Designing the Greek cultural heritage
Cultural product design
Date: January 2017   Client: Greek Archaeological Receipts Fund (TAP)   Authors: "το χρυσό πι πι" (Katerina Petsiou - architect,
Christina Petsiou - graphic designer)

After the completion of the competition, we were asked to create new designs for cultural products inspired by the "flotilla" fresco of Akrotiri and the island of Spinalonga. The items are available at the Greek archaeological sites and museums.

The flotilla fresco from Akrotiri, Thera.
In the excavations of Akrotiri on the island of Santorini (Thera), wall paintings of great importance for the Art history were discovered that reveal the early Aegean world as a highly developed society. The flotilla fresco is a very important work of art that depicts with great detail the architecture, the shipbuilding, the natural world and the everyday life of people of this Minoan city. This joyous scene might be a representation of a maritime religious festival or a welcoming scene after a long trip. By isolating the key features of the wall painting we designed a series of images that connect with each other and narrate the story behind the fresco.

The island of Spinalonga, Crete.
Originally, Spinalonga was part of the island of Crete. During Venetian occupation, the island was carved out of the main coast for defence purposes and a fort was built there. Spinalonga is mostly known as the "leper island" as this was where the lepers from Crete and the rest of Greece were quarantined until 1957. A visitor's first impression when sailing towards the island is the Venetian fort and the leper settlement taking shape under the hard sunlight from the contrast between light and shadow. Emphasizing on the place's spirituality, we chose to depict the landscape using geometric forms and sοlid colors in order to give the impression of an isolated rock sailing in the sea.

το χρυσό πι πι