Wood Carving School

2021 was a significant milestone for Greece as 200 years passed since the Greek Revolution against Ottoman Empire, which was an important mosaic of world history, linked to the other Revolutions of that era, but also significantly affecting the historical development of the European area.

The Greece 2021 Committee was established to implement actions to honor people with respect for Greek history, to highlight our country and to describe our future.

The Library responded to the Greece 2021 Committee’s invitation in collaboration with the Wood Carving School of Kalampaka which presented the work Wood Carving Remembers 1821. The project received sponsorship from the EREN Hellas company.

Our action aimed at promoting handicrafts as a factor of the country’s economic development by utilizing technology as well as highlighting wood carving through the use of three-dimensional imaging technologies.

The aim was the nationwide and global promotion of the intangible tradition of woodcarving craftsmanship with the use of advanced interactive media. UNESCO with the 2003 Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage indicates the need to protect traditional techniques and the various expressions of cultural local identity. 

The joint action of the Kalambaka Library and the Kalampaka Wood Carving School included: 

• The Greek Revolution important heroes’ portait creation as well as local heroes’ portraits and/or objects related to the Revolution, such as riffle gun and yataghan, by the students under their teacher’s guidance.
• The various stages of work were digitized with a portable 3D scanner and the patterns of the woodcarving art until the creation of the result as well as the students’ experiences were recorded via video.
• An exhibition was created with all the wood-carved objects both in their physical and digital form which can be reproduced using 3D printers. 
• The Library acts as a gateway for the interconnection of digital exhibits with international repositories of cultural content.

Our proposal is addressed to the global community including students of all educational units, the research community, potential craftsmen as well as anyone interested in applied arts. Another target audience group consists of students of secondary/post-secondary education as well as young people who would like to engage in crafts at amateur and professional level. Also, continuators of traditional arts, carriers of cultural heritage that are potential levers for the revitalization of the local economy.