Angelina Helioti

The trailer

Angelina Helioti 6 December 2022 No Comments

Hello my friends!

Today the trailer for the movie that my team and I shot in the woods about a week ago was released. In the profile of my partner, Zafeiris Zafeiropoulos (@zaf_x2) and mine (@angelina.helioti) you will find the small clip that foreshadows the viewer for what will follow.

Watch the trailer by clicking on the link: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl0pwzUjDd5/

Stay tuned as in a very few days the entire film will be posted on my Youtube channel!

The scent of the frozen air

Angelina Helioti 2 December 2022 No Comments

Good evening my dears! I hope you’re having a great time wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.

Here in Stemnitsa, things have started to take the expected turn. Although today is sunny, yesterday it rained from early in the morning and for the whole day it did not stop. The fog engulfed the village and many times we could not even see two meters in front of us.

I have really missed this weather and have been looking forward from August for the crystal scent of the frozen air that pierces my lungs, but gives them so much life! And now the village has these incredible blurry colors, dark green, gray, blue and sometimes a little purple…

When the weather is like this I get a lot of inspiration to paint or edit footage I have for vlogs in the warmth of the house. But now I spend many hours in the workshop making jewelry, as I get prepared for Christmas and some orders that I will have to deliver. However, this weekend I will sit down to complete a video vlog that will include the highlights of November. So you will have an idea of how I spent this month here in the village.

I’ve been a bit absent from the blog these days, but the reason is important. I have been quite absorbed in the project I told you about in the previous post. In a few days the video we shot in the forest will be published and I will finally present you our work! So stay tuned here and on social media.

Now I will leave you and go to the school for the gemology class…

We will see you very soon.

Hugs!

Some filming

Angelina Helioti 28 November 2022 No Comments

On Friday, something I’ve been envisioning and preparing for for days happened! With some friends from Stemnitsa and the surrounding villages, we filmed a video clip. I will not yet reveal to you the subject and general context of the work, as I prefer it to be completed first. But what I can share with you is that directing a play (even if it’s a small one) or being part of it as an actor, is a highly entertaining experience, albeit a tiring one.

All the way and when we got to the filming location there was ice in the places where the sun’s rays didn’t fall. The way it glittered like silver dust it looked like a fairy tale, at least to my eyes…

In directing and producing I had the pleasure of working with the excellent graphic designer and cinematographer Zafeiris Zafeiropoulos (@zaf_x2). The friends and acquaintances who became our actors for a while were so cooperative and patient making me truly grateful! An atmosphere full of laughter, good mood, but at the same time great coordination was maintained.

Looking into the monitor and giving some directions to Konstantinos.

When most of the filming was done, we went up to a peak of Mainalo, near the “Rapuni” area, to do some close-ups that needed to be done at that location.

The view from up there was magical. A few mountain peaks, fir slopes and clear sky… Only far away, beyond Mainalo, we could see some wind turbines that interrupted the natural landscape on the horizon.

When at one point I had to lie down on the ground, I buried my face in the grass and stubble. The scent of the soil and grass gave my whole body the relaxation we needed for the shots. I could fall asleep there until the sun goes down.

Despite the much needed sunshine, it was cold and windy, leaving me quite dizzy afterwards. Nevertheless a fantastic day that had a wonderful collaboration with all the team members had come to an end.

I’ll tell you more about the video when it’s done. See you soon!

Have a good time!

Winter is here

Angelina Helioti 23 November 2022 No Comments

Hello my friends!

Now a wave of bad weather has come. It rains most of the days. The temperature has dropped below ten degrees and will probably flirt with the negative digits during the week. This time of the year is starting when it’s best not to leave anything on the balcony, because the wind will take it and I’ll be looking for it or it will end up on a neighbor’s head.

The fogs are non-stop and some mornings I wake up to a yellow-white diffused light. Most of the time though, it’s this lovely hazy blue. I remember it from last November when I took the photo below.

Indie/Pop/Folk now on the speakers. And a gloomy mood, but not sad. Just a bit of a dreamer.

On Monday evening, a large crowd gathered at the “The Senate” cafe. The reason for this was the call I made to my fellow students to present to them an idea of mine, regarding how we can act like the youth of Stemnitsa, as a sign of protest against the wind turbines. Most people embraced the idea and we have already started to implement it!! Along the way, other attendees spoke about how we can act as a community to prevent this disaster in the natural environment of the place.

Like in the old days when the councils of the chieftains were held here. History repeats itself… Unfortunately or fortunately.

Such a meeting could not be without dancing and singing.

I will tell you more about this topic in the next article. Until then, have fun!

Associations

Angelina Helioti 17 November 2022 No Comments

In the last few days, my mind has been almost monopolized by the issue of saving Mainalo from the wind turbines. There are moments when you observe life’s problems from a distance and feel that they don’t touch you anymore. As if they don’t belong to you, and indeed they don’t, because we are all passersby from this place.

But for me, if there was anything worth worrying about it would be preserving the natural environment! Because it’s the most beautiful thing that life can give us on this planet. And we humans don’t have to do anything, we find it ready out there. It should be seen by as many people as possible, as many children as possible! Because I know that just looking at it heals you. It’s like someone gives you a diamond as a gift and you throw it away. Only the diamond has some value, while nature is priceless.

When I’m in the woods, I often look up at the sky. I think it’s an interesting move to turn your head completely and look at the view, the tree branches against the sky. A move I don’t often make when I’m in cities because the buildings are close together and direct me to keep moving forward, looking down. I don’t know if I would have a good view, in all probability I would see the underside of some balcony with worn plaster…

The orange-yellow leaves are now down in Kefalovrysi… Sometimes I hesitate to walk on this spot, because I will crush the leaves and I don’t want to. It looks nice with the orange rug in front of the fountain.

Everything is in a decay. The forest is moist, introverted and the cedar scent is not that strong.

Stemnitsa from above when the sun has gone down. Only her lights and the surrounding natural landscape are visible.

Looking up at the asphalt road around the village.

Making a wish that Mainalo remains untouched… “I wish…” And I continue to have faith in life. Even if some things seem absurd, I feel that the right things always come, even if we don’t understand it.

Mount Mainalo is under threat

Angelina Helioti 14 November 2022 No Comments

Good morning my dear readers!

It is a difficult day and a difficult morning and before I write the first word I exhaled deeply, because I don’t know from where to begin and how to express what needs to be said. It’s all about yesterday, which had a beautiful afternoon so I wanted to walk in the forest outside Stemnitsa. In the beautiful forest of Mainalo…

The walk was so beautiful and peaceful. It’s scary how nature mirrors what we have inside us, silence. Without judging, it is what it is and accepts us, the bizarre humans, just as we are. Does this remind you of something? Nature is love and is freely given to anyone who is open to bear it. Despite the calm in the forest, a worry ran through me. All yesterday I had a strange feeling. That something is wrong… As if something was waiting for me, something unpleasant.

The unpleasantness found me when I returned, at night, to the village square. Mr. Yiannis Lagos, president of Mainalon Social Cooperative Enterprise, informed me that despite the organized reactions of local bodies, the Energy Regulatory Authority gave approval for the construction of 126 wind turbines with a diameter of 145 meters in the central Peloponnese, of which approximately 70 in mountain range of Mainalos and at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters. “Mainalus of sustainable development, alternative tourism and international awards”. About 30 of them are to be placed very close to Stemnitsa, and specifically in the “Rapouni” area, between Stemnitsa and Chrysovitsi.

Both villages, which have been declared traditional settlements, look set to overlook the wind turbines. Instead of seeing the bucolic Arcadian landscape, one will see some lifeless columns of terrifying height (100 meters), coming against the scale and morphology of the place!!! A few years ago, the area, quite by accident, had caught fire and the resident teams were running to save the mountain. I wonder if they did it for bulldozers to come later to destroy both the form of the mountain and the life there.

I don’t know if there are words to express how I feel. I think I’m still in the state of shock I was yesterday when I first heard about it. But this shock is enough for me to talk, shout to be precise. It’ s not possible to put wind turbines on mountains like Mainalo. IT’S NOT POSSIBLE!

It is good to turn to alternative sources of energy, but it is unacceptable to destroy virgin nature in the name of green energy. For the sake of “green” energy to spoil the little real green is left! I am sure that there are places further away from a settlement and with less biodiversity that can accept the placement of these structures that are so invasive to the landscape.

This magical place has been home to many creatures for generations. A huge number of plant species, but also animals, including humans, we all benefit from this small paradise.

Mainalo is not such a beautiful mountain by chance. Its beauty stems from the life it hosts. Life is what makes it beautiful. Where will the hawks and eagles now fly, what horizon will the children see, instead of stars will now be red lights?

Mount Mainalo belongs to all of us, not only to those who live here, but also to those who choose it as a place of recreation and contact with nature. After all, Mainalo belongs to itself! We must respect mountains like Mainalo, and Greece has so many of them… Finally, let’s harmonize with nature, let’s let it enter us. We have forgotten her! A little sensitivity to have someone will agree. We cannot allow places like these, instead of sources of life, to become sources of profit! The mountains should be free of wind turbines for the sake of all of us. Let’s all mobilize now, to the extent that everyone can.

Now that “our backyard”, “our garden of Eden” is threatened, what will we do? Are we going to keep looking at the threat until there is a change or are we going to take a stand?

Overflowing creativity

Angelina Helioti 11 November 2022 No Comments

Good morning dear friends!

Good weather is back here in Stemnitsa and I have a lot of energy for various activities.

A few days ago I made a hollow horn bracelet. It reminds of something ancient because of its austerity, but at the same time it is elegant and modern. I will also upload more photos to my Instagram profile (@angelinaheliotijewelry) for you to see.

Right now I’ve already started a new bracelet with a bit of an ancient Greek feel, which I can’t wait to show you!! I remind you that you can ask me for a price and order any piece of jewelry I upload here on the Silversmitghing page or on Instagram.

Along with the jewelry, an incredible inspiration and mood for painting has found me!!! I’ve been waiting all summer for this! I’ve already finished a painting I’ve been working on since spring and now I’m onto something new. The inspiration is from the summer landscapes here in the Arcadian mountains. I don’t know how far it will take me, but I will play with this theme in an exploratory mood for as long as I find it interesting.

Although it’s a bit of a mess on the mezzanine, the hours I spend here are so full. Time flies without me realizing it and even if I start to get tired I keep saying “one more touch” and this continues until the time comes when I’m invited to a friend’s house, when I absolutely have to stop.

The smell from the primer and the colors can cause little explosions in me. Bells ring and I start dancing with my hands. Sometimes of course I’m not happy with the result and I have to put the project aside and pick it up another day. But then, at an unsuspecting time, an enlightenment comes and I begin to correct what previously did not cover me. And there is great joy when it starts telling me something…

Now for a few days it will be full time painting. Although I don’t know when the real inspiration will come, sometimes if I decide to go to the little studio, with some classical music the long-awaited wave of creativity comes and takes me for hours.

Now I go to continue among the crates bound for the unknown, with a cup of black tea in company.

Hugs to everyone!