Artist Olga Savvidis wrote and performed the musical score for 360 Degrees, a video paying homage to the city of Melbourne, which was screened for three years at the Rialto Vision Theatre on Collins street.
The breathtaking view from the Rialto deck, offering a panorama of the city, was complemented by a ‘sight and sound’ extravaganza of the 360 Degrees short film.
With Melbourne named the world’s most liveable city for the fifth year in a row, 360 Degrees couldn’t be timelier.
“Comments, views and interest generated from across the world. The reason why the response is so big is mainly because there are a lot of people who see Melbourne as the ideal place of residence,” Olga Savvidis explains.
“Melbourne is a spectacular and vibrant multicultural city, it is a beacon of opportunity and prosperity. Despite social and cultural assimilation, it shows remarkable tolerance for ethnic autonomy.”
Born in Omorfokklisia, a small mountainous settlement of Kastoria, the resourceful artist admits she has drawn inspiration from her Greek background. Leaving her homeland at a young age and migrating Down Under has not been easy for Olga. In an effort to treasure her identity and keep the memory of the place alive in her mind, upon arrival in Australia she started keeping a journal of childhood experiences.
“I have very fond and happy memories of growing up there. It was a place which greatly nurtured my creativity and identity. My stay in Greece produced an instrumental piece, titled Zito Hellas. It was my way of paying homage to my birthplace,” she says.
“I am presently working on a book, based on those journal entries, titled The Smoke Cross , written in magical realism style. The purpose behind the book was to gain some sort of closure and to finally say goodbye to my childhood in Greece.”
Olga wrote her first composition at the age of 11, only a year after learning to play the piano. As an experienced composer and musician, she has performed at various venues from the Melbourne Concert Hall, the Dallas Brooks Hall and the Melbourne Town Hall, to the Australian Film Centre.
Proving in practice that art expression knows no boundaries, even though she is primarily a multimedia artist, her career has also seen her working as a writer in the past for The Herald and Weekly Times and Rage Magazine.
For more, visit www.sites.google.com/site/olgasavvidis