Billboard
The former military camp Kodra is occupying a
central location in the city of Kalamaria
(Thessaloniki, Greece), a residential
municipality primarily made up of refugees who
came to Greece following Asia Minor’s
destruction in 1922 and the Exchange of
Populations after the Lausanne Treaty in 1923.
The decaying barracks date back to the
beginning of the 19th century, when Kodra was
the largest military camp in the Balkans. Later
on, Kodra became a refugee settlement (c. 1915)
and until recently, served as a Greek military
camp. Today, the inhabitants of Kalamaria use
the abandoned field as a park even though a
small portion of the site is still occupied by
NATO forces. Kodra also hosts numerous cultural
events such as concerts and art exhibitions,
which includes the contemporary art festival Action Field Kodra.
Presented within the framework of the 8th
edition of this festival, “Letters from a
Front” is a billboard project conceived to
bridge the gap between Kodra and Kalamaria.
Specifically built for the project on the
highest point of the abandoned military base,
central location in the city of Kalamaria
(Thessaloniki, Greece), a residential
municipality primarily made up of refugees who
came to Greece following Asia Minor’s
destruction in 1922 and the Exchange of
Populations after the Lausanne Treaty in 1923.
The decaying barracks date back to the
beginning of the 19th century, when Kodra was
the largest military camp in the Balkans. Later
on, Kodra became a refugee settlement (c. 1915)
and until recently, served as a Greek military
camp. Today, the inhabitants of Kalamaria use
the abandoned field as a park even though a
small portion of the site is still occupied by
NATO forces. Kodra also hosts numerous cultural
events such as concerts and art exhibitions,
which includes the contemporary art festival Action Field Kodra.
Presented within the framework of the 8th
edition of this festival, “Letters from a
Front” is a billboard project conceived to
bridge the gap between Kodra and Kalamaria.
Specifically built for the project on the
highest point of the abandoned military base,
80
Billboard
the billboard frame faces the municipality so
that its content occupies the local community‘s
public sphere while drawing upon the particular
history and politics of the site.
In response to this project, Bik van der Pol
have created “Proposition For Reclaiming A
Space” (2008) based on an excerpt drawn from
T.S. Elliott’s “The Wasteland” (1922). By
introducing a reference to this poem within the
context of Kodra, the piece literalizes the
camp‘s wasted state by proxy while addressing
an unanswered plea to the eternally mute
landscape. While the poem infers the ruins of
post-war Europe, it here echoes the
unconditional destruction Asia Minor refugees
faced before coming to Kalamaria in the early
1920s, coinciding with the poem’s first
publication.
(excerpt from the essay by Stephanie Bertrand)
that its content occupies the local community‘s
public sphere while drawing upon the particular
history and politics of the site.
In response to this project, Bik van der Pol
have created “Proposition For Reclaiming A
Space” (2008) based on an excerpt drawn from
T.S. Elliott’s “The Wasteland” (1922). By
introducing a reference to this poem within the
context of Kodra, the piece literalizes the
camp‘s wasted state by proxy while addressing
an unanswered plea to the eternally mute
landscape. While the poem infers the ruins of
post-war Europe, it here echoes the
unconditional destruction Asia Minor refugees
faced before coming to Kalamaria in the early
1920s, coinciding with the poem’s first
publication.
(excerpt from the essay by Stephanie Bertrand)
81
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