2nd Dry Stone Workshop “The Amorgian Craftsmanship” 10-14 october 2022

The Mitato of Amorgos is extremely pleased to announce the 2nd Dry Stone Workshop “The Amorgian Craftsmanship”, taking place from 10 to 14 October 2022 on Amorgos. Following the great success of the 1nd Dry Stone Workshop in October 2021, which was realised under the auspices of the Municipality of Amorgos and financed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Secretariat-General of the Aegean and Island Policy and the Cyclades Preservation Fund, the continuation of the project is deemed necessary in order to enforce its results and extend the study and practice of dry stone.

Following the great success of the 1^nd Dry Stone Workshop in October 2021, which was realised under the auspices of the Municipality of Amorgos and financed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Secretariat-General of the Aegean and Island Policy and the Cyclades Preservation Fund, the continuation of the project is deemed necessary in order to enforce its results and extend the study and practice of dry stone.

The aim of the Workshop is to raise awareness towards the traditional building crafts, water and land use management, as well as to continue the educational process which started in October 2021, with the active involvement of three local stone masons, apprentices, the pupils of Amorgos and participating visitors.

The project will be realised on three axes:

• The restoration works of sustaining walls and the creation of cobblestone path, which will start in the end of September 2022, with preparation works on the site.
• The practical part of the main project, the Dry Stone Workshop held from 10 to 14 October 2022, which will involve the main restoration and construction works. These will be led by three local stone masons and will be implemented with the participation of apprentices and visitors. The pupils of Amorgos will also attend the works, as part of an educational field trip.
• The theoretical part of the main project of the Dry Stone Workshop, with lectures by guest speakers, specialised in the fields of dry stone, traditional crafts, materials and water management practices. The lectures will be held on the evening of 12 October and will be open to the public. They will also be presented to the High School pupils of Amorgos.

The Dry Stone Workshop works, on the site as well as through the lectures and educational activities, aim at promoting the dry stone craft and the importance of dry stone structures in the Cycladic landscape. In particular islands such as Amorgos, which still retain large areas of their wild landscape intact, constitute excellent fields for the implementation of initiatives related to the protection and empowerment of the natural and manmade environment and the traditional practices.

This year, the Dry Stone Workshop will take place next to the field of the project “The History of Water”, which involves the restoration of the water tank adjacent to one of the traditional sources near the village of Langada. This juncture will give us the opportunity to discuss the traditional water management systems, of which terraces along with their dry stone sustaining wallsχτιαwith their dry stone sustaining walls play an important role, as a whole on site.