Title

Athens as a Market through the Centuries

Creator

Koukouvitaki, Katerina

Perraki, Maria

Vainores, Nikita

Abstract

A city portrait of Athens as a representation of the economic market and, consequently, as a psychological pathology that unfolds from antiquity to the modern metropolis. In antiquity, the Athenian market was a symbol of community– a civic center of social and political activity that valued the seeking of ideal virtues. From the 18th century onwards, however, there is a visible and increasingly vicious shift toward a transactional, privatized, and consumerist market structure. Contemporary Athens materially reflects this shift, showcasing how it has culminated into a form of psychological pathology for the city dwellers. This degeneration is potrayed through a two-minute stop-motion animation of a collage. The pictures include: archeological artifacts, historical photographs, and personal photography. By juxtaposing antiquity’s communal markets with modern corporate ones, the video visualizes the market as a source of public-sphere decadence and impersonalization.

Keywords

market

animation

collage

Subject

interdisciplinary

Date Available

May 28, 2026

Type

Video

Course

HHU 2210 Between Reality and Imagination

Course Offering Term

Fall Semester 2025

Instructor

Giannakopoulou, Georgia

Session

Honors Creative Projects

Location

Student Lounge

Event

Year 2026 | 10th Annual Student Research and Creative Arts Symposium