Yoik of Taygetus House / Photography by Vice Versa

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Yoik of Taygetus House / Z-level

Text description provided by the architects.

The building is located in a Byzantine settlement on the eastern slopes of Mount Taygetus, at the edge of the Anakolon canyon, looking over the plain of Laconia. In order to climb the canyon, you pass between giant rock formations and near running water to come face to face with the majesty of Mount Taygetus in the distance. The surrounding area is one of outstanding natural beauty and forms part of the Natura 2000 Network. I knew the area very well, even before undertaking the project. The inhabitants, who love music, had hosted our percussion group on many occasions, to take part in musical activities, seminars, and traditional carnival disguises.

This link is what gave the house its name, Yoik of Taygetus, which refers to this very distinctive musical form performed by the Sami people in the region of Northern Europe. Each yoik is a sound, a song, a most personal expression dedicated to a person, an animal or a landscape. The yoik expresses its reference in a spiritual manner, using the sounds of nature. Just as a yoik imprints the aura of humans and things onto the immaterial world of music, thus this house transports something of the soul of this mountain region into the material, contemporary world, utilizing vernacular forms and natural materials. The plot contained a ruined stone building with an arched roof and a yard: a “katoi” used to house animals.