Press Release Echo

The Association for sustainable development SFERA MACEDONIA – Bitola is one of the partner organizations currently working on implementation of the project ECHO (European Cultural Heritage Onstage) funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union.

ECHO is an international pilot project in the field of culture, heritage and arts that aims to enhance cultural production and reinforce the European sense of belonging by connecting contemporary artistic creation with Dark Cultural Heritage of local communities in Europe. Photography, video, painting and crafts are the means to be used to reveal the tangible and intangible local heritage. The project has a duration of 12 months starting from 1^st of July 2018 and it includes partner organizations from 4 countries: Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece and Serbia.

SFERA MACEDONIA as the Macedonian partner for this project, will organize an art residency in Bitola, between 22^nd October and 22^nd November 2018, during which 3 foreign artists coming from Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia, will work together with the Macedonian artist Ljubica Meshkova Solakovska on the creation of their individual art work on the topic of the project.

As part of the activities planned for the artists, we will visit different locations around Bitola since, during the WWI, the Macedonian Front was stationed in and around Bitola and tasked with fighting off Bulgarian and German forces. The artists will visit the First World War trail in Pelister National Park, which will provide a great opportunity for them to learn more about the First World War. The second visit will be the Mariovo region, Mountain Nidze and the Peak Kajmakcalan, which was the key position in the Macedonian front during the First World War.

During the art residency, we will organize 2 Community Engagement Activities, with the purpose to present to the local community the art residency and its purpose, and get the artists and locals acquainted. There will also be an opportunity for the locals who would wish to visit the artists at any time during the activity, meet the artists and present their own suggestions, proposals and ideas that will influence the outputs of the Art Residencies.