The starting point of our research on "floating" architecture was the theme of the Greek participation in the 10th Architecture Biennale of Venice, "The Aegean Sea A Dispersed City". As mentioned in the introduction of its catalogue, this exhibition is based on the heretical belief of the historian Ruggiero Romano that the Archipelagos of the Aegean Sea is a city.

Following this idea, we see the Aegean Sea as a cluster of islands that function as a whole, creating a network but also retaining each its own character. In this dispersed city we propose a model of common infrastructure of a big scale, which is based on the idea of moving. We choose to apply this strategy on the field of culture and more specifically we suggest a travelling theater that can act as a communication channel (a bridge) between the islands. Thus, we take an existing ship and transform it to a theater, trying to create our ship-theater.

As an indicative route we propose a circumnavigation of the Cyclades Islands, which we consider the heart of the Archipelagos. The beginning and the end of the journey is Ermoupolis, the capital of Syros, which is also the geographical and cultural capital of the Cyclades Islands. A list of the ports is proposed as a guide in the hands of each director for the selection of the ideal location for each performance. As far as the way the ship connects to the dock, there are two main ways, alongside and the mooring but we also encourage the access by small boats by the sea.

The ship chosen for our project, with the contribution of the Shipbuilding Department of the NTUA, is the Spanish research Vessel called Hesperides. This choice was mainly made because of its excellent cruising capability in open sea, its stability and maneuverability in limited space. Additionally, it has an ideal size (length, width, draft) for all ports and for the theater itself. Finally, it has a special form, which we found very interesting and which, having its main superstructure in the center, favored the trilateral division of the ship into a foyer, a theater and a residential space for the troupe. These are the main uses in our project.

Our concept is based on the idea of "digging" the bulk of the ship. Inner walls and decks, originally fragmenting the inner space of the ship, are eradicated leaving their traces on the outside walls of a big, unified open space that is now created in order to host our theater. Perceiving this space as the core of the ship-theatre, we try to use all surrounding areas in order to serve it: after entering the ship, the audience finds a large open air space on the stern of the ship, which plays the role of an urban square, then one moves on to the semi- open air foyer, which is a flexible space, and its character depends on the show and finally, through a narrow passage the viewer enters the big void where there is the theater. By that, we aim to surprise and awe the audience. Behind the theater and towards the bow of the ship is the backstage, the cabins and the public areas for the crew and the troupe. The crew of the ship resides in the front vertical part of the superstructure, where there are also the pilot house and the captain's cabin. Finally, in the bow of the ship we perforate the upper deck and create an atrium, with a tree and a small auditorium for rehearsals that gathers the troupe and serves its daily life.

CV