KOCHINOHOMA - RED SOIL

'Kochinohoma – Red Soil’ tells the story of the illegal killing of migratory birds on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, through a post-mortem inquiry into the unfortunate way they meet their end. It is the result of multiple collaborations between creatives, led by photographer Silvio Augusto Rusmigo and designers Omiros Panayides and Thalis Nicolaou.

The project has taken the form of a book-artefact, a documentary film, as well as an interactive installation.

These elements came together in a temporary exhibition which ran in September-October 2022 at the A.G. Leventis Gallery in collaboration with the environmental Non-Governmental Organization BirdLife Cyprus, to transport the viewer to a figurative crime-scene. The viewer was brought close to the objects, sounds and landscapes that make up this illegal activity, while being confronted with some hard-hitting truths on the magnitude of this problem. Through this experience, the viewer was invited to delve into the multifaceted environmental and cultural issue of wildlife crime in Cyprus, raising questions about individual responsibility as well as collective action.

The exhibition was very well received, with around 300 people attending the opening and approximately 1,000 over its duration. It also received the attention and support from all main media outlets in Cyprus. The project also received multiple distinctions, see below.

2021 Budapest International Foto Awards, Bronze Winner: Professional Book, Nature - KOCHINOHOMA Red Soil
2021 Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3): Honorable mention in Professional Book, Other - KOCHINOHOMA Red Soil


BirdLife Cyprus Page on the project

​EXHIBITION CREDITS / Dration: 20 September – 9 October 2022 (extended to 16 October 2022) / Documentary film premiere: 19 September 2022 / Coordinators: Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel - Director of the A. G. Leventis Gallery and Katerina Stephanides - Curator of the A. G. Leventis Gallery / Created by: Silvio Augusto Rusmigo, Omiros Panayides, Thalis Nicolaou / Head Curator and Exhibition Design: Thalis Nicolaou /Graphic Design: Omiros Panayides / Documentary: Costas Drakos / Sound: Panayiotis Mina / Text: Vasiliki Anastasi / Supported by: BirdLife Cyprus and the Sovereign Area Police Anti-Poaching Unit / Funded by: MAVA Foundation, BirdLife Cyprus, The A. G. Leventis Gallery / Special thanks to: Martin Hellicar, Tassos Shialis, Elena Markitani, Markos Charalambides, Olivia Christodoulides, Argyro Nicolaou, Atelie Demetriades Ltd, Arnold's Digital Printers Ltd / Media Sponsor: Cyprus Mail ​

THE BOOK
​​The ‘Kochinohoma – Red Soil’ book (2021) by photographer Silvio Augusto Rusmigo in collaboration with designer Omiros Panayides, recounts how these birds are trapped and killed, partly through what remains: the confiscated trapping paraphernalia and the artificial landscapes that lure them into their ephemeral home. The descriptions add to this inquiry, by drawing on a nostalgic, extinction-inferring note. The narrative is inspired by bird-watching guides, communicating the intense interest that birds cause in their passage. The book is featured as an artefact in the exhibition and is made available for sale during exhibitions.​

To purchase the book visit these stores:

Κοτσινόχωμαν Red soil – Moufflon Bookshop
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