Art meets emotion at the Weaving Unity showcase that shows even walls can connect us

By Christina Michailidis

Combining visual art, performance and architectural projection mapping, the upcoming Waving Unity event will bring Larnaca and its landmarks alive with light, sound and movement. Curated by interdisciplinary designer Konstantinos Charilaou, the showcase invites Greek and Turkish Cypriots to create together through workshops, in a public space asking the question “There is a line, and then there is what lies beyond it. Some lines divide. Others connect. What if we could choose which one?”

The idea for Weaving Unity comes from the reality of Cyprus itself, where an invisible line still divides the island. “I wanted to create something that symbolically reconnected that line,” Charilaou explains. “Weaving felt right because it is about bringing separate threads together into one surface. It is slow, human and symbolic of repair.” It is slow and intentional and built on repetition and care. Threads cross, overlap and finally hold, a process that is just as much about patience as it is creation.

An inter disciplinary designer and artist, Charilaou’s background is in product and spatial design and he has always been guided by one central theme: connection. “I have always been drawn to projects that bring people together through shared experiences, where art meets emotion, community, and other forms of creative expression,” he says. Curating, for him, came naturally, a way to merge mediums, stories and people into one narrative.

Part of the Larnaca Biennale, the project unfolds over two days, October 25 and 26. On the first, participants will gather for a hands-on weaving workshop, bringing with them fabrics that carry personal stories and memories. These fragments will then be woven into a collective structure, a  shared act that blurs the boundaries between art and human connection. “It is less about the technical skill,” says Charilaou, “and more about being present, about conversation, empathy and the moment of making something together.”

The following evening, Weaving Unity will fill the Space of Creativity and Culture in Larnaca, with lights, sound and movement. Visual mapping, bilingual performances, live music and Cyprus’ first ever architectural projection on a historical building will merge into one multi-sensory experience. “Each element: sound, light, image , is a different thread,” says Charilaou. “Together, they create an atmosphere of unity. The performances mirror the idea of weaving by blending languages, textures and emotions into one shared experience”.

Music by Alejjos, Vanesha, Nicholas Loizou, and Vassilis Philippou will blend with the bilingual performance of Tahini Molasses, while visuals from Cyprus Surreal and Charizart will transform the space into “a shared, pulsing rhythm of togetherness”.

Visitors can expect a multisensory evening with the event unfolding outdoors and transforming the space into a glowing hub of art and performance. As the Biennale’s first use of architectural projection mapping, the evening also marks a new step for the city, offering community driven art that reaches beyond traditional spaces.

“Projection mapping turns the walls themselves into part of the story,” Charilaou explains. “Even walls can connect us, through light and imagination.”

For the curator, the process has been both challenging and also very rewarding. “The most rewarding part is seeing genuine collaboration between people who might never have met otherwise,” he says. “The challenge is the same, creating trust and space for that connection to happen.”

Charilaou sees Weaving Unity as part of a broader shift in the island’s cultural landscape. “More artists are choosing to work beyond the divide,” he says. “I would like to continue developing projects that explore shared memory and belonging in creative, inclusive ways.”

For visitors, he hopes the showcase will feel like an invitation rather than a statement. “I want them to feel warmth, that sense of being part of something collective and emotional,” he says. “Unity doesn’t have to be loud. It can be simple and honest.”

Larnaca Biennale 2025 events are linked by the common theme of Along Lines and Traces, exploring how lines, both literal and symbolic, shape the way we move, connect and make sense of the world. The Biennale brings together artists from across the globe to examine lineage, memory, and communication through art.

Projects like Weaving Unity highlight the growing role of community-based art in Cyprus, where creativity is increasingly being used as a tool for dialogue and inclusion. Rather than remaining confined to galleries, these initiatives spill into public spaces, inviting participation, conversation and emotional engagement.

In the end, Weaving Unity does not aim to solve or declare, but to create a shared space where people can meet through making. “I hope they leave with a sense that collaboration and connection are still possible not as a political statement, but as a human one,” Charilaou says. “Even small creative acts can remind us that we share more than we think.”

Tickets are available online at biennalelarnaca.com