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Featured Events
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WHAT WE DO
Romantso, the former printing plant of the infamous “Romantso” magazine, is situated in the historical center of Athens and functions both as an incubator for start-up companies within the creative industry and as a cultural center, organizing and hosting a variety of, accessible to the wider public, events, on a daily basis.
THE INCUBATOR
Romantso’s incubator offers office spaces for rent and a variety of services, targeted to start-up companies within the creative industry. The building has already been developed into a vibrant meeting point for young creatives that provides both private and co-working spaces.THE CULTURAL CENTER
Romantso’s cultural center organizes and hosts music performances, art exhibitions, theatre, seminars, workshops, presentations and lectures accessible to the wider public. Its purpose is to reactivate an abandoned part of the historical center of the city, where some years ago, the creative core of urban life was based.
HISTORY & THE BUILDING
For more than 60 years, “Romantso” magazine was based in Anaxagora’s street building, alongside other popular magazines from the 50s until the 80s, like “Pantheon” and “Vendeta”.
“Romantso” magazine still plays an important role in the Greek-post-war magazine history. It was initially launched on the 17th of November 1934, with novel-length stories in each issue, based on the American pulp magazines’ structure. This is where the term “romantso” derived from, it translates to “novel”.
The boom of “Romantso’s” circulation took place in 1956, when its price dropped from six drachmas to three, selling more than 300,000 issues per week, figures unapproachable for a weekly Greek magazine, even nowadays. “Romantso” reached Greek people all over the world and carried along all the characteristics and the lifestyle of the first post-war, middle class generation. Though when later it was transformed from a popular, mass magazine to a lifestyle one, its circulation dropped dramatically leading to the magazine’s shut-down.
The boom of “Romantso’s” circulation took place in 1956, when its price dropped from six drachmas to three, selling more than 300,000 issues per week, figures unapproachable for a weekly Greek magazine, even nowadays. “Romantso” reached Greek people all over the world and carried along all the characteristics and the lifestyle of the first post-war, middle class generation. Though when later it was transformed from a popular, mass magazine to a lifestyle one, its circulation dropped dramatically leading to the magazine’s shut-down.
Today, Romantso’s building has been restored in collaboration with “someOFnine” architectural office, aiming to remove all additional elements that were added during the numerous years of its use and trying to approach the building’s original architectural form. The marble staircase was restored, the open-air back part of the building is being transformed into an urban garden and the skylights that run the entire building are now its bright trade mark.
“someOFnine” architectural office (someofnine.com)
Some of nine is a group of young architects active in the fields of architecture, landscape design, interior and graphic design. With offices in Athens, Greece and Mondovi, Italy the group aspires to multidisciplinary collaborations and to the formation of an active network of young and creative professionals.
“someOFnine” architectural office (someofnine.com)
Some of nine is a group of young architects active in the fields of architecture, landscape design, interior and graphic design. With offices in Athens, Greece and Mondovi, Italy the group aspires to multidisciplinary collaborations and to the formation of an active network of young and creative professionals.
LIFE IN THE INCUBATOR
Focusing on real everyday urban living and not an embellished version of it, Romantso’s ambition is to form a breathing platform situated in Athens’ historical center, consisting of young creatives, ready to make their first steps towards a professional beginning.
Romantso’s members are working daily in a creative environment that fosters professional networking, without turning it into a forced condition.
Romantso’s incubator offers private offices for rent and co-working spaces, providing all the necessary facilities that a young company needs, during the start of its activation.
Romantso’s incubator offers private offices for rent and co-working spaces, providing all the necessary facilities that a young company needs, during the start of its activation.
The incubator offers secretarial and communication services, in the same time that members have access to the exhibition space, the photographic studio and the meeting room of the building, covering an important part of the functional and promotional needs of a young company.
CULTURAL CENTER AND PROGRAMMING
Romantso’s people and the cultural center’s programming are both important in forming the building’s character and its everyday life. Young artists are hosted, on a frequent basis, inviting their circles and the wider public to experience vivid art events of all kinds. The café, the exhibition space and the concerts/ theatre stage, are accessible to everyone in order to present new ideas, new projects and new media to be developed.
The cultural center functions on a daily basis presenting a variety of activities for and from the city’s people and the incubator’s members, offering a wide range of events related to urban life, music, performances, visual arts, food, discussions, presentations and exhibitions.
Visitors and members of Romantso’s incubator can participate in the cultural center’s activities or just relax and socialize with friends and colleagues at the cafe. A vibrant venue of artistic creation is welcoming and involving the wider public in an open dialogue, aiming to influence the Athenian arts scene.
WHO WE ARE
What started off as an idea of two friends in a room, in front of a computer screen, is today an organization that continuously explores and promotes urban culture.
BIOS cultural organization was founded in 2001, introducing then the first audiovisual festival that emphasized in electronic music to the Greek audience, BIOS01. Two festivals later and being in need of a permanent basis for its programming, BIOS settled in Peiraios 84 building, creating a brand new form of venue for Athenian standards and presenting events that introduced urban culture to the wider public.
Aiming to promote modern art and its involvement with new media and technology but also trying to highlight the interaction between artistic fields, BIOS, within the last 13 years has presented and curated an impressive amount of events including concerts, theatre performances, screenings, exhibitions, workshops, educational programs, festivals and creative platforms.
Aiming to promote modern art and its involvement with new media and technology but also trying to highlight the interaction between artistic fields, BIOS, within the last 13 years has presented and curated an impressive amount of events including concerts, theatre performances, screenings, exhibitions, workshops, educational programs, festivals and creative platforms.
BIOS’s building is established as a meeting point within the city and is characterized by the public and important institutions as "An innovative venue in Athens that during the last ten years continuously forms the city’s artistic life."
Romantso is not just another BIOS. Although, its cultural activation is structured on the standards that made BIOS a synonym of artistic expression.
Romantso is not just another BIOS. Although, its cultural activation is structured on the standards that made BIOS a synonym of artistic expression.
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An initiative of:
ROMANTSO ,Anaxagora 3-5, Omonia
Tel. +30.2167003325 , email:romantso@romantso.gr
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2013. BIOS INFORMATION DESK v04 0.07 beta
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