of lost stories and new identities

The ‘Street of Angels’ is what the old inhabitants of Paphos call the Kosta Georgiou-street, stemming from its vibrant character in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Today, when we are walking through it, little reminds of this previous livelihood; the street is quiet and empty except for a few old men sitting in front of their shops chatting and smoking a cigarette.

Kennedy Square in 1963 by Tommy Nilsson, a swiss UN officer

Els and me were taken here by Erica who is the art director of a contemporary dance project which is taking place in the framework of Paphos2017. We were lucky enough to join Erica’s meeting with Lela, a local architecture student, who together are exploring the public spaces which will be used as the stage for their performance.

Kennedy Square today

Our walk started at Kennedy square, a plaza which has recently been constructed. In the midday heat the square is empty and with no shade in reach the newly installed benches are not being used. The picture Erica shows us from the square in the 1960s, however, demonstrates a very different image: we see a vibrant markets street crowded with cars, people and goods.

The old town has been part of a remodeling project which was in the planning for about two decades but which really only in the last years properly took off. Streets which used to be filled with cars, have been turned into pedestrian areas and public squares, which previously did not exist, were created.  But as the above described scenes testify, for many of these places inhabitants are yet to find their interactions with the physical space.

In her project “Spatial Counterpoint”, Erica aims to explore the identity and character of the newly created spaces. Talking to residents and shop owners, she has spent months of people gathering stories about these spaces. Stories like the ‘Street of Angels’ whose name one would not find in a guide book but that is only remembered by the residents themselves. In her performance, such concepts or traditions will be translated into dance, and thus invite the audience to reflect upon the previous identity of the places and encourage a dialogue as to what its new identity could be. 

The old men in the Greek betting house playing cards

And there are so many stories that these streets have to tell and that continue to appear. On the corner of the ‘Street of Angels’ we stop at a traditional Greek betting place. If we believe Lela and Erica, this is the most patriarchic public space we could encounter where only men would be tolerated to drink coffee and play cards. Thus, it comes to a surprise to all of us when the old men inside wave at us and invite us in. Slurping our Frappe, the typical Cyprian ice coffee, the men share stories of their street and the changes it has seen over the past decades. And although only every now and then, Els and I receive a brief translation recap by Erica or Lela, we can tell by the gestures and sparkle in the eye how many emotions are attached to this environment.

For example, we get to learn that this house used to be a Turkish-Cypriot bar/ coffee house, which also explain why its furnishing appeared to be a little bit stuck in time to us. Ever since the owners had to leave Paphos when the conflict erupted in 1974, little changes had been made since it is not clear if they might return at some point. And while this specific place has seen little change, the street in contrast did. The men remind us once more of the contrast between the quiet streets we experience today, and the business of shops, stalls, donkeys, cars and people in the past. While a substantial part of this development can be related back to the uprising rivalries between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the mid 20^th century, in more recent years, the men blame the regeneration project of the town to have taken many people out of business. A big mall was constructed close to the touristic harbor, the streets were closed down for a substantial period of time and the rents increased substantially after the remodeling. “See here used to be an electronic shop, on the corner there my brother had his store” and we do see how most of the stores are dusty and empty.

From these stories we can hear how not only the landscape but also the character of the old town has changed. It is time for reinvention of spaces, which Erica’s projects aims to open a dialogue for. This became particularly clear to me at the end of our walk when some tourists are passing by and asking to be pointed towards the center of the old town. Erica turns around and laughs at us: “the center of the old town?! Well that’s an interesting question because we don’t know yet.”

The "Street of Angels", once a lively trading street is found quiet and empty today.

One of the spaces Erica uses for her performance is a parking lost which has lost its original purpose by the street now having been turned into a pedestrian zone.