News – Page 2 – Medland Project

#6 Coming and Going – MEDland Project (June 2021)

Three hours by car could be three days traveling with the wind and currents - it actually took us three days to touch each finger of Peloponnese.
Traveling over the sea brings you to the other places and experiences, especially if you depend on elements and movements of the air and sea - winds and waves and safe ports.

In MEDland project this is an essential method to tune to the Mediterranean world which actually the vast majority is the sea.
Sea is not just flat but also very deep, in some points where we went is over 5000 meters!
MEDland project is focused primarily on islands which are from the tiniest to the biggest each its own world with specific beingness and culture that found its roots on Crete, Ikaria, Samos, Lesbos, Chios, Syros,Andros, Paros, Samothraki, Zakyntos, Itaka, Othoni..

Going over the sea from island to island this time, gave me a strong impulse to observe how Mediterranean islands and three continents are connected and interact as one living organism, including countless “individuals", places and inhabitants, and layers of parallel worlds.

Sea is only a natural boundary...the other side is that sea-water is, in my observations, the most perfect “internet” where infinite information interact, merge, change, create something new, transform…
HOW to connect to this “internet”?

When I do it just a little bit, I can observe a miraculous world which is actually already all co-connected…harmoniously interacting and waiting for us humans to step into this for US new cycle of living, which is being, learning, and co-creating together with Gaia.
On MEDland flag, representing the project and hanging from the first day from the boat, is written Mediterranean - united by the sea.

Video: Filming: Matej Michalec, Editing: Matej Michalec, Bojan Brecelj, Ida Glušič

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Dimitris Therianos an expert for polyphenols, update 2021

film by Ida Glušič : I joined MEDland project at Zakynthos island in Jonian sea. I was waiting for Bojan and the rest of the MEDland crue to pick me up. Bojan already gave me an interesting and challenging task. Being hosted by Dimitris' Therianos and his family, with whom Bojan already made a story in 2018 (link), my focus was to make an update of Therianos new projects and life.After three days at Therianos family, I finally met Bojan and other participants of the project. We immediatedly connected.Dimitris' creative spin pulled his family even more together. They are all involved in working with olive trees and developing new health products. The update of what and how he is dedicated to his work, really touched us: »I want to give the respect to the natural life, to our trees. We are not alone here. We make it together with olive trees.« -Dimitris Therianos

..and some pics from IDA >>>

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#5 Between Ionian islands – “A good stop at the Therianos family” (MEDland Project, June 2021)

From Othoni through the Paxoi to Zakynthos - journey goes on. This time meeting Therianos family again - that was an important stop in our voyage.

We came to Zakynthos to pick up new member of our crew - Ida Glušič, which joins us - MEDlanders, and also to meet Dimitrios, who leads the family farm. (About Dimitrios you can find out more here in the story.)

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#4 Meeting Yiannis again – MEDland Project (June 2021)

It's about six years ago when Bojan met Yannis for a first time. Nearly every year Bojan come again on the boat with the MEDland crew to visit him. Each time he sees incredible improvements - on the Othoni island and in Yanni's life as well.

This time surprised us availability of the clean water - water source was drilled...Aslo ferry boat regularly coms to the island what was not the custom before. And another progress which amazed us touches the attempts to extract petroleum oil in Ionian Sea - for now everything have stopped and oil stays in the earth.

Throughout the years Bojan and Yannis became good friends and visiting him again this year was exceptional beautiful experience.
You can also get to know Yannis via links below.

Read about Yiannis Katehi's story here.

And listen to his music on YouTube.

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#3 Over the open sea – MEDland Project (June 2021)

Why we are on the sea again: to take of from our virtual “mind you gap” comfort zone?

My motivation is to start to feel and understand the connectivity of the “islands, places ” in the Mediterranean world.

It is something opposite to what I was focused on till now.

The evolution or to say civilization that we are part of, is empowered and inspired, motivated from the qualities of the particular place: island, river, welly,…

The qualities, the individuality of each place is (was) the key for progress- AND now I can say also regress.

But there is But.

NOW there is also awareness of the “strings”.

Which means CONNECTIONS, vivid interactions, creating a new energy field of consciousness between all existing life here and above.

A foundation for evolution in this fast-changing times.

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#2 The trip – MEDland Project (June 2021)

We are on the board. And peaceful Adriatic sea carries us from Hvar to islands Korčula and Mljet.

We are passing many small islands, experiencing strong spirits of each one. And so flows our boat "Nalu", wave by wave direction Greece.

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1# Now – MEDland Project (May 2021)

Look inside of busy beggining of our cruise...through the eyes of new member of the crew - slovak film-maker/graphic designer Matej Michalec. He will tell you what MEDland project means for him and what brought him to the Mediterranean sea.

Despite great challenges, our expedition is going on. Waves are bringing us to the island Korčula and Mljet.

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NEW BOOKs from Venice where it ALL started

Get your copy of the NEW photo book on Venice, featuring photographs taken in 2020, which will be officially released on May 7th. You can secure your copy if you are an active Patron of the MED Land project or shop on theMED Land page!

THE STORY:

Venice is the tip of the Mediterranean and the starting place of the MED Land project. I lived in Venice on Nalu (the project boat) for a year, and the outcome was different exhibitions and the book ”Water Dragon of Venice”. Seven year later, I felt the urge, a call to come back and witness Venice again. THE RESULT IS ALREADY PUBLISHED IN a photo book with English text by Marko Pogačnik. This time, it was a a simultaneous call of two, Marko Pogačnik and me. No wonder, really, since we already collaborated on 5 book projects about Venice. During 2020, Marko has been visiting Venice mostly telepathically, and wrote and drew a completely new vision of Venice, titled VENEDIG – EMBRYO DES NEUEN ERDENRAUMS (VENICE – EMBRYO OF THE NEW EARTH SPACE). The second book, which is complementary to this one, features a selection of 92 full-page images which were also created in 2020. This 2-in-1 bundle is published in German by Neue Erde.

The English version is a photo book with short introductory text by Marko. It is a limited edition of 99 copies and a very high-quality print.

English Version - ONE book > 92 photos/144 pages 27x20,5 cm, hard cover: VENICE-EMBRYO OF THE NEW EARTH SPACE

NOW is the right time to get involved in the very important 2021 chapter of the project.

Boy your own copy on MED Land>get involved and money will go all for the project to live on.

The book is priceless and free, but you can contribute 32 EUR + flat price postage (SLO 4 EUR, EU 7 EUR, USA 12 EUR).

An EVEN BETTER option, however, is to became a PATRON on Patreon Page and get the book with a 10 USD contribution only by limiting your monthly contribution to one month.

Bojan

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I made a deal with my wife

Dimitris Lesses from Ikaria: "I came back because I made a deal with my wife that if we have a child, he must grow up in a safe and healthy environment, which is not Athens ..."

Dimitris has three diplomas and many jobs, AND his important concern and activity is to study, explore, preserve and educate others about the natural environment on Ikaria. He is a speleologist and knows over 40 caves on the island. He is also a member of a rescue team. ”I do many things, because I don't like to be bored.”

I think, for example, that my child can go alone to the town square from the age of six, because everybody is paying attention to what's going on and looking after my child, just as I am looking after the well-being of other people's children.

We do not have policemen here, we are doing the job ourselves, always checking if everything is OK, so the thieves don't steal anything, because if the owners catch you, they hit you, and the only way to survive is to run to police station, but we don't have one here.

I try to use photographs to show the beauty of the nature to the locals, that's why I practice photography. Here, even the people who work in the municipality don't know the island, they don't know its history. Once, I was doing an interview with an old man, and he told me something very useful about trees. If there are no male trees in the area, you must go to the river and find clear sand. Then, take the sand and wash the fruit tree very thoroughly from top to bottom and from bottom to top. This way, the fruit begins to grow and will not fall down as a small fruit. So it is important to preserve the knowledge of old people.

Local people do not dare to go into the caves. They know them from legends and stories, and Dimitri loves to dive deep into the magical mineral worlds.

… I want to do all this things – be a plumber, a photographer, an X-ray technician, and in my free time, explore caves, dive, hike, motorbike ... In the summer, I do photography to avoid being bored, because there are weddings and baptising days.

The value we appreciate here, for example, is not to discriminate against the elderly and expel them to homes for the elderly. Why? Because they have the knowledge to pass on, and time for children as well.

Many people go to other countries to work, and they have lost the tradition of the island, they do not know its history, they do not know how to make the things you need in order to live here … So this is lost for the next generation. We need research for my generation to learn ... This is also my role in the Ikarian society, to bring more knowledge about the island, about nature, first of all, trees, caves, history, languages ... I am also a writer, and have published a book about ancient Ikarian languages.

Ikaria is OK if it has 15,000 goats, and now there are 41,000 of them here, since the peasants get big money from the EU to have goats.

We are policemen, volunteer firemen, volunteer rescuers, volunteer soldiers, since our politicians have signed a deal stating that there should not be official army on Ikaria, Samos, Chios. Therefore, everybody aged 22–65 is a volunteer. We keep weapons in our house, we have an airport and two harbors. They are a very easy target, Our neighbor the president is a little crazy. Not people, people are like us. The officers are brainwashed.

Panagiri – a traditional dancing & music feast on the Ikaria island (Aegina sea) takes place all around the island nearly every day from spring to fall. The Ikarians worship Dionysus, and celebrating life is part of it. Another, more recent tradition is keeping Marxist ideas as a prosperous living option for community popular. In other words, communist values are close to traditional Ikarian society > after the Greeks expelled the Turks from Ikaria in 1912, the Greek government used the island as an exile for about 13,000 communists. They could not wish for a better home than Ikaria. :))

The island has its own microclimate: we have trees from Central Africa, trees from Central Europe, cork oak ... We have many, many different areas, so the people who live in one area don't usually move to another much. So when they see my photos, they often say: ”Oh, this is Ikaria?”

When I was working on my sailing license, an old guy said to me: If you see clouds near the top of Fournoi (neighboring islands), or if flies are biting you, do not go sailing - the weather will change and the south wind will blow ...

For me, my bottom line is friends, family, but only if they are good people, first of all ... Many people that are now in their 70s are a little strange, all of them! I love guys who give to and help other people without expecting money or thanks ... Many people do it, I do it and I like it. If we are all doing it, we can feel safe as a community. I do not like Athens.

A beekeeper from the highlands of Ikaria, known for special bee honey made entirely from Ikarian herbs

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Setting UP Art residency-tiny house on the island of Ikaria -Aegean sea

2021: A year to stay at home?

Can we really live without physical interaction

with living beings, visible and invisible,

lands,

places,

elements,

like sea?

Ikaria Island is like a crown chakra of the vast Aegean sea, the Mediterranean and beyond.

Can you sense that on the internet?

In 2018, I came here to meet Christodoulos Xenakis, and from the first moment, he shared with me and the MED Land team at the time (Melania and Kubilay) his heartfelt and passionate relation with Ikaria, taking us around and explaining past and present footprints on this ancient land. Christodoulos is 85 year old now, still running an organisation – the Institute for Ikarian Studies (IFIS). One of his compassionate idea was for each EU country to have one container house as an art residency place on Ikaria island. IFIS actually got one which was “waiting for the first“ country to make it happen for more than ten years …

The friendship with Christodoulos, as well as with other Ikarians that MedLanders met in 2019, has grown to this day, which is well reflected in the stories about the adventures of Christodoulos and other Ikarians such as Urania, Dimitris, Vangelis and others. The Med Land team also facilitated a land‑art stone sculpture project on Ikaria by international group of artists-geomants, which is still ongoing.

Here are some links to stories and news related to Christodoulos, Ikaria and Ikarians:

Christodoulos
Making Of: Dr. Christodoulos Xenakis

Urania & five boxes

Christodoulos and Ulysses (Ὀδύσσεια Odýsseia) traveling together

Christodoulos and Ulysses traveling together : The knowledge about Philoktitis and the healing properties of terra limnea

Christodoulos and Ulysses traveling together: over the Marmara Sea to the Bosporus / Troy and Constantinople

The Last Days

AND Ikaria - image gallery by bojan

Ikaria has at least 15,000 years of continuous history of their own specific civilisation. Their main god is Dionysus. During the 600‑year period of pirates, they hid and lived untouched in the middle of the 1,000m high island. The communist ideas are still legit here to this day. Living with less, in a sustainable way, with a lot of music and dancing is what they like … the Dionysus way … Ikaria is also known for many people that easily reached 100 years of age … The recipe is not to live alone.

My top tree virtues of Ikaria that made me become its fen are:

1-2-3:

the perception of time on Ikaria as one big “now” … Every day is a new day, and a reset of “priority and schedule list“ is normal, acceptable, a way of living;
awareness of the values of the Ikaria continent with the positive attitude towards sharing them. It is about being grounded and connected, not only on a human level;
openness to the rest of the world.

In 2020, Christodoulos offers us – the “Slovenians“ – a tiny container house to use it for the “project residency“.

In February/March and November/December 2020, four of us made it liveable! The idea is for people with creative aims to be able stay on Ikaria, live, experience, interact, and create something out of it.

HAW a LOOK of the viedo HOW it happend!

THE TEAM:

Ivana Petan – ceramic artist

Gregor Erjavec – activist and global networker

Eva Marn – lawyer, director of Proja.org and the mother of many national and international projects and initiatives

Bojan Brecelj – Med Land pusher, active in visual media and art projects

and Christodoulos Xenakis of course!

>>>If you are interested in becoming one of the residents from March 2021 onward, contact us at nalu@medland.life.

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