Statues are given a ‘voice’
By Bill McCarthy
Visitors to one of the most popular destinations in Cyprus will now be able to get a unique flavour of its history – from the city’s statues.
‘Larnaka Storytelling Statues’ has been launched – a project that allows locals and visitors alike to learn the history of symbolic figures connected to the city in an interactive way, with the statues ‘telling’ their own stories.
Five statues are included in the first phase and have Quick Response Codes (QR codes) which can be scanned by a smart mobile device (phone or tablet) with internet connection. The mobile device then receives a phone call from the statue, which will proceed to recount its own, unique story about its connection to Larnaka (in English or Greek), as though one is having a real, live telephone conversation.
The application is the joint initiative of Larnaka Tourism Board and the Youth Board of Cyprus and is supported by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus and the Larnaka Municipality. It was created to offer a new and interactive experience that will be rolled out to further attractions in the city and its district in the coming months and years.
The first five statues included are: Zeno of Kition, founder of the Stoic school of Philosophy – who ‘talks’ about his philosophical values; artist Michael Kashalos – who explains his change of career to painting at the age of 70; Apollonios of Kition – whose lesser-known story as one of the most important physicians of antiquity is revealed; General Kimon – to honour this Athenian General of the 5th century BC; and the Winged Lion of Venice – a gift from Venice to commemorate its twinning with Larnaka.
Plans for future expansion of the project were revealed at the presentation and include additional sculptures and statues found including Larnaka’s landmarks such as the iconic Agios Lazarus church, the Pierides and Kyriazis museums, the Armenian Genocide Memorial, the statue of Archbishop Makarios, the Blare of Peace (in the Municipal Gardens) and the sculpture dedicated to Sophie Chambon. A sculpture will also be added at Larnaka Airport in cooperation with its operator, Hermes Airports.
Visit https://larnakaregion.com/page/storytelling-statues to obtain all the information on how to activate and listen to the stories, whilst the statues included in the project are easy to find during a stroll around Larnaka town centre and promenade.
See the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/EayLGWRb9f8
On the road 