Ichnos (ίχνος) means trace in Greek.
We are passionate history and heritage professionals and researchers, with over twenty years of experience in the community arts and heritage sectors.
Having led interdisciplinary projects both in the UK and internationally, our aim is to connect people with the hidden stories of the past—those traces of history that may no longer be visible, but continue to shape our lives today.
We believe in the transformative power of connections, the importance of being outdoors, and the potential for community empowerment.
Every project and experience we create is rooted in these core beliefs, fostering meaningful engagement with the past and a deeper understanding of the present.
Dr Eleni Koumpouzi
Eleni is an artist, museologist, and researcher with a deep commitment to community engagement through heritage and the arts. She recently completed a PhD in Community Engagement with Post-Industrial Heritage from the University of the West of Scotland, when she led a publicly funded, community boatbuilding project CanalCraft. Eleni also holds a Master of Science in Museology from the University of Glasgow and a Master of Arts in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design.
As a trained artist, historian, and published author, Eleni, since 1999, has led interdisciplinary, community-embedded projects both in the UK and internationally.
She was the director of ApoTypomata Arts, a heritage and arts organisation and a design company, which operated in Greece and Glasgow. Between 2014 and 2017, she served as the Interpretation and Museum Officer for The Tall Ship (Glenlee) in Glasgow, where she played a key role in designing the Clydebuilt Festival—a community celebration of shipbuilding heritage on the River Clyde.
Eleni is also an active director at the Scottish Community Heritage Alliance (SCHA) and the Clyde Docks Preservation Trust (CDPT). More recently, she led Finn’s Place, a community wellbeing centre in South Glasgow focused on community-led learning in wellness and self-care.
Outside of her professional life, Eleni is passionate about the outdoors. A keen boater, rock climber, and hill walker, she has begun leading Health Walks as a volunteer in East Dunbartonshire. Swimming in Scotland’s lochs, seas, and rivers is her year-round passion, offering her a deep connection to nature and the landscapes she studies.
Selected projects and publications:
Eleni Koumpouzi, Katarzyna Kosmala and Gareth Rice: ‘Messing About in Boats’: The Heritage Livescape of Glasgow’s Canal and Clydebuilt Festivals, in From Festivals and the City: The Contested Geographies of Urban Events, edited by Andrew Smith, Guy Osborn, Bernadette Quinn
Cityscope: a film by Helena Koumbouzis and Ruth Hoeflich
Dr Ian Maclellan
Ian is an historian and researcher who has recently completed a PhD in History at the University of Strathclyde. He holds a Master of Research in Environmental History from the University of Stirling, as well as a Master of Arts in Refugee Studies from the University of East London and a Bachelors in History from the University of York. With over 25 years of experience in the UK university sector, Ian has worked as an advisor, trainer, teacher, paleographer and author of numerous articles articles and papers on environmental and social history topics. His doctoral research focused on the control of hunting and game resources in the Early Modern Highlands of Scotland.
Outside of academia, Ian is passionate about traditional boat-building and is an active member of the UK Coracle Society. He enjoys putting his hand-crafted coracles into the water, alongside other outdoor pursuits such as rock climbing, canoeing and kayaking, and hill walking. Ian’s deep connection to both history and the environment is reflected in his research and in his personal life, where he finds inspiration in nature and the landscapes he studies.
Selected publications:
Deer Preservation in Early Modern Scotland: Exploring the Social and Cultural Context of a Natural Resource, Scottish Historical Review, Vol 104, Issue 2. Scotland’s Environmental Histories: Mapping A Way Forward
This piece of singular bad neighbourhood: the Mamlorn Forest Dispute, Scotland, c. 1730-1744, RURALIA XIII SEASONAL SETTLEMENT IN THE MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN COUNTRYSIDE edited by Piers Dixon & Claudia Theune
Environmental and Local History: a natural partnership (originally published in Scottish Local History)
A local court for local people. Using franchise court records in local history research: an example from Breadalbane (originally published in Scottish Local History)