Copanelli, 2019
Exhibitionview Ethnological Museum of Thrace
Alexandroupoli, Greece
Die Sprache, 2017
Exhibitionview Ethnological Museum of Thrace
Alexandroupoli, Greece
Die Sprache, 2017
Exhibitionview Ethnological Museum of Thrace
Alexandroupoli, Greece
Image from the research
Image from the research
Image from the research

Interweaving Narratives





13.10—02.04.2023
Ethnological Museum of Alexandroupoli

In October 2022, artists Yota Tsotra, Deirdre O’Leary, Samuel Tschudin and Vassia Vanezi met in Alexandroupoli to explore the cultural and natural richness of Thrace. Supported by the Ethnological Museum of Thrace, they visited significant historical sites—Byzantine churches, caves, riverbeds, sanctuaries, and craft workshops—connecting deeply with the region’s layered heritage.

The resulting exhibition, Interweaving Narratives, opened on October 13, 2022. Featuring textiles, sound works, paintings, and objects, it reinterpreted the museum’s collection through the lens of oral history and collaborative storytelling. 
One work that was exhibited was a bronze cast of the right ear. It was mounted on the wall in the backjard of the Museum, whitnessing the echoing urban soundscape of the narrow backyard. Its counterpart, the left ear, was placed in a dry stone wall on a small island in the Saronic Golf. It listens to the sound of the waves and the chirping of the cycads. The work combines the act of listening with the deconstruction of distance.

The project reflected the region’s intercultural past—shaped by migration, craft, and resilience—and its present role as a borderland at the edge of the EU.

deirdre o’leary

Born in Fribourg Switzerland, living and working in Basel Switzerland.

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