IMMORTALITY
In the ancient city of Nicosia there is an antique house with a courtyard; in the middle of the courtyard there is a 500 B.C. old underground tomb. The tomb is about 5 meters deep with a ground level opening. The opening is protected by a sliding glass door, but the inside is always visible. A staircase is installed inside the opening of the tomb for people to be able to go down and visit the inner chambers.
Achilleas and Maria, the guardians of the tomb open it to visitors and give them a guided tour inside if they wish. They were so generous to allow me use the staircase for a site specific installation.
It is a real culture shock to see a tomb inside a house. People of this city simply had a dying room as they had a living room. They did not abandon their dead, but gave them a middle position of still being in the household; a strong status of immortality.
My banana peels pretend to block the way down, they represent the spirit of ancient Nicosia where people do not completely die.
Today, Nicosia is the last capital of Europe that is divided by a banana peel.
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