Olive Groves: Our Past, Present and Future

Sunday, 28 June 2026
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
VESSEL Studio
Mitropoleos 5, Aegina 18010

This public discussion will draw on practical experience in the conservation, management, and responsible promotion of monumental and traditional olive groves and trees as landscapes of high ecological, cultural, and heritage value. Through examples from Greece and beyond, the event will explore how olive landscapes can be understood and supported as living agroecological and cultural systems.

The primary aim of this first session is to open a conversation about the value and future of the Ancient Olive Grove of Aegina (Eleonas) and to explore ways to sustain the grove, as well as practices and relationships that support it. The evening will bring together research, professional expertise, and local knowledge, inviting participation and dialogue from the community.

Speakers

ELGO–DIMITRA

Dr. Vasileios (Vassilis) Gkisakis
Agronomist and Senior Researcher, ELGO–DIMITRA (IOSV)
Dr. Gkisakis will address the scientific and agroecological dimensions of conserving traditional olive groves and monumental olive trees.

Ilias Kalfakakos
Economist and Business & Destination Development Consultant
Mr. Kalfakakos will present approaches to responsible promotion, partnership-building, local value creation, and sustainable community engagement.

VESSEL

Karina Benessaiah
Assistant Professor, University of Guelph (Canada)
Benessaiah is a human–environment geographer and sustainability scholar who studies how changes in society and the environment shape communities and landscapes. With a long-standing connection to Aegina, she is focusing on assessing how leading a project on how the island has changed over time and what sustainable futures could look like for its people and environment.

Navine G. Dossos
Artist and Co-founder of VESSEL
Based on Aegina, Dossos's practice explores the connections between ecology, community, and visual art. She is co-founder of VESSEL and has been actively involved in the research and development of this Eleonas research project.

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This event builds upon the ongoing research being carried out by VESSEL at the site of Eleonas on Aegina and is supported by the Argosaronic Environment Foundation. It also draws on wider research into long-term social and environmental long-term changes on the island, with support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).