On the way to the slaughterhouse in Hydra

We left the town of Hydra behind, on our way to the old slaughterhouse which is situated on the coastal path between the town and Mandraki.

Our aim, to see Memories by Kiki Smith.

We turned the corner, old houses perched on top of the rocks on our right,

and the sea with the last views of Hydra on our left.

Canons on either side of us, Hydra's old fortifications

The white boats providing a contrast to the vibrant blue of the sea.

We soon came upon the sign for the exhibition which is organised by DESTE. DESTE, (the Greek word for 'look'), the foundation for Contemporary Art, a non-profit institution established by collector Dakis Ioannou, is an international organiser of contemporary art exhibitions and a supporter of arts-based projects and publications. Incidentally, Ioannou is the owner of the 'cubist yacht' which was featured in this blog here .

In 2008, the Municipality of the island granted DESTE the slaughterhouse space, a building that was once used to kill goats and sheep. The structure hasn't been altered much at all.

Even the pipe that would let the blood of the slaughtered animals to drain into the sea, is still here.

It's a very pleasant walk, (even though at mid-day the sun can be a touch unforgiving)

and gives one the chance to admire the island's architecture.

The flags alerted us to the fact that we were approaching the slaughterhouse

and we soon saw the building

on the roof, a goat with a mermaid tale, encapsulating one of the themes of the exhibition.

The Slaughterhouse is literally in the middle of nowhere, in an unforgiving landscape, perched on top of rocks. I took this photograph from the boat as we were coming back from Mandraki.