Three singing clay vessels in human scale that symbolize a safe space, a space to co-exist with our body and express our voice, offer space for three artists to enter and perform.
In her practice, Maria Louizou explores questions such as: Where can we find a space that makes us feel safe to express ourselves? Is our body always a safe space? How can one create a space that allows individuals to express and hear their own voices and make them audibly enhanced for others? How does it feel to disturb the typical direction of the gaze? How does a breath generate our principal means of
communication?
The G&A Mamidakis Foundation is happy to present Six Breaths per Minute, a project by Maria Louizou, which will remain on permanent display at Minos Palace, joining the Foundation’s Art Collection. Three human-sized clay vessels symbolizing a safe space, a space for coexistence with our bodies and for expressing our voices, offer three performers space for their bodies to enter and perform.
Louizou has conducted extensive research and has experimented with different ceramic shapes and how they resonate with her vocal compositions. She is interested in the playful method of transforming the image of the body by merging it with the shape of the sculpture and thereby with the voice. Her vocal compositions are inspired by traditional rites and practices of mourning. She has produced musical compositions, relying solely on her voice and an electronic looper. This exploration has allowed her to delve deeper into the resonant qualities of ceramic vessels, discovering how each shape uniquely amplifies and alters the sound. By integrating all these elements, she aims to create an immersive experience where the physical form and vocal expression intertwine, offering a profound commentary on the intersection of body, voice, and emotion.
The shape of the performers’ bodies merges with the shape of the ceramic sculptures,and they can choose which parts of their body remain visible, so they feel comfortable expressing themselves. The visible parts of the body appear to be extended by large,geometrical, and organic shapes. This ceramic extension of the body transforms its image while creating a more resonant space for the sound of the voice. The melody that is heard symbolizes an eternal murmuring relating to that which was not expressed, to that which was not dared to be said.
As the artist herself has said: “I am doing this work for the victims of violence, for the people that are mourning about the places they were forced to leave – for those victims that may never have the power to make a single sound. I imagine thousands of ceramic costumes to invite them to speak out their voices.”
Six Breaths per Minute explores the evolution of ceramic art by using examples of traditional pottery within a new era of interdisciplinary art. Its initial design began in 2020 in the Peloponnese and the work completed its journey at the village of Thrapsano in Crete, the oldest site of knowledge and production of handmade vessels or ‘pitharia’. The work was first presented in 2021 at the Ileana Tounta Contemporary
Art Center, supported by Terraneo and the Ministry of Culture. Part of it was realized after a commission by the Onassis Foundation in 2023 for the exhibition Plásmata II: Ioannina.
Photography and Video Loukianos Arnaoutakis
