On 29 and 30 October 2021, Balkans Beyond Borders hosted the Gala of Curiosities -a networking and audience development event of ECHO II- in the context of the 12th BBB Short Film Festival, which took place in Pristina, Kosovo. This event consisted of a series of activities that presented the ECHO II project and its artistic outcomes to wider audiences from the Balkan region, and connected the ECHO II artists-in-residence with professionals from the cultural and creative sectors in an effort to participate actively in a productive dialogue, network and establish future collaborations.

The “Gala of Curiosities” Exhibition

The “Gala of Curiosities” exhibition took place from 29 to 30 October 2021, in the New Gallery of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pristina. The exhibition was based on the open access policy of ECHO II, and featured digital reproductions of selected artworks created by all participant artists during the art residencies. The ECHO II artists were also invited to Pristina to present their artistic practices, and share their approaches and thoughts on the local traditions and the cultural heritage of the Balkans with the exhibition visitors.

The exhibition familiarised the local audiences with the artists and their works, and hence, with the local traditions that were their sources of inspiration. In addition, the visitors could walk through the exhibition, scan the QR-code labels that were placed next to the digital reproductions, and find out more information about the artworks, the artists and the local traditions on the ECHO II website.

Balkans Beyond Borders chose the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pristina as the venue of the exhibition to connect with the local artistic community more directly, and to engage local artists, professors, mediators and students with the project. One of the greatest successes of the exhibition was the artists’ and the ECHO II team’s meeting with the representatives of the Municipality who will organise the activities of Manifesta14, which will take place in Kosovo.

The “Gala of Curiosities” Round-Table Discussion

The “Gala of Curiosities” round-table discussion (event upon invitation) took place on 30 October 2021, at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pristina, bringing together the participant artists of ECHO II with professionals from the cultural and creative sectors to discuss and reflect on the contemporary perceptions of traditions and their recontextualisations. The discussion’s starting point was the artistic creation in relation to the complexity and the uniqueness of every tradition. Balkans Beyond Borders invited the artists to share their thoughts and experiences during the residences about the impact of the traditions in contemporary everyday life and the identity of the regions they visited. In addition, professionals from the cultural and creative sectors were invited to comment on the dynamic character of traditions and their preservation, especially in recent years as emphasized by international and European cultural policies. The discussion aimed to empower the artists to evolve their concepts and ideas and promote cross-national collaborations.

Sightseeing Guided Tour in the City of Prizren 

The excursion took place on 31 October 2021, with the kind support of the Municipality of Prizren. The ECHO II artists and staff members were introduced to the city by the representatives of the Municipality, and were offered a guided tour to the cultural attractions of the city, which has a rich history, since it used to be the cultural and intellectual center of Ottoman Kosovo.