ARTifact is a photography Project in the enclosed environments of Ex-Automobile Plant of Tirana (Albania). I kept shooting the ruined machineries and spaces for several months, few weeks before the machineries were gone forever to be melted. A closer look in the old technology before it gives place to the new economy. Their photography is the epilog of the industrialisation period in my country, where huge industries were built during socialism that couldn't survive in the post-comunist era.
(history) The Project ARTiFact began in june 2013, when my friend Dhurata and I visited the ex-Automobile Plant of Tirana, Albania. We were surprised by the state of emptiness and abandonment we found and decided to photograph what was left of this gigandic industry. The Automobile Plant of Tirana used to produce spare part for vehicles and tractors and served as an assembly plant from 1966 till 1990. There were 12 production units arranged in a surface of 300,000 meter square. The general number of employees was 4100 and there were 3600 workers. From the beginning, in 1966, until the total enclosure there may have worked around 24,000 workers. In the moment of our visits 2013-2014, there were only 20 workers in the last production unit, producing spare parts for vehicles, and other 4-5 Units in the state of abandonment, with ruined machineries that were waiting to be taken and melted. We decided to photograph what was left from the glorious plant, so the project developed in two series; first, the photography of abandoned production units and machineries, and second, the portraits of the last workers in the Plant. We called the project ARTiFact because the objects that we found, carry different meanings and values nowadays. They bring the story of their rise and their failure too.
My motivation was to capture in photography the TIME and to evoke the memories of people that worked there. Their photography is the Epilogue of the Industrialization Period in Albania!
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in albanian
Projekti ARTifact e ka zanafillen ne vitin 2013, kur sebashku me shoqen time Dhurata, fati na coi ne mjediset e braktisura te ish Kombinatit te Autotraktoreve Tirane. Duke parë sallat dhe makineritë e rrënuara, na lindi ideja të dokumentonim në fotografi atë çfarë kishte mbetur nga ky gjigand i madh industrial, i tkurur tashmë në 4-5 salla me makineri të braktisura dhe një repart i fundit me 20 punetore të cilët prodhojne akoma detaje per makineri. Në këtë mënyrë u zhvilluan 2 cikle fotografike. E para dokumentimi i sallave te braktisura dhe i portreteve te makinerive dhe objekteve te gjendura. Dhe e dyta, portretet e punëtorëve të fundit të Kombinatit. Kohezgjatja e fotografimit zgjati deri në mars 2014, kohë gjatë së cilës sallat u boshatisën dhe makineritë e mbetura shkuan për skrap, ndërkohë që reparti i punëtorëve vazhdon punon, si dëshmia e fundit e Kombinatit të Autotraktorëve.
Motivimi im ishte te flisja per kete industri te periudhes socialiste, e cila mori energjine e nje numri te madh projektuesish, inxhinieresh dhe punetoresh. Ajo eshte pjese e nje morie uzinash dhe fabrikash qe u ndertuan nga brezi I baballareve tane, dhe qe shenojne periudhen e Industrializimit te Vendit. Ashtu si Industrite e tjera te kesaj periudhe, ato jane rezultat i Idealizmit dhe Ideologjise se kohes per te ndertuar nje shoqeri me te mire. Por duke punuar ne kushtet e nje izolimi dhe propogande te eger komuniste, ato nuk munden te pershtaten me ndryshimet e ekonomise pas viteve '90. Fati i shumices prej tyre ishte privatizimi, ndryshimi I destinacionit, braktisja dhe shkrirja e makinerive. Qellimi i fotografimit te sallave dhe makinerive te braktisura eshte fiksimi ne fotografi i efektit KOHE, duke shpresuar se ne kete menyre objektet flasin me mire per historine e tyre dhe njerezit qe takuan; per projektuesit te cilet i projektuan dhe ideuan ato; per punetoret qe i vune ne pune duke u specializuar ne procese te veshtira prodhimi; ashtu si edhe per Forcat qe shkaktuan prishjen e tyre...
Fotografimi e tyre eshte Epilogu i Periudhes se Industrializimit ne Shqiperi!
Old photography from Archive, a gift from the director of Automobile Plant
ARTiFact Project, ex-Automobile Plant of Tirana
Old photography from Archive, a gift from the director of Automobile Plant
ARTiFact Project, ex-Automobile Plant of Tirana
Old photography from Archive, a gift from the director of Automobile Plant
ARTiFact Project, ex-Automobile Plant of Tirana
Old photography taken from a brochure of the time of socialism (around 1980)
ARTiFact Project, ex-Automobile Plant of Tirana
An old photograph taken from a brochure of Automobile Plant from the time of socialism
ARTiFact Project, ex-Automobile Plant of Tirana
Albanian-Scapes
Shkodra, Walls of Rozafa Castle, november 2015
Shkodra, Walls of Rozafa Castle, november 2015
Shkodra, The View from Rozafa Castle, november 2015
The Church inside Rozafa Castle, november 2015
Shkodra, the Ancient walls of Rozafa Castle, november 2015
Lin Pogradec, Sun Rise, 2015
Thermal Waters of Benje Permet, march 2016
Langarica River and Katiu Bridge, Benje Permet Albania
Langarica river and Thermal Waters of Benje Permet, march 2016
The City seen from rooftop, New Kukes, Albania 2015
from the series The City of Water Deposits and Parabolic Antennas
Old Hotel Tourism in Kukes, built during socialism, in the state of abandonment october 2015
Old Hotel Tourism in Kukes, built during socialism, in the state of abandonment october 2015
Narta Salinas, Vlora 2016
Narta Lagoon and Salinas
Karavasta Lagoon, Divjaka National Park, 2016
Karavasta Lagoon, Divjaka National Park 2016
Karavasta Lagoon, Divjaka National Park, 2016
Karavasta Lagoon, Divjaka National Park, 2016
Karavasta Lagoon, Divjaka National Park 2016
Theth, North Albania, August 2014
Theth, North Albania, August 2014
Theth, Northern Albania, August 2014
Theth, August 2014
Theth, August 2014
Lugina e Valbones. Valbona Valley, August 2014
Prishtina in fog, Kosovo december 2015
Inner neighbourhood, Prishtina at night, december 2015
Prishtina, inner neighbourhood, 2015
Prishtina, inner neighbourhood, 2015
Cape Rodon, 2017
Cape Rodon, 2017
Cape Rodon, 2017
Cape Rodon, 2017
Devolli Valley, Gramsh 2017
Devolli Valley, Gramsh 2017
Sotira waterfall, Gramsh 2017
Tomorri Mountain, Gramsh 2017
Malesi e Madhe, North Albania, January 2018
Ionina Sea, Albania
Ionian Sea, Gjipe
Himara by Night, 2013
"Himara by Night", august 2013 Himara Albania
Old Himara, 2017
Tirana (Urban Scapes)
"Private Property" sign on the road, Tirana suburban 2011
Concrete Production Facility, Tirana 2011
"No photography and dogs allowed", entrance shopping mall, 2011
Business Centre Aba Tower, Cathedral of Saint Paul
Tirana, sunset 2018
Tirana, sunset 2018
TEENS / PORTRAITS
In TEENS I have photographed in my studio the friends of my daughter, who are teenagers of 15-17 years old. I used a 85mm Lens, at f1,2 aperture, to achieve the shallowest depth of field. This setting allows me to have the maximum Light while focusing on a small part of the face: sometimes the eyes, the lips, the hair or the skin. I hope in this minimalistic way, the portraits reveal the beauty of the teen girls.
Dena
Ester
Angie
Vanesa
Vanesa
Bonina
Bonina
Ester
In Food We Trust
A photography project featuring professionals from Art and Media, wearing fresh fruits and vegetables, styled by food blogger Dhurata Thanasi. Photography Alketa Misja 2015-ongoing
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Kristi Janku
Orgesa Zaimi
Orgesa Zaimi with her daughter Bora
Orgesa Zaimi
Orgesa Zaimi
Kamela Kondili
Sara Kapo
Kamela Kondili
Sara Kapo
Emiliano Lule
Emiliano Lule
Blendi Salaj
Enkel Demi
Suzana Guxholli
in Studio
Shell Study #1
Shell Study #2
Shell Study #3
Shell Study #4
Flower Studies
Still Life with Flower, 2009
Still Life with flower, 2009
Still Life with flower, 2009
Still life with flower
Flower Studies, Roses
Flower Studies, Roses
Flower Studies, Roses
Flower Studies, Roses
"Untitled" Still life with Flowers and Newspapers 2010