SCREEN by Theodoulos Polyviou is a multimedia exploration of Cypriot heritage, recontextualizing an 18th-century iconostasis through immersive digital environments and soundscapes at Berlin's Bode-Museum.
This ambitious multimedia installation, the first of its kind commissioned by the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, exemplifies Polyviou’s ongoing project, Transmundane Economies, which scrutinizes Cypriot cultural heritage from a queer perspective. In this work, the artist engages with an 18th-century iconostasis, a once-sacred divider in Christian Orthodox churches in Cyprus, now part of the museum's collection, recontextualizing its historical journey through immersive digital media.
Situated in Room 220, SCREEN stands as a digital 3D reproduction of the iconostasis, embedded within a site-specific audiovisual installation. Polyviou crafts a series of animated virtual environments that unravel the layered histories and untold narratives surrounding the object. The installation is further enriched by the markings on the floor, which echo the architectural footprints of the settings depicted in the video, and a carefully curated soundtrack that draws from ethnographic recordings of Cypriot folk and religious music. This combination of visual and auditory elements immerses the viewer in a sensory experience that bridges the gap between past and present, reality and virtuality.
Through SCREEN, Polyviou challenges traditional historical narratives, proposing alternative and poetic modes of storytelling. By merging the ancient with the modern, and the physical with the digital, the installation invites viewers to reconsider the ways in which cultural artifacts are understood and experienced. The Bode-Museum, through this collaboration, continues its dedication to fostering new dialogues and perspectives within its collection, offering fresh interpretations that resonate with contemporary audiences.
