The work of a Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ academic is contributing to a major exhibition commemorating the end of the 1998-99 Kosovo War.
Lala Meredith-Vula, Professor in Art and Photography at Æß²ÊÖ±²¥, has contributed some of her photography peices to Reporting House, which opened on 10th June in the Kosovan capital Prishtina.
Reporting House creates a space for contemplation, dialogue, and catharsis, honouring the memory of those affected by the war in Kosovo while advocating for future peace in the world. It offers the opportunity for Kosovans and tourists the opportunity to learn more about the conflict, which displaced 90% of Kosovar Albanian population and culminated in 11 weeks of NATO airstrikes which eventually led to the Yugoslavian withdrawal.
The exhibition, organised by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (Kosovo), Kallxo – an online anti-corruption website – and Prishtina Biennale, mixes journalism, photography, and media artefacts of the time with contemporary artwork. It covers the period before the war, the roots of the conflict in the 1990s, which gave birth to the guerrilla Kosovo Liberation army, and the eventual conflict.
Professor Lala's contribution is from Bathers, an ongoing series since 1994 on the subject of water, which focuses on women in Turkish baths before the water. She worked for the British Red Cross in 1999, and spent a year in Kosovo, witnessing the aftermath of the conflict. Of those times, she recalls “it was the most humbling moments of my life so far.”
Both Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, and Jeremy Bowen, who covered the conflict for the BBC as Middle East correspondent, have visited the exhibition. Bowen has spoken movingly of his experiences at the time, which can be viewed
Prof. Lala will visit the exhibition in October to participate in a special conference about the exibition.
Reporting House has been extended through December 2024 by popular demand.
Posted on Friday 26 July 2024