The poem OCTANA by the Greek poet Andreas Embiricos often comes to my mind, especially these days.

It talks about the New City to be created by all people, which will be the capital of the New Unified World.

Andreas Embiricos is convinced that this city will be created and he invites us to believe in its coming too.

How easy is it to continue to believe that there is still hope?

Observing humanity in general and especially these days, there are many moments when I can only feel sadness.

How truly do we feel what is happening around us?

And if we do feel, what are we doing about it?

How much is it up to each of us to contribute to the creation of Octana?

This performance tries to pose the question "How much can the voice of optimism prevail in a world that is falling apart"?

It was organized within some hours and spontaneously presented live on Facebook.

I am reading the poem written by Andreas Embiricos, while at the same time Anastasiia Ternova (my Ukranian friend) is catching up on the news of the Russia-Ukraine war via the internet and reading it to us in Ukrainian, Russian and English.

On our bodies are projected in real time by Jenny Kotopoulou videos and images that have been published during the war on Anastasiia's news feed.

Why all this together?

Because the internet is a space that contains it all, together, at once.

Unstoppable information, incessant images, a tangle of voices that confuse and disorient us.

It's all one, but it's also not at the same time.

The projection of these images on our bodies wants to remind us that we (humans) are part of this war and its consequences are and will be engraved in our being.

Can the voice of optimism (here Empiricos' Octana) finally prevail?

I have no answer.

I can just testify that on 3/3/2022, the 8th day of the Russia-Ukraine war, Anastasiia, Jenny, the viewers who were able to tune in, and I spontaneously met and live read Octana.

Perhaps there is a chance that Andreas Embriricos is right.

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Live streaming video on Facebook: Facebook

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