Weaving the urban space / Υφαίνοντας τον αστικό χώρο

40roomors present their own perspective of Thessaloniki in an exhibition where the art of photography and the world of textiles engage in a dynamic dialogue. The use of weaving as a visual medium is far from incidental: as the evolution of a traditional technique and, at the same time, a component of contemporary folklore, it holds the privilege of recording aspects of the present through the lens of the urban landscape, while simultaneously addressing our relationship with the image, materiality, and memory.

Through the dialogue between the two media, a journey through the city unfolds, where bustling streets, secluded neighborhoods, and small, almost forgotten shops are not presented merely as documents of reality or moments frozen in time. Rather, they function as punctum—that small, often at first glance inexplicable detail that leaves a deep imprint and is frequently experienced on an affective level. The addition of tufting onto the photographic surface may be understood precisely in this way, transforming the image into a tactile archive.

The seemingly fixed position of gray as the dominant color of everyday life is challenged by the vision of the two creators who, with the collaboration of photographer Nikos "On The Run" Pasxalis, choose to document neighborhoods where color still survives. In this way, new, multicolored landscapes emerge—ready to be experienced—while the act of weaving reclaims space in a distinctive manner, inviting us to engage with ourselves as part of a city that remembers, intervenes, and functions as a fluid body rather than a static entity.

Touch and sight, activated simultaneously, rearticulate the urban landscape and narrate stories of the streets, which in turn remind us that Thessaloniki, with its distinctive Balkan identity, currently stands at a crossroads of transformation. The city’s character is shifting, tolerating—and at times even embracing—gentrification. It is precisely here that the need arises to reinvent its identity, perhaps in a different direction: one that does not disregard collective memory and acknowledges that the homogenization of urban space does not follow fixed trajectories, but is something that is (re)constructed collectively.

Curation: Anna Margaritidou

Text: Marianna Mitsioti

Photography: Nikos Pasxalis (aka Nikos On The Run)