress of the suns’ rays that warm our hearts each morning.
Needle was initiated by Giorgos Antoniou, a young and active cultural practitioner from Larnaca, and the project proposal created by himself and team members Rania Kapitani, Christos Liperis, and George Ioannides, won first prize in a 2023 competition by ‘Be.CULTOUR’, a Horizon Europe project run by ANETEL (Larnaca & Famagusta District Development Agency), focusing on sustainable human-centred innovations in circular cultural tourism. Through Larnaka 2030’s public consultations and specifically, the working group, ‘Art in Public Spaces’, Antoniou began working on Needle in collaboration with cultural producer, Maria Kaimaklioti of the initiative SCALA before sharing the idea with the Phivos Stavrides Foundation and Larnaka 2030 to support Needle’s active implementation. “Needle is a social and artistic experiment that aims to embody our collective endeavour on the island to tackle the cultural identity crisis faced on the island by embracing and exploring our cultural heritage,” affirms Antoniou.
Needle’s resident artists will receive research guidance by the Phivos Stavrides Foundation, while a selection of seasoned artists will mentor the residents through their artistic experimentation, and a series of roundtable discussions (the ‘Needle & Thread Talks’) will invite the public in dialogue. The entire experience will culminate in a one-day festival that will have Zouhouri Square burst into a kaleidoscope of innovative artistry that reimagines Larnaka’s cultural identity and highlights the “need [for] all” to unite through culture. The Needle festival lineup? Audience’s will have to wait for further announcements from the Needle team!
Meet the Artist Residents:
Charis Avraam - Digital Art: @charisavraam
Charis Avraam also known as Charizart, graduated from Brunel University, London in Games Design and received his postgraduate degree in Escape Studios and 3D Visual Effects. Passionate in working as a 3D generalist, Avraam has worked in the gaming as well as advertising sectors, and as a freelancer, creates content for marketing for various companies. He creates his own 3D art based on pop culture characters and recently began printing his 3D digital work to create selected figurines to bring his digital art into real-life creations.
Hayat Sebep - Music: @hayatsebep
Hayat Sebep is a composer and contemporary songwriter who draws inspiration from nature, folktales, and fables featuring anthropomorphism. She brings these musical ideas together on the upright piano. Her debut EP, ‘The Lady Downstairs Had a Lizard’, was released in 2020, featuring tales about a lizard, a migrating bird, and a magical river. Her more recent compositions focus on creating theatrical, mystical, minimalist sounds that accompany the dying ants, invasive ivy, and the mysterious wind.
Panagiotis Mina - Music: @therealpannybrown
Panagiotis Mina delves into the notion of noise and disruption within cultural paradigms. Through an audiovisual approach, he examines how various platforms grapple with their inevitable obsolescence, whether by constructing alternative narratives or satirising existing ones. Since 2003, he has been a prominent figure in Cyprus' audiovisual art scene. As the proprietor of Pyrgatory Studio, he fosters a transdisciplinary environment conducive to creative exploration amidst natural surroundings. Additionally, he is the founder of the outdoor sound performance platform 'Noise of Ozon' and a key contributor to the D.I.together collective Honest Electronics. He is also one half of the experimental sound piece 'Ogmios' with Andys Skordis.
Nona Michael - Dance: @nona_mch
Nona Michael is an interdisciplinary artist working in the fields of contemporary dance, fine arts and installation design. Born in Larnaca, she graduated from Royal Holloway University of London. Michael creates installations using mirrors as a surface for her realistic paintings, which she then uses to interact using movement in space. Her works intend to challenge the reality of the environment reflected in the mirrors and integrate with the painting she depicts. In this way, she captivates the viewer with the most pressing questions: is reality subjective or objective? In 2023 she participated in a Gaga repertory workshop in Athens under the guidance of Maayan Sheinfeld from Batsheva Dance Company. She recently performed as part of an international cast for the immersive performance at the Kolla Factory of Culture under the artistic direction of Dmitry Melkin.
Michalakis Georgiou - Architecture: @michalakisgeo
Michalakis Georgiou holds a MFA in Contemporary Art from Edinburgh University in Scotland as well as an MA in Digital Art and Design from the University of Nicosia. Over the past four years Georgiou has worked as Head of Content at Cypriot fashion startup Billy Raven, specialising in Strategy and Development as well as in digital marketing. His main passions are in the reuse of objects that have reached the end of their life’s duration, transforming their usage into new creative ways, aiming to continue their life’s duration. Using techniques of mass production, such as repetition, the reused objects create artworks of a hybrid nature; their visual contrast is emphasised or camouflaged accordingly, with the aim of creating unique and unpredictable effects.
Kassiani Kappelos - Music: @kass.ka
Kassiani Kappelos’ music is like a friendly conversation – simple yet profound. Lo-fi beats blend with Cypriot language and soul, inviting you into a genuinely emotional experiences. With a background in sound and design, musician and lyricist Kasska, embarks on sonic journeys that aims to transcend boundaries. Kasska’s performances offer explorations into deep emotions by infusing electronic elements with the melodic charm of the Cypriot language, in a simple and digestible manner to seamlessly bridge tradition and transformation.
Meet the Needle team:
Core mentors:
Angeliki Koutsodimitropoulou - Mentorship in Architectural and Visual Design of Stage: @angeriki
Angeliki Koutsodimitropoulou is an architect and visual designer. She holds a Masters Degree in Spatial Strategies from Weissensee's Art Academy in Berlin and a Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Cyprus. Her main research interest includes the relationship between digital art forms and physical space. Intrigued by spatial perception, she works with digital imagery, visual projections and sculptures, interacting with viewers’ perceptions and altering their spatial understanding to probe preset notions of reality. She participated in Milan Design Week, the 15th Venice Biennale of Architecture Cyprus Pavilion, and the Dresden Kunstgewerbemuseum’s exhibition. Involved in stage design, she also engages in architectural and visual design for art performances and exhibitions.
Mikaela Tsangari - Mentorship in Songwriting, Music Production: @elbowroomstudios.eu
Active in the Cypriot music scene for the past decade, Mikaela Tsangari has worked in nearly all sectors of musical life on the island. Tsangari’s background ranges from event organisation with Louvana Records, to live-sound mixing, teaching sound-engineering at Cyprus College, and songwriting and performing with the bands Belua and J. Kriste, Master of Disguise - amongst others, while her main passions lie in studio work and production. In late 2018, Tsangari founded the studio The Elbow Room, Records & Productions in Nicosia, Cyprus, and operates as engineer, producer, composer, sound designer, and performer. She has had the pleasure to work on numerous albums and singles by both local and foreign artists.
Stavri Papadopoulou - Mentorship in Performing Arts, Production Design: @itsonceinabluemoon
Stavri Papadopoulou is a production designer and creative visionary from Larnaca, Cyprus, whose expertise spans across the realms of film, theatre and beyond. She holds an MA in Theatre Design from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, as well as an MA in Interior Design and a BA in Architecture from the University of Westminster in London. Her passion for post-dramatic theatre and immersive performances led her to found Once In a Blue Moon in 2017, a creative platform dedicated to pioneering a fresh era of imaginative performances and experiential events. As her journey unfolded, her role naturally evolved into that of a producer and creator, continuously pushing artistic boundaries and igniting thought-provoking conversations. In 2019, Papadopoulou was recognised as a semi-finalist for the Linbury Prize from the National Theatre London, acknowledged among the top 20 emerging performance designers in the UK. Continuing her success, in 2022, she achieved second place in Spatial Design as an emerging artist at the international World Stage Design festival. Most recently, she has extended her expertise to support fellow artists and creative ventures, including the esteemed Larnaca Biennale. Now based in Montreal, Stavri is ready to expand her international career, eager to share her innovative vision with new audiences and continue shaping the future of film, theatre and immersive experiences.
Guest experts:
Inal Bilsel: @inal.bilsel
With over two decades of experience in the music industry, Inal Bilsel has gained a notable reputation for his solo career and collaborations. A multifaceted and award-winning composer, Inal Bilsel’s work sits at the crossroads of music and visual arts. As a performing artist, he took the stage at dozens of festivals home and abroad. His broad spectrum of interests and output include electronic, classical, contemporary, film and experimental music. Inal Bilsel has released albums from Sony Music Turkey and is currently an Assistant Professor and head of Sound Arts and Design at Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design.
Maria Kamberis: @mariakamberis
Maria Kamberis is a dance educator, choreographer, and dance researcher. She is the founder of M.K Dance Studio. Since 2019 she has been the coordinator and author of the Analytical Program of the only Dance Department in Cyprus of the Forum Private School. Kamberis is also the founder, artistic director, choreographer, and producer of the professional dance research company Selas Dance Company. Her works have traveled to festivals, events, and tours abroad and she has been sponsored by the Culture and Terpsichori programs. Through the group, she has created, among others, projects aimed at children and teenagers by establishing the children's stage unit. Her academic interest focuses on creativity, creative movement, aesthetic literacy, embodied learning, museum education, and aesthetic experience through arts engagement. She has been an academic partner and lecturer at the University of Nicosia since 2019 where her research and experiential initiatives have been implemented. She also collaborates with the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute by designing and offering training to teachers around creative movement. She is a member of CCRSM and Asiitej. He is a member of the Board of Directors of SYSCHO and President of the Board of Lefkosia Dance House.
Cleo Andreou: @anassa_productions
Cleo Andreou attended the university of Paul Valéry in France, specializing in organising cultural events and mediation. For the first 10 years of her career, she worked in different types of organizations (associations, companies, institutions.), cultural areas (heritage, label, production company, festival, venue) and in different countries (France, Greece, Cyprus, Syria). In 2014, she founded Lyon-based NGO, Anassa Productions. Cleo was a mentee for the Wah! programme of FEDELIMA (France) working on gender equality in the music industry. Currently, she is collaborating with several projects of musical production and live performance and develops a network of cultural cooperation at European level. Anassa Productions is a non-profit organisation aiming to be the link between persons, organisations and audiences and connect the dots between like-minded individuals to provoke experiences, projects and outcomes that inspire and expand our understanding of the world as it is now. Its objective is to use our knowledge to the benefit of all in order to contribute to the building of a healthier society of tomorrow. As the team and board is mostly persons with a long experience in the artistic and cultural field, the services provided by the organisation are also focused on event planning, artistic and creative works, administrative support and communication services. Social inclusion, environmental consciousness and creative expression are concepts that are deeply rooted in the values of the organisation.