In the summer of 2025, German participant Lara traveled to Larissa in Greece to take part in the international youth art project Heterotopia, organized by our partner organization Synergy of Music Theater (SMouTh) – a personal account of encountering people, ideas, and spaces full of contrasts.

In June 2025, upon arriving in the hot summer of Larissa, I met other participants and we were welcomed at SMouTh’s new theater. For me, it was both an encounter with new people and a reunion with familiar faces in a new setting, while for others it was their first project. Over the following days, we got to know each other through icebreaker games, discussions, and workshops, and set the ground rules for our collaboration. In the evenings, we sat in beautiful taverns, enjoyed Greek food, exchanged thoughts, and laughed together. In a dance workshop, we worked in small groups to create dance scenes that were transformed by alternating background music. Together, we explored the concept of heterotopias (in Foucault’s sense of “other places”) through research, visits to locations in Larissa, and a variety of artistic activities.

The distinctiveness of these places stood out in contrast to the city as a whole. The train station is partly a memorial to a tragic train accident; a fenced-off house commemorates a boy who died in a building collapse caused by construction faults; the old amphitheater housed excavators and construction machinery that looked just as out of place as the newly installed white stones among the ancient ones. In the music workshop, we explored how the placement of the audience within a performance space can alter the impact of a presentation.

Midway through the project, we all went to the sea together. Surrounded by heat, the sound of waves, and the scent of sunscreen, we created photos and short videos in the media workshop. The works ranged from reflections in sunglasses to plants moving in sync with beach bar music, and people sweeping the sand. After the work was done, we swam, snorkeled, and sunbathed.

Refreshed and inspired by the workshops, we formed small groups the next day to create final videos and/or short live performances. The stage, the adjoining rooms, and even the city itself became backdrops for various stories connected by the theme of heterotopia. Our dining area became a co-working space; in the dressing room, we crafted costumes and prepared slime; in the recording studio, we sang and spoke. The theater turned into a buzzing beehive of activity—people everywhere were discussing, planning, experimenting, learning choreography, writing texts, filming scenes, or editing video material. Everyone was bursting with creativity and energy. There was laughter and even some tears.

The groups faced challenges such as internal disagreements or limited availability of space and materials, but the coaches supported us throughout. My own group—Elene, Eleftheria, and I—worked together harmoniously and efficiently. We wrote a shared text, refined it late at night by the river under the moonlight, and recorded it in the studio with the joyful help of Filippos, the music coach. We tried to suppress our laughter while recording background sounds, and our first attempt at making slime for the video shoot ended up looking more like a failed baking experiment—but at least everything smelled of chocolate and vanilla.

Thanks to the excellent lighting and Giannis, the media coach, who introduced us to the camera, our filming went smoothly. The group harmony, the respect we showed one another, and the mutual trust in each person’s abilities made the shooting a truly precious experience that I’ll cherish for a long time. The subsequent video editing went in a similar spirit, and I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly Ellen—whom I only met through this project—and I worked together.

After some final touches and with a good dose of sleep deprivation, our time in Larissa concluded with a successful video and performance showing before an audience, followed by an emotional farewell that will hopefully lead to future reunions.

We’re delighted that Lara took part in the Heterotopia project in Larissa in 2025. Her report beautifully illustrates how art can connect people, places, and perspectives. Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone involved for their openness and inspiration!