Mythological sections: an alternative mapping of the city of Athens
Abstract
The presentation is about an experimental educational program for elementary school children which is part of a wider framework of educational programs that we run which point towards the exploration of the concept children and public space, through experiential activities. We take as granted that the process of editing spatial relations enhances the creative thinking of children. With that in mind, we challenge them to map the centre of Athens using as a tool the familiar to them Greek mythology. Through mythology they are asked to investigate spatial qualities and form spatial concepts in order to enrich the way they relate to the public space of the city of Athens.
The activity uses the 12 gods of Mt Olympus as a trigger and as a basis of the creation of an alternative route in the city of Athens. The points/topoi that symbolise the 12 gods form time-space sections that encapsulate symbolisms, like heterotopias of past and present. The children are asked to identify the particular spatial qualities of each place connected to a specific god and through multiple levels of correlations, recreate them in order to correspond to the contemporary era. With children in the role of a researcher, the historical landmarks are being reconsidered, they obtain an imaginary nature in order to illuminate contemporary needs of the city as perceived by the children.
Article Details
- Section
- THEMATIC FIELD ΙΙ & ΙΙΙ The multimodal intersection of urban and educational spaces & The city as a learning environment
Authors agree to the following terms:
· Authors retain copyright and grant right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in these proceedings.
· Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication.
· Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
