Martha Mavri

Architect

martha.mavri@gmail.com | marthamavri.myportfolio.com

Martha Mavri is an architect based in Athens. She studied Architecture at Democritus University of Thrace and furthered her education in Scenography through the Theatre & Performance Design seminars at the Laboratory of Scenography, LSA, led by Maria Chaniotaki. In 2023, she participated with the LSA student team in the Greek student section at the Prague Quadrennial, with the project “Then – shuts the Door,” a combination of video, audio, and performing stories.
Since she finished her studies, she has been professionally involved in both architecture and scenography, working on theater productions, short and feature films, and music videos, either as a scenographer or assistant. In parallel, she collaborates with architectural firms and takes on independent projects.
In her artistic practice, she explores how space can be used as a medium for storytelling, expanding the boundaries of traditional scenography. Using space as her main tool of expression, and incorporating elements such as video, installations, and sound, she creates environments that activate the senses and invite the spectator to engage with the narrative experience. Her first artistic work was created within the Laboratory of Scenography, marking the beginning of a direction she continues to explore.

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During her time at the Laboratory of Scenography LSA, Martha Mavri worked on two projects. As part of the Theatre Design seminar, she developed a scenographic and costume design proposal for the play “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams (1944), completed in 2020. While working on the project, a phrase came to her mind that accompanied the creative process: “Through the illuminated window of imagination, memories come to life and the faces invite us on a journey into their fragile world of glass,” capturing the dreamy and delicate nature of the play.

She then completed her studies in the Performance Design seminar in 2022 with the project “Shaping Time”, a video installation that delves into the relationship between perception, memory, and reality. Inspired by the observation of an ice cube, which undergoes a transformation from solid to liquid to gas, the project uses this metaphor to explore the fluidity of thoughts and experiences. At the same time, it invites participants to share their own narratives, fostering a collective storytelling experience that reveals how personal perspectives influence our understanding of the world.

After graduating from the Laboratory of Scenography, Martha Mavri took on the scenography for the short film “The Dining Table” (2023) by Eleni Zografini. The film focuses on the relationship between two actors, Marina and Andreas, who are a couple both in life and in their professional careers. During the preparation for a period piece, they face the breakdown of their relationship. The play combines a dreamlike dimension, with the climax being the scene where Marina dreams of the rehearsal of their play, which consists of a historical dinner. The film’s scenography contrasts significantly between the characters’ everyday life and the dreamlike dimension. In the everyday scenes, it is minimalist and sharp, conveying a sense of emptiness and unfulfilled longing. In contrast, the dream scene stands out as the most scenographically engaging part, where the theatrical atmosphere and the dreamlike quality are revealed as an extension of Marina’s thoughts.The film has participated in various short film festivals, including the International Short Film Festival TISFF (2024) in Thessaloniki.
Credits
Written, Directed, Produced by: Eleni Zografini
Director of Photography: Elli Iatrou
Production Designer: Martha Mavri
Costume Designer: Stelina Kouli
Make-up Artists/Hair Stylists: Mirto Pagalou, Aya Esther
Cast: Sissy Doutsiou (Marina), Melachrinos Velentzas (Andreas)