TID Tower | Log 29: In Pursuit of Architecture

Here's an excerpt from Log 29: TID Tower. 

Also, check out the presentation below on the project as part of 

Log: In Pursuit of Architecture -A conference on buildings and ideas 

held at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC this past September.

Freek Persyn, 51N4E – TID Tower from Log on Vimeo.

“Log 29: In Pursuit of Architecture presents the ten outstanding projects in a full-color portfolio format that illustrates the concepts and processes of each building. Together, these buildings demonstrate a range of architectural ideas and open a conversation about the production and significance of architecture today. To situate the ten-project portfolio, Log 29 includes essays by the four critics that reflect on recent and emerging themes in architecture and directions the discipline may develop.

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Featured Film | The Artist Is Present @MIZA

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present @MIZA

MIZA ka kënaqësinë t'iu ftojë në ambientet e saj, kësaj here për të ndjekur një ndër filmat dokumentarë më të rendesishëm të momentit "Artisti Është i Pranishëm." Vlerësuar me shumë çmime ndër të tjera "Berlin Film Festival 2012 - Panorama Audience Award." 

Në Shqipëri ky material vjen i liçensuar, me të drejta autoriale, por, mbi të gjitha me dëshirën e madhe të vetë artistes që ky dokumetar të vijë për publikun artdashës Shqiptar. U zgjodh MIZA si një kontribut i gjithë komponentëve të dokumentarit për nisma pasionale dhe të pavarura që operojnë për pasurimin e botës së artit vizual.  

Premiera do te zhvillohet me datë 9 Mars 2013 (hyrja me ftesa) ku të ftuar special janë: Velemir Abramoviç (vëllai i artistes) dhe Mladen Vusuroviç (drejtor i IDFF Beldocs Beougrad); me te cilët do te zhvillohet një bisedë rreth jetës artistike të "Gjyshes të Përformancës" Marina Abramovic. 

Me datë 10 Mars 2013 dokumentari do të projektohet në katër momente të ndryshme të ditës për publikun e gjërë duke filluar nga ora 11:00, 14:00, 16:00, 19:00.

Ju mirëpresim!

Marina Abramoviç "ARTISTI ESHTE I PRANISHEM" trailer from MIZA on Vimeo.

MIZA is pleased to invite you to attend the special screening of one of the most important documentary films of the moment "The artist is present". Winner of many awards such as the "Berlin Film Festival 2012 - Panorama Audience Award." 

This material comes to Albania not only copyrighted, but more importantly with the artist's blessing and immense desire to bring this documentary in front of the Albanian artistic and art enthusiast audiences. MIZA was chosen to host as a contribution of all film components for labors of love and independent initiatives operating to enrich the world of visual art. 

The premiere will be held on 9 March 2013 (by invitation only) where two special guests: Velemir Abramović (the artist's brother) and Mladen Vusurović (director of IDFF Beldocs Beograd) will have a thought-provoking conversation about the artistic life of the "Grandmother of Performance Art" Marina Abramović. 

There will be four public screenings on Mach 10, 2013 starting at 11:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 19:00h. 

Free and open to one and all! Don't miss this opportunity!!

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**English Translation by irsib @PERfACT

Revista Art & Trashëgimi | The Nymph of Mediterranean by Ilda Mara

Nimfa e Mesdheut by ILDA MARA
Drejtoreshë e Revistës Art & Trashëgimi

" Vlora, si një nimfë në brigjet e detit Jon, është përshkruar nga udhëtarëve e të gjitha kohërave “si një perlë të brigjeve Mesdhetare”. E rrethuar nga të gjitha anët me kështjellat ilire si një kurorë, si kalaja e Himarës, e Kaninës, e Borshit, e Porto Palermos, stadiumi antik i Amantias, Treporti, Orikumi, mozaiku i Mesaplikut, shkrimet e Gramatës, etj, ajo mbart mbi supe shekuj historie.

Mbase s’është aspak e tepërt të konsiderosh Vlorën si një monument historie. Përballë një qyteti-monument, si Vlora, dy qasje janë të mundshme: respekti i të kaluarës, dhe ajo që ai qytet përfaqëson sot. Po si është zhvilluar Vlora, si ka rrjedhur historia e saj?

Vlora, një nga qytetet më të vjetra të Shqipërisë, e themeluar në shekullin e VI para Krishtit, si një koloni greke e quajtur Aulon. Në rrjedhën e shekujve Vlora do të luajë një rol qëndror, falë pozicionit të saj strategjik,  si në perandorinë romake, si në kohën e mbretërisë normande të Siçilisë, e të perandorisë bizantine. Kjo dalje në det e Vlorës, do t’a bëjë atë gjithnjë joshëse të pushtimeve të njëpasnjëshme, si nga Serbët, Osmanët, Venecianët. Dhe në historinë e vonë të komunizmit, sërisht sharmi i saj gjeostrategjik, do t’a shndërrojë në mollë sherri mes Rusisë dhe Kinës në vitin 1961 për bazën ushtarake të Sazanit.

Eshtë pikërisht ky pozicion kyç dhe shpirti luftarak i Vlorës, që do të bëjë Vlorën epiqendër të botës shqiptare ku do të mblidhen delegatët nga të gjitha trojet shqiptare nën drejtimin e Ismail Qemalit, i cili në 28 nëntor 1912 do ta shpallë atë kryeqytetin e parë të Shqipërisë së pavarur.

Në këtë numër të revistës periodike Art & Trashëgimi, jemi përpjekur të bëjmë një portret të Vlorës duke sjellë  tek lexuesi  dritë-hijet  e qytetit të flamurit, lashtësinë e saj, si u ndërtua qyteti, toleranca dhe bashkëjetesa fetare, historitë e legjendat përreth saj, shkolla e pikturës e Vlorës, traditat muzikore dhe veshjet karakteristike, njerëzit dhe personazhet që e bënë Vlorën.

Pasuria e një portreti historiko-kulturor e artistik të një qyteti e bën një ndërrmarje të tillë tepër komplekse, por të arrirë.  Vlora që na sjell ky botim, është ajo e shfaqjes së qytetit, e gjurmëve të para, e historisë së tij, nëpërmjet historive të personazheve që e bënë këtë qytet. Tek rrëmoj në librat e historisë për Vlorën, tek përshkoj shkrimet e Emin Rizës, Aleksandër Meksit, Neritan Cekës, Bardhosh Gaçes, Norvruz Bajramajt, Fatos Baxhakut, Nevila Nikës, etj, mendja me vete tek një shprehje e filozofit francez Bernard de Chartres: “Ne jemi xhuxha mbi supet e gjigandëve. Dhe ne shohim më larg se ata, jo sepse e kemi shikimin më të mprehtë apo shtatin në të gjatë, por sepse ata na mbajnë lart dhe nga ngrenë me lartësinë e tyre gjigande”.

Ky botim është një kontribut modest në ruajtjen e historisë dhe vlerave të Vlorës e që do të shërbejë si një udhërrëfyes për të gjithë ata që duan të rizbulojnë historinë e saj. "

Art & Trashëgimi është botim i organizatës ARGJIRO, në bashkëpunim me Qëndrën e Studimeve Albanologjike. Ky është numri i 5-të i kësaj reviste, ndërkohë që katër numrat e parë i janë kushtuar përkatësisht qyteteve të Beratit, Gjirokastrës, Shkodrës dhe Tiranës. 

The Nymph of Mediterranean by ILDA MARA 

Director of Art & Heritage Magazine 

" Vlora has been described by the journeymen of all times as a nymph in the shores of Ionian Sea, as a pearl of the Mediterranean coasts. Vlora, surrounded and crowned all over by Illyrian castles such as the Himara, Kanina, Borsh, and Porto-Palermo castles, by the ancient Amantia stadium, Triport, Mesaplik mosaic and Gramata’ scripture carvings carries upon its shoulders centuries filled with history. 

Perhaps it is not at all exaggerated to consider Vlora as a history monument. Standing in front a museum like city such as Vlora two approaches are possible: paying tribute and respect to its past and to what the city represents to the present days. How was Vlora developed? How did its history flow?

Vlora is one of the most ancient cities of Albania founded in the sixth century B.C as a Greek colony named Aulona. Throughout the centuries Vlora would play a central role thanks to its strategic position in the Roman Empire, during the Norman Kingdom of Sicily and in the Byzantine Empire as well. The sea opening of Vlora would always make it attractive to consistent conquests by the Serbs, Ottomans and Venetians. Its geo-strategic charm would transform it into a fighting cause even until the recent time of Communism with Russia and China trying to control the Sazan military base in 1961. 

It is exactly this key position and the fighting spirit cherished by Vlora that would make it the epicenter of the Albanian world where the delegates from all over the Albanian inhabited areas gathered under the guidance of Ismail Qemali who proclaimed Vlora the first capital of the independent Albania in November 28th, 2012. 

We have tried to display a portrait of Vlora in the periodical edition of the Art& Heritage magazine by bring to the readers the lights and shadows of the city famous for the flag, its ancient age, the way it was built, its characteristic religious tolerance and coexistence, its surrounding histories and legends, its painting school, its musical traditions and distinguished dressing, its people and characters who made that city.

The richness of the historic, cultural and artistic portrait of this city makes this endeavor a very complex, but a fine one as well. Vlora which this edition brings is the one of the appearance of the city, of the very first tracks, of its history through the stories of its characters who made this city. While I dig in the books about Vlora, while I go through the writings of Emin Riza, Aleksandër Meksi, Neritan Ceka, Bardhosh Gaçe, Novruz Bajramaj, Fatos Baxhaku, Nevila Nika, etc., I recall an expression by the French philosopher Bernard de Chartres: “We are midgets resting upon giants’ shoulders. And we further then them not because our sight is sharper or that we are taller, but because they carry us higher up through their gigantic height.”

This edition presents a modest contribution in preserving Vlora’s history and values and would serve as a guide to all of them who would try to re-discover its history. "

Art & Heritage is a publication of ARGJIRO in cooperation with Center of Albanological Studies. This is the 5th issue of the magazine, while the first four are dedicated to these cities respectively: Berat, Gjirokaster, Shkoder and Tirana.

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Revista Art & Trashegimi | Tradition and Culture

Parathënia e Nr.5 të Art & Trashëgimi - Vlora, Nimfa e Mesdheut 

nga Elisabeth Gehrer, ish-ministre e Kulturës dhe Arsimit të Austrisë.

" Për gati pesëdhjetë vjet, Shqipëria ishte një njollë e bardhë në hartën e Europës, një vend, për të cilin shumica e njerëzve nuk dinte asgjë. Në rastin më të mirë, ndodhte që konservat e domateve të importuara nga Shqipëria t’u kujtonin atyre se, diku në Ballkan ekzistonte ende “vendi i skipëtarëve”.[1] Pas rënies së komunizmit, në vitin 1989, Këshilli i Europës bëri thirrje për të ndihmuar shkollat shqiptare, duke dhuruar mobilje shkollore. 

Në atë periudhë, unë isha anëtare e qeverisë së Landit Voralberg dhe mbuloja sektorin e arsimit dhe të marrëdhënieve me jashtë. Bashkë me disa bashkëpunëtorë të angazhuar, ndërmorrëm disa nisma ndihme në fushën e arsimit dhe të shëndetësisë. Kështu lindi një bashkëpunim i frytshëm 20-vjeçar e bashkë me të lindën dhe një mori marrëdhëniesh miqësore. Këtë bashkëpunim arrita ta thelloj edhe më tej, gjatë mandatit tim si Ministre e Kulturës dhe e Arsimit të Austrisë, nga viti 1995 deri në vitin 2007. Falë këtij angazhimi pata rastin të njoh nga afër një vend dhe një popull me një të shkuar të lashtë e shumë interesante, si dhe kulturën e tij të pasur e të mrekullueshme. 

Dëshmitë e një të shkuare domethënëse dhe trashëgimia e pasur kulturore e Shqipërisë më kanë lënë mbresa të shumta. Butrinti, Apollonia, Voskopoja, Berati dhe Gjirokastra rrëfejnë historinë e vendit tuaj. Ato mbartin gjurmët e historisë që nga periudha ilire, romake, deri tek ajo otomane. Qysh në shekullin e 18-të, në Voskopojë, kishte një shtypshkronjë dhe një gjimnaz. Fotografia më e vjetër në studion e Marubit në Shkodër daton në vitin 1858. Ky koleksion fotografik është një dokument i papërsëritshëm i jetës së Shqipërisë dhe të shqiptarëve në shekullin e 19-të. 

Marrëdhëniet kulturore dhe shkencore mes Shqipërisë dhe Austrisë kanë qenë gjithnjë veçanërisht të ngushta. Shumë të rinj shqiptarë kanë kryer studimet e larta në Grac dhe në Vjenë. Po kështu shumë aktorë dhë këngëtarë kanë qenë pjesë e jetës kulturore në Vjenë.

Ndaj në vëmendjen time të veçantë ishte rigjallërimi i këtyre marrëdhënieve të vjetra. 

Opera e Mozartit “Don Giovanni“ u vu në skenë në Tiranë, si një bashkëpunim i suksesshëm i artistëve shqiptarë dhe austriakë. Muzika shqiptare, me tiparet e saj karakteristike dhe ritmet e veçanta, u përpunuan me një punë të përbashkët. Në skenat europiane ngjiten sërish këngëtarë të rinj e të talentuar shqiptarë, Po kështu, kanë rilindur artet figurative. 

Pas viteve të gjata të izolimit, tashmë jeta kulturore po merr një zhvillim të qëndrueshëm. Pjesë të së shkuarës po rizbulohen, shprehjet kulturore po shpalosen në forma dhe rrafshe të ndryshme, modernja ka zënë vend. Jam e bindur që në Austri, në të ardhmen, do të dëgjojmë shumë për artistët shqiptarë. Revista “Art & Trashëgimi” jo vetëm i dokumenton këto oferta kulturore shumë interesante, por dhe i bën ato të njohura botërisht. Unë u uroj botuesve të saj të angazhuar suksese të mëtejshme në punën e tyre."

 [1] Shënim i përkthyesit: Në vendet gjermanishtfolëse Shqipëria njihet edhe si “Vend i Skipëtarëve”, një emërtim i përdorur në romanin me titull “Përmes vendit të Skipëtarëve” të shkrimtarit gjerman Karl May (1842 – 1912).

Art & Trashëgimi është botim i organizatës ARGJIRO, në bashkëpunim me Qëndrën e Studimeve Albanologjike. Ky është numri i 5-të i kësaj reviste, ndërkohë që katër numrat e parë i janë kushtuar përkatësisht qyteteve të Beratit, Gjirokastrës, Shkodrës dhe Tiranës. 

Elisabeth Gehrer,
former Minister of Culture and Education, Austria

Foreword of 5th issue of Art & Trashëgimi - Vlora, The Nymph of Mediterranean 

by Elisabeth Gehrer, former Minister of Culture and Education in Austria. 

" Albania, for almost fifty years remained a blank spot on the map of Europe – a country about which most of the people had no knowledge. In the best case, it happened that the tomato cans imported from Albania reminded people that somewhere in the Balkans there still existed the land of skipetaren[1]. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the Council of Europe issued an appeal to help the Albanian schools by donating schooling equipment. 

At that time I was serving in the Vorarlberg Land government covering the educational and foreign relations sectors. Together with some committed collaborators we undertook a few assistance initiatives in the fields of education and health. A fruitful twenty-year-long cooperation was born this way, characterized by a series of friendly relations. I was able to further expand and deepen this cooperation during my mandate as the Austrian Minister of Culture and Education from 1995 until 2007. Thanks to this engagement I enjoyed the opportunity to know up close and personal a country and a people with an ancient and very interesting past and also to become acquainted with its rich and marvelous culture. 

I cherish numerous impressions from the testimonies of Albania’s very meaningful past and rich cultural heritage. Butrinti (ancient Buthrotum), Apollonia, Voskopoja (Moscopole), Berat (Antipatrea) and Gjirokastra – they all tell the history of your country, and they carry the footprints of history beginning from the Illyrian and Roman era stretching all the way to the Ottoman period. Voskopoja had a printing shop and a gymnasium as far as the eighteenth century. The oldest photograph of the Marubi Studio in Shkodra dates back to 1958. This particular photographic collection represents an unrepeatable document of Albania and Albanians’ life during the nineteenth century. 

The cultural and scientific relations between Albania and Austria have always been especially close. Many young Albanians have accomplished their higher education in Graz and Vienna. Just as many Albanian actors and singers have been part of the Viennese cultural life. 

Don Giovanni, Mozart’s opera was played in Tirana marking a successful cooperation among Albanian and Austrian artists. Albanian music, with its distinguishable characteristics and rhythm was refined and arranged through a joint effort and work. Young and talented Albanian singers are performing once again on European stages. 

The cultural life is already enjoying a sustainable growth after the long years of isolation. Bits and pieces of the past are being rediscovered. Cultural expressions are being displayed in different forms and levels and the modern is already taking root. I am convinced that in the future, in Austria we will hear more and more about Albanian artists. Art & Heritage magazine not only documents these very interesting cultural offers, but it makes them publicly known as well. I wish good luck and further successes to its committed publishers."

[1] In German speaking countries, Albania is known as The country of Skipetaren, according to the title of a novel called Through the Country of Skipetaren (Dur das Land der Skipetaren) by the German writer Karl May (1842-1912)

Art & Heritage is a publication of ARGJIRO in cooperation with Center of Albanological Studies. This is the 5th issue of the magazine, while the first four are dedicated to these cities respectively: Berat, Gjirokaster, Shkoder and Tirana. 

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Featured Artist | Eni Turkeshi

ENI TURKESHI

Visual Artist 

[shqip]

Imagjinata eshte dicka qe na mundeson largimin (sado te perkohshem) nga jeta e perditshme dhe krijimin e boteve fiktive, te cilat jo vetem qe i ndezim por edhe mund ti zbehim vete per t'iu rikthyer realitetit mondan. Disa prej nesh e perdorin kete eksperience per te lekundur, levizur apo dhe prishur kufizimet qe hasim cdo dite. Por jane artistet ata qe e shnderrojne kete fantazi ne nje pasion te vertete kreativ, sensivitet kulturor dhe produktivitet fizik nepermjet punes se tyre. 

Eni Turkeshi eshte nje prej tyre. Me poshte mund te lexoni me shume per te dhe punen e saj artistike.

alternative photography © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

Kur dhe si u shfaq ky pasion tek ju?

Ka egzistuar gjithnje tek une sado qe jo tere kohes isha koshiente per te. Sidoqofte koha qe nisa ta ndjej se doja te merresha me te ka qene nga fundi i vitit 2006.

Si e shihni veten? 

Me pare si fotografe, tashme si visual artist. E gjej me te plote kete term pasi me duket se perfshin shume mediume te cilat une perdor momentalisht ose qe dua te provoj se shpejti per te paraqitur punen time.

Puna juaj ka nje ndjeshmeri, nje sensitivitet gati ‘psychedelic’. Nje kombinim mjaft i suksesshem fantazie, personaliteti shpirteror dhe realiteti. Mund te na thoni dicka me shume mbi te?

Eshte e vertete me terheqin elementet psikedelike. I perdor njefaresoj sipas menyres sime ato dhe shume elemente te tjere qe ndjej se rrisin ekspresivitetin e puneve te mia. Ne pergjithesi une i mas punet ndonese jo gjithnje ne menyre koshiente duke munduar te perceptoj graden e ndjesise qe me percon secila. Sado qe keto grade variohen ne menyre te vetedijshme nga une per ti dhene nuanca alternative ne momentin e krijimit te imazhit , pergjithesisht menyra e kombinimit te elementeve te ndryshem ne punet e mia, eshte kryesisht spontane dhe refleksive e bazuar mbi ndjenjat dhe menyren sesi i shoh une gjerat.

Cili imazh apo projekt eshte me i vecante per ju? Pse?

E kam te veshtire te zgjedh, apo te preferoj nje projekt te vecante timin. Secili prej tyre eshte krijuar ne faza te vecanta te jetes dhe krijmtarise sime, si te tilla secila ka nje vlere guri kilometrik ne gjithe kete ecuri e nuk mund te terheq njerin prej tyre . Ne pergjithesi jam e prirur te pelqej cdo projekt qe ka lidhje me shpjegimin e botes, psikologjise humane dhe asaj te enderrave.

hand coloring of b&w gelatin silver print
© All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

Mund ta krahasoni menyren si e shihni boten ne jeten e perditshme dhe si e shihni ate ne punen tuaj? Cfare frymezon ju dhe punen tuaj?

Mund te them se jam me idealiste, enderrimtare po aq sa dhe me moskokecarese ne punet e mia sesa ne realitet. Gjerat qe me frymezojne jane te ndryshme dhe pothuajse perhere te ndryshueshme.

Ku e gjeni kete inspirim? 

Inspirimin e gjej kryesisht tek emocionet, kujtimet, njerez, vendet ku shkoj, kujtimet si dhe gjera te tjera per te cilat krijoj nje afeksion momental. Emocionet negative gjithashtu shpesh here me shume se pozitivet megjithese jo detyrimisht, me ndikojne dhe me shtyjne te krijoj.

Online nuk futem asnjehere me qellim inspirimi. Me pelqen te endem online dhe te 'perplasem' ne dicka qe do te me shtange e impresionoje por ama jo te kerkoj enkas per te.

Cfare eshte gjeja me e preferuar qe beni online? Po aty ku jetoni?

Online me pelqen te shikoj apo lexoj faqe kreative frymezuese . Ne jeten reale me pelqen te eci ne natyre sidomos kur ajri ka nje arome shpuese nga shiu i sapo rene, te kercej, te shikoj filma pa fund, te lexoj, te takohem e te kaloj kohe me njerez qe i kam per zemer, te zbavis njerez kur jam edhe vete ne forme, dhe e fundit por jo me pak e rendesishmja; te krijoj e te ndjej nervin pickues te se parit te se bukures ose te krijimit te saj nepermjet menyres sime.

Cfare do ti rekomandoni nje personi qe viziton vendin apo qytetin tuaj per here te pare?

Te vizitoje vendet jo shume popullore, te mundohet te bredhe neper te gjitha lagjet e tij. Te mos behet pre e trendeve turistike. Te kete shpirt kerkues dhe te hapur ndaj surprizave.

Po ju, kur vizitoni nje qytet te ri?

Kam nje dobesi per rrugicat e ngushta dhe te fshehura ne pergjithesi. Kur jam ne qytete qe i shoh per here te pare ose jo, i preferoj ti zbuloj keto rrugica pak e nga pak. Me pelqen gjithashtu te eci neper qytet pa e patur gjithnje idene se ku po shkoj, thjesht e shtyre nga intuita apo preferenca ime e momentit per cdo gje qe zbuloj. Po ashtu te zbuloj me mijera ateliere e workshop arti pak te ditur eshte shume me intriguese dhe e pelqyeshme per mua se sa te vizitoj muzeumet klasike.

mixed media 
© All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

Sipas mendimit tuaj, si eshte entuziazmi, vleresimi dhe tregu artistik ne Shqiperi? 

Mendoj se ne Shqiperi entuziazmi eshte gjeja me e cilter qe arti shqiptar zoteron per momentin. Ka shume artiste jo shume te njohur apo te vleresuar; perkushtimi, krijmtaria, eksperimentet e te cileve te japin shprese e te falin kenaqesi vizuale. Por kjo ciltersi e entuziazmit ndrydhet mjaft per shkak te vetive monopoliste te vleresimit te artit, gje qe sjell ne shumicen e rasteve nje mungese llojshmerie ne artin shqiptar. Nese do te kapercehen keto monopolizime te artit mendoj se do te kemi me shume krijmtari te mirefillte qe do te dale ne pah.

Keni pasur bashkepunime me artiste shqiptare deri tani?

Bashkepunime te mirefillta jo, per te mos lene pa permendur bashkepunimet me miq te mij artiste shqiptare me te cilet kemi ndare disa sesione fotografike spontane.

Si do ti krahasoni bashkepunimet me artistet shqiptare dhe ata te huaj?

Nuk besoj se do te perbenin ndonje ndryshim te madh. Ndryshimin e bejne individet, jo kombesite. Pra dua te them se cdo artist ka menyra te ndryshme perceptimi dhe eshte kenaqesi apo sfide e ndryshme te bashkepunosh me secilin prej tyre.

Puna juaj eshte shfaqur dhe publikuar edhe jashte vendit. Si krahasohet pritja e kesaj pune jashte me ate ne vend?

Jashte vendit per momentin mund te them se me jane dhene me shume mundesi publikimi dhe interesi ka qene me i larte. Mendoj se eshte ceshtje mundesish te perhapjes se ideve ashtu sic eshte dhe ceshtje preferencash. Ne Shqiperi ende nuk mund te them se te gjitha llojet e arteve vizuale jane njesoj te vleresuara dhe perkrahura nga shume. Jashte ka me shume llojshmeri stilesh, largpamesi idesh dhe guxim per te perqafuar mendime te reja. Po ashtu dhe numri shume me i madh i revistave, blogjeve, platformave online te artit ku puna ime eshte publikuar eshte shume me i madh jashte.

digital mixed media © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

Puna juaj eshte me shume dixhitale apo jo? Jeni marre apo keni eksperimentuar me menyra te ndryshme printimi?

Puna ime nuk eshte vetem dixhitale. Une punoj si me analogen edhe me dixhitalen. Kam eksperimentuar me menyra te ndryshme printimi si ato te vjetrat nga shekulli i 19te dhe kohet e fundit duke perfituar dhe nga frymezimi qe mixed media me jep, kam bere disa printime ku kam perzier mediume te ndryshme artistike.

Pervec prezences vizuale, fotove i shtohet dhe elementi fizik. Mendoni se puna humbet dicka apo fuqizohet me shume?

Sipas meje fuqizohet. Por kjo varet sesa doni ju ta vini ne pah ate ne iks projekt.

Me cfare po merreni tani?

Kam ne plan dhe nder duar disa projekte dixhitale, analoge dhe mixed media. Nuk dua te shfaq me shume per momentin per te mos e lene macen te vdese nga kurioziteti. ☻

Kur do ti jepet mundesia publikut ti shohi?

Disa prej tyre do te publikohen se shpejti online, te tjerat do te marrin me shume kohe dhe nuk do te jene vetem online.

Ku mund ta shohim punen tuaj online?

Ne linqet e meposhtme:

Website 

Facebook 

Behance

Blog 

Flickr 

Vanitas © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

ENI TURKESHI

Visual Artist 

[english] 

Imagination is something that allows us to escape daily life (however temporary) and create fictional worlds, which not only we can bring into light but also fade them away to return to our mundane reality. Some of us use this experience to challenge, move or even break the limitations we face every day. The artists are the ones who actually turn this fantasy into a genuine creative passion, cultural sensitivity and physical productivity through their work. 

Eni Turkeshi is one of them. Here’s a little bit about her and the stunning work she produces.

analogue multiple exposure © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

When and how did you realize this passion in you?

It has always been in me, even though I wasn’t always aware of it. However, I began to feel I wanted to further pursue it towards the end of 2006.

How do you see yourself?

At the beginning I saw myself as a photographer, now as a visual artist. I find the latter to be a more comprehensive term, because it includes various mediums I use or will soon try out in order to display my work.

Your work has an awereness, a sensitivity almost 'psychedelic'. A very successful combination of fantasy, spiritual personality and reality. Can you tell us something more about it?

It is true that I am drawn to psychedelic elements. I use them my own way to enhance the expressiveness of the artwork. In general, I assess my work somewhat unknowingly, by attempting to distinguish the degree of feeling each piece conveys. Although I consciously change the degrees so I can get alternative nuances when the image is created, the way I combine different elements in my work is largely spontaneous and instinctive, based on how I see and feel things.

What image or project is special to you? Why?

I find it difficult to choose or favor a special project of mine. Each of them is created in specific stages of my life and creativity; and as such, each is a precious milestone of my journey and I cannot draw attention to only one. In general, I am inclined to like projects that relate to understanding the world, human psychology and dreams.

experimental © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

Can you describe the way you see the world in your daily life and your work? What inspires you and your work?

I can say that I am more idealistic, dreamy and carefree in my work than in real life. I am inspired by many things and they’re almost always changing.

Where do you find this inpiration? 

I find inspiration mainly from emotions, memories, people, places I visit, souvenirs and other things, for which I hold a momentous affection. Negative emotions also stimulate and push me to create, often more so than the positive ones, though not necessarily.

I never go online to find inspiration. I like to roam online and ‘bump’ into something that will impress and fascinate me, but not to purposely look for it.

What is your favorite thing to do online? What about where you live?

Online I like to browse and read inspiring creative sites.

In real life I like nature walks, especially when the air has a piercing scent from the newly fallen rain. I like to dance, watch endless movies, read, meet up and spend time with people I care about, entertain when I feel like it. Last but not least, I like to create and feel that penetrating grit of envisioning beauty or its conception my own way.

What would you reccommend someone who visits your city for the first time?

To visit not-so popular places and wander around all its neighborhoods. Not to become prey to tourism trends. To have a curious mind and be open to surprises.

What about you when visiting a new city?

I have a weakness for narrow and hidden alleyways in general. Whenever I am in a city for the first time or not, I prefer to discover these alleyways little by little. I also like to wander around without having any idea where I am going, guided just by my intuition or the preference of the moment for everything that I discover. Also, stumbling upon thousands of little known art studios and shops is much more intriguing and enjoyable for me than visiting classical museums.

stage portraiture © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

In your opinion, how is the enthusiasm, the appreciation and the artistic market in Albania?

I think that enthusiasm in Albania is the most candid asset of Albanian art at the moment. There are too many not so well-known or appreciated artists; whose commitments, creativity and experiments give hope and provide visual pleasure. But this honesty of enthusiasm is strained enough times by monopolistic art assessments, which in many cases has lead to a lack of variety in Albanian art. If we were to overcome these art monopolies, then I think a more genuine creativity will emerge.

Have you had collaborations with Albanian artists thus far?

Not original collaborations per se, but I’d like to mention partnerships I’ve had with my Albanian artist friends with whom I have shared several spontaneous photo sessions.

How would you compare working with the Albanian and foreign artists?

I don’t believe it would be that different. It is the individuals that make a difference, not nationalities. I’d like to say that each artist has its own way of perceiving things, and it is a distinctive kind of fun or challenge to collaborate with each one of them.

Your work has been exhibited and published abroad. How does international reception compare to the Albanian one?  

At this moment, I can say that I’ve had more chances to showcase my work abroad where the interest has been greater. I think it’s a matter of opportunity in spreading ideas as well as an issue of preference. In Albania, I cannot say that all genres of visual art are equally valued and supported by many. Abroad there is more diversity of styles, foresight and courage to embrace new ideas. Also, the number of magazines, blogs, online art platforms that exist and have published my work is much larger.

inspired by movies © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

Your work is mostly digital, right? Have used or experimented with printing at all?

My work is not just digital. I do both analog and digital projects. I have experimented with different printing techniques such as the old ones from the 19^th century. Also recently, I have been taking advantage of my inspiration from mixed media, to make some prints using various mediums.

Do you think a physical component, such as printing, removes something from the work or strengthens it more?

In my opinion it strengthens the work. But it depends on how you want to identify it on a certain project.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on a few digital, analogue and mixed media projects. I don’t want to reveal more at this moment and let the cat out of the bag. ☻

When will the public be able to see it?

A few of them will be published online soon, others will take a bit longer but they won’t be just online.

nuvoloso © All images belong to Eni Turkeshi

Where can we see your work online? 

In the links below:

Website 

Facebook 

Behance

Blog 

Flickr 

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Featured Artist | The Albanian Cinema Project

Image from NENTORI I DYTE via TACP

The biggest Albanian cinematographic event of the year!

November 3, 2012: WORLD PREMIERE 

of the newly restored Nentori i Dyte (The Second November) 

at the opening night of the 13th Festival of Albanian Film 

in the 100th Independence Year, 

in Tirana, Albania

PERfACT had the opportunity and pleasure of talking to Regina Longo, Director of The Albanian Cinema Project, about this great initiative, the upcoming World Premiere of the restored Albanian film Nentori i Dyte on Saturday November 3rd in Tirana and much more. 

Regina Longo teaches in the department of Film and Digital Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She specializes in archival theory and practice, international documentary film history and Italian film and cultural studies. Regina is also a professional film and media archivist, who spent six years at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, DC, restoring and reconstructing the outtakes of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah. While at USHMM she also shepherded the acquisition and preservation of the "Julien Bryan Collection." She received her PhD from the Department of Film and Media Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and has published articles in The Journal of the Moving Image, Screening the Past and California Italian Studies. Regina serves as Special Consultant to the Albanian Film Archives and is the Director of the Albanian Cinema Project. 

Why Albania? How did this project come about? 

The project came about as a result of a conversation that I had with a colleague, film producer Thomas Logoreci, who is an American of Albanian descent. He used to live in San Francisco, where I currently reside, and he now lives in Albania and is married to Albanian filmmaker Iris Elezi. Thomas teaches at the Marubi Academy in Tirana (the film school started by Kujtim Cashku, that is located on the grounds of the old Kinostudio right next to the archives. Thomas has worked with the AQSHF to present screenings and as part of the DokuFest programming team. Thomas was in San Francisco for work, and he got in touch with me to ask if I had any advice on how to manage the problems that the AQSHF was currently experiencing. The staff at AQSHF have been doing everything they can and know what the problems are, but the Albanian government does not allocate sufficient funds to the archives to make the changes they need to make to save the film collections. This is a problem everywhere in the world, and not just Albania, government funds for cultural heritage are often scarce. 

I am a professionally trained archivist and I used to work for a US government archive, The Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. So, I volunteered to help the AQSHF by providing their staff with some consultations at a distance (e-mail, Skype) and I began organizing to have some supplies sent to them. Then, in the summer (July 2012) I had the chance to visit and see things first hand and began collaborating with the staff of AQSHF to try to do more to help the archives. The project and the team grew quickly and now we are ready to launch our first restoration project in Tirana. In addition to being a film archivist, I am also a film historian and I teach film history at university. 

To me, the idea of an entire national cinema (Albania) being absent from film history books and film history course was and is inexcusable. Albanians want their film history to be known outside Albania, but it has taken time to organize other aspects of the country and government post 1990s to allow Albanians the time to shift from rebuilding a country after regime change to safeguarding and preserving the country's cultural history. The time is right now to bring Albanian films back out of the archives, and to show and tell the stories of how Albanian cinema intersects with the film history of the rest of Europe and with China and beyond. After my visit in July I also made a report to Aldo Bumci, Albanian Minister of Culture to let him know that we were very serious about making this project work, and he has been supportive. 

That's a diverse group of people. How did you all work together to make something this special and significant for Albania? 

As I mentioned, I have been working in the profession of film and media archiving since 1998. The international community of film archives and film archivists is a small, close-knit community. Of necessity, because as I mentioned in response to your first question, many governments throughout the world do not have sufficient funds to help support and save their cultural heritage. So, international groups of archivists are often in contact with each other to support each other's work. To be in this field, you must have a passion for moving images and an understanding that no one does this work to get financially rich. The riches that come from saving our cultural history are different kinds of rewards, and because of this, there is deep respect across national and political boundaries that does not exist in some other professions. I called on friends and colleagues that I had collaborated with in the past, I explained the situation that exists currently in the Albanian archives and everyone I asked to join the team agreed to help without hesitation. As I mentioned, the passion for preservation is a at the core of any individual working in this profession, and I also had a history of doing good and positive work with these people, we have a relationship built on mutual trust and respect, and that is how we are building this project, with mutual trust and respect of all involved parties. Everyone is giving of their time, and their specific expertise to help this project grow and be successful. 

How long does it take to fully restore and translate one of these films? The first one is 'Nentori i Dyte' right? 

Yes, the first film that we chose is Nentori i Dyte. This title was suggested by former director of AQSHF Artan Minarolli. It is historically significant for many reasons. It is directed by renowned Albanian filmmaker Viktor Gjika, it retells the story of Albanian independence from Ottoman rule, it was in need of preservation and it had never been screened outside Albania and never in a foreign language. We know that the only way that people will begin to appreciate Albanian cinema is if they can see and understand the films, so we are making that happen. The restoration process is a long one. We are just finishing the first digital phase of the restoration and we will show a digital projection in Tirana this week. The costs are quite high, so for reasons that have to do with cost and with technology we are completing this restoration in stages. First of all, the work to translate this 84 minute film from Albanian into English and to create an accurate English language adaptation was a VERY time consuming process. We had 4 people on this team-- 3 native Albanian speakers and one native English speaker. It took almost one month to get it just right, and many, many sleepless nights. We were working on a very tight schedule since the film elements were shipped to the film lab (Colorlab Corp) in Washington, DC in late August and we knew we had to have everything ready to ship back to Tirana by Oct. 29th. While the team in Tirana was working on the translation for the subtitles, the team in Washington, DC at Colorlab was examining by hand every reel of the original camera negative, every reel of the original sound negative, every reel of the projection print that currently exists for the film (all shipped from AQSHF in Tirana) and they had to repair any damage to the reels, check for the color balancing, check for fading, check the soundtrack for kinks, glitches, etc. Once the work of hand inspecting all the reels was done. The work of scanning the original negatives (picture and sound) into the 2K digital scanner required a number of tests of workflow, and so on .This part of the work took another month to complete. Then, it was time to lay the subtitles onto the digital file for the restoration, and this required a native Albanian speaker to be on site at the film lab in DC for two days of work to make sure that everything was timed perfectly on the film. 

How much does it cost to make this happen?

Right now, after 2 months of hard work, the cost for the digital restoration is $20,000 US dollars. We are still working to raise this money to pay for this restoration. In order to make a full preservation on this film. By full preservation for the archives community, this means if something originates on film, you want to preserve it in that original format. So, to make a full film restoration and produce a new, subtitled film print for international distribution (this is our goal for March 2013) will cost $35,000 US dollars. The total cost of the digital work and the film work is $55,000 US dollars. This type of work is very expensive, but we still believe it is worth it to give Albanian cinema its rightful place in international film history. 

How many more films are you working on and would like to restore?

And yes, we do have plans to work on other films, the second, and one that is also not so old (in years) but that is in very bad need of preservation and restoration is Kujtim Cashku's film Balle per Balle (Face to Face 1979), and the plan is to work on Fortuna (1958) after that . Both Balle per Balle and Fortuna have original camera negatives and prints that are in terrible condition, with color fading and problems that occurred during the original film processing. These films will require much more work than what we had to do for Nentori i Dyte, which was faded and had sound track problems, but nothing near the issues that we have with Balle per Balle and Fortuna.

I know and have talked to many individuals that love the project and are interested to help and encourage its continuation. How and where can they donate?

Yes! They can go to our website and go to the donation page: http://www.thealbaniancinemaproject.org/donate.html
Every little bit helps, we are all donating our time and energy now-- but the lab work costs money and this cannot be done for free, so please every little bit helps!

You're about to screen 'Nentori i Dyte' in Albania, the first and the most anticipated film of the initiative. It's the 100 year independence and this project takes a very significant role in preserving the Albanian cinematographic heritage. What are your expectations?

We are very excited about this. In addition to being the opening night film for the 13th Festival of Albanian Film in the 100th Independence Year, we are excited that an international audience will be able to see and understand this film for the first time with English language subtitles. We think it is very important that the first international audience that sees this film sees it in Albania. We are also very excited that the Director of Photography for the film is flying in from his current home in Italy to take part in the event, and that others who were part of the film crew and cast will be in attendance too. The Director of Photography's name is Lionel Konomi.
As you know, the film's director, Viktor Gjika is one of Albania's most important and known filmmakers, and that he ran the Albanian state film studios for a part of his career. We hope that by introducing our project with this film that we can begin to reopen a dialogue in Albania about Albanian cinema. Nearly 20 years have passed since the fall of the regime, and many of the films we will work to restore were made under a regime that was feared and not universally loved by Albanians. So, we know that it is difficult for Albanians to look at some of this history on the big screen. But, we also know that, as is often the case with totalitarian regimes and artists working under such regimes, that the messages that artists were asked to deliver and those that they did deliver to the public through their films and stories were not always what the regime expected or wanted. For this reason, by re-examining these films, we believe that Albanians and the rest of the world will begin to see the value in preserving, restoring and re-examining the role of media in creating, upholding and yes, even changing civil society.

I worked for many years as the film archivist at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and preserved hundreds and hundreds of hours of footage that represent some of the darker aspects of our humanity. The necessity for doing this was always quite clear, if we are to grow as human beings and to come to terms with our past in order not to repeat it, we must be willing to face it and to acknowledge the many shades of gray and many colors that make up our history. It is never an easy task to do this kind of work, but keeping the conversation going is the only way to continue to work for positive change. What we most expect and desire from this restoration and first public screening is a chance for Albanians to get this conversation going and to open up a dialogue with the larger international audiences that we know eagerly anticipate the chance to see this film, and many other Albanian films.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us and I'm looking forward to the screening of this film and many others to follow.

Thank you!

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For more information about this incredible initiative check out The Albanian Cinema Project website, their Facebook and Twitter accounts, and please don't forget to DONATE.

Here's the press release in Albanian and English: