Non-traditional heroines present two short documentary films and public discussion, author: Ana Čigon, collaborators Qëndresë Deda, Linda Gusia, Majlinda Hoxha, Alma Lama, Lura Limani, Nita Luci, Hana Qena, Haveit.
Heroinat / Heroines is a short documentary film on the erection of a problematic monument, which was uncovered in 2015 in Prishtina. It was dedicated to the women that contributed in the war of 1998-99 in Kosovo and all the women that were victims of sexual assault during this war. In the film critique on the monument is shown through montage of interviews with a politician who supported the project, the artists and theoreticians from Prishtina, that are questioning the idea and aesthetics of such monument, and the written documents of the artist’s statements on the aesthetic and symbolic aspect of the monument.
The public discussion will analyze the conservative aspect of public monuments especially when it comes to the representation of women. The discussion will be organized in a more informal and also more filmic environment. The aim is to analyze statements in the film Heroinat and use these as a framework to analyze monuments in Prishtina and search for similarities with monuments in Ljubljana (other cities). The participants of the public discussions will be theoreticians and artists from Kosovo who have dealt with the representation of women. A part of the discussion will be open to audience and dedicated to monuments in Ljubljana. Additional invitations to join this will be proposed to artists and theoreticians that have dealt with public monuments in Slovene. The event will be filmed by Ana Čigon and Qëndresë Deda in order to provide material for a new short documentary.
The project will aim at bringing together knowledge, views and artistic approaches that confront conservative representation in monuments and build new connections between Slovene and Kosovo artists and theoreticians.