A Cascade of Messages for Ruth

«A Cascade of Messages for Ruth» is an initiative, conception and curation by Gianna Tsolaki, originating from one of the last conversations with Ruth. The two had planned a common walk in Ayios Andreas, the neighborhood where they had lived in different time periods, aiming to explore the personal and collective memories carried by this place. The walk never took place, but its idea now forms the core of this event.

Through the critical cultural perspective that characterizes Gianna Tsolaki's work, the walk acquires a meaning much deeper than a simple physical tour of a neighborhood. Ayios Andreas, a place marked by the division of Nicosia, the ceasefire line and the historical shifts that shaped the city, becomes a field for re-approaching memory, identity and the relationship between humans and place. In this context, the walk can be seen as a form of material resistance, a concrete reclamation of the relationship with land and space against colonial legacies, division and exclusion. The walk thus becomes a journey through what we remember, what was lost and what continues to shape the way we perceive ourselves and our surroundings.

This idea is transferred to «A Cascade of Messages for Ruth». Responding to Gianna Tsolaki's call, friends of Ruth participate in a common, hypothetical walk, each carrying their own memories of Ruth and the neighborhood. Through personal stories, thoughts and experiences, these different paths meet, composing a collective wandering through memory, place and the imprint Ruth left on the people who knew her.

Participants include friends and collaborators of Ruth, as well as people from the fields of culture, arts and letters such as Arianna Oikonomou, Vasouchan VX, Gabriel Koureas, Garo Kechechian, Chris Konaris, Mary Plant, Natia Anaxagora, Sevina Floridu, Stella Evangelidu, Stefanos Stefanidis, Hourig Torozian, Nouritza Mattosiyan, Haris Pellapaisioti, Konstantinos Oikonomidis and Diana Wood Conroy. The event is completed by photographs by Andreas Droussiotis and music by Tassos Papamichael.

Ruth and Moufflon

The history of Moufflon bookstore begins in 1967, when it was created by Ruth's brother, Zirair Kesisian. After his death, Ruth returned to Cyprus from Edinburgh where she studied and worked, taking over Moufflon in 1995, together with her parents. With books in different languages and a particularly significant collection of new and used editions on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, many of which were now out of print, Moufflon evolved into a reference point for readers, researchers, archaeologists, academics and cultural figures.

Parallel to the bookstore's operation, Moufflon developed significant publishing activity, with 26 publications of Cypriot interest. Its publishing production covers a wide range of topics, including literature, archaeology, history, Byzantine studies, museology, medieval Cyprus, ancient theatre and visual arts, and also includes translations of Cypriot editions into English. It was also a pioneer in Cyprus in the field of Artists' Books, commissioning works from Cypriot creators and seeking early samples of the work of important artists and poets.

Ruth possessed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Cyprus's history and literature. She knew the books that were on the shelves, in the boxes and in the characteristic stacks of Moufflon and could guide the visitor to editions and sources that would be difficult to discover elsewhere. This particular relationship of Ruth with knowledge and people was also reflected in the messages that followed the news of her death.

A Journey Through Memory

The walk that Gianna Tsolaki and Ruth Kesisian planned to take in Ayios Andreas ultimately remained unrealized. Through «A Cascade of Messages for Ruth», however, this walk takes on a different form. Participants are now invited to undertake it all together, in a common, hypothetical route, with their gaze turned to Ruth, the neighborhood and the memories this place carries.

Movement through space thus becomes movement through memory. The neighborhood is not treated simply as a backdrop to the past, but as a bearer of history, loss, resilience and identity. Through the personal testimonies, memories and different perspectives of the participants, this common walk seeks to find what of Ruth continues to exist in people, and in the way they see and re-approach the place.