The Department of Audio & Visual Arts is located at the historical site of the Old Asylum of Corfu which has been repurposed to host several departments of the Ionian University. The university has preserved many of the asylum's original buildings, incorporating them into a vibrant campus that honors the site's rich history. The Old Asylum or Mental Hospital of Corfu, founded in 1838, was the first institution for the care of people with severe psychological disorders in Greece and the Balkan peninsula, remaining in full operation for more than a century.

 

 

Among its patients, one of the most notable is the sculptor Yannoulis Chalepas, who stayed there from 1888 until 1902, after suffering from a nervous breakdown. While conditions in the hospital were far from ideal, efforts were made to provide patients with treatment and opportunities for rehabilitation. His struggles with mental illness are an important chapter in the history of Greek art and health care. Art can play an important role in exploring and expressing mental health experiences, as well as in sensitizing social and political structures. Therapeutically, art-making itself can be a means of exploring and modifying behavior, such as creating visual metaphors for emotions or practicing new social skills.

 

 

This year’s workshops and seminars cycle AV-School, organized within the Audiovisual Arts Festival, is a humble tribute to the history of the Old Asylum of Corfu, to its caregivers and patients' efforts, that are inspiring to new generations of artists. AV-school hosts educational activities that take place in the framework of the Audiovisual Arts Festival. From its beginning, in 2006, the Festival has included in its program workshops & seminars focusing on theoretical and practical issues related to new media arts, film, performance art and hybrid arts. The educational activities in 2023 take place in the premises of the Department of Audio & Visual Arts and are open to all members of the academic community and general public. Registration is free of charge and a certificate of attendance will be provided to all presents.

Organizing Committee

Head:
Dalila Honorato

Members:
Christina Mitsani
Tania Tsiridou

in collaboration with:
Hari Marini
Emmanouel Rovithis
Maria Aslanidi
Iakovos Panagopoulos
Adam Zaretsky
Thanos Tsigkas