We found out about the exhibition by accident. The day before it opened, I had decided to do a filmed walk around Fabrica Hill and the Roman Hotel. I had a lot of fun, and discovered that the catacombs were a lot bigger than I had previously thought. You can see more about that particular adventure in an upcoming film.

Anyway, when I was headed back to the car, I happened to bump into one of the organisers of the exhibition, who gave me a quick interview.

The purpose of the Exhibition is to make people more aware of Fabrica Hill, and how important it is to the history of Paphos. I wholeheartedly support that aim. After all, that was why I was there to do my original film. The lady I interviewed mentioned that the art could be viewed by day or night, so I decided to visit the site twice.

This banner lists all the artists, and the running time of the Exhibition. It finishes on the 9th November.

It is a big sign, so I will display the contents over several pictures. There were also a number of barcodes. You will see them on the signs of the exhibits and we reproduce them here. If you scan those you will get a lot more information about each piece.

AQUA MEMORIA: Echoes from a Sacred Hill

"Water is the womb of all possible existences"

Gaston Bachelard

The hill of Fabrika represents a unique spiritual palimpsest, where different expressions of the sacred have been layered over the centuries. The reflections of Gaston Bachelard find a particularly resonant echo at the top of this hill, near the ancient city of Nea Paphos, where water has shaped the limestone for millennia. This spiritual dimension is a central axis of AQUA MEMORIA, exploring how water, as a vital element, has served as a bearer of sacredness throughout the ages.

The exhibition AQUA MEMORIA is embedded in this rich historical stratification and offers a contemporary reading of the site. It transforms these successive layers of human habitation into a visual and sonic score, where contemporary artis engage in dialogue with the traces of the past and reactivate the memory of this extraordinary space. Their site-specific installations, conceived in resonance with the archaeological remains, raise questions about our relationship to water, natural resources, and spirituality.

In doing so, the works presented transcend traditional boundaries between history, archaeology, and contemporary creation, weaving new narratives.

The first exhibit is right next to the main entrance to Fabrica Hill. You can see three large rosaries hung over the side of the cliff. Nice though this is, you really need to examine the beads to get the full story.

The site's successive phases of use contain a mosaic of elements that invite dreaming, contemplation, and reflection. A place where the presence of sacred water runs through and structures the spaces across the centuries: underground chambers dedicated to the worship of Paphian Aphrodite, a sanctuary dedicated during the Hellenistic period to Sarapis and later, in Roman times, to Mithras, a room for funerary banquets, a space of oracular or healing worship and a Christian rock-cut chapel. All these elements converge here so that an exhibition, conceived as an initiatory journey, may offer a contemporary perspective on this unique site.