Scientific knowledge, experiential observation, and artistic creation come together in a three-day event dedicated to the scarred landscape of Mylopotamos and the mechanisms through which nature is already attempting to heal its wounds.
- Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 8:30 p.m.
Mylopotamos Elementary School | Kythira
Lecture by Eirini Vallianatou, Ph.D. in Biology
« Mylopotamos : »Before and After"
The lush natural landscape of Mylopotamos before the recent fire. What is being reborn And what can be reborn after the great catastrophe?; What can we do? Why is that?;
Free entrance
Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
The wider Mylopotamos area
«The Forest Remembers» environmental workshops at the «Elichryssos» herbal therapy center and a walk in Mylopotamos with Irini Vallianatou and Sara Skoptsi.
Admission by ticket
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2026, AT 4:30 P.M.
Elichrysus, Mylopotamos.
Interactive Art Workshop: «Birds and Plants of Kythira»
Admission by ticket
The «From the Ashes—Art, Memory, and Rebirth in the Burned Landscapes of Kythira» events continue with three special events that explore the project, on the one hand, through the scientific perspective of Dr. Eirini Vallianatou, a biologist, and, on the other hand, through an environmental walk through the landscape scarredlandscape scarred by fire, as well as environmental and artistic workshops.
On Tuesday, August 25, at 8:30 p.m., at the Mylopotamos Elementary School, Eirini Vallianatou will give a lecture titled «Mylopotamos: Before and After.».
Dr. Eirini Vallianatou, a biologist, will present the ecological characteristics of the Kythira ecosystem, with a focus on the Mylopotamos area, which was devastated by the fires of July 2025, and will analyze the processes of vegetation succession, from the gradual recovery of the flora—with the initial appearance of hardy herbs and other plants—to the restoration of biodiversity.
On Wednesday, August 26, at 10:30 a.m., herbalist Sarah Skoptsi and Irini Vallianatou They are inviting those who have registered to attend at the «Elichrysos» herbal therapy center in Mylopotamos. The event will take place there The environmental workshop «The Forest Remembers», during which there will be a brief presentation on the effects of the fire on the local ecosystem and the mechanisms of natural regeneration that are already underway.
At the end of the presentation, seeds and local plants will be given to participants as a symbolic yet practical gesture of continuity and responsibility toward the natural environment.
Next comes the walk in the wider Mylopotamos area, where aromatic, wild, and endemic plants will be on display, as well as species that are among the first to appear after a fire, contributing to the gradual restoration of the ecosystem.
Participants will have the opportunity to observe the landscape, identify shapes, textures, and scents, understand the relationships between plants, soil, and water, and connect this knowledge to their personal experiences.
The walk will conclude with a tea ceremony featuring local herbs, as a moment of pause and collective reflection on the experience. Participants will be invited to focus on the scent, taste, and effects of the herbs on the body. Through this process, the herb becomes a vehicle
memory, documenting the history of the place, and working together toward its revival.
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Eirini Vallianatou She holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). She completed her doctoral dissertation in the Department of Ecology and Taxonomy. She worked for 24 years as a curator at the Diomedes Botanical Garden of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She is a graduate of the Department of Biology at the University of Athens, where she also completed her doctoral dissertation in the Department of Ecology and Taxonomy.
His research focuses on the study of the flora and plant communities of regions in our country, as well as on the contribution of plants to human civilization (ethnobotany). He also focuses on the conservation of rare, endemic, and endangered plant species, as well as protected habitats.
She has been visiting Kythira, which she loves, without fail since 2000, when the family home in Piso Pigadi, Mylopotamos, was renovated. He volunteered to study the flora of Kythira, not only out of personal interest but also because of his collaboration with his late professor, Artemis Giannitsaros, a scholar of the island’s flora, as well as to meet the needs of establishing a botanical garden on the island, in collaboration with the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature.
Sarah Skopci (Sara Scopsi) is a Western medicinal herbalist with a bachelor’s degree from the University of East London: BSc (Hons) in Herbal Medicine.
Herbalists use herbal remedies and foods to support a person's health and correct any imbalances in the body.
On Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 4 p.m. At :30, the two-hour workshop «Birds and Plants of Kythira» will take place, which is open to children and adults.
In the first part, it is interactive, through physical and visual arts practices, with mentoring artists and creators Participants work with clay, making little birds, forms and symbols associated with the rebirth of nature. Birds are chosen as a theme because they are among the first signs of a comeback of life in the aftermath of the fire, while also serving as a timeless symbol of freedom, recovery, and continuity.
The soundscape of the birds of Kythira that accompanies this activity is courtesy of Panos Kountanis.
At the same time, children and adults are creating paintings and collages using leaves, twigs, seeds, and other natural elements they have collected during their botanical walk, transforming the landscape itself into both art material and a vessel for memory.
The clay figures and painted collages are then photographed in the natural setting of Mylopotamos—next to the water, by the small waterfalls . The photo shoot serves as a bridge between the Human Traces and the Landscape that is healing, highlighting the relationship between care, presence, and participation in the restoration of nature.
- Tickets for the environmental workshop, the walking tour, and the interactive workshop: 15 euros.
Tickets are available at the «Elichrysos» herbal therapy center in Mylopotamos, at the «Vivliogatos» in Livadi, or by phone at 6975522928, or at pasiphae.kythera@gmail.com
The «From the Ashes—Art, Memory, and Rebirth in the Burned Landscapes of Kythira» initiatives are being carried out under the auspices of and with financial support from :
- Ministry of Culture – «Creative Greece» program»
- Association of Public Works of Mylopotamos
- Potamos Recreational Cultural Association
- Kythira Foundation for Culture & Development (KIPA)
- Media Sponsor: KYTHERANEWS
- Organization: PASIFAI AMKE: Georgia Tseri – Iphigenia Vogiatzaki – Drosia Tseri
- Production Coordinator & Technical supervision: Nastasia Beikov – Tony Segers
- Technical support: Antonis Dapontes
- Marketing – Communication: Stamatina Stratigou
- Graphic Design: Themis Dervenzas
