The present diploma project is about a mnemonic place in Paphos (Cyprus) and specifically in Moutallos. Moutallos is a picturesque area and it is known for its significant cliff with natural caves.
In our days Moutallos is almost abandoned because its former inhabitants were Turkish Cypriots who were forced to leave and move to the northern side, after the Turkish invasion in Cyprus. In return Greek Cypriots refugees inhabited the area. So my aim is to create an underground mnemonic which will narrate the history of the two communities in Cyprus. Therefore the visitor has the opportunity to pass through time and experience some important aspects of the relations of the two communities and confront his memories and his own experiences.
The visitor passes smoothly into the artificial cave that I create inside the rock. The first stop takes him back to the decade of ‘30s and to "reconciliation". The interior looks familiar. Continuing, he passes through the dark and fixed route of the '60s and through "disorientation". The relations between the two communities started to be shaken. Just before the end of the path a wave of light waits for the visitor. It is the moment that he will make a stop in March of '64, which is framed by the armed conflict of the two communities that it’s been called as the "battle". The result of such a battle proves to be catastrophic and "the first partition" is now a fact. After the bicommunal conflicts, Mouttalos became an "enclave" in order to “protect” the Turkish Cypriots residents by keeping them restricted. At the same time the Greek Cypriots were not allowed to visit the area.
Continuing, the visitor ends up in the heart of the rock. A deep, cold, empty room that seems to have received bombs from above leaves its trace on the ground. It is the "final stroke" which describes the Turkish invasion of '74. The only way out is the "abandonment". The steep and suffocating ascent is now beginning to symbolize the movement of Turkish Cypriots from Paphos to the northern part of the island. At the same time, Greek Cypriot refugees are leaving their villages and descend to the south. The visitor is now in the process of leaving. He is leaving the first level and is being transferred to a miniature of today and to the "temporary permanence". Eventually the walker leaves behind the memorial traces and prepares for the ascent and the only road that leads to the "exit". The route is being completed.
