Poem, WHAT COULD/SHOULD CURATING DO?, Manifesta 14 Prishtina, Kosovo. Mother Teresa!I found the parking lot, but where is the sidewalk?, Sabine Wedege 2022

Mother Teresa! I found the parking lot, but where is the sidewalk?

Bronze Bill welcomed me

on the newly made sidewalk

between skyscrapers

Bronze Bill’s hand waved at me

Hey! I did not have sexual relations with that woman

I’m not interested in your private life Bill

I’m thinking more about

how to build up a storytelling

about a country

to reclaim public spaces

the importance of archiving

and not just verbally

like the nordic sagas*

to find identity again

how stars in general can be a symbol

for almost everything

like a universal mark

you can use in any way you like

Stars and Stripes

Stars on the flag of Kosovo

Six ethnic groups

the telling of a flag design which won the competition*

the telling of a flag that fell from the sky in Estonia*

red star on the flag of Yugoslavia

one lonely star at the top of the Christmas tree

a communist star that watches over the capitalistic Christmas

twelve stars on the EU flag

unity

expect the ones that is not

following the mapping of Prishtina

my feet tried to follow the sidewalks

I walked on

Mother Theresa Boulevard

(so the Grand Hotel has five stars I can see)

green dots*

a railway*

smashed bricks*

stairs from zero to ninth floor

a hill

on the hill I came to a flat*

the accursed mountains appeared*

a woman was escaping the enemies with her children

there was no water for them

so she cursed the mountains

it reminded me to buy some

mountain spring water in the supermarket

as I was reaching the top

so here it was

a man smoking beside a gas tank*

badass!

my euros are low

only have nordic gold left*

just got a letter that my electricity bill has double

although I don’t live in my apartment right now

Kosovo was first movers

energy crises before any other European country

the swap-key-man told me*

Kosovo is here

Europe is here

a stray dog followed me

until I came to a curtain

with the euro sign*

then our ways parted

I got through the border

the dog did not

when leaving

I caught a glimpse of The Statue of Liberty*

waving goodbye with the flame

that could set every building on fire

but the locals told me

they don’t do that anymore

now they break the plumbing pipes*

so that’s where the water was

Sources:

Manifesta 14 Prishtina

10 000

Kosovo

© 2022 all photos by Sabine Wedege, Manifesta 14, Prishtina, Kosovo

Statue of Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton Boulevard

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kosovo-bill-clinton-statue

Mother Teresa statue and books, artistic intervention, Grand Hotel Prishtina, Manifesta 14 Prishtina

https://manifesta14.org/venue/grand-hotel-prishtina/

Rooftop at Manifesta café, Grand Hotel Prishtina. Manifesta 14 Prishtina

Sister Flats, 2022, Alicja Rogalska, The Flat, Manifesta 14 Prishtina

https://manifesta14.org/venue/the-flat/

https://manifesta14.org/event/artistic-intervention-alicja-rogalska-2/

https://elitetravel-albania.com/the-mystery-of-the-accursed-mountains-albanian-alps/

Parking lot between UÇK and Agim Ramadani

Elevator sign at Grand Hotel Prishtina

Swap keys, 2022, Luz Broto, Çelësa Punues Key Service, Manifesta 14 Prishtina

“Meet a local/visitor. Swap a copy of your house key”

https://manifesta14.org/venue/celesa-punues-key-service/

https://manifesta14.org/event/artistic-intervention-luz-broto-2/

http://swapkeys.site/

Stray dog on green dot at Xhorxh Bush (Manifesta 14 trademark for signaling locations)

Self - splaining (a Triumph of E mpathy ), 2022, ICA- Sofia, Manifesta 14 Prishtina

https://manifesta14.org/event/artistic-intervention-ica-sofia-2/

https://manifesta14.org/venue/university-of-prishtina-faculty-of-arts-gallery/

*Saga, Den Danske Ordbog, >translated < from Norse saga, cf. Old Danish sage ’statement, report’, related ”to say”,

https://ordnet.dk/ddo/ordbog?query=saga

*Kosovo: Process of adoption of the flag , https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/rs-kosad.html /, Kosovo: Flag proposals ,

https://www.fotw.info/flags/rs!kosov.html

*DANISH NATIONAL FLAG, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Denmark in Estonia,

https://estland.um.dk/en/denmark-and-estonia/national-symbols/danish-national-flag

*Manifesta 14 trademark for signaling locations

*Green Corridor, 2022, CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati, Manifesta 14 Prishtina, https://manifesta14.org/sr/event/green-corridor/

*Ring the bells my land, Doruntina Kastrati, 2017/22, Grand Hotel Prishtina, Manifesta 14 Prishtina,

https://manifesta14.org/venue/grand-hotel-prishtina/ / The Brick Factory, Manifesta 14 Prishtina,

https://manifesta14.org/sr/event/brick-factory/

*Sister Flats, 2022, Alicja Rogalska, The Flat, Manifesta 14 Prishtina, https://manifesta14.org/venue/the-flat/,

https://manifesta14.org/event/artistic-intervention-alicja-rogalska-2/

*Accursed Mountains (Albanian Alps), https://elitetravel-albania.com/the-mystery-of-the-accursed-mountains-albanian-

alps/

*frosted pocket, 2022, Sislej Xhafa, The Partisan Martyrs’ Monument, Manifesta 14 Prishtina,

https://manifesta14.org/event/artistic-intervention-sislej-xhafa-2/, https://manifesta14.org/venue/partisans-martyrs-

cemetery-memorial/

*Nordic Gold, https://www.predecimal.com/euroarticle.htm

* Swap keys , 2022, Luz Broto, Çelësa Punues Key Service, Manifesta 14 Prishtina

“Meet a local/visitor. Swap a copy of your house key” , https://manifesta14.org/venue/celesa-punues-key-service/,

https://manifesta14.org/event/artistic-intervention-luz-broto-2/, http://swapkeys.site/

*Self - splaining (a Triumph of E mpathy ), 2022, ICA- Sofia, Manifesta 14 Prishtina, https://manifesta14.org/event/artistic-

intervention-ica-sofia-2/, https://manifesta14.org/venue/university-of-prishtina-faculty-of-arts-gallery/

*Replica of The Statue of Liberty , Pristina Hotel Victory, Kosovo, https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Statue-of-

Liberty/Copies-of-the-statue-of-Liberty-in-Kosovo.php

*Talk with Foundation 17 (about vandalism – burning buildings/breaking plumping pipes),

https://manifesta14.org/participant/foundation-17/

The border

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