With this year’s theme, "Museums and societies in a constant state of change", there couldn’t have been a better opportunity to meet, to create, and to rediscover tradition through a fresh perspective.

We began with a hands-on workshop titled "Add Color, Give Style to Tradition".Flowers, roots and herbs transformed raw silk into unique pieces of fabric. Each creation carried its own personality, its own "signature". Through their hands, tradition came alive again.

The next day I met with high school students. I shared with them how I left the shipping industry to follow my path into natural dyeing, and together we explored both the history of this art and its place in the modern world. The most important part, though, was our conversation about how traditional techniques can become tools of creativity and inspiration today. Their energy and curiosity made every moment meaningful and gave me the chance to invite them to look closer at a treasure right beside them: the silkworm and silk itself. A heritage of their land, precious and globally significant, that can also serve as a bridge to their own future.

On the third and final day, we held a workshop designed especially for individuals on the autism spectrum, called "Painting Tradition". The room was buzzing with creativity: the children experimented with sensory objects like tree leaves, turning them into stamps with liquid plant-based dyes; they tested raw materials and covered both paper and silk with color and imagination. We painted and we got messy. Their final artwork, put in a frame, was a joyful memory of what they created.

What I take with me from these days is the realization that art and tradition are never distant or static, they are living experiences. They bring us together, they inspire us and they give us space to express ourselves. From the youngest child to the eldest participant, the same spark was there: the desire to create with natural dyes on silk. That spark gave life to the whole process. My warm thanks to the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation for the opportunity to share all this with the people of Soufli, who welcomed me with such openness to the power of creation.

And let me close with one moment that stays vividly with me. An elderly lady, full of enthusiasm, took part in one of the activities. As I thanked her, saying, "Thank you so much for coming", she looked at me with a bright smile and said:

"My dear girl, we are the ones who should thank you for coming. THIS IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR!"

And in my heart I whispered back: "And you will keep living for this for a long, long time, my dear lady."