The Tunnels Do Not Echo
Living Room Gallery,
Athens, 2024
︎video
︎press
In a speculative space, the simulation of mourning is explored through post-primitive procedures, reconstructing elements of ancient Greek Asclepius in the context of shortages caused by resource extraction and environmental illnesses. The installation presents a vision of a world where resources have been depleted, and solastalgia treatment centers—sanatoria—emerge from the ashes of former mines, clinging to the remnants of once-abundant deposits.
The video combines archival materials from the Milos Mining Museum with contemporary footage, creating a multi-layered narrative in which miners’ bodies transform into minerals, intertwining the memory of extraction with archival interviews, ancient rituals, and speculations about the future.
Through dialogue with a mineral—an integral part of the installation—visitors engage in an intimate, quasi-therapeutic exchange. The stone serves both as a source of knowledge and a healing agent, weaving its responses into visitors’ questions. This interaction blurs the line between therapy and information, offering a speculative encounter with a world shaped by AI-generated narratives.
Photos by Frank Holbein and Iza Koczanowska