Anamnesis: Embodied Archaeology and the Soundscape at Despotiko

Presented within the archaeological field school and excavation program at Despotiko under the direction of archaeologist Dr. Erica Angliker, this participatory workshop is conceived and facilitated by Apostolia Papadamaki, founder and artistic director of Anamnesis.

The workshop invites archaeology students into an immersive encounter with the ancient landscape of Despotiko through the methodology of Anamnesis, a practice of remembrance that engages body, place, imagination, and sensory perception.

Combining embodied movement, attentive listening, voice, ritual action, and material engagement, participants are invited to experience the archaeological site not only as a place of study, but as a living field of memory. Through a series of guided practices, students cultivate heightened observation, spatial awareness, sensitivity to materiality, and a deeper understanding of the relationship between human presence and landscape across time.

Rooted in the belief that knowledge emerges not only through analysis but also through direct experience, Anamnesis proposes an expanded approach to archaeology, one that integrates intellectual inquiry with embodied wisdom. By activating the senses and engaging with stone, earth, sound, movement, and collective ritual, participants explore new ways of perceiving, interpreting, and caring for cultural heritage.