Interdisciplinary art • site-specific projects • art–science collaboration • cultural initiatives
KALLIERGON syn seeks to leave a lasting imprint on culture by opening paths of thought, creation and collaboration, paths that remain open and continue to be walked
Because creation begins with syn, together
... coming this September
F E S T I V A L
“IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF KAZANTZAKIS AND ZORBAS: Land, Human Being, and Freedom in Kazantzakis’ Mani”
Stoupa, 25–27 September 2026
Under the auspices and with the support of the Municipality of West Mani,
in collaboration with the cultural association NARTURA
The three-day thematic, site-specific festival “In the Footsteps of Kazantzakis and Zorbas,” organized by KALLIERGON syn, is born from a place and an encounter that left an indelible mark on the life and work of Nikos Kazantzakis. It draws its inspiration from a pivotal period in his life: his brief stay in Mani and his collaboration with Giorgis Zorbas at the lignite mines of Prastova, near Stoupa.
It was in this landscape that a powerful human friendship emerged, between two men from different worlds. A relationship founded not on similarity, but on the meeting of opposites, which would later become a source of inspiration for one of the most iconic characters in world literature.
For Kazantzakis, Zorbas became a mirror of an inner dimension of himself: a force, a freedom, and a direct engagement with life that could only be approached through friendship. The festival unfolds in the very places where this encounter took shape. between the land that is dug, the sea that opens the horizon, and the human being who strives for freedom.
Through artistic and narrative actions conceived specifically for these sites, the audience is invited not merely to observe, but to walk alongside.
Because this festival is not simply a cultural event.
It is a shared journey through time, place, and humanity, where memory is not preserved passively, but transmitted and reactivated as a contemporary form of intangible cultural heritage.