Yianni Stamas over the years has been a proponent and contributor to “Bronx News NYC.” The last time he visited us was in January of this year. But recently we heard that Stamas finds the Bronx a creative place to be in, and that a current project he is working on came about because of an idea he had while in the Bronx.
We asked him three questions that resulted in this:
What is it about the Bronx that tends to be a place where you get ideas?
I do not know exactly. Maybe because it is a place that has lots of great artists? Though, experiencing art is not necessarily what triggers insight for me. I think what draws me to the Bronx is sense of community.
What was the idea you had in the Bronx that led to a current project of yours?
At the time I got the idea, I was thinking back on some of the extensive work I did regarding the development of a methodology that would make it possible for a single person to create work in all the various facets of the arts. I worked on this literally for years, but when I was in the Bronx working on a local project, I randomly thought about the methodology and ways of simplifying it, including changing its goals.
Please tell us about your current project.
I am not someone to talk about current undertakings, especially those that are still in their infancy as this one is. I think this comes probably from the the former magician in me, because conjurers must vow to never reveal the secrets behind the magic they perform. I am the same way with new projects. I can say though, I work on it a little bit every day, Monday through Friday, and the irony is that the closer I get, the more I realize that I am creating a way of working that I used to use. Changing the subject, a bit, in closing I just want to say that if you have never been to the Bronx, you should go. The artists there create amazing art, much of it about community.