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