Research
Day 1
Learning to read the city
Welcome and introductions. Guest talk with an urban sociologist or architect on public space, urban memory, gentrification and migration in Athens. Introduction to the Urban Mission Book and to field methods.
Urban Lab
Reading the stories hidden in urban landscapes
Dates
Flexible — multiple dates available
Location
Athens / Piraeus
Duration
6 days · Monday to Saturday
Target group
Artists, Art & Culture Professionals, Educators (all levels), Youth Workers, Youth, University Students, Researchers, Psychologists
Description
Cities are living archives shaped by migration, industry, memory and everyday life. Invisible Cities invites participants to explore overlooked neighbourhoods and uncover the hidden stories in streets, buildings and public space, using artistic observation and site-specific storytelling instead of a standard guided tour.
What you take home
Interested in Invisible Cities?
Share your preferred period and we will get back to you with the closest match.
Get in touch
Dates are flexible and confirmed based on demand — no fees, no commitment at this stage.
Flexible dates throughout the year
Athens / Piraeus
6 days · Monday to Saturday
Individuals and organisations welcome
Tentative schedule
An outline, not a timetable — trainers adapt it to the group in front of them.
Research
Day 1
Welcome and introductions. Guest talk with an urban sociologist or architect on public space, urban memory, gentrification and migration in Athens. Introduction to the Urban Mission Book and to field methods.
Discover & Experience
Day 2
Teams head out to neighbourhoods such as Kypseli, Exarcheia and the Piraeus backstreets with their Urban Mission Book. Observation, photography, sound, short conversations with residents and shopkeepers. Evening debrief.
Co-create
Day 3
Editing and selection. Each team decides on a form — documentary, audio walk or installation — and builds a narrative from what it collected. Technical workshop on the chosen medium.
Co-create
Day 4
Teams produce their pieces and return to the neighbourhood for whatever the edit revealed was missing.
Co-create
Day 5
Pieces are tested where they will be experienced. The route for the public walk is designed, timed and signposted; printed and audio material prepared.
Share & Public Engagement
Day 6
A public Urban Story Walk takes visitors into the neighbourhood to encounter the works where they belong. Afterwards, reflection, a transfer session on running the method at home, certificates and closing.
Cultural activities
Athens is not a backdrop to the course — it is part of the material. Beyond the field visits built into the programme, every participant gets a shared set of cultural activities, plus a few chosen for the theme of this specific course.
Included in every course
Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum — entry ticket
Guided walking tour of the historic centre — Plaka, Monastiraki and the surrounding neighbourhoods, with our team
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre — visit to the park, library and opera house
Chosen for Invisible Cities
Kypseli Municipal Market — visit to one of the city's community-run spaces
Industrial Gas Museum, Technopolis — entry ticket
Dates and fees
Mon 19 – Sat 24 October 2026
Monday to Saturday
Mon 16 – Sat 21 November 2026
Monday to Saturday
Mon 25 – Sat 30 January 2027
Monday to Saturday
Mon 15 – Sat 20 March 2027
Monday to Saturday
Mon 10 – Sat 15 May 2027
Monday to Saturday
Mon 21 – Sat 26 June 2027
Monday to Saturday
Practical details
Attend at least 80% of the sessions and you leave with an ARTIT Certificate of Attendance, handed to you at the closing session on the last day. If your sending organisation needs Europass Mobility documentation, tell us when you register and we will prepare it.
The course runs over six consecutive days. Each day sits either in the morning or in the afternoon block, and we decide which closer to the date. The schedule is indicative, not a timetable: trainers adapt it to the group, and walking tours and site visits may change with weather, opening hours and availability. The last day, when the work goes public, runs longer. The final schedule reaches you two weeks before you travel.
Anything that comes as a ticket or a pass is yours to use on whichever day suits you, including the free half of each course day and the Sunday after. Nothing is added in its place if you use it early. Opening hours in Athens shift with the season, and visits may be rescheduled if a venue is closed or the weather does not allow it.
No laptop needed. Bring a phone or camera for documentation, clothes and shoes you do not mind getting wet or dirty, a hat and a refillable water bottle. Gloves, bags and all making materials are provided.
The ARTIT method
Guest talk with an urban sociologist or architect on public space, urban memory, gentrification and migration.
Teams explore neighbourhoods such as Kypseli, Exarcheia and Piraeus backstreets with an Urban Mission Book.
Photos, sounds, interviews and objects become one artistic interpretation per team: documentary, audio walk or installation.
A public Urban Story Walk invites visitors into the neighbourhood to encounter the artworks and stories on site.