Unmooring the Dowry

Volos, Greece, 2016

Unmooring the Dowry -Salparondas Tyn Prika- was a two-week intensive workshop that focused on researching, redefining and potentially revaluing the concept of an inherited “prika/dowry,” adapted to address contemporary global conditions and more progressive gender identities. The workshop was held at University of Thessaly with the participation of 10 students from Post-Industrial Design Graduate Program and began by exploring the theory and history of the Greek prika, with lectures, readings, and visits to ethnographic museum collections. The students then worked with local immigrants to conduct ethnographic and material research, gaining insights into the dynamics of mobility and displacement.

Ultimately, workshop participants crafted design prototypes that facilitated the reclamation of an “updated” notion of the prika: how can today’s prika be shaped and transported more easily when we must frequently move from one place to another? Our work is motivated by this underlying question: how can post-industrial artists and designers address the physical needs, psychic displacement, and creative potential harboured within an increasingly transient, multicultural, global society?

Check Lydia’s website or further information about the workshop

Workshop led by Lydia Matthews, Miné Ovacik, and Maria Papadimitriou

Photography and Poster Design by Miné