Michalis Paraskakis & Eleonore Schönmaier
In co-production with the Athens Conservatoire

Curated by Stavros Gasparatos

COMMISSION

Michalis Paraskakis & Eleonore Schönmaier
Field Guide [to the lost flower]

Field Guide [to the lost flower] is an innovative multimedia music theatre piece by composer Michalis Paraskakis in collaboration with poet Eleonore Schönmaier. Inspired by Schönmaier's poetry collection Field Guide to the Lost Flower of Crete, the work weaves music, text, video, theatre, and electronics into a unified, immersive performance. The three central characters of the piece are two performers and a grand piano, which transforms into a multi-functional object—a stage, instrument, and overall physical entity that drives the entire action.

At its core, the work explores abstract themes of loss and time, suggesting an unspoken yet ever-present sense of absence—whether the loss of a loved one or the loss of nature— while the mundanity of everyday life carries on uninterrupted. This contrast creates a surreal, dreamlike, and at times humorous reality, where the performers find themselves trapped in a "constant present." The piano is deconstructed and utilised in unconventional ways: its keys, strings, pedals, metal, and wooden body are manipulated to generate layered sounds and harmonics.

Paraskakis' staging blends fragmented, whispered, sung, or silent text with dynamic video projections and subtle lighting, merging auditory and visual experiences. The performers transform into sound instruments and “assume” roles as characters, engaging in symbolic gestures—such as obsessively smoking electronic cigarettes—as an expression of futile contemplation.

The text-video segment pays homage to Yannis Kyriakides’ “text pieces” and is treated not just as a carrier of meaning but also as sound—spoken, scattered, gasped, or silent—adding texture and emotion. At the same time, images of flowers and fruits (from Schönmaier’s poems) and deserted, decaying tourist resorts filmed during the warm, sunny Halcyon days of January are interwoven with the text, evoking a sense of fragmented memory and suspended time.

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The Subset Festival, the multifaceted music platform launched in 2023, held by the Athens Epidaurus Festival in co-production with the Athens Conservatoire, returns refreshed but always with a focus on the dialogue between contemporary music and new media.

Named after a mathematical term (subset ⊆), Subset Festival weaves together diverse versions of contemporary musical creation, incorporating a wide variety of artistic trends. From June 4 to June 8, the Conservatoire venues will host musical ensembles and soloists, established and up-and-coming alike, both from Greece and around the world, visual and sound installations and performances, as well as open-call workshops.