DITA E RE
2023 a project realized in collaboration with Brigita Gecaj, Zoja Markaj, Leze Quni, Marija Prenka, Roza Prenka
This work is part of the exhibitions organized by Documentation Center of Kosovo and is supported by the Swiss Confederation - the Swiss Federal Department fo Foreign Affairs.
“Dita e re" is a project I initiated by creating an archive of photographs from my childhood, just before leaving Rezina, a small village near Gjakova, from which I had to flee due to the outbreak of war. I vividly remember that, as we were trying to escape, one of the first things my family took with us were the photographs. It was an instinctive gesture, an attempt to preserve memories of our homeland from the destruction of war and carry with us a fragment of a time we didn't know if we would ever have the chance to revisit.
After selecting the photographs, I made a significant discovery: in one of them, a carpet that once adorned my aunt's house had been burned by the Serbian army during a fire. This carpet became the starting point of my project, as it symbolizes a life before the war, a moment that was abruptly interrupted and that I tried to resurrect from the ashes of that carpet destroyed by flames.
Subsequently, I decided to transform these photographs into actual carpets, printing them on fabrics and using them for their creation. The creation process involves the manual insertion of one thread at a time into perforated fabric; this is an ancient traditional technique practiced by Kosovar women during the pre-marital period when they created carpets called "Jani" as part of the dowry. Printing these photographs aims to connect the images to a tradition passed down from generation to generation, thus transforming the carpet into an object that tells stories.
I then worked on the relational aspect of the project by actively involving the women in my family, including my mother, grandmother, and aunts, in the making of the carpets. This project offered us the opportunity to work together and share our personal stories about the onset of the war, broken bonds, and the changes we experienced. In the exhibition dedicated to “Dita e re,” visitors can see videos showing hands knotting threads and listen to voices narrating personal experiences related to the beginning of the war. Weaving the carpets became the key to giving voice to something otherwise inexpressible, and this is the beating heart of “Dita e re."
Therefore, I chose to name the project “Dita e re" to symbolize the rebirth of something that had been destroyed by the events of war, thanks to the work of hands and the power of shared stories.
THREE PLUS THREE
Created by Brigita Gecaj
2023, Cotton fabric with holes, crocheted with synthetic yarn, 155 x 125 cm
REUNION WITH AUNTS AND UNCLES
2023, cotton fabric with holes, crocheted with synthetic yarn, 160 x 130 cm
BACHELORETTE NIGHT
created by Roza Prenka
2023, Cotton fabric with holes, crocheted with synthetic yarn, 155 x 125 cm
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