It’s All Greek: Material Culture, Craftsmanship and Souvenir Art Opposite The British Museum

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It’s All Greek: Material Culture, Craftsmanship And Souvenir Art Opposite The British Museum

London. Intersection of Great Russell Street and Bury Place, Number 65

Just a few steps away from the British Museum, beautifully crafted artefacts portraying Hellenic characters and legends lure the passers-by (figure 1). This elegant and sophisticated gallery and gift shop arrests the view and offers access to a fascinating world where souvenir art, Greek history, and native craftsmanship are interwoven.

Discourses about souvenir art have invaded the western world in the last years. Tourism and the emergence of consumer culture have been central to the development and expansion of the term as well as to marking its limitations. As a result, scholars have become more and more concerned with the creation, appropriation, and displacement of material culture in the realm of art as a transmitter of culture. Disciplines such as art history, anthropology, and museology have approached issues concerning authenticity and the transmission of cultural heritage through artefacts, and it is these issues that I intend to touch upon within the mystical space of It’s All Greek. I plan to evoke the story of this one place in Britain and demonstrate its role as a significant mediator between fine quality Greek reproductions and the public. Furthermore, I am interested in delineating the dialogical relationship between the souvenir art on display here and the Hellenic legacy. It’s All Greek is a versatile space—a gift shop, a gallery, and an education centre—dedicated to the dissemination of Greek art and culture. It is in the context of this story that I intend to interrogate ideas that are at the core of the discourse on souvenir art, and eventually point out how such a place can become vital to the preservation and ubiquity of the Greek character throughout the world.

The Place and its History

Opened ten years ago, It’s All Greek has come to be a recognizable brand among souvenir art collectors and others. Initially an online business, the shop now brings together an international community. Whether they are connoisseurs of the Greek culture, art lovers, tourists, or simple people who appreciate good quality artefacts, the customers have helped the shop grow and prosper. The owner, Elinor Wynne Lloyd (figure 2), has dedicated her whole life and career to this project.

Since the opening, ten years ago, It’s All Greek has expanded, and so have the customer network and the range of artefacts. At present, there are fifteen companies supplying the artefacts for the shop.

Furthermore, the nature of the business is such that it benefits the trade with Greece and the suppliers, as well as the shop in London. Also, the owner is very interested in organising events for the Greek community in London and involving the Greek Embassy for the tenth anniversary this year, since the shop has been an important source of revenue for the Greek suppliers, and implicitly for Greece.

At the same time, the shop is also an education centre, giving its customers access to the historical background of the artefacts they purchase. The two managers’ academic training—Elinor’s in teaching and Philippa’s degree in Classics—is vital because, as Elinor says, “people like to know that they are not getting just a normal shop assistant.” The intention is to show customers that their job is something that they believe in completely, and that they can share their knowledge in order to ensure a good understanding of the artefact and its overall cultural and historical background. In many ways, a visit to It’s All Greek outshines a visit to the museum. It is an enriching experience at several levels—the easy access to Greek history, the direct interaction with the object, and eventually the acquisition of the actual souvenir. Furthermore, along with the expansion of the shop (figure 5), the owner intends to transform the space into a resource, going beyond the commercial aspect of a mere shop. Philippa added that they are planning on having groups of students use the space as part of their educational activities. All in all, the mission of the shop is to create a platform for people to have access to the Greek culture and history in a very palpable and natural way.

The Objects as Souvenir Art

Within anthropology, there have been intense debates regarding the classification and integration of primitive art objects. The intention is to include the objects in a multicultural dialogue while preserving the cultural identity of the area and the people directly represented through the objects. Theoreticians have come up with different ways of incorporating them into the larger context of anthropology and art. However, if authentic objects have found their way into ethnographic museums and natural history museums, the situation is different for reproductions. The commoditization of objects in the Western world has started to be seen as a threat to the real value of primitive art, and therefore many of the native reproductions have been labeled as “tourist art,” “curio art,” or at best “souvenir art.” As a result of the objectification process, many such artefacts have lost their value, and consequently their quality as media for the circulation of native craftsmanship, which is a relevant feature for the regeneration of cultural identity. What I am pleading for here is not the acceptance of any mass-produced and distributed “souvenir art” that penetrates western culture, but the acquisition and display of contemporary native souvenir art crafted in the traditional way by native artists. Their connection to the place is embodied in the objects they produce, and ultimately ensures the transmission of an authentic cultural heritage.

The discourse around souvenir art is multilayered; and it is issues addressing craftsmanship transmission, authenticity, and the relationship between customers and these artefacts that I want to explore in this section of the paper, in relation to the objects displayed at It’s All Greek.

First, to justify my choice of referring to the reproductions in the shop as “souvenir art,” I will borrow Ruth Phillips’s motivation (Phillips 1998) and transfer it to the world of Greek artefacts.

The reproductions to be found at It’s All Greek reinforce the importance and continuity of Greek art and history. Every object or scene painted on these objects is a mark of the Greek historical heritage which, to some extent, has become a part of everyone’s heritage. As I said, Greek culture is central to numerous disciplines and theories that regulate the social sciences. Furthermore, souvenir art objects remind us of this cultural affiliation, and this may be the very reason why customers all over the world, from all walks of life, appreciate them.

At this point, I think it is important to discuss the relationship between objects and people. In terms of Gell’s anthropology of art theory, works of art “have to be treated … as person-like; that is, sources of, and targets for, social agency” (Gell 1998:96). The vases and helmets and plates in the shop stand as proof of a Greek culture and history that all nations share. In the trading process, they become the sole actors telling the story of Greek history and mythology. Although these are very beautifully crafted objects, it is not only their aesthetic qualities that attract customers. They act as the medium through which the past is accessed in the present. Furthermore, the acquisition of these souvenir art objects ensures the circulation and perpetuation of the Greek teachings. No object in the shop is separated from its historical context and meaning, and the simple act of purchasing them awakens the memory. It is what Gell defines as “distributed personhood,” that is, objects acquiring agency and having the ability to arouse interest. The artefacts at It’s all Greek are by no means dead, as it is often the case with reproductions or other mass-produced objects. Because of their direct connection with the Hellenic culture—through the artists that create them—they become actors in the contemporary commemorative practices. Paul Connerton (1989) highlighted the importance of objects in the remembrance process, and I consider that the very journey of these artefacts may be read as a metaphor for the circulation of Greek art and history. On a larger scale, their mere creation for It’s all Greek may be interpreted as a commemorative ritual—the contemporary way of re-creating narratives about history.

There is another dimension that the “souvenir art” label entails—the displacement and reincorporation of the object. Generally, tourists, art collectors, or scholars travel to a distant place and bring back a souvenir. The situation at the shop in London is a bit different, but follows the same steps in a slightly different order: buy the souvenir, travel, and reintegrate. The artefacts on sale at It’s All Greek, although manufactured in Greece, are sold in London or in the deterritorialized space of the Internet. But as Susan Stewart suggests, displacement is a vital feature, since “the souvenir must be removed from its context in order to serve as a trace of it, but it must also be restored through narrative and/or reverie” (1984:150). It’s All Greek represents the “contact zone” that allows the establishment and development of the object-person relationship. To be more precise, contact zones are “social spaces where disparate cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in highly asymmetrical relations of domination and subordination” (Pratt 1992:4). Consequently, it is important to note here that it is the special nature of the exchange at It’s All Greek that ensures the creation and continuity of a narrative, rather than a decontextualized appropriation of “curio art.” Within this framework, in many aspects, this space becomes similar to that of a museum that trades not only in objects, but meanings and memories.

Next, I want to discuss the problem of the authenticity of the souvenir art on sale at It’s All Greek. Most of the debates about “souvenir art” do not fully recognize its value. On the other hand, they show an acute preoccupation with the transmission of craftsmanship over the generations, which is considered an essential point in keeping a culture alive. How can the two arguments be reconciled then? If souvenir art is not authentic because it is not antique, and if traditional craftsmanship may be lost forever because it is considered souvenir art, we are faced with a Catch-22. I think that It’s All Greek may be a felicitous solution. The objects are custom-made reproductions, executed with the finest skills by native Greek artists. If their work is not to be cherished, how can the large majority of people have access to the Greek art and history? I do not intend to refute the value of Greek antiquities which have found a place in the most famous museums by now, I just want to underline the fact that those objects are not accessible to everybody, and this may hinder a real understanding of the very history itself. As a result, I consider that It’s All Greek is an accessible and genuine alternative. It is a more unconventional kind of museum. People see the object, hear its story, and get to touch it. Moreover, all the souvenir art on display here is well documented, and its value is reinforced by the little cards which accompany every artefact (figure 6).

It’s All Greek has become so well known for the quality of the objects it displays that even the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford gets supplies there for a pottery collection they display. Furthermore, the place is unique because it promotes native craftsmanship, and only that. The owner is very particular about the kinds of objects they provide and is very keen about promoting the “amazing crafts” still present in Greece, which otherwise might have been lost. As she mentions, Greece is full of souvenir shops, but most of the time the quality is poor, and it is then when the whole cultural and historical legacy is forgotten and rapidly replaced by commodity exchange.

There is a tension between artefacts that are accepted in museums and the contemporary artefacts. This tension mostly plays upon the time frame within which these objects were created. Museums have become “ a shrine to the premodern” (Phillips 1998:69), where contemporary art inspired by the past does not gain access. But what happens to the transmission of craftsmanship then? If Greek art and history is to be kept alive, just displaying it in museums will not guarantee its presence and accuracy over the years. On the other hand, selling all sorts of objects which are just slightly reminiscent of the authentic Greek ones, is not a solution either. It’s All Greek may be a new tool which could potentially solve this dilemma. Unfortunately, for the time being reproductions occupy a shifting terrain, and their place still needs to be negotiated.

Conclusion

All in all, I consider that It’s All Greek may be the compromise solution we have been waiting for. It is a place which promotes the Greek heritage and fine traditional craftsmanship, while also providing access to authentic Greek history and art. It is an educational resource just as much as it is an art gallery. My intention in this paper was not to solve the debate about souvenir art and commodity exchange, but to present a new and innovative use of souvenir art as a means to bridge the gap between the western world and the fundamental Greek cultural legacy. It’s All Greek is an important medium in the process of preservation and dissemination of Hellenic art and culture: first, it creates an international space for intercultural dialogue; second, it promotes Greek craftsmanship; and finally, it keeps the spirit of Greek art and culture alive.

Bibliography

Connerton, P. 1989. How Societies Remember. Cambridge.

Gell, A. 1998. Art and Anthropology—An Anthropological Theory. Oxford.

Phillips, R. B. 1998. Trading Identities: The Souvenir in Native North American Art from the Northeast, 1700-1900. Seattle.

Pratt, M. L. 1992. Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. New York.

Stewart, S. 1984. On Longing: Narratives of the Miniature, the Gigantic, the Souvenir, and the Collection. Baltimore.