Albanian-Scapes

Albanian Scapes is a photographic series about the Albanian landscape, as the title suggests (Albanian + Landscapes). Most of the photographs were taken during weekend or summer vacation trips to various locations throughout Albania. Thus, alternately, Albanian Scapes may be interpreted as Albanian Escapes, a desire shared by my fellow travelers and me to escape the noisy and concrete-infested city in search of pure, idyllic nature. During these last 25 years, we have witnessed the changes that the Albanian landscape has undergone from rapid urbanization, the territory’s use for commercial purposes, and the exploitation of natural resources with no protection criteria. Photography has helped me document this transformation. For this reason, the photos serve as a moment frozen in time of a landscape that will never be the same. Albanian Scapes presents a landscape where the majesty of nature (as in the Albanian Alps) coexists with antiquity (as in the ruins of Rozafa and the Castle of Himara), the ruins of modern times (the Artifacts Hotel in Kukës, the National Theater in Tirana, the Pyramid as a symbol of socialist architecture), and Nature, commercialized for profit purposes (as in the Thermal Waters of Benja, where the concessionaire's intervention has nearly dried up the Langarica River). Alternatively, Albanian Scapes can be viewed as a meditation on the current state of the Albanian landscape, constantly shifting, much like the interests of the society of which nature is a part. The album is organized like a photographic journey from north to south, traversing the natural riches of Albania and its contrasts. On one end, we see the nature of Theth and Orosh, which remains untouched by mass tourism, and on the opposite one, the artificial landscape of Tirana, which is being transformed by mass urbanization daily. Albanian Scapes also addresses the diversity of Albania's water resources, such as the Lagoon of Karavasta, the Sotira and Theth Waterfalls, the Thermal Waters in Përmet, the Devoll Valley, the diverse waterscape of Shkodra, and the southern coast and its stunning sunsets.