Filip Korunovski
Edit Points
Dear readers, wishing you a happy New Year and lovely Christmas holidays! This beautiful holiday season, full of joy, we are celebrating the wonderful moments shared with our family and friends.
Our team consists of Borče Konzulov (a videographer with extensive experience in videography) and me, Filip Korunovski (a visual artist). We’ve been working together in visual arts and projection mapping since 2016. Edit Points started as a joint initiative to reinvent the visual perception of the nightlife, first by projecting videos for several local club parties, and later, we were eager to do more ambitious art projects.
In 2022, we designed a video mapping for the opening celebration of the International Cinematographers’ Film Festival MANAKI BROTHERS. Our projections were set on the building of the Epinal Hotel interacting with the surroundings. The following year, we were again invited to Bitola to get involved in the festival opening performance. Throughout the years, our work was constantly evolving, and we became recognized for our achievements, especially for our projects that engaged theatres and festivals in Veles, Bitola, and Skopje. Over the last two years, we also provided brand design and motion graphic services for the Veles Festival of Jazz, World and Contemporary Music.
As visual artists, we always attempt to integrate art with the praxis of everyday life and explore art as an agent of cultural and social modernisation. A few weeks ago, the City of Veles celebrated the 115th birthday of one of our greatest poets and writers, Kosta Solev Racin. Racin was a revolutionary, a worker’s rights activist and a promotor of progressive ideas for modernisation of the Macedonian society. In his honour, we wanted to acknowledge his literary legacy and cultural impact across Europe.
Our video mapping project showcased his poems on the window curtains of Europe House Veles using contemporary typography and motion graphic videos. It has been our absolute pleasure to join in such a monumental celebration.
We were thrilled to have the chance to show the younger audience that this type of visual art has endless possibilities for creativity and fun, and its technology is affordable and easy to understand.
This visual art form opens up new avenues for artistic expression and pushes the boundaries of creativity. I strongly advise the younger generation of artists to get started with video mapping and experiment with the technology themselves.
It was great fun to work with the team of the Europe House Veles that made this possible. Once again, thank you very much, and we hope to work with you again on future projects.
Yours truly,
Filip Korunovski, Edit Points
Bitola Goes Ethereal!
Europe House Bitola rounded off 2023 under the slogans #SupportLocalArtists and #GoingDigital with Darko Ristevski’s virtual exhibition The Ethereal Circle. Mikrodel, a green and sustainable local initiative for manufacturing smart devices and screens, supported the digital exhibition, which took place at the alternative nightclub Jagoda.
The Ethereal Circle project delves into the complexities of identity, human behaviour and the intersection of these elements with the crypto space and pop culture. Skulls, as a recurring motif, symbolize the fleeting nature of existence, while their animations suggest the fluidity and malleability of identity in the digital age.
Darko Ristevski lives and works in Bitola and has received many accolades in the traditional and crypto-art world for his abstract paintings and Glitch Art. His works create a platform for storytelling through form and movement and by exploring profound philosophical questions about humanity and the universe, striving to create order out of chaos for stability.
In contrast, his Ethereal Circle collection showcases his expressive skills and the ways he challenges himself daily to create art with the skull as the central figure, often drawing inspiration from events taking place in the NFT space through the use of various tools and software that makes each skull unique.
Ristevski’s skulls, displayed on these state-of-the-art screens, transformed the club into a digital Necropolis where the archaic symbol of the skull was reborn through the language of pixels and blockchain. This reinterpretation of memento mori in the digital domain was a profound statement about the evolving nature of art in an age of digital impermanence.
The atmosphere of the ethereal glow of advanced displays resonating with a deep electronic beat became a magnificent yet fitting gallery for Ristevski’s work. This temporary exhibition offered an invaluable experience curated by Ivan Durgutovski and the artist himself, thus making the audience think about the intersections of life, death, digital identity, and the inexorable march of digital technology.
Yugo Logo – Timelessness Imprinted Between the Outlines of the Graphic Symbols
Ognjen Ranković, a graphic designer, photographer and contributor to the @SpomenikDatabase Project, is a logo enthusiast who archives the graphic symbols heritage from the Balkan region.
The Yugo.Logo: Graphic Identification of the Sign exhibition displays 460 graphic symbols of once popular Yugoslavian companies and cultural organizations.
“Most of these popular graphic symbols created more than half a century ago are considered extremely high-quality solutions even by modern standards. Their influence on today’s (local) design and the establishment of collective aesthetic criteria is far from negligible, thus making the research subject – although seemingly archaic – a very current topic.” says Ognjen.
Lots of the displayed industrial logos have been already lost, destroyed or forgotten, and that’s why the exhibition Yugo.Logo: Graphic Identification of the Sign aims to be a treasure trove of Yugoslav-era graphic design.
Furthermore, this exhibition not only collected the graphic symbols that marked a long-gone era but also gathered the vast audience of the regional cultural scene of today. Following the installation in Europe House Bitola, we also installed the exhibition in MKC in Skopje and dedicated its opening to all our partners. We wanted to express our sincere appreciation for their hard work and dedication, for their creativity, skills and services that make Europe House a place of inspiration!
As the exhibition tries to preserve the artistic and cultural heritage of the immediate past, we also want to nourish all the creative potential of the local artists, cultural workers and professionals from different fields. And as we enter the New Year, let’s continue to inspire each other and take care of each other!
TeamEurope – Sustainable Waste: Boot Camp 5.0.
Europe House Kriva Palanka embraced the challenge set by the Embassy of Sweden in Skopje, joining forces in a mission to create less waste, promote reuse, and champion recycling. The initiative took the shape of an exploration of innovative waste management practices, sustainable initiatives, and green solutions at the Sustainable Waste: Boot Camp 5.0.
Out of seven potential teams armed with creative solutions, the expert jury found it impossible to choose just one winner, leading to the reward of not only one but two teams.One team from Kratovo showcased a cutting-edge method of transforming textile waste into new fashion pieces and accessories, opening doors to new employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
On the other side, a team from Kumanovo and Lipkovo aimed to transform PVC plastic waste into granules. These granules can then be sold on the market or used as raw material for companies manufacturing doors and windows, closing the loop between waste creators and users of products derived from identical waste sources.
A big shoutout to the trainers, expert jury, mentors, and all the participating teams – and congratulations to the winners! The Sustainable Waste: Boot Camp 5.0 is not just an event; it’s a celebration of innovative solutions and a step towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly future. Let’s continue to reshape, reuse, and recycle for a greener tomorrow!
Our Rights!
Europe House Strumica singles out two major events that took place in December. The first one is the two-day Human Rights Advocacy Training Workshop, where a group of young people had the opportunity to learn more about human rights and how to present them effectively to decision-makers, the larger community and relevant institutions. The second event marked International Volunteers Day with a workshop for the youth from Strumica and its region. It was a great occasion to educate the youth on the benefits of volunteering work. Both events were invaluable experiences for the youth, offering a unique opportunity to network with and learn.
Commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through Oratorical Competition
This year, the Europe House network, in cooperation with the Forum Oratores Club and the United Nations mission to our country, organized an oratory competition commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ben Nupnau, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, and Rosanna Dudzak, UN Resident Coordinator in our country, gave the opening remarks. In the spirit of freedom of opinion and expression, the audience had the opportunity to see and hear five shows and five speeches of a competitive nature by young students who study at the Faculties of Law at UKIM in Skopje, UGD in Štip and UKLO in Bitola.
The messages become louder, more powerful, and more effective when conveyed by young people, as they are the drivers of positive changes and future leaders and initiators for a better future.
Green Flash Before Dawn – Celebrating 115 Years of Kočo Racin’s Legacy
This November, Europe House Veles marked a significant milestone in Macedonian literature – 115 years since the birth of the illustrious poet Kočo Racin. Like a green flash before dawn, his legacy has illuminated the hearts and minds of generations.From the ink-stained pages of his verses to the collective heartbeat of a nation, Kočo Racin’s verses are a journey through time. His words, like whispers of the dawn, have transcended decades, carrying our spirit.The audio-visual poetry performance with the theatre performance, entitled Shadows and Clouds and the slam poetry of the Aspirin Moon Duo immortalized his memory, thus preserving the eternal glory of the poet.Racin’s heritage is a beacon, guiding us through the corridors of our cultural identity. Europe House Veles tried to honour not just a poet but a custodian of our history, preserving the essence of our heritage with each carefully crafted line.
Kočo Racin’s legacy is a masterpiece painted with words. As we celebrate 115 years of his birthday, let’s delve into the canvas of his verses and learn more about the nuances of love, nature, and the human experience.