VJOSA–THE LAST UNTAMED RIVER IN EUROPE

VJOSA

THE LAST UNTAMED RIVER IN EUROPE

VJOSA, THE LAST UNTAMED RIVER IN EUROPE

Welcome to the captivating photographic journey of the Vjosa River in Albania. This book is the result of an ambitious project launched in 2019 by Professor Matthias Leupold and Eric Berg and their students from the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE). Through their photographs and cinematography, they have documented this unique biotope, the surrounding centuries-old villages, and the potential destruction posed by the proposed thirty dams.

Thanks to the hard work of organizations such as ECOAlbania, the Albanian government has recognized the importance of preserving this river and its surroundings, signing a declaration of intent in June of 2022 to establish the Vjosa National Park. This book is a testament to the power of art and science to bring about meaningful change, and we hope that it inspires others to help protect the natural world for future generations.

EXHIBITION WORKS

Anna Gundendorf

Long story short; a man once tried to burn his rubbish behind his house but burned half of the hill instead.

@chesnut_n_copper

Maria Denise Dessimoz

A place of warm smiles and kind souls

@maria_denise_dessimoz

TRACES OF ALBANIA ~

Mara Trinca Rampelin

Locals are very welcoming, even if they don’t speak English, and even though they don’t own too much, they are always willing to offer you a drink or a coffee. These pictures are a mixture of portraits and landscapes of the south of the country, more precisely around Permet. I decided to match the pictures with one portrait and one nature picture to emphasise the importance of the environment. By connecting with the locals, I was able to understand their lifestyle and their traditions. Families were opening their doors to welcome travellers, offering them coffee and Raki shots.

@_photosformemories

www.maratrincaphotogra.wixsite.com/ mara-trinca-rampelin

MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

Oskar Joe Fabritz

On the last day of the trip we visited a group of dead trees that we had found the day before. At their feet was a small stream of water surrounded by moss plants. In this little paradise lived a small crab that seemed to feel very comfortable there. A very strange phenomenon at this time, taking into account the dry and dusty mountain landscape.

I wonder how he got there?

@oskarama

AGAINST THE CURRENT ~

Ada Retegan

I remember Kristaq, our host, saying that he lives as if everyday was his last, and I think having a perspective like this makes you focus on the good aspects of your life. My week in Albania was a reminder to appreciate the truly important things like love, kindness, nature, togetherness, which become less evident in our current ways of living and being.

@adaretagan

The Cafe in Kute is a beloved gathering place for the villagers. It serves as a hub for catching up with friends and family, discussing the daily news, and settling arguments over strong coffee or drinks. It’s also a place to watch football matches, celebrate victories, and share stories. No matter the occasion, the Cafe in Kute is the perfect spot for all the important things in everyday life.

@uweschroeder_fotograf

www.facebook.com/uweschroederfotograf

Jana Vollmer

I met a couple from the UK and Sweden who were on their honeymoon, on a long stand-up paddle board, floating down the Vjosa river together while I was shooting in the bed of the river. They took videos and photos for their Instagram page and also asked me to take photos of them.

This memory stuck with me because of how surreal it felt at the moment. I was there, a visitor, trying to capture the vulnerability of the Vjose river. While two other visitors use it as a background to their social media posts.

@janavollmerr

www.janavollmer.com

BALANCE ~

Lime Light Reiter

There is one memory that will always stick to me. It was the 20 minutes at the river I felt safe enough to be myself and let all the tension fall, let my guards down and be free floating in the Vjosa. It wasn’t easy for me as a trans woman there but also I learned much about me and my work. I’m happy when we were back home but also I wouldn’t want to miss out on the experience of being there, meeting lovely people, a lovely river and beautiful landscapes from dusk till dawn, through day and night.

@light_lime_me

www.lightinsight.net

LIFE AROUND VJOSA ~

Alice Odegova

What makes Albania so unique is the people. When a large group of strange foreigners with cameras swarm their towns and villages, instead of hiding and locking the doors, they invite us into their homes, offer us their food and give us copious amounts of raki. They are some of the most open, welcoming, kind-hearted, and warm people I have ever met.

@alice.odegova

www.aliceodegova.com

THE LAND OF GENEROSITY ~

Maren Nordtorp Larsen

Albania is the definition of hospitality and generosity. You cannot walk more than 50 metres before someone is waving you to their home. A home where the door is open, and you are greeted with a warm hug, with raki and coffee served on a platter. I never left the houses without gifts – freshly harvested pomegranates, grapes, jewelry… the families I spent the afternoons with did not have a lot, but they shared what they had with great pleasure and generosity.

@marennl www.marenphotography.com

LONGING FOR A CHANGE

~ An Nguyen

With hundreds of thousands of people having left Albania in the last decade, an exodus that left many people, mostly elderly, behind – the Balkan country has faced many struggles in developing economically and culturally. My series was an opportunity for me to first understand, and then to examine the current condition of the country through human beings and locations that I encountered, the things that have been relentlessly keeping Albania alive.

I remember being offered fruits by everyone that I had a chance to meet. I and two other friends followed a villager to his village to take photos of him. Without knowing a single word of his language and he not knowing English, the villager trusted us enough to bring us into his home. We were welcomed by him and his wife, who brought us a huge table of food, talked to us in body language and

hugged my head as I tried to communicate. We left with backpacks filled with nuts and pomegranates. The genuine hospitality that I experienced in Albania felt very close to my heart, as it made me miss the villagers in my grandparents’ hometown in Vietnam. It definitely gave me this homesickness, but also an immeasurable joy of feeling once again connected to complete strangers.

@annguyenphoto

THE OTHER WAY OF LIVING

Thirza Fobbe

The thing that impressed me the most was the kindness from the people. Even if you could see that they didn’t have a lot of money they still invited us for a coffee and gave us grapes from their own garden. Even if they knew that we could not speak their language they still wanted to spend time with us.

@thirzafobbe

www.thirzafobbe.wixsite.com/photography

Weeteng Poh

There was an old man who offered me a lift in his car when I was walking down the mountains. Halfway down, he also offered me some Arra, or walnuts, that he had kept in his pockets. As I was fumbling with the hard shell, he stopped the vehicle and showed me how to break it open with a stone. Thereafter, we seemed more comfortable with the awkward silence during the journey on the bumpy road. It was then that I realised that the easiest way to break the ice with a stranger is perhaps to break some Arra together. Still to this day, I still remember this brief ride with the old man in a windowless car and the fleeting connection that we shared on the dusty road.

@maybepotato

www.weeteng.space

Jetter

Pause

Du schenkst mir Trost und Ruhe. Deine Berge umgeben mich und halten mich wie eine Mutter ihr Kind in den Armen hält. Dein Fluss streichelt meine Haut und bedeckt mich mit Küssen. Mein Atem wird leichter, tiefer, ruhiger, während ich mich in deiner Größe und Weite verliere. Du gabst mir so viel, wie kann ich es dir zurück geben?

Sag es mir.

Break

You comfort and calm me. Your mountains surround me and hold me like a mother holds her child.

Your river caresses me and covers me with kisses. My breath becomes lighter, deeper, calmer, while I rest in your depth and width. You gave me so much, what can I give back?

Tell me.

PRIDE THROUGH COLOUR

Eoin O’Connor

While conversing with the locals, often through a translator, and being in their presence I could get the sense that despite their troubled history as a country the people of Albania are a proud folk. Always open and willing to have their picture taken and despite the language barrier between us they were still always open to having a conversation. Using inspiration from the deep red colour from the countries national flag I have signalled this out to promote the beautiful, welcoming country that is Albania.

eoinoc66@gmail.com

ALBANIA’S GOLDEN LIGHT ~

Amber Digby

The welcoming culture of the locals was the most memorable part of the trip to Albania. Everyone was extremely kind and open, inviting us into their homes for coffee, cake, raki and more. Regardless of the language barrier, we found a way to communicate with each other, which I had never experienced in any other country.

@lifesexposure

www.lifesexposure.com

WORTHWHILE - BLUE VEINS PUMPING ~

Laura Maria Görner

Albania made me questioning what it means to be human, especially nowadays.

In contrast to my modern home country of Germany I understood that Albania in a certain but essentially way is rich. Unavailabilities, neither electric nor digital techniques, being restricted by natures rhythm and its phenomenons, going and learning slowly or staying with your family aren’t disvalues of life. It’s not a sign of poorness but richness. It is just a way of perspective. Maybe it’s time to switch the view and appreciate those countries that are expected to look up to us. We have to see the worth in their natural being again and learn from it instead of exploiting them.

@lmgart

www.lmgart.de

THE RIVER’S BREATH

Md. Shamsul Arifin

“The River’s Breath” aims to bring attention to the role of trees as witnesses of the passing of time and changes in nature. The Vjosa River, the longest wild river in Eastern Europe located in Albania, serves as the central focus of the project, with its surrounding trees serving as symbols of our collective past, present, and future. Through my journey along the river, this project captures the beauty and essence of the Vjosa River and its landscape. The presence of the trees along the river serves as a reminder of the evolution of human and river life, making them a significant and integral part of the project and our shared history.

@mdsarifin

www.shamsularifin.com

ONLY FOR A MOMENT

Tim Bentlin

Probably my most exciting moment in both my trips to Albania was when I stood with the boys from Kute on the mountain overlooking the village they came from. But it was not the view that is so unforgettable (although it most probably contributed to it) but how we got up there. When I came to the village for the second time, it was quite difficult for me to gain the trust of the group of children and young people, even though they were quite interested in what we were doing in the village. After some negotiation (mostly done with google translator or hand signals) they were willing to be photographed, but on the condition that I play a football match with them in the market place. When my team finally won, the gate was open for my portraits of them. Still quite shy in front of the camera, they all joined in bit by bit and finally felt quite comfortable in front of my camera. After a while, when probably all the children of the village had gathered around me, I asked the older boys for their favourite place with a nice view.

They gave me a sign to follow them, which I did, neither knowing where to go nor how long it would take, as the day was drawing to its end. We walked up a hill in a rush and I followed them while I kept translating the questions to them on my mobile phone. Not that I was overwhelming them with questions (if that was possible at that pace), they were almost fanatical about telling me about their village, who lived where and who worked abroad.

Once I reached the top, I was overwhelmed by the view. The whole village lay at the foot of the mountain in front of us. We could see the whole valley with its towering mountains behind it and the Vjosa River winding its way through the middle of the valley. While I dreamily looked down into the valley, the boys, almost bored again, started to play football with the ball they had brought with them. They showed me more and more tricks and almost managed to get the ball back into the valley without us.

Finally we talked about why we were in Kute. And they heard from me that the government’s planned dams might flood their fields. At that time, the protection of the Vjosa was still in full swing. They were quite surprised to hear about it, because I was the first to tell them. In response, they formed the national bird of Albania with their hands. An unforgettable moment for me.

@timbentlin.photography

www.timbentlin-photography.com

HOMAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF PERMËT

Anh Dai Nguyen

Albania was truly a unique place. We spent a good week there with my fellow uni companions and in that week I got to witness the beauty of the land, the hospitality and warmthness of the people there. All of which through my lens, I was able to capture - the people there who led simple lives, most of them make their living through agriculture and it was great to showcase the deep connection between the people and their land. The photographs I took are a homage to the incredible people of Permet and to the town itself that made the trip unforgettable. We also made a trip to Kute, A town also situated on the Vjosa where I took this photograph. I felt like this photograph best depicts the Albanian village way of life... families, friends and neighbours are very closely knitted together and everybody is involved in everyone’s life which allows them to bond in so many ways. This was especially unforgettable and beautiful to capture through my lens.

CONTRADICT

Leander Rambichler-Praxmarer

My trip to Albania was a contradictory experience. On the one hand, the landscapes along the river Vjosa were breathtakingly beautiful, with a peaceful atmosphere that seemed to stretch for miles. On the other hand, the political and social divisions in Albania were apparent in conversations with locals, which was in stark contrast to the warmth and hospitality of the people and the environment.

@leander.rp

www.leander-rp.com

THE UNTOLD STORY

Md. Furqan Sohail

On my Albanian trip, I enjoyed the most, I learned the most, and emotionally I feel the most. It’s been a long time since I visited my home country in Pakistan, and when I visited Albania, I realized it is similarly beautiful as my country. Full of nature, greenery, and mountains. The most important part of that journey was the Vjosa river, one of the last untamed rivers of Europe. The second most beautiful thing I experienced there was the voice of ‘ADHAN’ (Muslim call to prayer). As I am Muslim, I like to hear the beautiful voice of ADHAN. Overall, the experience was great, and I am planning to travel again to complete some unfinished work.

HEROS OF PERMËT ~

Timothy Pauli

Përmet is a small town located in the south of Albania.

During our stay there we had the chance to get to know the area and the locals of Albania.

The people down in Përmet are very welcoming and are interested in foreigners.

Every person we passed on our daily hikes had a smile on their face, waved friendly or said hallo. Some even invited us to their home or drove us back to the guesthouse while we were hitchhiking. Visiting the countryside in Albania was like a small time travel to the past. Growing up myself on a small farm I can tell how farming changed over the years. Agriculture here still has something romantic about it, something where every one participates. Most of the farmers are self-sufficient and are taking care of their own goods and animals. Shepherds herding their sheep and goats, donkeys packed with all kinds of goods, from firewood, tools, milk cans and other containers. Fishermen are fishing in the Vjosa, farmers are harvesting while kids are playing on the fields and streets.

For me the spirit of the area around Përmet clearly comes from the people and their heart warming attitude. This is what I wanted to capture.

For my project Hero’s of Përmet I decided to illustrate some of the locals in their every day lives as statues or rather as monuments. Without those people Përmet wouldn’t be as authentic as I experienced it.

@pim.tauli

https://linktr.ee/timothypauli

KLEINER EINBLICK IN DIE ARTENVIELFALT DER VJOSA ~

My eyes began to well up with tears when I first stood in front of the guesthouse and and saw the watercourse of theVjosa.

@jochenrohner www.jochenrohner.de

Jochen Rohner

IMMORTAL BIRD ~ Abi Shehu

@abi_shehu

Finn Waldherr

I felt joy while riding in a car next to the Vjosa, seeing beautiful landscapes and enjoying a fresh breeze of air.

@patronfinn

Enis Shehu

As a mountaineer and publisher of a hiking and climbing trail guide of the Albanian mountains, it was a special concern for me to accompany the groups. I had the opportunity to photographically capture the beauty of the mountain landscapes and their still almost untouched nature and the life of the farmers in these rough areas.

@enis.shehu

@ebbw www.ericberg.tumblr.com

CHARON ~

Matthias Leupold

In parallel to a long-term documentary film project, Eric Berg and I developed a workshop series VJOSA, THE LAST UNTAMED RIVER IN EUROPE, in which mostly photography students but also students of communication design and illustration and teachers explored the south of Albania photographically and illustratively for a week at a time. In 2019, Abi Sehu had the wonderful traditional guesthouse in Bual near Përmet found, run by Kristaq, Flora and Mandi Cullufe, which has only had electricity for a few years. The house is a few hundred metres above the Vjosa.

Just the walk up the mountains to our home every evening was very inspiring for all of us. Enis Shehu accompanied us on every field trip, translated between the family and us at dinner and often we talked late into the night over raki and red wine, getting to know the wonderful hospitality in Albania. He drove us to the thermal springs of Llixhat e Bënjës and other places of interest in the area. Besjana Gurj from the NGO EcoAlbania visited us in Përmet and introduced us to the problems of dam building on the Vjosa, this mysterious river which is very revered in Albania, so much so that to this day young girls are named after it. Serveta and Vjosa from Kutal took us to their original village and the neighbouring village of Kosine - Demir, Lola, Irisa Murataj hosted us Kutë. Our annual return in autumn leads over the years to a beautiful familiarity that has lasted until today. This catalogue is a visual thank you to all those who have supported this project in Albania. Many thanks to Boris Wiesmayr and Martin Kruszka both at Unumodo e.V. and the Malzfabrik in Berlin-Tempelhof as well as Michael Kwast and Uwe Schröder in the administration of the University of Europe for Applied Sciences who made the exhibition 2023 possible in the framework of the European Month of Photography.

@matthiasleupoldberlin www.leupoldfilmproduction.berlin

Acknowledgements

Thanks to, Enis Shehu and Abi Shehu; Kristaq, Flora and Mandi Cullufe Traditional Guesthouse Përmet; Besjana Guri, NGO EcoAlbania; Trifon, Demir, Lola, Irisa Murataj in Kutë, Serveta and Vjosa in Kutal; Boris Wiesmayr, Martin Kruszka both at Unumodo e.V. c/o Malzfabrik; Michael Kwast, Uwe Schröder, University of Europe for Applied Sciences Berlin;

Last but not least, the students would like to thank Eric Berg and Prof. Matthias Leupold for making this project possible!

Layout: Weeteng Poh & Leander Rambichler-Praxmarer