Si pjesë e StoryLab Games jemi të lumtur t’ju njoftojmë për “Magic Money”, video lojën e satirës politike me vendndodhje në Kosovë.
Në video lojë, jeni në rolin e një detektivi paranormal (i cili është paksa i ngathët e trullan) i cili mundohet ta zgjidhi rastin e zhdukjes misterioze të dy milonë eurove nga Thesari i Kosovës.
“Loja”Magic money” përqëndrohet sa në mekanika të lojës, aq edhe në rrëfimtari.
Shikoni video trailer-in dhe na ndiqni për më shumë info mbi konceptet, artin, dhe pamje tjera nga kjo video lojë, si dhe projektet tjera të rradhës nga “StoryLab Games”.
StoryLab is excited to announce our latest Digital Arts initiative — StoryLab Games.
As a leader in digital storytelling, we aim to contribute to the creative industries.
Our slogan “play, learn, act” comes from our belief in creating games that are socially relevant and engage the public to contribute towards the betterment of society.
In Week 5 of the MemoryLab creative writing workshop, the participants shared diverse narratives exploring various literary styles and themes.
Rita’s fiction, influenced by Italo Calvino’s “Difficult Loves,” blended real-life inspiration with fictional storytelling, while Anilda’s piece delved into societal trauma under dictatorships, examining who controls collective memory. Jona’s hybrid text wove together poetry, prose, and screenplay to tell a deeply personal story, and Vesa’s work combined travel and food writing with social critique, using vivid descriptions of wild strawberries to explore identity.
The group discussions focused on the craft of writing, emphasizing how to interweave multiple narrative threads while maintaining a strong central theme. Key insights included the importance of knowing what to remove or shift to other pieces (a take on “Kill your darlings”), staying true to the theme in nonfiction, and strategically using suspense, shock, and surprise to enhance storytelling.
In Week 6 of the MemoryLab creative writing workshop, Florida’s text demonstrated how to craft a deeply personal nonfiction story by using multiple points of view and narrators to create a mosaic-like narrative, revealing different aspects of a family member and the events surrounding them. The discussion touched on how societal traumas affect not just individuals, but their entire social circles, including family and friends.
Dennis’s piece showcased the potential for a book-length memoir, rich with vivid experiences. This led us to discuss how to manage pacing by slowing down with descriptions or background information, especially when the story becomes too fast-paced, and how to handle narratives that require a lot of contextual details.
The group also explored several craft techniques, such as the use of a unifying theme to tighten a story and the concept of artistic license, which allows writers to explore unconventional themes or styles by drawing inspiration from other artists.
We are deeply grateful for the incredible participants who have enriched this workshop with their constant contributions. Each session has been filled with inspiring stories, thoughtful discussions, and a true sense of creative collaboration. The diversity of perspectives and the willingness to share personal narratives has not only expanded our understanding of memory, identity, and storytelling but has also fostered a warm and supportive community.
In MemoryLab’s Week 4 creative writing workshop, participants explored diverse writing styles and techniques, with a focus on personal storytelling.
Uratë used a strong, humorous voice to tackle personal subjects that are rarely addressed in Kosovar writing, while Artjola and Diona employed non-linear and fragmentary narratives to reflect on life events. Iden used a graphic novel format to examine identity and cultural belonging.
The workshop also covered practical elements such as writing dialogues, choosing appropriate tenses in graphic novels and nonfiction, engaging the reader through tone and voice, and building stories with intimate details and smooth transitions.
In our weekly lecture, participants watched Durim Klaiqi’s short film “reMemBer2.Human,” which explores personal and collective memories using AI tools. Following a discussion, Durim introduced key AI concepts such as latent space, data bias, convolution, and semantic mapping, highlighting their connections to memory. The group then engaged in an exercise to generate AI images based on personal photographs, discovering the capabilities and limitations of AI image generators.
Additionally, Durim demonstrated the use of photogrammetry, a technique for reconstructing past spaces, which he is utilizing in his upcoming film on Kosovo’s stolen artifacts.
On our third week’s first session, we learned the importance of trusting our audience by allowing the writing to speak for itself without over-explaining. A brief but valuable tutorial on line editing introduced us to a skill that will prove essential during revisions.
Additionally, we explored how to ground readers through precise descriptions and vivid scenes, enhancing the immersive quality of our writing. We also discussed Beltinë’s and Elona’s works, which used the structure of a nonfiction prose poem to thoughtfully examine the concept of self-awareness and the journey of “knowing oneself.”
On MemoryLab’s second session of third week, we were joined by guest lecturer Donjetë Murati, who guided us through a deep exploration of memory and its ties to art, history, and collective identity.
We delved into critical questions about who gets to decide what we remember as a society, from the naming of streets to the creation of monuments, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding stolen artifacts.
Donjeta also shed light on the fragility of archives and how memory is imprinted on the spaces we inhabit. We considered the impermanence of memory in the digital age, reflecting on how easily it can vanish from the internet.
The workshop concluded with a speculative writing exercise, where each of us imagined something we’d like to preserve 200 years into the future. The diversity of ideas was so inspiring that some of the pieces may be featured in our upcoming zine, capturing the essence of our shared reflections.
On our second week, we dedicated a session to reviewing our friend’s work. The group engaged in constructive feedback, offering both praise and suggestions for improvement. We focused on narrative elements like voice, structure, and emotional resonance, allowing Wes to see his piece from different perspectives. Each participant contributed thoughtful insights, encouraging Wes to experiment with new techniques and refine his story’s flow.
After the review, we moved into an assignment centered around imitation. The task was to mimic the introduction of a chosen book. Each participant selected a novel or story with a memorable opening and wrote a brief piece using similar stylistic elements—whether that be tone, sentence structure, or atmosphere. On this week’s session, we were happy to have Jona, Rita and Denis share their writing.
Also, in second week’s workshop session, guest lecturer Fatmir Mustafa Karllo shared insights on various art mediums and offered guidance on how participants can enhance their creative ideas. He emphasized the importance of understanding the unique potential each medium offers and how artists can use this knowledge to communicate their ideas more effectively.
Karllo also encouraged participants to experiment outside their comfort zones, suggesting that trying new materials and techniques can lead to unexpected breakthroughs in creativity. He provided practical tips on how to stay inspired, including a mini exercise in which the participants had to conceptualize a memory of theirs, draw it, and talk about it.
On our first session of MemoryLab creative writing workshop, we welcomed participants from the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States, Albania, and Kosovo.
As StoryLab, we are super excited to have such a multi-disciplinary group that includes architects, linguists, video game designers, law students, artists, sociologists, psychologists, healthcare professionals, computer scientists, technologists, culture workers, and even a very talented high-school student.
During our first writing exercise, we used our own memories as raw material, which resulted in numerous great ideas that could be further developed into full stories.
On our second session, photographer Jetmir Idrizi led the “Photography and Memory” lecture.
Through discussing their previous works, projects, and exhibitions Jetmir tackled topics such as first impressions through photography, the importance or research in photography work, ethics in photography, the issues of follow-up in photojournalism, and more.
During our class exercise, each participant presented a personal photo and a memory associated with it. Each of the stories were worthy of a longer text.
An amazing start to exploring memory through nonfiction and the arts.
Jetmir Idrizi’s previous project “Museum of Bad Memories” served as an inspiration for an idea that workshop participants could possibly implement in our upcoming zine.
StoryLab, ju fton për të aplikuar në një seri punëtorish dhe ligjeratash 5-javore të shkrimit kreativ me fokus në non-fiction, në fund të të cilave pjesëmarrësit do të kenë një shkrim të gatshëm për botim në zinën e ardhshme të StoryLab.
Punëtoritë e MemoryLab do të përqendrohen në hulumtimin e kujtesës si mjet letrar dhe artistik.
Nëse jeni të apasionuar pas memoareve, eseve personale, reportazheve, shkrimeve kritike, trillimeve ose romaneve grafike që përdorin kujtime dhe histori të vërteta/personale — ose ndonjë eksperiment hibrid që i përzien të gjitha — atëherë MemoryLab është vendi për t’i shkruar dhe rafinuar tregimet tuaja.
Thuhet se kujtimet janë lënda e parë për tregime, art, dhe vepra tjera kreative. Por, kujtimet nuk janë statike e të pagabueshme. Sipas studimeve të fundit, sa herë që kujtojmë diçka rrezikojmë ta modifikojmë atë kujtim. Megjithatë, është kjo bashkësia e kujtimeve tona (ndër gjërat tjera) që krijon atë që ne quajmë ndërgjegje.
Pra, kujtimet – qofshin reale ose të imagjinuara – janë mjet i përkryer letrar për rrëfim, personazhe, përshkrime, etj. Dhe mbi të gjitha, kujtimet i japin tregimeve një dorë “vërtetësie”.
Koha dhe vendi:
Ky program 5-javor do të përfshijë punëtori të shkrimit kreativ, ligjërata, e diskutime në grup. Punëtoritë dhe ligjëratat do të mbahen fizikisht në Prishtinë.
Për lehtësi të pjesëmarrësve tanë ndërkombëtarë, do të ofrojmë gjithashtu mundësinë për të ndjekur punëtoritë online.
Programi pritet të fillojë në fillim të shtatorit 2024 dhe të përfundojë në mes të tetorit 2024.
Formati:
Punëtoria e shkrimit kreativ do të drejtohet nga Artrit Bytyçi, M.F.A. në Shkrim Kreativ nga the New School në New York City.
Krahas punëtorive, StoryLab do të organizojë gjithashtu një seri ligjëratash, ku do të trajtohen tema që kanë të bëjnë me eksplorimin e mënyrave të përdorimit të kujtesës në letërsi, art, shoqëri, kulturë, etj.
Programi do të zgjasë për rreth tetë seancash, me rreth 10-14 pjesëmarrës, dhe do të takohemi dy herë në javë.
Çfarë të prisni:
Dy javët e para do të fokusohen në artin e non-fiction. Ku do të përfshihen diskutimet dhe ligjëratat mbi zanatin e të shkruarit, eksplorimin e autorëve të ndryshëm, dhe metodat e tyre. Për çdo klasë, pjesëmarrësve do t’u caktohen edhe detyra të shkurtra e lexime.
Gjatë kësaj kohe do të kemi edhe punëtori dhe ligjërata ndërdisiplinare në artin konceptual, sociologji/antropologji, psikologji, shkenca, e fusha tjera që shqyrtojnë kujtesën nga kënde të ndryshme.
Dy javët e fundit do të përqëndrohemi në zanatin e krijimit, ku për çdo takim 2-3 pjesëmarrës do të dërgojnë tekstet e tyre paraprakisht, të cilat do të redaktohen nga pjesëmarrësit e tjerë përmes komenteve, sugjerimeve, dhe kritikave konstruktive.
Tekstet e dërguara mund të jenë në shqip dhe/ose anglisht.
Tekstet nga punëtoria do të mblidhen dhe do të botohen në zinën e StoryLab.
Aplikimi:
Ky program është falas për pjesëmarrësit.
Ju lutemi sigurohuni që të aplikoni përpara afatit: 26 gusht 2024. Afati është zgjatur deri më: 4 shtator 2024.
StoryLab, invites you to apply for a 5-week series of creative writing workshops and lectures with a special focus on non-fiction, by the end of which participants will have one piece of peer-reviewed writing ready for publication in the upcoming StoryLab zine.
MemoryLab’s program will focus on exploring memory as a literary and artistic device.
If you are passionate about memoirs, personal essays, reportage, criticism, fiction or graphic novels that use memory and true/personal stories, or some hybrid experiment that mixes them all, then MemoryLab is the place where you can write and refine your stories.
It is often said that memories are the raw material for all of our stories, art, and creative works. But, memories are not static and infallible, according to the latest studies, every time we remember something we risk modifying it. Yet, it is a collection of memories (among other things) that creates what we call consciousness.
So, memories – either real or imagined – are a great literary device for narrative, characters, setting, themes, etc. And most of all it makes the stories “true”.
Time and Place:
This 5-week program will feature creative writing workshops, lectures, and group discussions. Workshops and lectures will be held in person in Prishtina.
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 early September 2024 and end in mid-October 2024.
Format:
The creative writing workshop will be led by Artrit Bytyçi, M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the New School in New York City.
StoryLab will also organize a lecture series alongside the workshops, where we will cover topics related to exploring the ways we use memory in literature, the arts, society, culture, etc.
The program will span for around eight sessions total, with around 10-14 participants, and will meet twice a week.
What to Expect:
The first two weeks will focus on the art of nonfiction. They will feature discussions and lectures on the craft of writing, exploration of various authors, and their methods. For each class, participants will also be assigned readings and short assignments.
During this time, we will also have multidisciplinary workshops and lectures in conceptual art, sociology/anthropology, psychology, sciences, and other intersectional fields.
The last two weeks will focus on the craft, where for each meeting 2-3 students will submit their texts in advance, which will be workshopped by their peers through comments, suggestions, and constructive critiques.
Submitted texts can be in Albanian and/or English.
The texts from the workshop will be collected and published in the StoryLab zine.
Application:
This program is free for the participants.
Please make sure you apply before our deadline: 26 August 2024. The deadline is extended to 4 September 2024.
StoryLab Games is happy to announce the development of Magic Money, a political satire video game set in Kosovo.
In the videogame, you are in the role of a (somewhat goofy and inept) paranormal detective who tries to solve the case of the mysterious disappearance of two million Euros from Kosovo’s treasury.
The game focuses equally on gameplay as well as storytelling.
Enjoy the video trailer and stay tuned for more info on the concepts, art, and gameplay from Magic Money, as well as other upcoming projects from our StoryLab Games initiative.
StoryLab was honored to be among other creative producers from the Balkans, Ukraine, and Central Asia to visit Manchester and Liverpool on a research visit to the UK as part of the Creative Producers program organized by the Curated Place with the support of the British Council.
We return full of creative energy, project ideas, and new friends.
Some of the highlights of the visit include:
-Manchester Central Library
-North West Film Archive
-Hybrid Futures Exhibition at Salford Art Gallery
-Paradise Works
-Manchester Museum
-Liverpool Biennial
-Open Eye Gallery
-Foundation for Art and Creative Technology
-FACT Lab
-HOME Manchester
-The School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University
-SOUP Manchester
-PROFORMA
-Short Supply at Islington Mill
We are more than grateful for this amazing opportunity and we look forward to future collaborations.
StoryLab brought creativity to life at DokuTECH‘s Game Jam, showcasing our prowess in crafting immersive narratives and engaging gameplay mechanics.
Through brainstorming sessions, quick problem-solving, and experimenting with new tools and techniques, we gained invaluable experience in game development, enhancing our coding, design and teamwork abilities along the way.
Having “Tomorrow comes today” as the theme of this year’s edition, it inspired us to conceptualize a time management video-game. In our video-game so called “MemoryLab”, the players step into the shoes of our lovable but procrastinating character who must navigate through various tasks while toggling between the present and the future. As them, players face a constant race against time, striving to complete tasks before they become urgent deadlines.
With our adept team of developers and designers (Artrit Bytyçi, Yll Avdiu, Erin Krasniqi, Art Domi), we seamlessly blended storytelling with cutting-edge technology to deliver a captivating gaming experience.
Thank you, DokuTECH, for organizing such an inspiring event. We look forward to future collaborations!
On March 1st, Autostrada Hangar hosted the launch of “This is a Mirror” an art book by Likana Cana and the exhibition curated by Artrit Bytyçi and produced by Autostrada Biennale.
The night began with a conversation between Likana and Artrit, followed by attendees exploring the exhibition and closing the event with selected music by Arbër Salihu & Likana.
We are more than happy and grateful to have Autostrada Biennale support this celebration of literature, art and music.
You are cordially invited to the book launch exhibition for This is a Mirror, an art book by Likana Cana.
Please set a date for Friday, 1 March 2024 at 8:00pm at Autostrada Hangar, ITP Prizren.
About the artbook: This artbook is a collection of instructional poems that make use of the reader’s participation. Its main topic is an investigation into different ways to better relate to ourselves, by providing a service of care and hope through art. It pays tribute to the mind, each other, the planet, and the universe.
The mind has infinite dimensions, blue speaks the language of infinity. It opens a portal where the seen and unseen, conscious and unconscious merge. Blue lives in both planes of existence. Blue makes the invisible visible by giving what it surrounds an immaterial dimension.
This is done through instructional poems, inspired by the Fluxus movement, that focus more on the creative process rather than the artwork itself. As the readers perform the artist’s instructions, they are transformed from an audience into co-creators therefore the launch of the book is transformed into an exhibition where the audience can interact with the scores and understand the overall feeling of the book
About the author: Likana Cana is a transdisciplinary practitioner, working both with the arts and sciences. She is a cognitive psychology graduate, from which she lectures, does research, and is a PhD student. She is a published author in both creative and academic mediums a conceptual art student and is involved in several creative practices which include music videos, directing, exhibitions, and publishing.
Agenda: 20:00 – 20:30 This is a Mirror — a conversation between Likana Cana and Artrit Bytyçi
20:30 – 21:00 Enter, Meet Yourself — an exhibition by Likana Cana,
curated by Artrit Bytyçi and
produced by Autostrada Biennale
21:00 – 22:55 Breathe — music selection by Arbër & Likana
Radio Urban FM also with audiobooks! Every weekend, we read and listen together.
Radio Urban FM is starting on February 18, Sunday, with the book ‘Kosovacalypse’ by the author Artrit Bytyçi. Four Sundays in a row, starting at 10:00, you will be able to hear four stories that are part of this book. Kosovo found before the plague, before death, before a war; you must definitely hear Artrit’s work, read by Artrit himself, through these utopian stories.
‘Kosovacalypse’ comes in four parts, in four weekends starting on February 18. You will now be able to listen to the entire book, as well as the other books, on Urban FM YouTube and Spotify, in case you won’t be able to listen to the broadcasted reading on the radio.
Following the project, two more books will come in audiobook form. These two books will also be streamed on weekends. The weekend at Urban FM is now also for the book, alongside sports and music.
Come and find us at Tirana Independent Artbook Fair during 25-27 November 2023!
Check out publications and works from Artrit Bytyçi, Likana Cana, Fatmir Mustafa Karllo, Liburn Jupolli, Ardi Shishko, Argjenta Beqiri, Vlera Azemi and all bunch of KSci-Fi authors.
You can also find publications from our collaborators like Lumbardhi, Autostrada Hangar, and Arif Muharremi.
StoryLab’s “Summer of Code 2023” is officially done.
After a long, hot, and super-productive summer, we are happy to announce the successful completion of our latest initiative for exploring storytelling via digital arts, video games, interactive projects, and other amazing narrative experiments that employ technology.
StoryLab is at Prishtina Book Fair at the Palace of Youth!
Come and check out some of our latest artbooks, zines, and upcoming projects.
Check out works by Artrit Bytyçi, Likana Cana, Fatmir Mustafa Karllo, Vlera Azemi, Ardi Shishko, Argjenta Beqiri, Librun Jupolli and a whole lot of zine writers across our many imprints like StoryLab, Artro Books, KSci-Fi, Art/Work.
You will find art books, literature, zines, comic books. fantastic tote bags, free stickers, and a lot more.
Find us at the Palace of Youth following the directions on the video down below.
On Saturday of May 20th at 6:00pm in Prizren at Kino Lumbardhi, the launch of “Arnautistan Noir” took place.
Written by Artrit Bytyçi, illustrated by Ardi Shishko, and soundtrack composed by Liburn Jupolli.
The comic book is set in alternate reality and follows Detective Sami Kaleolli through the streets of Prizren, the capital of Arnautistan, as he meets a cast of captivating characters while investigating a case that just might be the thread to unravel a conspiracy that spans from the grimy alleys and all the way to aristocratic mansions.
We were honored and more than grateful to have had Lumbardhi as our host. We also thank all the other partners and collaborators that helped in the making of this event.
Lumbardhi Foundation is proud to announce the launching of “Arnautistan Noir,” a new comic book written by Artrit Bytyçi and illustrated by Ardi Shishko on May 20 starting at 18:00 at Kino Lumbardhi.
Join us for the launch of “Arnautistan Noir,” the latest comic book from the Lumbardhi Foundation. Immerse yourself in an alternate history universe where Prizren is the capital of Arnautistan, and the place where the once-declining Empire was transformed into a Confederation. Written by Artrit Bytyçi and illustrated by Ardi Shishko, this comic book features an immersive multimedia experience with a soundtrack composed by Liburn Jupolli.
Get ready to experience a range of thorny and provocative topics, from graffiti around town, a speakeasy located next to a mosque, the atmosphere at the nightclub, and all the way to the murder scene. With illustrations by Ardi Shishko and a soundtrack by Liburn Jupolli, “Arnautistan Noir” is a unique artistic concept that you won’t want to miss.
“Arnautistan Noir” is published under StoryLab’s KSci-Fi imprint, which aims to promote science fiction and fantasy from Kosovo (by fostering a community, organizing creative writing workshops, supporting publications, and serving as a seal of approval and recommendation for new works).
This project was created as part of the Lumbardhi Foundation’s QARK Program. It has been made possible thanks to the generous support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the International Relief Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, and other partners.
Join us for the launch event and experience the immersive multimedia world of “Arnautistan Noir.” Get your copy of the comic book at Lumbardhi Foundation or at “selected” bookstores. See you there!
StoryLab is proud to announce the third issue of StoryLab Zine. The theme for this edition is KSci-Fi: Reality Machines and Altered States. Stay tuned for more info.
StoryLab is happy to announce our upcoming publication: This Is A Mirror by Likana Cana. Coming Summer 2023.
Likana Cana’s This is a Mirror is a collection of instructional poems that make use of the reader’s participation. They merge the playful with the philosophical, transform the artistic into the everyday, and encourage the reader to digest rather than consume.
During our recent trip to Berlin, in December 2022, StoryLab was honored to further its collaboration with Humboldt University of Berlin.
Beside presenting some of our works, artbooks, workshops, and activities during the event hosted by the Southeast Europe Association, we also cooked up some collaboration deals with the Cultural Studies Department at HU Berlin.
StoryLab is happy to announce our upcoming publication: Atlas of Fantastical Realism by Artrit Bytyçi. Coming Spring 2023.
Atlas of Fantastical Realism is a collection of short stories that explore Kosovo’s journey as a country through a lens of the fantastical, surreal, mythical, absurd, and, occasionally, humor and playfulness. State- and nation-building in the Balkans often fall into the realm of legends and myths rather than history and facts, and so, these kinds of stories attempt to reconcile the many disparaging narratives and realities one may encounter.
StoryLab is proud to announce the second issue of StoryLab Zine. The theme for this edition is KSci-Fi as this time around we will focus on science fiction and fantasy from Kosovo and beyond.
StoryLab had the honor of hosting a group of students and professors from The Courtauld Institute, London.
As part of their Global Conceptualism course, professors Sarah Wilson and Elizaveta Butakova are interested in the relationship between conceptual art and art in the present day, as well as global social and political contexts.
During StoryLab’s presentation, we discussed how science fiction is a great tool not only to study, understand, and deal with history, but also to explore contemporary issues our societies are faced with.
We also discussed several possibilities on how to extend the cooperation between StoryLab and the Courtauld Institute of Art.
In September 2022, StoryLab had the pleasure to host a group of students and professors from Max Planck Institute for Art History based in Rome. Our meeting took place at the Center for Narrative Practice in Prishtina, Kosovo.
We presented some of our past and upcoming projects, as well as our current involvement with Manifesta 14 Prishtina.
We discussed non-traditional education methods that StoryLab uses for its workshops and focused on some of our publications.
