I am not always where my body is
Narrative Architecture / Hotel / Allegory / Varosha, Cyprus . 2023
The Palmscape Hotel has everything to ensure the most relaxing of holidays: sea-side views, an infinity pool, a meze restaurant and direct access to the beach.
Or so it seems ...
I am not always where my body is, is an allegorical exploration of narrative-driven architecture, virtual world building, and the reinterpretation of history to shape our future. The narrative is led by the oral stories of Cypriot displaced people who in July of 1974 were forced to move away from their hometown only accessing it through their mind and memory. The architectural intention manifests itself as a resort, located in the ghost town of Varosa in Cyprus.
Final composition and soundtrack in collaboration with Antonia Kattou and Stelios Antoniou
Axonometric Diagram
The film (and its corresponding architecture) is broken down to two parts – the front of house and the back of house. Throughout the film space becomes interchangeable with time, where the movement through the different spaces signifies the movement through time.
Virtual Reality
The project began with a series of virtual reality investigations that looked into the multi-faceted leisurescape of Cyprus.
Space Breakdown
As an allegorical device, the hotel is broken up into characters, each of its spaces representing a different actor in Cypriot history.
Film Timeline
As an allegory of the displaced person’s mind, the Palmscape hotel is not designed to be experienced physically, but is rather a projection, a hope, a dream - plagued and corrupted by the trauma of war.
Final Film
The narrative of the film is led through a letter of a man to his estranged lover - Eleni. Whilst Eleni is seen as a woman he loves and longs to be with, her name, and the mythos behind it allow her to be interpreted as the town of Varosha, brutally taken away from him during the war.
Composition done by Antonia Kattou
Mixing done by Stelios Antoniou