Myriofyto Archives - 100objects.eie.gr

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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

The icon of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

Pinelopi Kouvala brought many religious icons to Greece from Myriofyto, even some of substantial size. She donated most of them to a small monastery run by nuns near the family home in Kalamaria.

An embroidery from Myriofyto, Eastern Thrace

Charoula Panagiotidou has kept objects brought to Greece by her mother’s family, like this piece of white linen fabric with a colourful embroidered border and a small towel with a cross-stitched border, faded and worn with use.

The dessert spoons from Myriofyto, Eastern Thrace

Charoula Panagiotidou has kept objects brought to Greece by her mother’s family. She still uses all of them in her everyday life and shares their stories with her children and grandchildren in an effort to keep the history of her family alive and preserve the memory of the house, the village, and the life they left behind.