INTERN’S DIARY – JUNE 26TH

10:00 – Most rise to break fast.
10:30 – We head to the conference center to print things for the last time.
10:45 – Our return is surprisingly expedient; we assemble folders for the visitors.
11:30 – Jessica and Ana greet the directors at the Santorini Palace and hand each of them their Santozeum folders.
12:30 – Peter gets his photo shoot.
12:45 – Calamari again…
2:00 – Ileana conducts interviews with our guests.
2:50 – Nina and Maroan’s book is unveiled.
2:55 – An expedition team of Peter, Pep, Nina, and Maroan head to the archeological site.
6:55 – The above party returns. Nina and Maroan head to the the conference center to conduct an interview of their own.
7:00 – Vague preparations begin to take shape – dresses and people are scouted for. With Jessica’s return and then Ileana’s, haste is made towards the Santozeum.
7:45 – We pick up Jose the DJ on our way.
8:00 – The festivities begin: our esteemed guests arrive, our party is tentatively crashed by passersby, and much conversation is had, illuminating and otherwise.

Ana:  Never before has any of our days had such a singular and unforgettable focus. The lateness of the night before has done little to keep us asleep – there are people swimming at eight in the morning and people sent to fetch me to help. Our boldly orange letterhead gets printed with the formal invitations of the directors to have a chat and a snack, putting it simply. The directors’ faces with which we interact when handing out bright Santozeum folders are striking in their distinct differences between one another; despite the excited smiles worn by a common some and the expedition backpacks, we could not have invited a more intriguingly divergent group of people. Each of them does something different with their folder: it gets tucked into a satchel, pored over, slid into a bag, clumsily dropped.

In the strange interim between events of which I’m a part, things get done in an industrious fashion. Everyone is off doing something wildly interesting, and I can feel this excitement even out of eyesight. People worldwide want a picture with Peter; Fischer & el Sani’s book is a long-awaited and striking work; and Jessica and Ileana’s quick departure for the conference center assure me that each visiting artist will be thoroughly grilled. I am trapped into worrying alone if the team will regroup in time, but I should have known that there is never a reason to lose faith in the bright faces which appear well in time. Once we arrive at the Santozeum (early, of course), the wind decides it will do all it can to help those who have been climbing cliffs for not a few hours. Our visiting artists breeze in on it, and I have never seen guests to a gathering who seemed just so happy to be where they were. We talk between waiters and discuss the nature of everything, all of this time’s hard work culminating in this meeting of minds that is so misleadingly relaxed that it seems the perfect balance that we have been striving for has been finally reached. Directors defend the facets of Greek culture which their works represent above an inky, shining sea, and some dance against a cherry-dark moon until someone gets tired of taking pictures. It is a fresh night, with new ideas bouncing between the building’s walls, the glow of our gathering enough to show up the setting island sun.