This research paper focuses on the football fan stickers in the city of Nea Smyrni and more specifically, those produced by the “Panthers”, the organized football fans of Panionios. This exploratory approach highlights how these seemingly miscellaneous objects function as a lens to understanding the Panther shared identity, and how its various aspects, such as territoriality, militancy, history, alliances, and political views, are symbolically communicated. Methodologically, the study adopts an exploratory qualitative analysis based on flânerie for the collection and spatial analysis of the sticker grid within the city, in addition to visual analysis at the level of individual stickers to examine their symbolic content. To better comprehend organized fan identity, the analysis draws selectively on theoretical concepts from social psychology, sociology and anthropology, establishing an interdisciplinary perspective through which fan stickers are examined as media of identity communication. Rather than generalizing beyond Nea Smyrni or testing individual theories, this paper addresses a gap in literature by examining stickers both as singular symbolic objects and as elements of a broader urban visual collage, an approach that provides deeper insight into the multiple roles of the sticker within the shared identity and practices of the Panthers.
This project aims to exemplify how musical structure itself can sonically represent metaphysical ideas. First, it examines puranic cosmology to explain how time is viewed as moving through four ages (yugas) which together form one great cycle (mahayuga), then it delves into each of the yugas that make up this cycle of creation, preservation and destruction and their respective characteristics. This explanation is necessary to show how this is all symbolized in Hindusthani musical forms. The overall aim is to showcase how Hindusthani classical music, specifically the structure of the Dhrupad, is an audible reflection of the structure of the universe.
This project reimagines Antigone as a contemporary riot grrrl, as an answer to the question “what would happen to Antigone if she was a contemporary woman who openly resisted authoritarian rule?”. Through the making of an ancient Greek peplos but in punk fashion, the project places Antigone in today’s world where defiance of the state leads to imprisonment, instead of public torture. Michel Foucault’s work “Discipline and Punish: the birth of the prison” allowed me to display an Antigone that rioted against the state and was imprisoned for her defiance but, like the Sophoclean Antigone, still retained her agency.
This paper investigates the construction of pro-transgender activist identities of Harry Potter fanfiction writer. Using the Corpus Linguistics software AntConc, collocates and concordances of the terms “trans,” “transphobia/transphobic” and references to J.K. Rowling were identified in their Notes Sections of their fanfiction stories. A stance-taking analysis showed that fanfiction writers evaluate (a) transgender retellings as affirming in gender identity, (b) transphobia as a triggering topic that is marked with Content Warnings, and (c) J.K. Rowling as a TERF. Ultimately, their positions towards transgender people and J.K. Rowling showcased that they construct activist identities that advocate for transgender rights.
This creative project explores whether an AI generated image can embody 1000 words through approximately ten cumulative AI prompts of ~100words each. Using Leonardo AI, I developed a surreal, photorealistic close-up inspired by The Creation of Adam, depicting two transparent glass hands filled with natural elements, nearly touching. The work symbolizes purity, vulnerability, and the transformative power of human connection. Through prompt refinement and experimental style references, I examined how AI interprets the symbolisms and emotion. The goal was to test whether AI can generate something deeply humane, such as connection and touch, and to question whether emotional depth emerges from the machine or the human guiding it.
Globally, almost one in three women (30%) aged 15-49 years have reported to experiencing violence in their lifetime (Sardinha et al., 2024). In an interview with George Yancy, Judith Butler emphasizes that gender-based violence (GBV) seeks to secure the class of women as dispensable, defining their very existence as something decided by men, as a masculine prerogative (2016). Considering that, compiled statistics of GBV against women often exclude trans women. In 2023, forty-six-year-old Anna Ivankova was murdered inside her apartment in Athens. As her body was identified by the authorities, news outlets reported that “a man of Cuban descent had been found murdered in St. Panteleimon” (Hansford, 2023). Anna’s murder is the only reported case of murder of a trans woman in Greece, in which hate was flagged as a motive by the media. This lack of reported cases of anti-trans violence in Greece shows that such incidents are either totally dismissed, or that the death of trans women led to their nonconsensual detransitioning. In 2024, two queer individuals were physically and verbally harassed in Thessaloniki, reporting that more than a hundred people attacked them. Working towards highlighting the factors that have been fueling GBV against trans women, this paper will utilize thematic classifications that revolve around the disciplines of gender, sociology, and legal studies. This interdisciplinary approach of understanding the basis of GBV against trans women is critical, in order to point out that GBV against trans women can only be studied through the lens of intersectionality, that bases discrimination on the intersection of different grounds of distinction.
This creative project explored how easily pseudoscientific claims can appear credible when presented using familiar scientific cues. I produced a short educational-style video promoting a fabricated claim that drinking a glass of water shortly before an exam improves cognitive performance and memory recall. The video deliberately employed common pseudoscience techniques, including scientific-sounding terminology, a fabricated expert testimonial, and a visually convincing bar graph. Audience acceptance of the claim was measured through a questionnaire disguised as a standard comprehension and feedback form. Following data collection, a debriefing revealed the deception and analyzed the persuasive strategies used. The project demonstrates how superficial scientific markers can influence belief and decision-making.
This short film is an insight in the space of memory. It reflects on the traditional eating habits of a working-class family in Korydallos in the late 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. Particular emphasis is placed on homemade food, seasonal produce and notions of frugality and deprivation in times of social unrest. The film also touches upon the impact of the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent austerity measures on food access, shopping habits, and meal preparation. Economic recovery is juxtaposed to soaring food costs during inflationary waves.
For the creative project, I used Leonardo AI to visually explore the notion of the ‘ideal woman’. Across a progression of 10 images, I contrasted representations of female beauty throughout time. I started with the epitome of divine elegance in Greek mythology – the Goddess Aphrodite – and transitioned towards contemporary ideals fully governed by a digital environment.
