FELLOWS

Dimitris Georgiou

2018/19 Athens

When Dimitri started investing in the stock market at the age of 14, it seemed he would have a brilliant career in Finance. At 23, he was already working in private equity and later at the European Central Bank. However, his volunteering experience in the cultural field inspired him to realize that Finance can be used to create sustainable models and address social issues, and he decided to explore this path. During this quest, he received a national prize for his study “Culture meets Markets”, worked on food, sustainable/alternative tourism projects with a consulting company (Sardinia) and assisted in multisensory cultural events (Athens & Vienna). He also pursued a Master of Philosophy in Finance (University of Cambridge), although his accent suggests nothing of this!

As a START Fellow (Germany, 2018), Dimitri aims to deepen his project management abilities in the sociocultural field and further investigate connections between gastronomy and art that can generate sustainable positive impact. In Greece, he wants to deploy his experience towards relevant initiatives that will help both rural and urban communities, and continue to develop his initiative “Food Chronicle” that uses innovative technology to narrate the history and memories of a city through its flavours.

Project Title

"Sofras" Gastronomy and Art Project

A multisensory experience in the intersection of gastronomy and arts with socio-cultural impact.

The “Sofras” Gastronomy & Art Project aims to bring cultures together and provide a forward-looking perspective on traditional approaches in culture and local products. Moreover, it aims to suggest a self-sustained model for support/employment of locals from vulnerable groups and local development of poorer urban neighbourhoods. The art here acts as the tool for the formulation of an alternative, though-provoking reality and along with food which is a vehicle of carrying stories and collective memories and bringing people around a “common table”, in order to create an experience for the achievement of the first goal (unity).

The tourism sector will be used as a platform of both dialogue/mutual understanding, but also prolonged economic viability of the project. The name itself is part of the common tradition of Greece and Turkey and means the low, wooden, circular table was called when the family used to eat around, while the women of the house used to cook there too.

Host Institution

Rechenzentrum

The Rechenzentrum is a large space for creatives in the center of Potsdam, in the metropolitan area of Berlin. Since September 2015 the former administration building from the early 70s with 5 floors with 5000m² is the home of more than 200 creatives from all fields of the creative branches. The Rechenzentrum has become a driving force in debates of cooperative city development.