OUR NETWORK OF COLLABORATORS
Vicky SPANOVANGELIS
Artistic Director & Founder of Nomads & Urban Dwellers
BSc. Arch (UCL), MA Dance (Trinity Laban),
MA/Dip. Arch (RCA), RIBA (UCL) ARB
Architect, Choreographer, Researcher
Vicky Spanovangelis is a London-Athens based architect, choreographer, dancer, (Bartlett UCL, RCA, Trinity Laban London). Vicky has exhibited internationally, and directed design projects, artistic research collaborations and performances in the UK and abroad, in Greece, France, Germany, USA. Her doctoral research focuses on choreography & architecture as creative practice. Vicky teaches and lectures in higher education on multi-media performance, dance on screen and site-specific environments, previous teaching experience include Trinity Laban London, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London, American College, Greece, Jacksonville University, USA, and most currently at the University of Stockholm. Sweden, Lithuania Music & Theatre Academy, Lithuania, and Estonia Academy of Music & Theatre, Estonia, and the University College London. In 2003, Vicky founded and is artistic director of ‘Nomads & Urban Dwellers’ a creative collective working at the intersection of body, film, movement, and space, cultural heritage, and digital technology with special interest in museum event architectures.
Research
Vicky’s creative practice and research expertise includes architecture & choreography as interdisciplinary practice, cultural heritage practices of dance-ancestry, autoethnographic performance with contemporary-folk-dance fusion, screen media & interactive technology for performance space, kinaesthetic approaches to space for dancer-actor training.
Credentials
BSc. Arch, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, RIBA Part I
MA/Dip Arch. Royal College of Art, RIBA Part II
MA Dance, Trinity Laban London (2 years)
Professional Practice Certificate, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, RIBA Part III
ARB Member, Architects’ Registration Board, UK
RIBA Chartered Member, Royal Institute of British Architects, UK
PhD Candidate – University of Winchester, UK
Academic Board Member (Architecture & Media-Technology), The Makings of the Actor
Dr Dimitris halkiotis
General Director & Co-founder of Nomads & Urban Dwellers GR company - Professor of Education & Strategic Development Lead
Dr Dimitris Halkiotis holds a degree from the Pedagogical Academy of Mytilene and a Diploma of Postgraduate Studies from the Institute of Education, University of London, specializing in Comparative Education and the Economics of Education. He also earned a Master of Arts in Educational Management and Economics from the University of London and a PhD from the Department of Early Childhood Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). His doctoral dissertation, completed in 2003, was titled “The Funding of Universities in Greece and Its Impact on Their Efficiency.”
Dr Halkiotis currently works in the Directorate of Primary Education of East Attika. He has previously served as Consultant on Intercultural Education at the Institute of Educational Policy of the Ministry of Education. He also serves as Tutor–Advisor at the Hellenic Open University (2000–present) and as a certified trainer at the Training Institute of the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government.
Throughout his career, Dr Halkiotis has held several key administrative positions, including Secretary-General for the Aegean and Island Policy, Director of the Andreas Papandreou Foundation, Special Secretary for Hellenic Diaspora and Intercultural Education at the Ministry of Education, Advisor to the Minister of Education, and Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture and of the National Committee for the Protection of Human Rights.
Dr Halkiotis is the author of two chapters in university textbooks and numerous articles in both Greek and international scientific journals. He has presented papers at various Greek and international conferences. Within the framework of co-financed programs, he has served as Project Manager in the 2nd Community Support Framework (1996–1999) and in EPEAEK (Operational Programme for Education and Initial Vocational Training, 2007–2013).
His research interests focus on Educational Policy, Educational Administration, the Economics of Education, and Adult Education.
He has an excellent command of English and a good knowledge of Italian.
Valia Loutrianaki
Education & Creative Learning Programmes
Valia Loutrianaki is a classical philologist (DEA, Paris IV-Sorbonne) and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Education (EKPA-FPY) with a research field in "Rhetoric as a method and subject of teaching in secondary education" and supervised by Prof. Ev. Frydaki. In 2010-11, she conducted a design study approved by the Pedagogical Institute on a sample of 160 students, based on the innovative "Teisias" program for the cultivation of oral speech and creative thinking. In 2011, she was selected by the Pedagogical Institute (4th place in the evaluation of 168 candidates) as a trainer for the "New School" Study Programs.
Since 2015, he has been a member of the teaching staff of the two-year Master's Program in "Rhetoric, Human Sciences and Education," teaching courses on "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Rhetoric with Other Arts and Sciences," "The Art of Storytelling," "Design, implementation, and evaluation of experiential education programs" (Department of Primary Education – National and Kapodistrian University of Athens).
She is an active member of the European Community for Democratic Education and the pedagogical team of the Greek branch - EUDEC Greece, which designs and implements the program "School Partnership for Democracy in Education," approved by the Institute of Educational Policy.
She has designed an annual Oral Communication program for the three grades of junior high school at Arsakeia-Tositsia Schools as part of the Modern Greek Language curriculum, as well as a program for cultivating creative thinking in elementary school. Also, the annual programs "Games of Speech and Thought," "Reading and Oral Expression Club," "Imagination Workshop," "Ideas Office©," and "Leadership Workshop: Thought – Speech – Action" / "Little Leaders©."
Since 2020, she has been collaborating with ActionAid Hellas in the implementation of the European programs #ClimateofChange and #YouLEAD. She was responsible for organizing events in which 800 schoolchildren and 200 university students participated, contributed to the preparation of and accompanied the Greek delegation to Brussels for the final competitions (members of the delegation took 1st place) between 12 countries.
In 2022, she undertook the organization, in collaboration with the University of Piraeus, of the European Rhetoric Symposium, which concluded the work of the "Teachers4Europe" program ("Setting an Agora for Democratic Culture"), with the participation of 5 countries.
She has presented more than 100 speeches and experiential workshops on rhetoric and creative thinking at scientific conferences and as a guest of university departments, school counselors, philology associations, Cultural Affairs Offices, parents' associations, and other bodies (see related publication: http://www.kathimerini.gr/44668/article/epikairothta/ellada/o-teisias-3anafernei-sta-sxoleia-th-rhtorikh-paideia).
Dr Olu Taiwo
Dr Olu Taiwo (1965–2025) was a visionary artist, educator, and cherished member of the Nigerian–African diaspora in the UK. A deeply inspiring pedagogue and creative collaborator, Dr. Taiwo brought immense passion, insight, and generosity to all he did. His unwavering support for the company over many years left an indelible mark on its projects and people. Most notably, his instrumental role in the Diaspora Dialogues project reflected his lifelong commitment to the transformative power of the arts as a bridge between cultures, communities, and generations. Dr. Taiwo’s legacy lives on through the countless lives he touched and the enduring spirit of intercultural dialogue and creativity he championed.
Web & Academic Links
MARIAH SAYER
Brand Consultant & Creative Collaborator, Nomads & Urban Dwellers
Founder, Kallos Acupuncture
Mariah Sayer is a brand consultant and creative collaborator whose career spans design, culture, and wellbeing. With over two decades of experience across the creative industries, she is recognised for bringing clarity and refinement to projects that bridge aesthetics, identity, and lived experience.
Her early practice was rooted in scenography and interdisciplinary design, leading to commissions that explored how light, texture, and space can shape environments of reflection and creativity. She went on to lead projects in brand and communication design across the film and medtech industries, creating cohesive visual and spatial identities that balanced aesthetic precision with human insight.
Alongside her consultancy work, Mariah is the founder of Kallos Acupuncture, a practice devoted to uniting beauty, performance, and holistic wellbeing through natural therapies. This dual expertise enables her to collaborate with partners and communities that value innovation, dialogue, and human-centred design.
Her ongoing work explores the meeting point between creative strategy and holistic design — contributing to projects that foster balance, resonance, and connection between people, place, and purpose.
Credentials
MA Scenography (Dance)
MA Networked Media Environments
Dip. Ac (Cosmetic), MAA
Web & Social Links:
www.kallosacupuncture.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahsayer/
Pavlos Mavridis
Photography & Lighting Design Collaborator
Pavlos Mavridis has worked in the professional lighting industry since 2004. Since 2011, he has been a creative collaborator with Nomads & Urban Dwellers, contributing to a range of projects where his expertise has deeply shaped the lighting design process. In recent years, Pavlos has also expanded his creative role to include photographic documentation of performances and events.
He began his career as a lighting technician for concerts, live events, and television productions before moving into lighting design for theatre and dance. Alongside his lighting work, Pavlos is an active photographer specializing in concerts and the performing arts, capturing the interplay between light, movement, and emotion.
Pavlos currently serves as the Lighting Fixture Library Manager at Capture Visualisation, where he continues to combine technical precision with creative vision.
Web & Social Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlosmavridis
https://www.pavlosmavridis.com/bio-links
Michalis Myridakis
Accounts and Logistics Manager at Nomads & Urban Dwellers GR
Michalis Myridakis brings extensive experience in logistics and communications management, working closely with financial corporations and cultural institutions.
A retired Senior Officer of the Signal Corps of the Hellenic Army, he combines technical expertise with strong organizational and leadership skills. Michalis is a graduate of the Hellenic Military Academy, specializing in communications and electronic warfare. He is also an alumnus of the Armed Forces High Interdisciplinary War School and the National Defence School.
In addition, he has completed advanced training at the School of Electronic Officers’ Transmissions and Radio Engineer A’, as well as the Armed Forces Psychological Operations School.
Throughout his military career, Michalis served as Commander of transmission units in Evros and the Eastern Aegean Islands, Executive Officer in large formations, and Branch Director at the Supreme Command of the Interior and the Aegean Islands. He also received specialized training at NATO schools in communications and electronic warfare in Italy, Germany, and the USA.
He is fluent in English and has basic proficiency in Chinese.