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[in]visibilities

[in]visibilities

Etz Hayyim Synagogue

Chania, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, has a multifaith and multiethnic past which was ruptured by the advent of nationalism and the Second World War. Once typical for port cities throughout the Mediterranean, this multifaceted history is now almost forgotten by locals or glossed over with polished and romanticizing stories for touristic consumption.

In 2025, Etz Hayyim co-founded the [in]visibilities network together with the Chania Urban Youth Observatory. Our network brings together heritage professionals, historians, youth workers, artists, architects and a broad range of interested locals.

Through [in]visibilities we aim to uncover the stories of Chania’s lost communities, such as the Cretan Jewish, Cretan Muslim and African slave communities, and bring them together in a multivocal history of our city that focuses on the interconnectedness of the communities in the shared city space of Chania. Our interest in the forgotten stories of marginalized groups is not limited to the past. We aim to make visible and tangible marginalized groups in the today’s Chania as well as throughout the more than 5000 years of its history.

The network was launched on 7 December 2025, with a public event at the Cultural Centre of Chania.

Eventually, we aim to make Chania’s multivocal history visible by offering real-life examples in the city scape through community and educational projects, digital/multimedia means, and walking tours. Our shared goal is to get to get to know our city more deeply, explore the rich palimpsest of interlinked stories and experiences and share this with youth, the local community and visitors.

The project is based on professional research, public history methodology and knowledge sharing in an online platform and participatory art projects and public events.

The first official event is currently on display at the Cultural Centre of Chania:

The interactive exhibition “[in]visibilities – cultural groups & rituals” focuses on the celebrations, customs, and ritual practices of cultural groups marginalized in the city’s public narrative. Through research, creative activities, and participatory processes, the project explores how celebrations function as vehicles of memory, identity, and coexistence, and how they can be reimagined in the public sphere through collective reworking.

The interactive exhibition and events take place from March 7 to 25, 2026, at the Chania Cultural Center (1st floor, small hall), with the support of the Region of Crete, Etz Hayim Synagogue, and the Chania Urban Youth Observatory.