Pages

Oct 31, 2012

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!

**********************************************

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:







Oct 27, 2012

Goodnight Sofia | A Film by Leonardo Moro



A film by Leonardo Moro, produced by BBM Film.

24 hours in the life of a girl. 
An inner monologue accompanied by the sounds and lights of the night.

A girl, after suffering a serious loss, goes through the empty streets of a town far away. She’s alone and hurt. Where is she from? What is she looking for? The sounds and lights of the city take her into a journey within herself, at the roots of her pain.

********
24 orë në jetën e një vajzë.
Një monolog i brendshëm shoqëruar nga tingujt dhe dritat e natës.

Një vajzë, pasi pëson humbje të rëndë, lëviz nëpër rrugët boshe të një qyteti larg. Ajo është vetëm dhe e lënduar. Nga është ajo? Çfarë po kërkon? Tingujt dhe dritat e qytetit e çojnë atë në një udhëtim brenda vetes, në rrënjët e dhimbjes së saj.


DIRECTOR's NOTE
Goodnight Sofia is the story of a voice lost forever. A voice full of life and projects. My father’s voice.
The last memory I have of him, or at least the sharpest, is linked to Sofia and to his voice. It’s a small memory , but it’s the only one I have. A phone call, which lasted five or six minutes; I was passing through Sofia after a trip to Istanbul, he was home. Everything was normal, as usual.
My father took his own life two months later.
For a long time I asked myself how could I save him. Why I did not understand? For a long time i wasn’t able to look at pictures of him or to pronounce his name. I felt betrayed and abandoned.
I went back to Sofia to look for his voice, in those streets that he had never seen. Far from home, far from everything. I started from the end to find him.
The present, in the film, is represented by a lonely girl in a ghost town. The past is the recall of an imaginary childhood, almost magic, through my childhood, cinema’s childhood, Sofia’s childhood, and the childhood of other families far and lost.
Goodnight Sofia is not a film on my father. Goodnight Sofia is a film for my father.
Leonardo Moro
******** 
Goodnight Sofia është historia e një zëri të humbur përgjithmonë. Një zëri plotë jetë dhe projekte. Zëri i babait tim.
Kujtimi i fundit që kam prej tij, ose ai më i mprehti, është i lidhur me Sofjen dhe zërin e tij. Ky është një kujtim i vogël, por është i vetmi që kam. Një telefonatë, e cila zgjati pesë apo gjashtë minuta; unë po kaloja nëpër Sofje pas një udhëtimi në Stamboll, ai ishte në shtëpi. Çdo gjë ishte normale, si zakonisht.
Babai im mori jetën e tij dy muaj më vonë.
Për një kohë të gjatë kam pyetur veten se si mund ta shpëtojë atë. Pse unë nuk e kam kuptuar? Për një kohë të gjatë nuk kam qenë në gjendje të shoh fotot e tij ose të them emrin e tij. U ndjeva i tradhtuar dhe i braktisur.
U ktheva në Sofje të shikoja për zërin e tij, në ato rrugë që ai kurrë nuk i kishte parë. Larg nga shtëpia, larg nga gjithçka. Kam filluar nga fundi për ta gjetur atë.
Dita e sotshme në film përfaqësohet nga një vajzë e vetmuar në një qytet fantazmë. E kaluara  është kujtesa e një fëmijërie të imagjinuar, pothuajse magjike, me anë të fëmijërisë sime, fëmijërisë së kinemasë, fëmijërisë së Sofjes, si dhe fëmijërisë së familjeve të tjera që kanë humbur larg.
Goodnight Sofia nuk është një film mbi babain tim. Goodnight Sofia është një film për babain tim.
Leonardo Moro
credits
director
LEONARDO MORO
screenplay
LEONARDO MORO LORENZO ROBUSTI
photography
LORENZO ROBUSTI
editor
EDVARD TEAR
sound
TOSHIAKI KOBAYASHI
music
DOROTHY HAYDEN
produced by
LEONARDO MORO LORENZO ROBUSTI
production
BBM FILM
with:
LUCIA TELORI
NIKOLINA YANCHEVA
DOMENICO PELINI
                  2012 / ITALY / 54’/ HD
                           CONTACT
                           BBM FILM
                               ITALY
                     bbmfilm@gmail.com
******** 
I invite you all to join us at the premiere screening of Goodnight Sofia in Tirana at Tirana Ekspres, this Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 19:30. For more information check us out on Facebook and Twitter

I would like to thank the director Leonardo Moro for giving us the opportunity to screen the film in Tirana and wish him good luck and future success :).

Also, I would like to thank the staff of Tirana Ekspres for making it happen. Thank you guys!
See you all there!!

Oct 23, 2012

Architecture in Albania | A Gentle Manifest


Architecture has less to do with interior decoration and much more with policy and education. Change can't come with building beautiful objects for people that don't know or can't ever appreciate a better lifestyle and quality of life. This holds especially true to developing countries (Albania in this case).

Architecture shouldn't be revolutionary when there is no proper functioning and healthy infrastructures, such as roads to take you home, safe and drinkable running water, electricity or unsustainable waste and pollution that's present in all public areas as soon as you leave the beautifully arranged private apartment.

Architecture shouldn't be Revolutionary without being Evolutionary first. It should work to educate individuals on how to better their immediate surroundings by changing their habits for a safer well being. It should allow these individuals to come together and show this change in public spaces day in and day out. It should mediate a stronger and real synergy and collaboration between policymakers and people, to encourage healthier, happier, and ultimately discover that latent potential of revolutionary change.

So, how are we going to get the change that is on everyone's mind these days?

Not by saying it, not by posting it, not by protesting, not by being confrontational, not by blaming the other - but by educating citizens and government to allow, to push and make it happen; to discover the potential of a better quality of life; to embrace individual and community growth that will result in positive city progress and ultimately form a solid and much needed indisputable national identity. At least architects can help build that in a way.

How long will today's status-quo hold?
Well you be the judge.

Uneducated self made millionaires are interested only in expensively arranging the interior of their homes.
Uneducated self made millionaires drive expensive cars in badly deteriorated roads.
The corrupted political system makes and break laws and public policies as if they are personal to-do lists.
Outdated infrastructures are barely holding up and soon will no longer be feasible to supply anything at all.
The rest of the population? Well everyone has an iphone, so life's good.

There's a lack of a productive/ successful public mindset, and an overwhelming, overcompensation of ego and bling.

People need to understand that they do not stand alone, independent from what surrounds them. They're part of an ecology, a very complex entropic system that makes life happen. They need to look at this bigger picture instead of just circling the edge. They're letting things fall through the cracks so consistently fast that they won't be able to grab onto the lifelines it can provide. An individual success story can be the greatest thing, it can stimulate the ego and parade the bling. I have nothing against it. But what this says to me, is that it is static in such an environment. It has reached its max. That's all it can do (ego+bling), nothing more.

If the community or the city you live in is struggling to have the most basic viable infrastructural needs (water, electricity, safety) then millionaires are no better off than the rest of us. They live in the same broken environment. The change they've made in their lives is and will remain static in a place that doesn't offer the best quality of life for them. So they should be the first ones to initiate a stronger public mindset and productive change.

What happens next then?

Change, some say. That's the problem, because when we think change, everyone thinks a revolution - and that's the wrong immediate intervention tactic for a long-term strategy of change.

I agree that change comes from the people, it needs to come from them, but only if they participate - and not only by being present in protests or playing the blame game, but by changing their daily behaviors towards their own immediate surroundings, by educating themselves to a better quality of life, by being independent but considerate thinkers, and by taking action on all this. 

To be courageous and to change means to be a lot more curious about your potential in it and what it offers.
I write this because I believe people have the ability and the will to change.
I write this because this particular developing country has a lot to offer; opportunities and latent potential to get better and give its citizens the fullest quality of life.

Change can be slow, in this case even slower but it should not be static.


**************************************************


Oct 21, 2012

Color | The Effect of an Influential Language

**Creative Sunday Series

Vjeshta eshte sezoni me interesant dhe frymezues sepse cdo gje ndryshon, sidomos dita jone qe mbushet me aktivitete, pune, shkolle... Ditet e dembelosura neper plazhe menjehere zhduken, si ne rastin tim e vetmja pergjigje tani eshte "BUSY!!!". 
Prandaj, gjeni nje moment kete te diele dhe hidhini nje sy ambientit dhe jetes qe iu rrethon. 
Shijoni ndryshimet qe vjeshta sjell!
Frymezohuni nga shnderrimi i ngjyrave te saj!
Vleresoni efektin qe i jep jetes tuaj te perditshme. 

The Effect of Color | Efekti i Ngjyrave

[00:24] Color Theory Teoria e Ngjyrave

Mixtures and implementation of combinations of color.
Perzierja dhe implementimi i kombinimeve te ngjyrave.

[01:50] Psychology of Color Psikologjia e Ngjyrave

A silent or an emotional language associated universally, culturally and individually.
Nje gjuhe e heshtur apo emocionale e nderlidhur ne menyre universale, kulturore dhe personale.

[03:30] Color Trends Trendet e Ngjyrave 

Evolution of an economical, social, political, technological, environmental shift.
Evolucion i nje ndryshimi ekonomik, social, politik, teknologjik dhe mjedisor.

[04:53] Color in Art Ngjyrat  ne Art

256 Colors in GIFs.
256 Ngjyra ne GIFe. 


Watch The Effect of Color | OFF BOOK on PBS. See more from Off Book.

via PBS


Oct 14, 2012

Open Invitation | Albanie 1913




On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Independence of Albania
«Albania 1913» a selection of photographs and footage 
from the Albert Kahn Foundation's project «Planet Archives», 
October 24th to November 22nd, 2012 in the main cities of Albania.


********
A l’occasion du Centenaire de l’Indépendance de l’Albanie,
«Albanie 1913», une sélection de photos et films 
du projet «Archives de le Planète» de la Fondation Albert Kahn 
du 24 Octobre au 22 Novembre 2012 dans les principales villes d’Albanie.

********

Me rastin e 100-vjetorit të Pavarsisë së Shqipërisë
«Shqipëria 1913» një përzgjedhje fotografish dhe filmime 
nga projekti «Arkivat e Planetit» i Fondacionit Albert Kahn
nga data 24 Tetor deri në 22 Nëntor 2012 në qytetet kryesore të Shqipërisë.


Për më tepër informacion lexoni dokumentin e mëposhtëm:




Oct 13, 2012

Performative Acts | Ballet Preljocaj in Tirana

October 19-20, 2012 @20:00h

Angelin Preljocaj is a well-known french-albanian choreographer and dancer that returns to the Albanian stage with the work of Laurent Mauvignier "What I Call Oblivion".

His works enliven the spatial emptiness of the common stage. The performative acts of the bodies (dancers) transform this space, from a peripheral surrounding where a piece of life (the ballet) happens, into the protagonist, one that builds its character from the attitudes and forms of the bodies that populate it, and fully projects it to the audience. 
Performative acts that metamorphose a banal space - the common stage breathes in the life, essence and forms of the ballet, and lets it out as art. 
"This work, inspired by a common event that occurred at a supermarket in Lyon, tells the tragic story of a marginalized teen, beaten to death by four guards after he had drunk one beer can without paying it. Political reflection on social violence - the text shares the same feeling with the victim's body"This is a single sentence, says the choreographer, a long sentence without an end that deeply unites the game of the troop with literary structure. I thought ballet could take on this subject by putting the story in perspective and using a choreographic writing that would be specific to it." With "What I Call Limbo", performed by six dancers and an actor, Angelin Preljocaj presents a new genre between theater and ballet, a mastery of art and the brutality of life."

" Me rastin e 100-vjetorit të Pavarësisë së Shqipërisë, Franca, Ministria e Kulturës dhe Opera e Tiranës kanë organizuar mbërritjen e trupës së baletit të koreografit të njohur Angjelin Preljocaj në Tiranë.
Do të jepen dy shfaqje, ditën e premte 19 tetor dhe të shtunë 20 tetor, ora 20:00.Baleti quhet "Ajo që unë e quaj harresë". Gjithmonë i dashuruar me veprat e forta letrare, Angelin Preljocaj ka zgjedhur të bëjë koreografinë dhe të vërë në skenë tekstin e Laurent Mauvignier, Ajo që unë e quaj harresë.
Ky fiksion i frymëzuar nga një ngjarje e zakonshme që ka ndodhur në një supermarket në Lion tregon historinë tragjike të një të riu të margjinalizuar të rrahur për vdekje nga katër roje pasi ai kishte pirë aty një kanaçe birre pa e paguar atë. Reflektim politik mbi dhunën sociale, teksti ndan të njëjtën ndjenjë me trupin e viktimës. "Kjo është një fjali e vetme, thotë koreografi, një fjali e gjatë e pambarimtë, e cila bashkon thellësisht lojën e trupave dhe strukturën letrare. Mendova se baleti mund ta merrte këtë subjekt, duke vendosur tregimin në perspektivë, dhe duke përdorur një shkrim koreografik, i cili do të ishte specifik për të". Me "Ajo që unë e quaj harresë", e interpretuar nga gjashtë balerinë dhe një aktor, Angelin Preljocaj krijon një shfaqje të një gjinie të re, midis teatrit dhe baletit, mjeshtri e artit dhe e brutalitetit të jetës." [Ambasada Franceze ne Shqiperi]

Oct 10, 2012

Open Invitation | #pinyourcity Contest by Philips


Philips Livable Cities Pinterest Contest
#pinyourcity

What makes your city livable and lovable?

A great city shouldn't just be livable, it should be lovable too. All cities have a variety of ingredients that make them unique, but what made you fall in love with your city?

The Philips Livable Cities #pinyourcity Contest is searching for the most creative Pinterest board that shows why your city is both livable and lovable.

A panel of city experts will be judging the contest and the winning entries will be determined by the #pinyourcity boards which are the most imaginative, original and inspiring.

Check out this video to see what it's all about!


Prizes:

Winner
Health and well-being pack worth €1000

Runners up
Health and well-being packs worth €500 for 3 runners up

More Runners up

This is a great opportunity to show off your city!! 
You have until NOVEMBER 16th, 2012 to enter the contest. Do not miss it!!

For more information and contest rules check out the website at Philips.



Oct 8, 2012

'Flying Carpet' transforms inhabitable space | Numen/For Use

via Numen/For Use

Projekti i fundit i grupit Kroat Numen/For Use për festivalin D-Day të Zagrebit, me titull 'Fusha Zagreb', është një tapet i varur jeshil që shndërron interiorin e një thërtoreje të vjetër, tashmë të braktisur.

Croatian collective Numen/For Use latest project for Zagreb’s D-Day festival, the ‘Field Zagreb‘ is a suspended green carpet that transforms the interior of old unused slaughterhouse.

via Numen/For Use
Ja përmbledhja e projektit:
" Fusha e pezullt është një projekt hapësinor që ka të bëjë me mënyrën se si e kuptojmë natyrën, burimet e saj dhe qëndrimi jonë ndaj tyre. Perceptimi i zakonshëm i njeriut ndaj tokës shpjegohet me dy paradigma paradoksale: toka si një masë e patundshme me peshë të pafund dhe toka si një sipërfaqe e thjeshtë dy dimensionale. Kultivimi i një fushe që nuk qëndron mbi tokë, por lundron në një copë tekstili që pulson mes mureve të mbyllura, i provokon të dy këto koncepte. Qilimi 'i gjelbër' kalon të gjithë ciklin vegjetativ, nga mbirja në tharje. Shfaqja e këtij instalimi artificial, por prapë të gjallë, vë dezajnerin në një kontekst tjetër, atë të fermerit. Në këtë rast, aftësitë janë të gjitha në lidhje me optimizimin e dendësisë së mbjelljes, zgjedhja e kulturës së duhur dhe përcaktimi i saktë i ujitjes. Ky proces na bën të vetëdijshëm për brishtësinë dhe fuqinë e jetës. Nga njëra anë, jemi dëshmitarë të faktit të pabesueshëm që bimët rriten në rroba dhe nga ana tjetër, përballemi me pasojat fatale të ujitjes së pamjaftueshme apo të tepërt."
via Numen/For Use
 Here's the project brief: 
" The suspended Field is a spatial project related to our comprehension of nature, its resources and our attitude towards it. The men`s common perception of earth is defined by two paradoxical paradigms, one of earth as immobile mass of infinite weight and other as earth like a plain, two dimensional surface. Growing the field, which is not tied to the ground, but floating on pulsating piece of textile in between closed walls, provokes both of those concepts. The "green" carpet undergoes the entire vegetative cycle, from sprouting to disintegration. The emergence of this artificial, yet live installation, puts the designer in a different context, in a position of a dedicated farmer. In this case, the skills are all about optimization of the density of sowing, the choice of the right sowing culture and determining the precise dosage of the irrigation. This process makes us aware of both the fragility and power of life. From one side, we witness the incredible fact that plants grow out of cloth, and from the other we face the fatal consequences of insufficient or over irrigation."
via Numen/For Use

Ky projekt/instalacion përcjell një koncept mjaft origjinal të artistëve:

Shndërrimi i një vendi të lënë pas dore në Hapësirë Dinamike
sPublike aq dhe të Qëndrueshme.

*****************************************

This project/installation conveys an original concept from the artists:

Transforming a neglected space into a Thriving Place
as Public as it is Sustainable



Oct 5, 2012

Featured Artist | LICHTFAKTOR

Take a look at what Performative Art can do in Public Spaces!

LICHTFAKTOR - A COLLECTIVE OF LIGHT PAINTING ARTISTS, PERFORMERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS AND MEDIA ARTISTS who are constantly pioneering into new territories of expression. Elements ranging from light painting photography, media art installations and interactive media performances blend into an exciting experience.







To check out their portfolio and to learn more about their work, check out their website LICHTFAKTOR.



Oct 1, 2012

Concrete Mushrooms | The Documentary

Here's CONCRETE MUSHROOMS full length documentary.
For those of you who are not familiar with this project check here, here, here.



by Elian Stefa & Gyler Mydyti - 2010

Public Debut [6 Month Residence] at Marubi Studio exhibition
May-November 2010 - Helsinki Museum of Cultures, Helsinki FINLAND 

Dokufest 6 Official Selection
August 2010 - Prizren KOSOVO 

ARUP’s Drivers of change 1st Prize Winner in the Video Category
July 2011 - London UK

Part of the 'Concrete in Common' exhibition
August 2012 - Kunst Raum Riehen, Basel SWITZERLAND 

Aug-Nov 2012  Venice ITALY 

Official Selection Balkan Film Festival
November 2012 - Munich GERMANY