Spray Vision, (Walk the Can) #1, Canaries Cafe to Ermou street, Kerameikos, September 2014

What are you looking at when walking in the city? Do you look at the faces and eyes of the people or is it urbanitically incorrect? Do you look at how the city is structured or, if you're living in one like Athens, focused on not falling into a hole or bumping into the cars that are parked on sidewalks? Is it a matter of going from A to B on paths route-inly maped in your brain or is it a narrative of moments unfolding on your way through life?

"Εnough with all the enoughs"

Inside Canaries cafe toilets

I've been to some beautiful cities in Europe. Cities that have open spaces, green parks, beautiful modern architecture and well preserved old buildings at the same time. Some times they look so perfect, like theme parks and this can be very boring. It is like if I want to go deep in how people feel and express themselves I have to meet them in special places or occasions, like workshops, galleries.

I remember that one of the first things that captivated my imagination about my own city, early in my life, the thing that let my know about the city not being just rigid concrete but an alive organism that can express itself, was graffiti. Back then it was about expressing protest, anger but a (and with) lot of humor too. The city was full of graffiti by anarchists, that conveyed an anarchistic humor that transcended the political boundaries and could reach almost everyone.

Every Tuesday there is an open food market occupying Kerameikou street.

Salaminos pedestrian street

Pireaus street facing towards Omonoia square

Holy Trinity church

The ancient Holy Road and the cemetery of Kerameikos

Then, a new generation of painted fingertips came out on the streets and the whistling tips to the walls started taking on colorful tunes. Some of those big ugly gray concrete surfaces stopped leaning threateningly towards us and started colorful whispering stories.

Parts of a big graffiti project created more around a decade ago by an international team

I've never took a spray to paint a wall but I've been photographing graffiti for more than a decade. Most of the time I did it in a photographic unconventional way, moving my camera eye as a spray can. Like spray vision. I haven't published yet this project but soon it'll come. Here, I start posting a more conventional and new part of this project, which consists of me walking a certain route in the city, paying attention to what's around me, acknowledging the things that catch my eyes as symbols of the narrative of my life.

Ermou pedestrian street and a fresh graffiti project

My first walk starts at Canaries cafe in Kerameikos district (the pottery workshop area of ancient Athens), were I had a farewell coffee with Katerina just before she took the boat to move out of the city. From Kerameikou and Plataion street I walk to Pireous street and Ermou pedestrian road, along the ancient Iera Odos (Holy road).