STRANGE CITIES

When Double Decker curated the Strange Cities exhibition for the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, they began by asking the question: “What does it take to capture the essence of a city you’ve never visited?”

The studio invited 25 award-winning visual artists to create new works inspired by Athens and gave each a box of non-visual clues – a poem by Yorgos Seferis, a chapter of a book by Petros Markaris, recorded files from the centre of the city, a recipe for stuffed tomatoes and a vintage song by Manos Hadjidakis.

The artists, from 11 countries and spanning disciplines including photography, painting, illustration, graphic art and interactive design, produced 90 thought-provoking pieces, which were showcased at Diplarios, a historic building in the heart of the Greek capital. The opening attracted 3,500 visitors, and the engagement programme included 30 wraparound activities and workshops.

Athens, ever vibrant and curious, wholeheartedly embraced the project, eager to discover how its essence is perceived without the visual cues of its iconic landscape.