Book launch: Doors οf Kypseli

Hyper Hypo is proud to announce the publication of their final, and most ambitious, book of the Spring season, Doors of Kypseli by artist and researcher Eleanor Lines.

Doors of Kypseliis a serious, beautiful, and meticulously rendered dive into the surprising modernity of mid 20^th century Athenian architecture. A compilation of 100 illustrations presenting the diverse array of wrought iron door designs from this culturally and geographically central Athens neighbourhood, Doors of Kypseliis Lines’s love letter to her adopted city.

With camera, or smartphone, in hand, Lines methodically traverses through Kypseli, north, south, east and west, through tiny side streets and down grand boulevards, photographing, cataloguing and selecting the most unique and interesting doors in the neighborhood and its surrounding borders. Lines’s curation, based on these walks in the area, focuses on designs from the 1930s to the 1960s, with influences from Art Deco, Bauhaus, and modernist design. Using the resulting photos, Eleanor manipulates, vectorizes and perfects each door; replacing missing handles, completing long since rusted bars, and bringing each back to an illustrated version of its former glory. Every design is then converted and printed in a stunning signature blue (Marjorelle? Yves Klein?) which serves to enhance the visual impact of the multitudinous patterns.

Accompanied by an insightful essay by cultural writer Nikos Vatopoulos, Doors of Kypseli not only celebrates the beauty of these wrought iron masterpieces, but also delves into the social and historical significance of Athenian urban development.

As Kypseli becomes more and more gentrified, with certain doors and even entire buildings disappearing, Doors of Kypseli will serve as a design archive of the unique architectural details of a quickly changing city. Lines hopes that her documentation of these entrances will inspire future generations (and perhaps even our own generation) to preserve these and other architectural gems.

ELEANOR LINES is a British artist born in London in 1985. She completed a BA in Fine Art Printmaking from the University of Brighton in 2008 and an MA in Fine Art Printmaking from the Royal College of Art in 2011. Her work has been exhibited in Greece and the UK and is held in both public and private collections. Eleanor has several permanent public art commissions in London, her most significant being a largescale work for the Crown Estate completed in 2017 which forms part of the exterior of an Art Deco building redevelopment. Eleanor is based in Athens, Greece, where she has founded Kypseli Print Studio. Here, she produces her work, runs workshops, and hosts artist residencies.

For the launch event, an installation of the 100 Doors of Kypseli will be on display. Additionally Eleanor Lines and Nikos Vatopoulos will give a talk and take questions from the public.