On June 1 in the Skopje Zhelezara neighborhood, the multidisciplinary social festival took place KomshiLOOK. This extraordinary festival transformed the settlement into a temporary cultural center, celebrating the arts, creativity, and community. Over 100 artists, musicians, actors, and performers, offering a diverse range of performances and installations that captured the hearts of those present. The festival started with breakfast and coffee drinking with all the neighbors. The repertoire was followed by a theatrical performance in a public city hall bus number 16. There were also theatrical performances on the balconies - set text, actors, and an intimate setting in which the audience was one (if anyone needs its reference to cohesion, and citizenship, here you can read it between the lines). The balconies, the homes, and the whole plateau around the six buildings at Koce Metalec 1 served as unique scenes for different performances: classical music with a conductor, dance performances, modern hip-hop performances, video mapping, installations, images, and sculptures by 15 authors.
KomshiLOOK is proof of how informal initiatives can encourage and beautify communities. Living in a time of growing social inequalities, xenophobia and racism are with us we need more open, inclusive, and cohesive communities. The Anna Lindh network is working on promotion of intercultural dialogue and we hope that this is a perfect Macedonian example of an experience full of culture and community.
Authors: Irina Janevska (ARNO) and Stefan Aleksandar Jovanovski (KomshiLOOK)
