Boulouki organized a three-day event dedicated to the ethnographies of rural Delos on June 19, 20, and 21, 2026, with the aim of presenting the findings from the ongoing research conducted in collaboration with social anthropologist Despina Nazou. This research is part of the broader “ADELOS” project, which is implemented in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and the French School at Athens, and is primarily funded by the J.M. Kaplan Fund. The activities related to the ethnographic research are funded by the Cycladic Identity Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Public Humanities Initiative.
The project brings to light a unique cultural identity that emerged through the coexistence of archaeology and rural life on the island of Delos, from the late 19th to the late 20th century. The research focused on the daily life of people and families who lived and worked on the island as farmers, laborers, and archaeological guards over the last fifty years, forming a unique “Delian” community, as well as the practices and perceptions through which Mykonian farmers approached the ancient ruins while working as excavation laborers on Delos throughout the 20th century.
The three-day event unfolded as follows:
On Friday, June 19, a zine workshop was held in the Garden of Cine Manto in Mykonos. Participants of the Mykonos Municipality Art Program, along with residents of Delos, as well as partners and members of our group, co-created small improvised artworks from different perspectives and disciplines. Using a multitude of materials and techniques (drawing, colors, collage, sewing, text written directly on a typewriter, photocopier for scanning and printing, fabrics, stamps, etc.), they created works based on selected narratives, photos from historical archives, and the personal archives of the ethnographic research interviewees, as well as maps, architectural drawings, and photographic material from our group. These works aspire to be an informal, improvised publication (zine) that tells the story of Markos’ farmhouse, the last farmer to live on Delos and through it the history of the coexistence of rural life and archaeology on the island during the last century. This workshop is supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Public Humanities Initiative.
On Saturday, June 20, an open presentation event took place at the Mykonos Municipality Events Hall in Matogianni, dedicated to the presentation of the “Anthology of Narratives: Stories from Rural Delos,” the first publication resulting from the group’s ethnographic research. The album collects the narratives of five women who lived, worked, or grew up on Delos and Rhenia, illuminating the more recent, human history of a place known primarily for its archaeological past. Through oral testimonies and personal memories, a world emerges that shaped the landscape of Delos but remains largely invisible. The narratives are organized into five distinct sections, each focusing on and delving into a specific story. It is a printed object where the stories of the Delians emerge through the layering of different sheets of paper, words and images are intertwined and the different perspectives and narratives of the interviewees become different textures of paper and stories.
The event opened with a brief greeting by Theano Agaloglou, representing the Cycladic Identity Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art. Subsequently, members of the Boulouki group, Ionas Sklavounos and Evdokia Pagrati, presented the content of the ethnographic research, which was inspired by Markos’ farmhouse, as well as the structure of the Anthology of Narratives. Despina Nazou, the scientific director of ethnographic research, concluded the presentation by highlighting the methodology, the challenges of field research, and the key conclusions that have emerged to date.
The attendees also had the opportunity to flip through the printed draft copy of the publication. The entirety of the presentations, the oral histories, the images and videos screened, and naturally, the printed Anthology, provided an occasion for discussions and new narratives from the attendees, giving a sense of unity with a common reference Delos.
On Sunday, June 21, the people who shared their personal stories of life on Delos with us met on the island with members of our group and representatives of the Museum of Cycladic Art. They visited locations directly related to these stories, ending at the farmhouse of Markos itself, where they shared thoughts and memories and had the opportunity to see the buildings of this folk farmhouse up close in their current state, following the cleaning and preliminary work of the previous year. The experiential tour of the island served as a culmination in connecting images and narratives. The landscapes, the places where the Delians frequented, the various types of archaeologies, the sightings, and the biodiversity of the place became a shared experience for the participants, a common experience and memory as a pleasant continuation and remembrance.
The project “ADELOS” is organized by Boulouki in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades and the French School of Athens. The main supporter of the project is The J.M. Kaplan Fund. The project aims to restore the vernacular buildings “Farmhouse of Markos” in Delos and to study the agricultural heritage of the island complex of Delos, Mykonos, and Rheneia. The ethnographic research activities are conducted in collaboration with the anthropologist Despina Nazou. They are supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation through the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Public Humanities Initiative programme and Cycladic Identity, the Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art.
