Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert

Project Description

The American anthropologist John Lawrence Angel was one of the leading authorities in forensic and physical anthropology. Angel visited Cyprus in 1949 to explore the processes of microevolution occurring to the village of Episkopi, examine the connections between the current population and its ancient predecessors, and determine whether there were any shared traits or unique differences between the Greek and Turkish communities of the village. He did so by taking anthropometric photographs (face and profile shots) and physical measurements of 88 Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot men from the village.

“Tracing Angel’s Men” is an art and research project that responds to John Lawrence Angel’s photographic archive by creating an alternative record of the men involved in his study. Instead of anthropometric data and clinical photographs, the project features personal stories from descendants and everyday photographs from family albums.

For the purposes of this project, the names and portraits from Angel’s records were recovered and brought back to the Episkopi community as part of an effort to trace the men’s descendants and explore how they are remembered today. The portraits were assembled into a “community album” that circulated among households in Episkopi and Zodia (where many Episkopi Turkish Cypriots moved during 1974). This circulation invited families to contribute memories, information, and personal anecdotes, gradually reconstructing the lives and identities of the men captured in Angel’s archive.

Alongside the collected stories, family photographs capturing the men in everyday moments were gathered. These images—many over 70 years old—bear the visible marks of time: creases, tears, fading, and discoloration. Each photograph was re-photographed with careful attention to its physical condition and material presence. Many also featured handwritten notes or official stamps on the reverse, prompting the documentation of both front and back—treating them almost as museum artifacts or another kind of speciment. Through this process, the project constructs an “alternative” archive, where intimate, everyday photography offers a more personal and emotionally resonant counterpoint to the clinical gaze of anthropological photography, which often erases individuality.

This a work on progress and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Credits:

Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert (concept, co-ordination, research, and art production)

Thalia Efthymiou (research: collection of personal stories/photographs and community engagement)

Helia Zakeri (digitization of original archive)

Constantinos Constantinou (film documentation)

Special thanks to the descendants of about 60 men who contributed with stories and photographs.

The project is being supported by the Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus), the Smithsonian Institute (USA), the Department of Antiquities (Cyprus) and the Municipality of Kourion (Cyprus).