Pendulum: Cultural Dispatches From Albania: Recent Episodes
Pendulum: Cultural Dispatches From Albania
Pendulum is a bi-monthly audio feature exploring the unique confluence of art, culture and society in and around Albania from the inside perspective of Albanian artists and thinkers.
Ky episod i tretë i Pendulum trajton perceptimin e Europës në Shqipëri gjatë tre periudhave historike. Pjesa e parë përfshin një bashkëbisedim të zhvilluar nga historiani Stavri Çifligu me gazetarin Ben Andoni. Biseda analizon imazhin e Evropës përmes karikaturave propagandistike shqiptare, me fokus të veçantë periudhën e regjimit komunist dhe revistën e njohur satirike të asaj kohe, Hosteni. Pjesa e dytë përfshin një bashkëbisedim të realizuar nga artistja pamore Lori Lako, me Robert Pichler, historian austriak i studimeve të Evropës Juglindore dhe fotograf. Biseda trajton mënyrën se si Evropa politike dhe europianët perceptoheshin në një vend ende të izoluar dhe se si ky perceptim ka ndryshuar ndër vite. Pjesa e tretë përfshin një sërë intervistash të realizuara nga aktivistja kulturore, Diana Malaj, në rrugët e Kamzës, qytet në të cilin në vitin 2013 nisi procesi i riemërtimit të rrugëve me emra kryeqytetesh botërore si; Roma, Londra, Berlin, Helsinki, Bruksel etj. Emra që mbeten një aludim i qartë i ëndrrës së largët europiane.
This third episode of Pendulum treats the perception of Europe in Albania during three historical periods. The first part includes a conversation conducted by the historian Stavri Çifligu with the journalist Ben Andoni. The conversation analyses the image of Europe through albanian propaganda cartoons, with a special focus on the period of the communist regime and the well-known satirical magazine of that time, Hosteni. The second part, includes a conversation conducted by the visual artist Lori Lako, with Robert Pichler, austrian historian of Southeast European studies and photographer. The conversation addresses the way the political Europe and europeans were perceived in a still isolated country and how this perception has changed through the years. The third part includes a series of interviews realized by the cultural activist, Diana Malaj, in the streets of Kamza, city in which in 2013 started a process of renaming the streets with names of world capitals such as; Rome, London, Berlin, Helsinki, Brussels, etc. Names which remain a clear allusion of the distant european dream.
In this second episode of “Pendulum: Cultural Dispatches from Albania”, Diana Malaj, a cultural activist based in Kamza explores the poetry of Luljeta Lleshanaku through the city and the city from the poetry of Luljeta. During their conversation they read parts of her poems and talk about her experience between the village and the city and how that has shaped some of the edges of her poetry. Just like poetry, the city is not an organic whole but a fragmented totality that we always grasp in pieces. For more information on the Pendulum Project, follow us on social media.
What are the abandoned buildings whispering to us?
In this debut episode of 'Pendulum: Cultural Dispatches From Albania', Lori Lako, a visual artist based in Florence, Alketa Ramaj, a visual artist based in Berlin and Eni Derhemi, an artist and art historian based in Bologna, create narratives that take the listener inside three abandoned buildings in Albania. Once, each of these buildings signified political and idealogical statements, today they are neglected and exist in a suspended state, derelict or defunct. Our narrators explain their personal connections to the buildings, from childhood to the present day and invite us to consider the contrast between personal histories and political eras.
In the second part of the episode Lori Lako interviews Doriana Musai, architect and activist based in Tirana. She talks about the transformation of the city of Tirana and highlights the importance of the preservation and documentation of the architectural heritage.
For more information on the Pendulum project, visit pendulumpodcast.com and follow us on social media