Kosovo hosts 'Manifesta' festival, reclaiming public spaces

Record ID: 1682881

  • Title: Kosovo hosts 'Manifesta' festival, reclaiming public spaces
  • Date: 27th July 2022
  • Summary: PRISTINA, KOSOVO (JULY 27, 2022) (Reuters) (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF OLD BRICK FACTORY IN PRISTINA  (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE OF ARCHITECTS, STUDENTS, AND ARTISTS WORKING TO TURN OLD BRICK FACTORY INTO PUBLIC SPACE  (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF CHIMNEY AT OLD BRICK FACTORY  VARIOUS OF ARCHITECTS TALKING IN OLD FACTORY ARCHITECTS TALKING, WORKER ON LADDER ARCHITECTS WORKING INSIDE FACTORY VARIOUS OF ARCHITECT ON LADDER WORKING ON BRICK WALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) BERLIN-BASED ARCHITECT, BENJAMIN FOERSTER-BALDENIUS, SAYING: "You don’t have a feeling (in Pristina) of a space where you would like to hang out or spend your time. There is also not much water in the city. The two rivers that have been here are probably now sewage canals. That is why I think Pristina has a lot of potential but should use this potential." VARIOUS OF ARCHITECTS CLEANING BRICKS (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE OF PRISTINA PEOPLE WALKING IN SQUARE, BILLBOARD ADVERTISING 'MANIFESTA' FESTIVAL BILLBOARD VARIOUS OF 'MANIFESTA' DIRECTOR HEDWIG FIJEN TALKING WITH STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANIFESTA DIRECTOR, HEDWIG FIJEN, SAYING: "So Manifesta is also a little bit known to understand what reclaiming public space means. So public space, a good example in Pristina is the Mother Theresa boulevard. We thought about what about all the other spaces? How can we create (spaces), especially after COVID where so many families were stuck in their house? How can we help restore buildings or show to the decision makers what you can do with these spaces?" VARIOUS OF HOUSE BUILT AS ART PIECE ON TOP OF BUILDING FACING MOTHER THERESA BOULEVARD / ARTIST ALBAN MUJA WALKING TO ART PIECE CALLED 'ABOVE EVERYONE' FOUNTAIN, PEOPLE WALKING ON MOTHER THERESA BOULEVARD (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) ARTIST, ALBAN MUJA, SAYING: "My art piece shows the phenomenon that happened after the (1999) war in Kosovo, with illegal buildings. There were always illegal buildings in countries in transition, including in the Balkans. But in Kosovo, it was different. Illegal buildings were done on top of the buildings. Above everyone. The idea is not to glorify the illegal buildings but to open a debate about what will happen with these buildings that emerged in the past 23 years.' VARIOUS OF ILLEGAL BUILDINGS IN PRISTINA ART INSTALLATION OF PAPERS HANGING FROM CEILING AT THE HAMAM BUILDING STORIES WRITTEN ON PAPERS, PART OF 'TELL ME YOUR STORY' MADE BY JAPANESE ARTIST CHIHARU SHIOTA VARIOUS OF VISITOR LOOKING AT ART INSTALLATION WHITE PAPER HANGING FEATURING STORY WRITTEN IN ALBANIAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISITOR FROM CZECH REPUBLIC, ANDREAS GAJDOSIK, SAYING: "It is quite nice to see all the architecture in the city and feel the community. The city is not so big, it feels quite friendly." COMMUNIST MONUMENT COVERED IN PINK AS PART OF ART INSTALLATION "NOT A WORD, NOT A THOUGHT, NOT A …" FROM SWISS ARTIST UGO RONDINONE VARIOUS OF ART INSTALLATION
  • Embargoed: 10th August 2022 13:50
  • Keywords: ART ART FESTIVAL KOSOVO MANIFESTA Manifesta festival PRISTINA Pristian art festival art festival in Pristina claiming space festival
  • Location: PRISTINA, KOSOVO
  • City: PRISTINA, KOSOVO
  • Country: Kosovo
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
  • Reuters ID: LVA001478927072022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The art festival 'Manifesta' is taking place in Kosovo's capital Pristina, an event aimed at reclaiming public places. 
    Hundreds of artists and architects from 30 countries are expected to participate in the festival, where they use city landmarks as a canvas for their pieces, and engage in reshaping abandoned areas, such as Pristina's old brick factory.
    Dozens of architects are working at the old brick factory to turn the disused building into a public space available for the community with a water point.
    Berlin-based architect Benjamin Foerster-Baldenius said the city lacks water and spaces "where you would like to hang out or spend your time." He added that the city has unexploited potential. 
    Another installation built for the event is a house on top of a building in the city centre, an homage made to the uncontrolled surge of illegal constructions in Pristina by local artist, Alban Muja.
    Muja said he didn't want to glorify the phenomenon, but "open a debate about what will happen with these buildings."
    'Manifesta' festival was founded in the early 1990s and changes location every two years. 
    The event, which started on July 22 and will close on October 30, features artworks in 25 iconic venues across Pristina, such as the Ottoman Hammam.
    The organizer of the European Nomadic Biennial 'Manifesta', said during the weekend when the event opened more than 6,000 people visited the Balkan country.
    (Production Fatos Bytyci, Hedy Beloucif)
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