157: Nikolaos Karydis

Nostalgia Interviews with Chris Deacy

My guest this week is Dr Nikolaos Karydis, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Kent. Nikos and I have a twin passion for cinema and radio, and we begin our conversation by talking about the way architecture is represented in movies and why films tend to present alternative architect lives to what happens in the real world.
Nikos grew up in Athens before moving to the UK, and we hear about what attracted him to architecture in the mid-1990s via furniture design, and about how his field now is architectural history and the architecture of churches. We discuss the concept of the journey of discovery and whether we could ever have anticipated the final destination, as well as about the role of serendipity in shaping us.
Nikos and I talk about the way limitations can sometimes generate great creativity, and why improvisation is essential, before moving on to discuss classical music and especially the piano, and the use of such music in Kubrick’s cinema, together with the use of contrasts and counterpoints.
Nikos and I discuss empathy in cinema, and how cinema was very specific in Greece when he was growing up. Cinema was a window to the world like no other. We talk about the ritual of going to the cinema, and the tradition of open air cinemas, as well as about how Nikos perceives Greece and his childhood now in the days since the internet.
We reflect on pilgrimage and the pursuit of knowledge and how it is not just the holy relic of the destination but the ritual and path there that is important. We also learn about Nikos’ passion for Radio 3, and how we can travel in time through those broadcasts, and the curation of radio programmes.
Then, towards the end of the interview, we learn why Nikos is an optimist, and how our response to adversity can be positive. We find out how he couldn’t imagine having followed a different pathway and about accident and our response to it in relation to North By Northwest. Would we both like to be Roger Thornhill? We also find out about the recapturing of lost dreams and worlds (and buildings) that play a key role in Nikos’ life.