For the 13th consecutive year, the Young Artists Festival “The 12 Compartments” kicks off today, Sunday, May 18, and will run until Sunday, June 1, 2024, at the Railway Carriage Theater to Treno sto Rouf. Admission is free, promising evenings filled with theater, music, and dance.
Dedicated to contemporary artistic expression and creation by young artists, the festival was launched in 2011 with the aim of offering a platform for emerging creators.
Today, it has become a cultural fixture in the city. As Artistic Director Tatiana Ligari noted in her interview with Giorgos Apostolidis on Athens 9.84 FM, the festival is now an institution.
Every day, for fifteen days, dozens of new artistic groups and individual artists — actors, choreographers, dancers, musicians, and visual artists — present their projects throughout the unique spaces of the artistic train.
This year’s edition explores more human-centered themes and takes place inside the distinctive train carriages and the open-air stage on the platform, offering a one-of-a-kind immersive experience for both artists and audiences.
Tatiana Ligari also spoke about the rapid acceleration of technology, which -as she pointed out- demands that we remain connected to the universe of emotion, language, imagination, and empathy.
“We must redraw our coordinates”
“In a way,” she said, “the rapid development of technology has pushed us, as a counterbalance, to turn inward — to rediscover the values and principles that are slowly fading away. Unfortunately, the human dimension is losing ground to technology. It is essential that we redefine ourselves, redraw our coordinates, and shape our future consciously and actively.”
“A warm embrace for the children of the train”
“To date, we’ve held 13 Young Artists Festivals and 5 Contemporary Dance Festivals. Some of the participating artists found a professional home with us, others have gone on to build remarkable careers. Today, the festival is a warm embrace for the children of the train — and that fills me with joy and pride. Over time, we managed to support the festival through EU structural funds. In addition to providing technical support, we can now offer financial assistance to the participating artists. It has truly become a breeding ground for new talent.”
Listen to the full interview here.
