During our fifth session of “Book as an Artwork” workshop we welcomed Ferdi Limani with his lecture on “Storytelling through photography”.
We discussed how to communicate important social issues to the public through photography and how by mastering the frame we guide the eye of the audience.
We learned good practices in photography by exploring Ferdi’s beginner mistakes and evolution of his style towards simplicity, as well as the importance of learning from mistakes.
We explored the strength that comes from limitations (either in equipment or environment), how to take photos with respect for the people/subjects, as well as the importance of taking your time to take a picture.
Ferdi Limani is an independent photographer, who works with Getty Images. He studied journalism and with local and international media in news and documentary projects.
This program is made possible with the generous support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Kosovo.
Ksci-Fi Video Klub comes back with a Halloween Special, with the screening of The Thing (1982) directed by John Carpenter.
Come by the StoryLab space on Friday, 31st of October 2025, at 18:00.
What better way to deal with chilling weather than with this seminal science fiction horror set in Antarctica. Feel the solitary chills at the back of your neck from vast snowy expanses and all the way to claustrophobic corridors of research stations.
During our fourth session of “Book as an Artwork” workshop we welcomed Fatmir Mustafa Karllo with his lecture performance titled “Book of ideas”.
Karllo discussed how we complement each other as a group during the process of co-creation, as well as the role of instinct, improvisation, and spontaneity in the creative process.
Karllo also focused on the importance that the process of transformation plays in creating artworks, and made us think about impossible books: how to create an invisible book; what if we create a book that no one reads; a book that is present only at certain times; a book that is only one copy; a book that deletes itself.
During the workshop we collaborated with Karllo to create a book in the form of conceptual artwork.
Fatmir Mustafa Karllo graduated from the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Arts in the Department of Painting. From 2009 until 2018 he lived in Finland, where he also finished his master’s degree in the Department of Sculpture in the University of Arts “Kuvataideakatemia” in Helsinki.
In 2007 he won the award for “Artists of Tomorrow” from the National Gallery of Kosova.
His performances, installations and his visual works have been presented in different exhibitions, solo as well as group exhibitions in Prishtina, Helsinki, Brussels, Milano, Zagreb, Skopje, and New York.
He is the initiator of the project “On Top Residency” (2020) on a panoramic hill near the village of Butovc, where he built a “gallery without walls” with a view of Prishtina. He also founded the institute for Art and Culture Epifani in 2022. His personal exhibition “Strange Seed” was showed in the National Gallery of Kosovo in 2003.
During our third session of “Book as an Artwork” workshop we looked at several examples of artists’ books. We discussed technologies of mass production and how they affect artworks, especially when compared to classical art
We saw how some art movements used artbook making as a utopian project. We focused on the relationship between form and content, experimentation as a process, and saw some examples of how randomness and permutations were incorporated into different works.
We also saw examples of how new technologies were integrated into artbook projects starting with the early avant garde of the 1900s all the way to some current examples.
During our second session of “Book as an Artwork” workshop we discussed history of contemporary art and how it relates to artbooks and zines. The importance of concepts and ideas, social context, use of ready-made objects, intentionality, and transfromation in art were discussed, among others.
We discussed questions like: What is art; Who decides; what is its role in society; value of an artwork; how can we make art more accessible; etc.
In the second part we discussed zines, what makes them a unique art form, and some of the advantages of the medium.
During the first session of “Book as an Artwork” workshop we welcomed participants from Kosovo, Albania, Germany, and the United States.
As always, we are super happy to have such a diverse group that includes architects, artists, designers, university professors, writers, game designers, publishers, economists, journalists, multimedia artists, as well as established zines and book artists who constantly enrich our classes with their unique views and discussions.
As StoryLab we are very honored for the opportunity to learn from their diverse experiences and have a chance to cross pollinate ideas.
All of the participants shared their great ideas and concepts for their upcoming zines and artbooks, and artworks and books relevant to their projects were recommended.
StoryLab nga Kosova dhe dasvinzenz nga Gjermania ftojnë artistë nga Kosova të aplikojnë me një vepër të performancës artistike për ekspozitën e rradhës të titulluar “In Between | Në mes | Dazwischen” që do të ndodhë njëkohësisht në Prishtinë dhe Mynih nga 14 deri më 16 nëntor 2025.
Vendi dhe koha
Data e performancës: E premte, 14 nëntor 2025
Lokacioni i performancës: Stacioni i autobusëve, Prishtinë
Koncepti i ekspozitës
“Në mes” është eveniment që përfshinë ekspozitë, performancë, e ndodhi që së bashku tregojnë historinë e dy qyteteve – Mynihut dhe Prishtinës – përmes eksplorimit të peizazheve urbane, artit, kulturës dhe realiteteve socio-politiko-ekonomike.
Tema e Performancës
Shpresojmë që performanca artistike jo vetëm do të shqyrtojë lidhjen mes Prishtinës dhe Mynihut, por gjithashtu të eksplorojë tematikat si “Pragjet e ritualet”, “Tranzicionet”, dhe/ose “Transformimet”.
Si të aplikoni
Afati i aplikimit: 13 tetor 2025
Ju lutem na dërgoni email tek info@storylab.al me informatat e mëposhtme:
Koncept propozimin e performancës (300-500 fjalë)
Ju lutem shpjegoni nëse ka ndonjë nevojë specifike/speciale për produksion
Opsionale: përfshini diagrame, foto, dhe/ose vizatime relevante që do të ndihmonin në vizualizimin dhe ilustrimin e konceptit të performancës.
Një biografi të shkurtë (deri në 200 fjalë)
Portfolion e punëve artistike
Propozimin e buxhetit
1,000 euro bruto, ku përfshihen pagesa(t) e artistit dhe çmimet e produksionit (nëse ka)
Ju lutem të shpjegoni qartë shprëndarjen e këtyre fondeve
StoryLab from Kosovo and dasvinzenz from Germany invite artists based in Kosovo to submit works of performance art for an upcoming exhibition titled “In between | Në mes | Dazwischen” that will happen simultaneously in Prishtina and Munich from the 14th to 16th November 2025.
Time and Place
Date of the performance: Friday,14th of November 2025
Location of the performance: Prishtina Bus Station
Exhibition Concept
“In Between” borders between exhibition, performance, and happening that tells the simultaneous and superimposed story of two cities — Munich and Prishtina — by exploring the ever-evolving urban landscapes, art, culture and socio-political-economic realities.
Theme of the Commissioned Performance Artwork
We hope that the performance art will not only delve into the connection between Prishtina and Munich, but also explore the following topics: “Thresholds and Rituals”, “Transitions” and/or “Transformations”.
Duke kuptuar rëndësinë e hapësirave publike, ju prezentojmë “StoryLab Communities”, ku njerëzit mund të vijnë dhe të përdorin hapësirën e StoryLab per aktivitete, mbledhi, takime komunitetit, etj.
Duke pasur parasysh mungesën e hapësirave publike në Prishtinë, dëshirojmë t’i hapim dyert për studentë, klube, artistë, grupe joformale, punonjës të kulturës, kolektive të ndryshme, organizata ekzistuese apo në ndërtim e sipër, etj.
Tani nuk keni më arsyetime për ta shtyer atë mbledhjen apo ndodhinë e rradhës!
Ngjarjet mund të jenë të përsëritshme apo të ndodhin vetëm një herë.
Për fillim, në dispozicion për komunitetin janë ditët e marte dhe të enjte, nga ora 15:00 deri në orën 18:00.
Ju lutem të na njoftoni të paktën një javë më herët.
“StoryLab Communities” aktualisht nuk merr asnje grant apo financim publik, dhe mbështetet krejtësisht nga dedikimi i ekipit të StoryLab.
Nëse ju pëljnë gjërat që bëjmë dhe dëshironi të kontribuoni e të na ndihmoni për të vazhduar në këtë drejtim, ju lutemi na kontaktoni në info@storylab.al
Recognizing the importance of public spaces, we present StoryLab Communities, where people can come and use the StoryLab space for their activities, meetings, community events, etc.
Considering the lack of public spaces in Prishtina we would like to open our doors free of charge to students, clubs, artists, informal groups, culture workers, collectives, upcoming or existing organizations, etc.
Now there’s no excuse to delay that meeting or event!
Events can be one-time or recurring.
We are starting with Tuesdays and Thursdays, 15:00 to 18:00.
StoryLab Communities currently receives no public funding or grants, and is solely supported by the dedicated StoryLab team. If you love what we are doing and would like to contribute and help us keep the lights on, please contact us at info@storylab.al
StoryLab ju fton të aplikoni për këtë seri 6-javore punëtorish dhe ligjëratash që përqëndrohen në krijimin e librave të artit dhe zinave/revistëzave. Me përfundimin e këtij programi në nivel universitar, pjesëmarrësit do të kenë përfunduar të paktën një zinë apo libër arti për tu botuar në bashkëpunim me StoryLab.
Pavarësisht avancimeve teknologjike, libri mbetet një nga mediumet akoma të patejkaluara për përçimin e informacionit. Kështuqë, punëtoritë do fokusohen në eksplorimin e origjinës së librave të artit dhe evolimin e tyre përgjatë viteve. Gjithashtu, do të përfshihen tema tjera si e ardhmja e librit, kombinimin e mediave analoge me ato digjitale, përdorimi i fotografisë dhe ilustrimeve, eksperimente të ndryshme me forma hibride tekst-imazh, botimi nën buxhet dhe mjete të kufizuara, botimi si përpjekje shoqërore e komunitare, etj.
Secili pjesëmarrës do të konceptualizojë, përpunojë, dhe përfundojë një punim të gatshëm për botim, që mund të ketë formën e një libër arti, zinës, katalogut, apo çfarëdo eksperimenti tjetër në botim. Teknikat krijuese do të shkojnë përtej shtypit e punimeve digjitale dhe mund të përfshijnë edhe vepra të artit konceptual.
Koha dhe vendi
Programi 6-javor do të përfshijë punëtori, ligjërata, diskutime në grup, sesione pune, vizita studimore, etj.
Programi do të mbahet fizikisht në Prishtinë, tek hapësira e StoryLab. Për lehtësi të pjesëmarrësve tanë ndërkombëtarë, do të ofrojmë gjithashtu mundësinë për t’i ndjekur punëtoritë online.
Programi pritet të fillojë në fund të shtatorit 2025 dhe të përfundojë në fillim të nentorit 2025.
Formati
Punëtoria do të drejtohet nga Artrit Bytyçi, M.F.A. në Shkrim Kreativ nga The New School në New York City, i cili do të përdorë përvojën e tij të punës në industrinë e librave të artit në New York. Programi, gjithashtu, është i ndërtuar dhe zgjeruar mbi si përvojën e klasës për libra arti dhe zina që Artrit Bytyçi përgjatë 7 viteve e ka zhvilluar për dhe ligjëruar në mjedis universitar në Kosovë.
Programi do të ketë ligjërues mysafirë me përvojë në krijimin dhe botimin e librave të artit e zinave, proçeset redaktuese, fotografi, dizajn, art konceptual, etj.
Programi përmbanë gjithsejt 12 sesione, me rreth 8-10 pjesëmarrës, dhe do të mbahet dy herë në javë.
Aplikimi
Ky program është falas për pjesëmarrësit.
Ju lutemi sigurohuni që të aplikoni përpara afatit. Zgjatur deri më 15 shtator 2025.
StoryLab invites you to apply for a 6-week series of workshops and lectures that focus on creating zines and artbooks. By the end of this university-level course, participants will have completed a zine or an artbook ready for publication with StoryLab.
Despite the latest technological advances, the physical book remains an unsurpassed content delivery method over many other media forms. Therefore, the program will focus on exploring the origin of artbooks and their evolution throughout the years. Other topics will include the future of the physical book as a medium, linking analogue with digital media, uses of photography and illustration, various experiments with hybrid text-image forms, publishing and printing with technological and budgetary constraints, as well as publishing as a societal and communal endeavor.
Each participant will conceptualize, develop and finalize a work for publication, which could be in a variety of genres/types such as artist books, zines, catalogues and artbooks, experiments in publication. The creation methods will include both analogue methods and/or digital tools, and the created works will go beyond printed publications and digital media formats and might even incude conceptual art pieces.
Time and Place
This 6-week program will feature workshops, lectures, group discussions, work sessions, study visits etc.
The program will be held in person in Prishtina, at StoryLab space. For the convenience of our international participants, we will also provide an option to follow the workshops online.
The program is expected to start in late September 2025 and end in early-November 2025.
Format
Workshop sessions will be led by Artrit Bytyçi, M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the New School in New York City, who will utilize their experience gained while working in artbooks industry in NYC. The program also builds upon and expands on an artbook and zine course Artrit Bytyçi developed and taught for 7 years at one of the local universities in Kosovo.
The program will also feature guest lecturers who have experience in artbook and zine publication, the editorial process, photography, design, publication, conceptual art etc.
The program will span 12 sessions in total, with around 8-10 participants, and will be held twice a week.
Application:
This program is free for participants.
Please make sure you apply before our deadline. Deadline extended to 15 September 2025.
Join us for a 5-day workshop in Prishtina to examine walkability as a lens and method for exploring memory, trauma, and gendered experiences in a post-conflict city.
Through embodied practices, we will uncover hidden narratives, alternative memories, and everyday experiences shaped by past violence, resistance and ongoing reconfigurations of who has the right to claim the city—and whose history and memory count—rendering various stories and footpaths (in)visible.
We invite students, researchers, practitioners, and activists from fields such as social sciences, humanities, architecture, urban studies, geography, and more to collaboratively experiment with interdisciplinary research methods and creative mapping.
The workshop offers a shared space to develop an inclusive, durable, and embodied research framework for an in-depth exploration of walkability through the intersections of gender, space, memory, history, agency and trauma, within the dynamic center of Prishtina.
For more information and the application visit this link.
We are delighted to present Ksci-Fi Video Klub, a series of sci-fi movie screenings. We are starting off with Blade Runner (1982) directed by Ridley Scott.
Join us at StoryLab space on Saturday, 14th of June 2025 at 18:00.
Let’s join detective Deckard in this quintessential cyberpunk feature in his quest to find and exterminate a group of replicants, as we explore issues of artificial intelligence, identity, and what truly makes us human.
A big thank you to all who came to the soft opening of StoryLab Space. We hope you had as wonderful a time as we did.
The space is now open so don’t hesitate to come grab a coffee and spend time in our cozy corner or maybe grab a book from our library collection.
Visit us soon and browse through our local books and zines and perhaps purchase something that catches your eye.
Make sure to check out our merch stand where upcoming and established fashion artists showcase and sell their works.
See you all soon, whether you use StoryLab as a coworking space, stop by to grab drinks with friends, or explore our curated selection of local and regional zines and artbooks.
During Memory Jam’s session 4 with Mishka Henner, Antony Hall, and Artrit Bytyçi, we continued workshopping participants’ artworks which included videos, sound art, images, illustrations, 3D models, text, etc.
After feedback from peers and mentors, we brainstormed novel and unconventional ways to represent and integrate digital art contributions into the printed zine. We narrowed down three main ideas.
We ultimately decided on the idea that involved the creation of a map-sized printed zine illustrated to look like chips and circuits on an electronic board with merged architecture of Manchester and Prishtina. We then discussed best ways to integrate it with Augmented Reality.
This project was made possible with support from the British Council.
Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for lending us the space at Rezidenca17.
During Memory Jam’s third session with Antony Hall and Artrit Bytyçi participants worked on their ideas, concepts, and artworks.
Several works in progress were presented and received feedback from peers and mentors. More importantly, these works sparked new ideas, discussions, and possibilities through a process we like to call “crosspollination”.
We also followed up on our previously assigned networking activity. Young professionals from Kosovo and UK independently met with their peers virtually to work on joint assignments, collaborate on the upcoming zine project, and create connections for future collaborations.
Antony presented a prototype of the digital exhibition and showcased how participants’ digital artworks could be overlayed into the real world through augmented reality (AR).
This project was made possible with support from the British Council.
Mishka presented a short history of artist books. We began by ridding our minds about what a book could be. From a book as sculpture, furniture, conceptual art, printed matter, digital data, and all the way to a commentary on how we consume culture.
These seminal works were used as references and a starting point for the creation of Memory Jam’s own publication which seeks to integrate the physical (printed zine) and the virtual (digital artworks).
After an activity where we brainstormed in smaller groups, we brought ideas that could be applied for our zine project to a larger discussion. We explored concepts of memory and how it relates to time, memory loss, disintegration, instability, disappearance, distortion, destruction, connection, interconnection, etc.
During Antony’s workshop we experimented with augmented reality and placement of 3D virtual objects (that we had previously scanned) into the real world.
This project was made possible with support from the British Council.
Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for lending us the space at Rezidenca17.
We kicked off our first session with lectures, presentations, activities, and workshops with Audrey Albert and Antony Hall. Two groups met IRL in Prishtina and Manchester simultaneously, and communicated virtually via online teleconference link.
Audrey presented a series of her works that linked physical objects to memory, especially how they relate to Chagossian and Mauritian cultures. They focused on the practice of storytelling through objects as well as exploring food memories as a different way of telling stories, especially among the diaspora, who often know home only in memories (and how cooking often becomes an act of resistance).
For the first session, each participant was asked to bring a physical object that is significant to them, and during the class exercise led by Audrey, they worked on a response about how it relates to memory.
Antony led a workshop in which the participants 3D scanned their object with various apps that used photogrammetry and/or LIDAR scanning.
This project was made possible with support from the British Council.
Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for lending us the space at Rezidenca17.
