Hydra: Island in the Sound - Mnemosyne Projects

Hydra Island in the Sound
Presented in collaboration with Old Carpet Factory

Mnemosyne Projects x Old Carpet Factory

Hydra Island in the Saronic Gulf, is a place untouched by modern haste, where cars are forbidden and streets bear no names. As late autumn settles in and the final summer visitors drift away, the island exhales. Hydra’s true essence resurfaces with the unhurried rituals of daily life of those who remain. Hydra reveals herself only to those who linger, who listen, and who allow her grace to shape them.

Hydra: Island in the Sound is a limited-edition history book by Ekaterina Juskowski and Alkistis Boutsioukou, commissioned by Mnemosyne Projects. Drawing from archival research, field recordings, and intimate interviews with Hydra’s local community, the book offers a richly woven exploration of the island’s cultural traditions and historical memory. From liturgical rites and folk customs to maritime lore, it paints a vivid portrait of Hydra’s evolving identity, preserving the voices and rituals that have shaped its rugged terrain across generations.

Accompanying the book is a 7” vinyl EP composed by Angela Tisner during her Hydra Art Residency. Featuring six original tracks, the EP reimagines the island’s sonic heritage, blending sacred and popular musical forms into a mythic soundscape. It serves as an auditory companion to the book, deepening the reader’s immersion in Hydra’s cultural legacy.

With a lyrical foreword and track narratives by the authors, and cover art by Holly Biörklund inspired by an 1808 epitaphios, the project stands as a multidisciplinary celebration of Hydra’s memory, myth, and place.

Curated by Tatiana Gecmen-Waldek and Ekaterina Juskowski
Produced by Mnemosyne Projects in partnership with Old Carpet Factory.

Featured Artists

Holly Biörklund

Alkistis Boutsioukou

Esteba Fuentes de María

Angela Tisner

Objects

HYDRA: ISLAND IN THE SOUND is a limited-edition book released in a numbered run of just 300 copies, accompanied by a 7” vinyl EP featuring original soundtracks by artist and composer Angela Tisner. Published in partnership with Old Carpet Factory Recording Studio, the project blends historical narrative with immersive sound to honor the cultural legacy of Hydra Island.

Hydra: Island in the Sound book with 7" vinyl EP

Text: Alkistis Boutsioukou and Ekaterina Juskowski
Sound: Angela Tisner

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"Hydra never asks where you are from; she wants to hear about all the places you’ve been. Known to antiquity as Hydrea (Υδρέα), named for her gift of water, she emerged from the sea an untamed, unruly force—a molten surge that turned to stone in an instant, becoming barren, hard, unyielding. Her waters don’t invite, they dare. For those bold enough to leap, Hydra transforms—no longer an island, but a heartbeat unrestrained."

- Exerpt from Hydra: Island in the Sound written by
Alkistis Boutsioukou & Ekaterina Juskowski

Listen on Spotify and Bandcamp

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