Blessed Ω, 2:19mins, 4K video, color, 2022

Blessed Ω is a short poetry-film based on a poem written in 2022 for the publication Pasta Poetry launched in 2023 by Lost Books Found, London, UK.
The narrator speaks about Makaría, daughter of Hades and goddess of an honourable death, tracing the etymological derivatives of her name across cultures and historical changes; from byzantine funerary delicacies to italian pasta, to the modern-day greek melo-makarona cookies. From Macaría the story passes on to the 18th century proto-queer, proto-capitalist figure of the Macaroni, whose metonymical name was meant to evoke his South European mannerisms and queer appearance. The narrator switches between English and Greek, and between a lulling narration and byzantine-styled chant singing. The visual narrative includes footage from a cemetery and a marble quarry on the island of Tinos in Greece, followed by a full-moon night sky and an 18th-century popular caricature etching of the figure of the Macaroni. The gravure floats next to an ink drawing of a rocky mountain resembling the biblical desert landscapes of eastern orthodox art iconography. The film reflects poetically on perceiving time, language, and history - each and all as manifestations of death.

Concept, image, text, editing:
Athanasios Anagnostopoulos

Original music & sound mastering:
Kleitos Kyriakides

Commissioned by
Callie’s resident artist Sophie Lee. ​Screened at Callie’s, Berlin.

Athanasios Anagnostopoulos © 2023