Maria Vidali Architect

Deeply moved yesterday at the invitation of the new book by my dear friend, Eleni Gikakis.
Proud of her journey and grateful that, for so many years, she has been a source of light, inspiration, and meaningful connection in my life.
Wishing this book a wonderful journey ahead. May it illuminate many minds and touch many hearts.

𝗧𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 & 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 | 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗘 𝟭𝟲–𝟭𝟳, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟲 𝟬𝟵:𝟯𝟬 – 𝟭𝟮:𝟬𝟬 | 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Led by @mariavidali_architect. 𝟭𝟴:𝟬𝟬 – 𝟭𝟴:𝟰𝟱 | 𝗡𝗢𝗧/𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥.𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘.𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥 – 𝗔 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Created and facilitated by @filippa_christofalou. 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟳 𝟭𝟭:𝟬𝟬 – 𝟭𝟰:𝟬𝟬 | 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗸𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 With @_mariapts_ , @emmanouelrovithis & @vilelminisosoni (Ionian University) Participants will explore audio description as an embodied, creative, and collaborative practice. 𝟭𝟳:𝟬𝟬 – 𝟭𝟴:𝟬𝟬 | 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 & 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 • 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼-𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 with 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶s & @christina.spanou (Greek National Opera) • 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 with 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮-𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝘂 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂 (@thebenakimuseum) • 𝗡𝗘𝗢𝗡 — 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 with @fanis.kaff (@neongreece) 𝟭𝟴:𝟭𝟱 – 𝟭𝟵:𝟯𝟬 | 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 & 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 • 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼-𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 with @juxtopolis_studio (StudioTM, UAE) • 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 with @evangelos.kotsioris (@themuseumofmodernart, New York) • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 with 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘀 (@kyklosartscentre) Full programme & registration: https://www.synestheticdesignlab.com/embodimentsathens #EmbodimentsAthens #cycladicmuseum #benakieducation #moma #benakimuseum

Walking as Sensory Method: Narrative Approaches to Urban Experience
Με ιδιαίτερη χαρά συμμετέχω στο Embodiments | Ενσώματες Αντιλήψεις: Τέχνη, Ατμόσφαιρες & Αισθητηριακοί Κόσμοι με το εργαστήριο:
Περπατώντας ως αισθητηριακή μέθοδος: Αφηγηματικές προσεγγίσεις στην αστική εμπειρία
Πώς μπορεί το περπάτημα να λειτουργήσει ως μέθοδος παρατήρησης, αφήγησης και ερμηνείας της πόλης;
Μέσα από αισθητηριακές και αφηγηματικές προσεγγίσεις, το εργαστήριο διερευνά τους τρόπους με τους οποίους οι καθημερινές διαδρομές, οι ατμόσφαιρες, οι μνήμες και οι ιστορίες συμβάλλουν στη διαμόρφωση της αστικής εμπειρίας.
Ανυπομονώ να συμμετάσχω σε αυτή τη σημαντική διοργάνωση και να συναντήσω ανθρώπους που ενδιαφέρονται για τις σχέσεις σώματος, χώρου, αντίληψης και αφήγησης.
📍 Μετρό Κεραμεικού, έξοδος στη Δεκελέων.
📅 16 Ιουνίου 2026, 09:30 πμ
Για πληροφορίες σχετικά με το πρόγραμμα και τις εγγραφές, δείτε τον σύνδεσμο: https://www.synestheticdesignlab.com/embodiments-athens-2026-greek.

"The micro/world communities/microcosm of plants, fungi, bacteria, animal and insect life can teach us something if only we are prepared to listen. Our conceptual boundaries between 'us and them' need to be seen not as dividing walls, but as spaces of negotiation and development. The environment is not a 'machine to be fixed,' but a whole in which we humans are imbedded."
Photo: Rita Filippousi

Vidali, Maria,“Boundaries and Bonds in a Boundless World: The Relationship of Place and Community to Landscape.” In Architectural Thinking in a Climate Emergency, edited by S. Pelsmakers and J. B. Brown, pp. 242–258. Abingdon: Routledge, 2025.

“Expanded aesthetics” can be found in everyday practices — not only in the architectural object itself.

Yesterday, at the conference of the Hellenic Society for Aesthetics at the School of Architecture of NTUA, the discussion turned once again to Kampos in Tinos — a place I have been researching for many years, where traces of this lived aesthetics remain vivid in the island’s traditionally inhabited villages, through everyday practices, memory, and people’s relationship with space.

Photo: Rita Filippousi · Map: Ronda Quetglas

tinos cyclades greekarchitecture vernaculararchitecture

In Smardakito, Tinos, beauty lies in simplicity.
Every structure has a purpose, every detail a meaning.
Built from local materials and shaped by daily life, this is architecture where function and memory become form.

I am especially happy to share that my article on Smardakito has recently been accepted for publication in Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review by the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments.
A small but meaningful recognition for a place of remarkable architectural and cultural significance.