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100 objects brought to Greece by refugees from Asia Minor, Pontus and Eastern Thrace. 100 objects belonging to refugees infused with memories, thoughts and emotions. The research project Objects in Motion attempts to reconstruct the objects’ ‘cultural biography’ and trace their owners’ life trajectories. The objects the refugees brought with them are more than precious family heirlooms or essential practical tools. They have stories to tell: about their owners, the homes they left behind, and the new places where they resettled. Transcending space and time, these objects encapsulate the history of forceful displacement and the refugee experience.

Objects in motion is a research project implemented by the Institute for Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation. The graphic design concept was developed by Erifyli Arapoglou (ενARTE) and realised by the Sociality Digital Cooperative.

The project was funded by the Ministry of Culture and Sports as part of a wider research initiative focusing on the issue of expatriation to commemorate the centenary since the arrival and integration of Greek populations in Greece after the Asia Minor catastrophe.

We wish to express our warmest thanks to all individuals, associations and museums who shared their stories with us.

Project Team:

Scientific coordinator: Eleni Kyramargiou, Associate Researcher Researcher IHR/NHRF

Research associates: Katerina Anagnostaki, Giorgos Koumaridis, Christos Chrysanthopoulos / Translator: Eleni Vosinaki Photographer-Cinematographer: Christos Panagos

Grandpa Anestis’ hymnbook from Bor

Anastasios Kalamakidis, like most Greek residents of Cappadocia, was a devout Christian. Among the few objects brought over to Greece by his family was his hymnbook.

From mother to daughter: the icon of the Virgin Mary

In 1944, Kassiani Kalamakidou married Spyros Vafeiadis, a doctor hailing from Constantinople. The couple had four children. When Kassiani gave birth to her second daughter, Eri (Ermofili), her mother gave her a small icon of the Virgin Mary as Liberator. The icon was a gift to celebrate Kassiani’s birth in Bor in 1922 and was brought over to Greece to protect the little girl.