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| Nicosia, Cyprus Both sides of the Green Line, December 2007 click on any name on the city map to see the face for that location |
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Male Supercomposite |
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Female Supercomposite |
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Nicosia, known locally as Lefkosia by its Greek-speaking inhabitants and Lefkosa by its Turkish-speaking inhabitants, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is located located on the Pedieos river and situated almost in the centre of the island. It is the seat of government as well as the main business centre. Despite the recent symbolic gestures shown by both communities in removing small sections of the dividing wall, it still remains the only divided capital city in the world, with the northern (Turkish) and southern (Greek) portions divided by the "Green Line", a demilitarized zone maintained by the United Nations. The population of the part of the city under the control of the Republic of Cyprus is 270,000, while a further 85,000 live in the Turkish zone. The city is a trade center and manufactures textiles, leather, pottery, plastic, and other products. The city's population is primarily of Greek and Turkish extraction. However since 2000, Cyprus has also seen a large influx of guest workers from countries such as Thailand, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as major increases in the numbers of permanent British residents. The island is also home to a significant Armenian minority, as well as a large refugee population consisting of people mainly from Serbia, Palestine and Lebanon. There is also a Kurdish minority present in Cyprus. Since the country joined the European Union, a significant Polish population has also grown, joining sizeable communities from Russia and Ukraine (mostly Pontic Greeks, immigrating after the fall of the Eastern Bloc), Bulgaria, Romania and Eastern European states. The composite faces are interesting. My first instinct on taking on the commission was that we would take the photographs and find that the composites would be the same, that the male face of Lefkosa would be the same as the male of Lefkosia, and the female faces likewise. However when I found that most of the people on the Turkish side were new arrivals and were Kurdish and not even Turkish, I began to have second thoughts, and thought that the composites would be quite different. The end results surprised me in that the two male composites and two female composites are really quite alike. This is especially apparent when each is compared to the super-composite which is the face of the united city. The most interesting thing about the composites is that the faces have expressions and if the faces are not that different, then the expressions certainly are. The differences are most striking if one compares the two male composites. The Greek-Cypriot face is confident looking, perhaps a little smug, contented definitely, open to the world perhaps a little naïve or gullible. The Turkish-Cypriot face is more weary, less certain of the future, hardened by work and life. This would seem to sum up perfectly the current political situation and economic realities with a Greek face secure in its place in Europe, wealthy and relaxed as opposed to the Turkish face unsure of its place in Europe and slightly hardened against the world. Photographer: Mike Mike Assistant: Charalambos Aristotelous |
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| One poster is available for download: | ||
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© mike mike 2003, 2008 |
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