Digital ecosystem

The Viva Wallet headquarters constitute a model working environment, with sustainability at the core of the architectural design. By maximizing natural light and introducing 2,234 plants from 35 different species, an artificial landscape is created that promotes wellbeing and team cohesion.

 

Brand Identity

Mediterranean gardens, lush with lavender, thyme, olive trees, and almond trees, articulate an architecture with a strong ecological consciousness, offering ideal conditions for creativity and innovation within the fast-paced context of the fintech world.

The twin-building complex, organized around a central atrium, operates as an administrative hub for the company’s European activities, accommodating 450 of its total 1,000 employees.

The architectural branding strategy developed for this project established the foundations for a unified corporate identity, applied across all 24 countries where Viva Wallet operates.

 

 

Spatial Organization

The transformation of the workplace model after the pandemic calls for new approaches to spatial design. The new headquarters is thus conceived not only as a place of work, but as a hub for interaction and creative exchange.

Flexible collaboration zones encourage communication and interaction, while areas for individual work provide conditions for focus and seclusion. Meeting rooms, defined by glass surfaces with varying degrees of transparency, maintain spatial continuity while ensuring privacy.

The working environment is further enriched through multifunctional configurations such as brainstorming caves, lounges, and a planted roof, offering alternative modes of working, coexisting, and relaxation. The atrium hosts the “Code Bites” restaurant, promoting gastronomic wellbeing as an integral aspect of corporate culture, while the rooftop café functions as an alternative social hub. Both facilities are designed to transform into amphitheatrical layouts for presentations and corporate events.

 

 

Materiality & Bioclimatic Design

The building’s aesthetic balances technology and nature, with a color palette that combines the deep blue of the corporate identity with earthy tones and natural materials. The bioclimatic design integrates a wide variety of plants, functioning as a living filter that purifies the air and reduces noise pollution. Large glass surfaces allow abundant natural light to penetrate the interior, significantly reducing energy consumption and enhancing indoor environmental quality.

The new Viva Wallet headquarters is not merely a workspace, but a complex ecosystem designed to respond to the evolving demands of the digital era. It reflects the transition from a static, linear model of work to a dynamic, sustainable, and adaptable environment, where physical presence acquires new meaning.

Its architecture serves not only productivity but equally wellbeing, creativity, and sustainable development, shaping a holistic model that supports contemporary professional life and anticipates the future of work.

 

Geometric accents

The project concerns the creation of a car rental hub, located along the main road axis connecting the airport with the city of Chania. The central design concept is defined by the positioning of a pair of circular buildings along the imaginary extension of the nearby runway.

 

Design Philosophy

The geometry of the buildings is based on simple geometric forms, aiming to produce a clear and legible architectural ensemble. The two volumes are arranged on a unified plaza, which operates as a transitional element between built and unbuilt space. Between the two building entities, a metal canopy is introduced, functioning both as a unifying compositional element and as a threshold zone mediating the transition of visitors from the exterior into the interior of the complex.

The initial concept proposed the creation of two circular, single-space halls, organized through a peripheral arrangement of counters or kiosks, following a spatial typology commonly found in airport environments. At the same time, the design needed to accommodate the potential subdivision of the buildings into independent offices and retail units with direct access from the exterior. The circular geometry proved particularly effective in supporting multiple usage scenarios.

 

 

Functional Organization

At ground level, the buildings host the offices of four car rental companies, while the upper floors accommodate independent office spaces available for lease. The basement levels include auxiliary functions serving the retail units, visitor sanitary facilities, a car wash, and additional electromechanical installations.

The outdoor space is carefully configured to support the continuous circulation of small vans transporting customers to and from the airport, while also maximizing the number of parking spaces and vehicle handover points.

 

Material Palette

The folded metal envelope, aluminum cladding, and the use of high-specification glazing and panel systems form a coherent architectural vocabulary that aims to establish a distinct identity for the development, while simultaneously providing a flexible design framework for future expansion.

 

Lighting compositions

In mid-July, the new architectural lighting installation for the Hellenic Parliament Building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was completed, accompanied by the energy upgrade of the underground parking areas and the complex’s nursery facility. The new lighting design seeks to redefine the nocturnal presence of the building and its surrounding space, situating the intervention within a contemporary framework of environmental responsibility and sustainability.

 

Lighting Philosophy & LED Technology

The new lighting scheme was implemented exclusively using advanced LED technology, with particular emphasis on chromatic consistency and precise control of the light sources. Each luminaire is digitally controlled in terms of both intensity and operating duration, allowing the creation of dynamic lighting scenarios with a high degree of accuracy.

The combined use of energy-efficient light sources and an automated high-precision control system ensures optimal energy performance. From sunset onwards, the luminous composition of the façades evolves subtly, with smooth transitions in intensity that respond to the time of day, the day of the week, and the season, forming a dynamic yet refined nocturnal image.

 

 

Technical Characteristics

A central focus of the study was the mitigation of light pollution. For this reason, the lighting system allows for the automatic adjustment of colour temperature, shifting from cooler white tones to warmer light. The warmer spectrum, characterised by reduced blue light content, significantly limits the impact on the night sky.

This transition takes place daily from midnight until dawn, ensuring that the lighting remains compatible with the city’s natural nocturnal environment. At the same time, the luminaires are equipped with precision optical systems, lockable aiming mechanisms and anti-glare accessories, minimizing light spill toward the sky.

At the compositional level, the lighting highlights the façades of both the Parliament Building and the Monument, emphasizing the rhythm and plasticity of architectural elements such as pediments, cornices, pilasters and porticoes, as well as individual features including the monument’s central relief, shields and inscriptions. In parallel, light sources with a high colour rendering index revive the texture and colour of the materials, as well as the sculptures of Eleftherios Venizelos, Charilaos Trikoupis and the figure of the Mother.

 

 

Energy Upgrade

The integration of the new lighting equipment was carried out with particular care, ensuring that the morphological characteristics of the listed historic building were preserved. The luminaires installed on the façades underwent special colour treatment to match the surface of installation, allowing them to remain almost invisible during the daytime. In addition, the historic lamp posts and decorative lanterns of the Parliament complex were restored and upgraded.

Over the 15-month construction period, the project presented significant technical challenges, as all works were carried out while the building remained in full operation. The age of the building, combined with the numerous interventions that have taken place over the past 180 years, made the management of electrical routes particularly demanding, while the hybrid nature of the lighting management system required the extensive installation of fibre-optic networks.

Specially designed luminaires were also developed for specific architectural elements, such as the coffers of the porticoes, ensuring that the final result responded fully to the particular spatial requirements. The interventions were carried out with the contribution of a specialized conservation team, ensuring the protection of the building’s aesthetic and historical integrity.

The project’s energy upgrade is particularly significant. In the five-level underground parking facility and the nursery building, nominal energy consumption was reduced from 137KW in the previous installation to 41KW. Furthermore, thanks to the intelligent lighting management system, the final energy consumption is limited to just 29KW. This substantial reduction enhances the overall energy efficiency of the complex while contributing to the sustainable operation of one of the country’s most emblematic public buildings.

 

New connections

Eleftheria Square lies adjacent to the Venetian walls and the dry moat that surrounds Nicosia. These distinctive defensive fortifications, originally built during the Middle Ages and extensively restored by the Venetians in the 16th century, define the historic core of the capital, separating the old city from the newer districts that developed beyond the walls.

 

Urban Design Strategy

The transformation of the square into the city’s primary gathering space is based on the creation of new connections intended to contribute to the reunification of the divided capital. The design secures unobstructed views toward the historic walls, establishing them as an integral component of Nicosia’s identity, while simultaneously opening the moat to public uses, allowing it to host festivals and outdoor events.

The project elevates the level of the moat to form a bridge that connects organically with the surrounding urban fabric, creating a new civic square at the heart of the city. Within this framework, extensive archaeological excavations were carried out, alongside conservation and protection works for the historic Venetian fortifications. The project also includes the creation of two cafés within the square and the construction of a new underground parking facility, accessed from Omirou Avenue.

 

 

Elements of Circulation

Staircases and elevators directly link the square with the Solomos Square bus terminal, reinforcing the functionality and permeability of the area. The transformation of previously inaccessible areas within the moat into plazas, gardens, and palm-lined pedestrian paths establishes a new “green belt” around the city.

This belt has the potential to extend along the historic fortifications, forming a continuous network of public spaces that encircle Nicosia and reconnect the communities of the divided capital. In this way, the square acts as a catalyst for the activation of public space, offering new opportunities for social interaction and urban life.

 

 

Materiality & Lighting Design

Within the broader vision of transforming the moat into an urban park, the project’s fluid geometries emerge from the triangulation of the irregular forms of the fortification perimeter. Points of spatial intensity are transformed into seating areas, planting beds, or water elements, shaping a dynamic urban landscape. Granite paving introduces a sense of timeless solidity, while the open joints between the slabs function as a passive system for stormwater drainage. Newly planted trees contribute to the natural regulation of water levels, reducing erosion around the foundations of the medieval walls.

The upper-level bridge and its supports are constructed from sculptural concrete forms that ensure seismic stability, while the bases of the columns are shaped to function as integrated seating elements. Through this transformation, Eleftheria Square emerges as the largest urban public space in Nicosia. By bridging the Venetian walls and the moat, the square becomes a significant gateway to the old city, while the underground parking facility removes vehicular traffic from the historic center, facilitating its future pedestrianization. In this way, the project enriches the urban landscape of this historic district while simultaneously creating new public gardens and gathering spaces for residents and visitors alike.

Finally, the lighting design reinforces the square’s fluid geometry and acts as a spatial guidance system during the evening hours. Linear lighting elements are discreetly integrated along the contours of the curved surfaces and bridges, emphasizing the dynamic morphology of the composition and enhancing the legibility of the structure within the urban landscape. At the same time, low-intensity lighting fixtures embedded within the paving create a subtle “field of light” that follows the geometry of the circulation paths and areas of pause. This approach highlights the plasticity of the concrete surfaces, enhances the sense of safety, and transforms the public space into a nocturnal landscape where light operates both functionally and atmospherically.

 

 

Layered continuity

Located in the heart of Jingdezhen’s Imperial Kiln Historic District, the regeneration of a former porcelain factory complex proposes a contemporary strategy for historic preservation through what the architects describe as a “Plugin Architecture” approach. Rather than replacing the existing structures, the intervention introduces new architectural insertions within and around the historic fabric, revitalizing the site while maintaining its cultural and spatial continuity. Jingdezhen – renowned as China’s “Porcelain Capital” – has been associated with porcelain production for more than a millennium, making the careful integration of new architectural elements within this context particularly significant.

 

Design Philosophy

The core concept of the project is based on a system of architectural “plugins”— new spatial modules inserted into existing buildings to enhance functionality while preserving their historic character. These contemporary interventions upgrade the aging workshops and support structures to accommodate new programs such as offices, meeting rooms and guest accommodations.

Rather than imitating historical forms, the inserted modules are intentionally expressed as modern architectural elements. Their clear visual distinction establishes a dialogue between old and new, reinforcing the layered history of the site while enabling the complex to function as a contemporary cultural destination. Circulation elements such as staircases and walkways are introduced both inside and outside the structures, improving connectivity and enabling the adaptive reuse of previously fragmented spaces.

 

 

Glass Pavilion & Lighting

At the center of the site stands a three-story glass pavilion that functions as a new architectural landmark within the historic district. Designed as a transparent volume topped with a traditional double-pitched roof clad in clay tiles, the structure houses exhibition spaces and a café while acting as a focal point for the main public square.

The contrast between the transparent glass enclosure and the surrounding masonry buildings establishes a clear architectural dialogue between contemporary design and historic context. The roof appears to float above the glazed structure, reinforcing the sense of openness and creating a spatial extension of the public square into the building interior. From a distance, the pitched roof emerges among the surrounding tiled rooftops, subtly referencing the traditional architectural language of Jingdezhen.

Carefully integrated lighting design plays a crucial role in reinforcing the pavilion’s architectural presence, particularly after sunset. Warm recessed luminaires embedded within the timber soffit of the roof evenly illuminate the glass envelope, transforming the pavilion into a softly glowing lantern within the historic courtyard. Inside, discreet linear and point lighting accentuate the brick core and the vivid orange circulation elements, highlighting the layered spatial composition while maintaining a restrained and atmospheric ambiance. The transparency of the façade allows interior light to spill into the surrounding public square, strengthening the visual connection between interior activity and the historic urban fabric.

 

 

Materials & Urban Circulation

The project reinforces the relationship between interior and exterior space through the careful treatment of the courtyard landscape. Brick paving extends from the public square directly into the interior of the glass building, dissolving the boundary between inside and outside.

Within the courtyard, the paving transforms into stepped surfaces that accommodate changes in elevation while simultaneously functioning as informal seating areas. On the opposite side of the square, a series of barrel-vaulted brick rooms form the building’s base, anchoring the new structure within the historical material language of the site.

To improve accessibility and spatial continuity across the complex, one of the existing buildings was rotated, merging two separate courtyards into a single shared public space. This reconfiguration allows visitors to move fluidly between the public square, the glass pavilion and the surrounding workshops, effectively transforming the former industrial compound into a cohesive cultural environment.

Located adjacent to Chimney Square, the project sits within a dense historical landscape that includes the Imperial Kiln Museum and the archaeological remains of the Imperial Porcelain Factory to the west, while the historic Xu Family Kiln – the oldest and most complete preserved wood-fired kiln site in Jingdezhen – lies to the north. Within this historically layered setting, the project establishes a careful balance between preservation and contemporary intervention, transforming the former industrial site into a vibrant public destination that celebrates both the legacy and the future of porcelain culture.

 

Civic framework

In the early 2000s, ‘Paspoel,’ a neighbourhood in Tongeren, Belgium, was seen as a poorly designed and poorly maintained social housing area lacking a distinct identity. Residents felt isolated within their apartments, surrounded by an underutilized, park-like landscape that was unsafe. The development included 192 homes spread across three monolithic blocks that were nearing the end of their lifespan. Faced with the decision to demolish or renovate, the Flemish Ministry of Housing opted for demolition, aligning with our client’s goal to significantly enhance social equity and living conditions.

 

Site Challenges

Because the site held archaeological significance, development was restricted to the foundations of existing buildings and the adjacent basement parking. Despite these limitations, the proposal envisioned an pioneering reimagining: a collection of urban villas, terraces, and a revitalized public realm that would serve as a new civic framework for the community.

The design integrates residents’ natural movement across the site – from the northeast to the southwest – within a ‘grid-like’ spatial layout. This creates a series of interconnected ‘outdoor rooms’ that frame daily journeys and spontaneous interactions amongst neighbors. These outdoor spaces encourage community bonding, stewardship, and healthy living through areas designated for gathering, playing, and growing.

 

 

Functional Organization

The ground floors, framed by buildings ranging from three to eight stories, offer ample opportunities for social interaction. Terraces with front doors navigate the sloping terrain, while wide ‘galleries’ allow neighbors to connect while overlooking gardens. The broad entrances of the urban villas extend over public spaces, providing shelter, pathways, and seating. New community rooms at ground level serve as venues for meetings and local events. Landscaped areas cater to all ages, featuring basketball courts, formal play zones, community gardens, and sheltered lawns for informal recreation. Trees line key pathways, serving as shelters and defining three communal areas. A pedestrian street at the heart of the project, lively with front-door activity, supports outdoor pop-up events.

 

 

Construction Strategy

A crucial aspect of the project was ensuring residents could remain on site throughout the transformation. Due to limited buildable space, a complex phased construction plan was implemented over ten years. The basement parking permitted initial phases to be built between the old structures, facilitating a gradual process of demolition, construction, and resident relocation.

The “Caring Neighborhoods” initiative launched alongside construction fostered cooperation among residents, volunteers, associations, and professionals. Emphasizing livability and community involvement, this program brought services closer to residents.

 

Urban regeneration

The new Nicosia Town Hall complex is situated among ancient ruins that reflect the history of the island’s divided capital. Serving as a luminous “magic lantern” at night, the project becomes a centerpiece for the broader urban regeneration of the old town. Strategically positioned next to the fenced Green Line, it occupies a symbolic location at the heart of the city’s narrative.

 

Functional Organization

The design consolidates all municipal services, which were previously scattered, into a single location. The administration offices, registry office, and planning department are combined with additional spaces that enrich the building’s program -such as a corridor with panoramic views, a multi-purpose rooftop terrace open to the sky, shaded outdoor areas, and a flexible room for after-hours events. The goal was to integrate the complex into a democratic public space, accessible to pedestrians, thereby fostering both literal and figurative exchange.

 

 

Contextual Integration

Additionally, a passive design strategy was employed to provide sustainable solutions tailored to the southern Mediterranean climate, within the context of a unique historic center enclosed by walls. The project, born out of an architectural competition, evolved as the excavations progressed. To integrate the archaeological finds, it was crucial to maintain the core principles of transparency, openness, and multifunctionality. Dividing the project into separate buildings addressed the challenge of foundations over the antiquities and facilitated the creation of public passageways. The individual volumes, connected by bridges and stairs at floor level, were arranged around the central hall, providing shade and creating covered spaces for events. Their façades enrich the urban environment, reflecting the movement of staff inside.

A walkway encircling the excavated area links the separate sections to the surrounding streets. Positioned at the lower level, the main building, with large glass walls connecting it to the antiquities, is designed for regular City Council meetings and a variety of events. The roof, open to the sky, accommodates diverse activities, while a surrounding walkway offers panoramic views of the densely populated city and both sides of the island.

 

 

Sustainable Approach

For both the office spaces and the main hall, simple and cost-effective strategies were implemented to minimize the reliance on mechanical cooling. In the office areas, the massive concrete structures are designed to maximize their exposure to the sun, allowing them to absorb excess heat. At night, this heat is released back into the environment, completing the daily thermal cycle.

The south-facing façade features a ventilated ceramic tile covering, interrupted by tall windows with double glazing, while the north façade is protected by a thin curtain wall. To optimize the building’s performance, the solar behavior of both façades was simulated to minimize summer heat buildup while ensuring high-quality natural light. All ventilation is manually controlled from within each office.

In the main hall, a large woven birch plywood “basket” is attached to a double steel anti-seismic frame, creating a ventilation zone behind the glazing. Cool air is introduced through the building management system (BMS) at the base and released from above, maintaining a constant internal temperature. The wooden construction also filters external light and enhances sound absorption, making it ideal for talks and events. Oak and poplar wood paneling is used throughout the space, providing a distinctive textured finish.

Finally, the artificial lighting scheme emphasizes clarity, orientation, and the public presence of the building within the city. Linear and recessed luminaires are carefully integrated into ceilings, circulation areas, and architectural elements, providing even illumination while preserving the clean architectural lines of the spaces. Externally, subtle façade lighting and the glow from the interior transform the town hall into a luminous urban landmark, reinforcing its role as an open and accessible civic institution within the historic center of Nicosia.

 

Winner of the European Prize for Urban Public Space 2024 in Seafronts Category

Located in the town of Porto do Son in Spain, this urban redevelopment project rectifies the previous poor relationship between the port and civic activities as well as enhances direct contact between town and sea.

 

Design Objectives

The project had a twofold objective, considering the diversity of the Porto do Son coastline. The first was to create a system of controlled dunes with native vegetation between the park and the beach. The idea was to bring nature to the seafront, which had previously been dominated by a strip of pavement and a wall. The second was to improve access to the beach and resolve the conflicts between the port activities and the growing commercial and residential development.

 

Landscape Design

The project creates a transitional stretch of land that would act both as a protective barrier and a link, identifying them as dunes. The morphology of a dune system was recreated by depositing fine sand to form mounds in two staggered rows. Native plant species such as marram grass were planted to stabilise the dunes over time and create a dynamic balance. Being a transitional space, the new dunes required well-thought access points and therefore, three wooden walkways were built to connect the urban spaces with the park.

 

Urban Regeneration

In the port area, the project aim is to improve the access to the water as well as propose a new Port Services Centre. The design seeks to create a cohesive space that restores the connection between the historic centre and the port, while separating the main road from the seafront. Near the market, a wooden structure serves as the town’s old drying racks for fishing nets, while two new exterior spaces -one of stone, the other of earth and trees- act as transitional spaces that lead to a car park and the new Port Services Centre, which features views towards Monte Louro.

This small stretch of coastline has become a catalyst for wider change, improving environmental quality and access to the beach as well as raising public awareness regarding urban space and coastline conditions and challenges.

Architectural densities

The project is a 42,725m2 multifamily housing building, which embodies a harmonious assembly of functional spaces, intricate structures, premium materials and custom-made furniture.

 

Design Philosophy

Located in the vicinity of the Pedregal de San Ángel Ecological Reserve, the housing complex not only recognizes the environmental value of the area by integrating itself to the already developed periphery that surrounds it, but also compliments the modernist architecture of the National Autonomous University of Mexico central campus as well as the industrial past of the San Ángel and Loreto neighbourhoods. The architectural forms vary in density, constructing an interplay between solids and voids and framing panoramic views of the immediate landscape. The building acts as a reference to the area’s industrial and cultural heritage becoming seamlessly integrated to El Pedregal’s history.

 

Architectural Morphology & Layout

The complex includes 14 floors, 112 apartments -in 18 different typologies from 90m2 to 300m2 -as well as an array of open spaces, recreation and circulation areas and the lobby. The building morphology is made of complex curves and vertical elements that form both interior and exterior spaces, which construct a unique urban complex that benefits the area at a social, environmental as well as cultural scale.

 

Material Palette & Context Integration

The materials and finishes are comprised of raw concrete, aluminium and glass, which -along with excellent structural engineering design- assemble an elegant structure with harmonious proportions amongst public and private spaces. In response to the physical and natural context, the project takes into consideration the access points, sidewalks, bays and lobbies adjacent to public space, carefully integrating them into the city’s urban fabric. Finally, the complex’s basement is made out of natural stone and is planted with local vegetation.

Green revitalisation

The project focuses on the redevelopment of Feidas Square in Lambrini, covering a total area of 16,343m², which includes the square itself, along with its surrounding streets and sidewalks. The goal of this revitalisation is to transform the area into a vibrant, sustainable urban hub that enhances the quality of life for residents while fostering a stronger connection with public spaces, in harmony with both nature and the urban environment.

 

Design Philosophy

The square is currently in a state of significant disrepair, with issues such as cracked flooring and abandoned retaining walls, neglected dirt paths, a lack of low greenery, narrow sidewalks, and insufficient signage. The proposal seeks to address these problems by improving the environmental, functional, and aesthetic quality of the square, while also creating a modern, welcoming urban space that promotes greenery, recreation, and play.

 

Architectural Approach

The design preserves the square’s existing layout, with the central area featuring a hardscape formed by a 4mx4m rectangular grid. This grid is created using continuous rows of marble blocks, while the resulting paved sections are distinguished by a mix of “cool” concrete and marble blocks arranged in three distinct patterns, along with raw concrete poured in two different shades. The repeating and alternating squares form a cohesive geometric backdrop of textures and colors. Tree canopies, both existing and newly planted, are integrated into the design, bordered by one or more rows of cobblestones arranged in concentric circles.

 

Public Uses

In the central area, the flooring is distinct and features ground-level water jets, surrounded by a circular seating area. A playground is created in the northeastern section of the square, while the existing basketball courts are preserved. The dirt paths are redesigned with varying widths, and new public amenities are added, including benches arranged in groups within shaded areas.

The perimeter sidewalks are expanded to provide more comfortable and safer pedestrian conditions, with new rows of trees added along their length. Traffic management measures include implementing one-way streets, reducing vehicle speeds, and organizing and limiting parking.

 

Sustainable Design

A primary planning goal is to combat the urban heat island effect through “blue and green” interventions. This is achieved by reducing hard surfaces and expanding planting areas to foster lush vegetation and natural stormwater management. Retaining existing greenery, along with introducing a substantial number of new trees and low plants, provides ample shade and lowers temperatures in warmer months. Enhanced planting diversity not only improves the microclimate but also boosts biodiversity, enriching the urban ecosystem.

In addition to serving as a recreational feature, the floor jets also function as a cooling element, particularly during the summer months. New led lighting and recycling initiatives are introduced to minimize the environmental footprint. Moreover, traffic regulations and the installation of bicycle parking spaces promote increased bicycle use.

Rolex is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative and its commitment to the arts worldwide over the years. For the first time, the company will bring this programme and dozens of the world’s most talented artists who excel in their art to Athens in a celebration of the legacy of 20 years of mentoring.

The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative holds a special place within the Perpetual Arts Initiative. It encompasses a distinctive and unique vision of mentoring – generous and global – that plays a tangible role in promoting excellence and the future of the arts.

The mentoring programme, recognized as an initiative with unparalleled respect and legitimacy, has become a universal reference in artistic circles where it is linked to the genuine commitment of Rolex as a true patron of culture. It provides new artists with the opportunity to be supported by masters in their fields and the confidence they need to recognize and reveal their full creative potential. Additionally, the programme helps safeguard the world’s artistic heritage.

Over two decades, a remarkable artistic community has been built, encouraging an international dialogue across cultures and disciplines that helps the Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative realize its main objective: the transmission of knowledge to new generations of artists on a global scale. The Athens event is both a true manifestation and celebration of this life-changing programme.

Festival performances and events

Today, Rolex announced that multidisciplinary performances, exhibitions, readings, screenings, installations, and discussions will share the achievements and ongoing creative relationships of more than 60 Rolex protégés and mentors. It will fill stages, galleries, and public spaces at nine venues in Athens – the cradle of arts and learning – for a full week in spring 2023 with more than 30 performances and events, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. The Rolex Arts Festival, spanning dance, theatre, music, film, architecture, visual arts and literature, and showcasing a generation of outstanding international artists who have advanced their work with the support of Rolex, will be presented to the public from 26 to 28 May. A special pre-festival programme, dedicated to the people of Athens and organized to engage Greek artists, arts professionals and young people, will be offered from 22 to 25 May.

In presenting a dazzling array of works by the Rolex fellows (former protégés) from 26 to 28 May, as well as public conversations among the fellows and acclaimed mentors – many living legends – the Rolex Arts Festival seeks to inspire those in the Greek capital at the heart of the world’s culture. The festival will also be a vivid demonstration of the commitment to reach for the pinnacle of performance that drives Rolex to support individuals and organizations in the arts. This continuous pursuit of excellence, symbolized by the word ‘Perpetual’, underpins every aspect of Rolex’s activities – from its watchmaking to its many partnerships.

In keeping with this mission, the pre-festival programme presented from 22 to 25 May will feature the participation of dozens of Greek artists in 14 free public and professionalevents. A distinguished eight-member Greek Advisory Committee has provided counsel and assistance in organizing all aspects of the Rolex Arts Festival, which is being curated by independent arts advisor and programmer Emma Gladstone OBE, former Artistic Programmer at Sadler’s Wells in London and former Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Dance Umbrella.

“To bring the public just some of the wealth of multidisciplinary achievements that have been fostered by the Rolex mentoring programme, we issued an open call to all Rolex fellows to participate by presenting works,” said Rebecca Irvin, head of the mentoring programme at Rolex. “The response was overwhelming and unanimous. We at Rolex are moved and excited by the outpouring of creative energy and the spirit of communal engagement that the fellows will be offering in Athens.” Gladstone commented, “There is astonishing generosity in the range of work that the Rolex fellows will be showing the people of Athens – a generosity matched by the invaluable relationships that the mentors formed with these fellows, and by the contributions of Rolex in initiating and supporting this special endeavour. To honour this generosity across the 20 years of the Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, the Rolex Arts Festival will highlight three broad themes: the relationship of sharing at the core of the programme, the impact of this sharing on the fellows, and the ongoing artistic legacy that the fellows are now creating around the world.”

Highlights of the Rolex Arts Festival

Events and presentations in the Rolex Arts Festival will be offered to the general public at minimal cost, with ticket proceeds going to the partner institutions for their arts programmes.
The activities will include:

• A group exhibition at EMST (National Museum of Contemporary Art) by the eight Rolex visual arts fellows – Sammy Baloji, Alejandro Cesarco, Masanori Handa, Nicholas Hlobo, Mateo López, Thao Nguyen Phan, Camila Rodríguez Triana and Matthias Weischer – with an introductory talk moderated by mentor Carrie Mae Weems.

• A group exhibition at Benaki Pireos 138 of work by all Rolex architecture fellows – Sahel Alhiyari, Gloria Cabral, Mariam Issoufou Kamara, Simon Kretz and Yang Zhao – with an introductory talk moderated by mentor Sir David Chipperfield.

• A screening in the courtyard of Benaki Pireos 138 of short films by Rolex arts fellows Aditya Assarat, Kyle Bell, Sara Fgaier, Annemarie Jacir, Josué Méndez, Celina Murga, Agustina San Martín, Tom Shoval and Chaitanya Tamhane.

• Two theatrical presentations: The Case of the Stranger by Rolex arts fellow Whitney White at the Athens Conservatoire, with a post-show talk featuring Rolex mentor Phyllida Lloyd, and [÷] v.0.8: Boléro, a solo performance at Ω2 Complex by arts fellow Sebastián Solórzano Rodríguez.

• Two dance events at the Athens Conservatoire: a performance by Rolex arts fellow Khoudia Touré with an ensemble of Greek and international dancers, and a double bill featuring arts fellow Eduardo Fukushima in a solo performance and a duet choreographed by fellow Myles Thatcher.

• Two music events: a sound installation performance at Megaron’s Trianti Hall Side Stage by Rolex music fellow Ben Frost, and a closing concert at Megaron Gardens featuring ensembles from Egypt, Honduras and the UnitedStates led by fellows Dina Elwedidi, Marcus Gilmore and Aurelio Martínez, with a guest appearance by mentor Gilberto Gil.

• Four installation works at the Athens Conservatoire by Rolex fellows Selina Cartmell (theatre), Matías Umpierrez (theatre), Federico León (theatre) and Jason Akira Somma (dance).

• A music commission and performance, Artemis: Fountain, created for the Dancing Fountains at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, by Rolex music fellow Pauchi Sasaki.

• A Word in Your Ear: writings by all Rolex literature fellows – Naomi Alderman, Antonio García Ángel, Edem Awumey, Colin Barrett, Julían Fuks, Julia Leigh, Miroslav Penkov and Tracy K. Smith – read in English and Greek by noted actors, introduced at a presentation in the Athens Conservatoire Amphitheatre and available for digital download throughout the Rolex Arts Festival.

Additional events

Two special “Sideways Mentoring” events will show how Rolex fellows are now inspiring each other and working in collaboration across disciplines. At Ω2 Complex film fellow Annemarie Jacir and literature fellow Colin Barrett will present a film script they are developing, with selected scenes interpreted by actors. At NewStage, Maya Zbib (theatre), Lee Serle (dance), and Mateo López (visual arts) will present Listening to the Walls Wear Off Their Colour, a dance theatre performance they have created.
Public discussions presented throughout the Rolex Arts Festival will be:

• New Legacies: Four fellows (names to be confirmed) in a conversation about the social, cultural, and ecological impact of their creative work.

• Creative Alchemy: Three fellows and three mentors (names to be confirmed) in a conversation about the elusive yet essential qualities that spark a creative relationship, moderated by Orestis Andreadakis, Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

• Lifelong Learning: Three established artists (names to be confirmed) who have guided and inspired fellow artists, sharing reflections and memories about the people that influenced them in their own lives.

The Rolex Arts Festival will also include a Gala evening at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, where the 20th anniversary ceremony will feature performances by music fellows David Aaron Carpenter, Vasco Mendonça and Susan Platts, with music fellow Josep Caballé Domenech conducting the El Sistema Greece Youth Orchestra, and the participation of the Greek women’s a capella
ensemble Chores.

It should be noted that the majority of the festival will be in English with Greek translation available (where appropriate). Film and video works will have Greek and English subtitles. All readings in the digital audio project A Word in Your Ear will be available in Greek and English.

The Pre-Festival Programme to the Rolex Arts Festival

Leading up to the Rolex Arts Festival, the four-day pre-festival programme (22–25 May) will include day-long workshops, masterclasses, public talks, musical performances and rehearsals, and more, involving dozens of Greek artists, Rolex fellows and mentors including Anne Lacaton, Phyllida Lloyd, Robert Lepage, Walter Murch and Colm Tóibín.
The Advisory Committee for both the festival and pre-festival programmes consists of: Eleftheria Deko (cross-disciplinary artist working in lighting design for performance, architecture and art), Katerina Evangelatos (Artistic Director of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival), Sofia Exarchou (writer-director of the 2016 awardwinning film Park), Katerina Gregos (Artistic Director of EMST, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens), Alexandros Drakos Ktistakis (drummer, composer and orchestrator), Euripides Laskaridis (choreographer/performer, founder of the Osmosis company), Ilias Papageorgiou (architect, founder and principal of the PILA studio) and Kostas Spatharakis (editor, translator and founder of Antipodes Publications).

ABOUT THE ROLEX MENTOR AND PROTÉGÉ ARTS INITIATIVE

Established in 2002 to assist in the transfer of knowledge from one generation of artists to the next, the mentoring programme is based on the belief that art is a continuum, an accumulation of past experiences over generations, and that all artists are inspired by those who went before them. In keeping with the Rolex tradition of encouraging individual excellence, younger artists of exceptional promise – the protégés – are given the rare opportunity to spend significant periods of time in creative exchange with world-renowned artists in their particular field – the mentors – on a one-to-one basis. The programme today encompasses the disciplines of architecture, dance, film, literature, music, theatre and visual arts. There is also a variable, or “open category”, mentorship that can take place in other fields or in an interdisciplinary pursuit. These mentorships are grouped in alternating periods according to discipline.

The mentors who have so far given of their time and vast talent are among the world’s greatest artists. They are: Sir David Adjaye, Margaret Atwood, (the late) John Baldessari, Tahar Ben Jelloun, (the late) Trisha Brown, (the late) Patrice Chéreau, Sir David Chipperfield, Mia Couto, Alfonso Cuarón, (the late) Sir Colin Davis, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Olafur Eliasson, Brian Eno, (the late) Hans Magnus Enzensberger, William Forsythe, Stephen Frears, Gilberto Gil, Philip Glass, Alejandro G. Inárritu, (the late) Sir Peter Hall, David Hockney, Rebecca Horn, Zakir Hussain, Joan Jonas, Sir Anish Kapoor, William Kentridge, Jiří Kylián, Robert Lepage, Lin Hwai-min, Phyllida Lloyd, Spike Lee, Lin-Manuel Miranda, (the late) Toni Morrison, Walter Murch, Ohad Naharin, Mira Nair, Youssou N’Dour, (the late) Jessye Norman, Michael Ondaatje, Crystal Pite, Alexei Ratmansky, Kaija Saariaho, Martin Scorsese, Kazuyo Sejima, Peter Sellars, Álvaro Siza, Wole Soyinka, Julie Taymor, Saburo Teshigawara, Jennifer Tipton, Colm Tóibín, Kate Valk, Mario Vargas Llosa, Carrie Mae Weems, Robert Wilson, Zhang Yimou, Pinchas Zukerman and Peter Zumthor.