Description
Object description
British civilian artist and photographer in GB and Kosovo, 1982-2001
Content description
REEL 1: Background in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia and GB, 1966-1982: family, memories Sarajevo, Yugoslavia; description of living in multi-lingual country; move to GB on divorce of parents, 1971. Recollections of period as artist in GB and Kosovo, 1982-2001: description of political situation in Kosovo, Yugoslavia, 1982; problem of religious and ethnic prejudice; education and art training at Goldsmith's College, London; participation in Damien Hirst's 'Freeze' show; interest in female body and architecture; British Council scholarship at Pristina University, 1988-1990; attitude towards Milosevic and Serbian nationalism; description of father's work with historical monuments; attitude to photojournalism and photography; story of arrest by Serb authorities.
REEL 2 Continues: description of Turkish baths photographic series and exhibitions of work; summary of artistic and political views; involvement in demonstrations for Allied intervention in Kosovo; story of exiled uncle; attitude to role of artist in war situation; further comparisons of photography and photojournalism; opinion of artists Paul Nash and Graham Sutherland; story of 'Haystacks' series of paintings; description of 'Blood Feud Reconciliation' series; attitude towards men; importance of dual cultural influences.
REEL 3 Continues: further involvement with campaign for Allied intervention in Kosovo including confrontation with British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook; attitude to political situation in Kosovo and refugee crisis and effects on own family; attitude to media coverage of crisis; role as part of International Red Cross team; role as interpreter and teacher; description of return to Kosovo and scenes of destruction; morale of exiled Kosovans; opinion of International Red Cross and other aid agencies; story of reunion with family and effects of war.
REEL 4 Continues: attitude and morale of returning Kosovans and opinion of Serbs; description of destruction of Gjakova; story of friend raped by Serbs; memory of seeing mass graves and exhumations; story of man looking for son; involvement with rehabilitation of schools; opinion of effectiveness of aid agencies; description of series of drawings 'Kosovo, the Year Zero' and comparisons to GB in Second World War; attitude to paintings and photographs and relative importance; opinion of artist Linda Kitson.
REEL 5 Continues: description of process of rebuilding country and associated drawings and photographs; story of returning men of Kosovo Liberation Army; memory of seeing Serb Orthodox church bombed; description of treatment of Albanians and gypsies; reason for decline in use of Serbo-Croat language; attitude to art works from First and Second World Wars; memoies of Albanian-Kosovan art during war; further description of 'Kosovo, the Year Zero' series; attitude to new artistic freedom after war; description of singing boy picture.
REEL 6 Continues: description of return to Kosovo, 1999 and exhibition; description of situation in Kosovo including reprisals against Serbs and gypsies; attitude to reconstruction and helping International Red Cross; story of father's work designing war memorials; attitude to formation of new Kosovo Army and problems of discipline; story of visit to prison and mass shooting; effects of war on Kosovan society; problem of ethnic tensions and reprisals; opinion of Kosovan leaders; opinion of aid agencies; problem with Russian forces serving alongside North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces.
REEL 7 Continues: attitude to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and involvement with politics; reflections on drawing and photography; description of a series of photographs taken in Kosovo; attitude to nationalism; discussion of Imperial War Museum exhibition of work, 11/2001; importance of art in life and increasing interest in previous wars; attitude to Kosovan crisis and effects on family.
REEL 8 Continues: visit to Kosovo, 2000, and state of country including problem of establishing law and order; story of how Kosovans reclaimed property; problem of accidents in mines; return to Pristina to teach photography, 2000; continuation of story of friend being raped; description of discovery of mass graves including memory of skeleton of two year old child; attitude to photographing scenes of horror.