«Di<Au>logues» Algorithmic Reading of Antiquity and Digital Visualization Inspired by the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
The School of Fine Arts of the University of Ioannina and the Department of Visual Arts and Art Sciences, in collaboration with the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, present the temporary exhibition "Di<Au>logues" as part of the research and artistic project "Algorithmic Reading of Antiquity: Digital Visualization Inspired by the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki".
The exhibition "Di<Au>logues" is a contemporary visual approach to the ancient Greek gold jewelry on display at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. Drawing inspiration from wreaths, earrings, diadems, and decorative motifs of high technical skill, the creators explore not their external form, but their deeper structural logic: rhythm, symmetry, repetition, and detailed organization of form.
The title "Di<Au>logues" suggests a lively dialogue between the past and the present. The masterpieces of antiquity serve as vehicles of morphological knowledge. Contemporary digital practices do not copy them; they analyze and translate them into new visual languages. The material of gold is transformed into code, and code into dynamic form.
The works were developed through algorithmic and parametric design, using technologies such as Node.js and P5.js. Morphological patterns were converted into mathematical rules and dynamic particle systems, while genetic algorithms produced variations that evolve in real time, so that technology does not function as an end in itself, but as a tool for interpreting and creatively translating ancient aesthetics. The artists were asked to convert their research into design rules. Thus, a gold wreath was transformed into a dynamic particle system, a repeating pattern evolved into a genetic algorithm of variations, and a diadem acquired a dynamic geometry that changes in real time. This approach repositions jewelry not only as a portable art object, but as a generative morphological system capable of producing multiple digital visualizations.
Interactivity is a central element of the exhibition. The viewer is not a passive observer but becomes an active co-creator of the work. Through sensors and parametric variables, their presence and movement influence the form, brightness, and structure of the digital compositions. Thus, the experience is transformed into a process of reading and, at the same time, producing meaning.
The aim of the exhibition is to bridge historical craftsmanship with contemporary forms of computational expression, highlighting the timeless continuity of creative thinking and the ability of the past to serve as a living source of inspiration for the present.
Participating artists, students, and teachers from the School of Fine Arts at the University of Ioannina include:
Karamanlis Victor Minas (vikochico), Kokkinos Athanasios (a.k.a. Arurkokk), Kremasmenos Giorgos, Konstantinou Nikolaos, Spyropoulou Christina, Traperas Dimitrios.
Design, research, coordination:
Dr. Nikolaos Konstantinou, Special Teaching Staff, Department of Visual Arts and Art Sciences, School of Fine Arts, University of Ioannina
Dr. Dimitrios Traperas, Associate Professor, Department of Visual Arts and Art Sciences, School of Fine Arts, University of Ioannina
Scientific Director:
Nikos Papadimitriou, Assistant Professor, Department of Visual Arts and Art Sciences, School of Fine Arts, University of Ioannina, scientific director of the project "Creative code and algorithmic design for artists," Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience Fund SUB1.2: "Visiting Professors/Visiting Researchers"
Visiting Professor/Researcher:
Michael Semoglou, researcher, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University (Shanghai), Visiting Professor at the School of Fine Arts, University of Ioannina, as part of the project "Creative code and algorithmic design for artists," Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience Fund SUB1.2: "Visiting Professors/Visiting Researchers"
OPENINGS of the temporary exhibition
30 March | 13:00 | Museum Foyer
Free admission
