hello

update update update!

2008-03-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

i will no longer write on this blog. i have a new blog now.
update your linxxx!!!. my blog has moved to bardhihaliti.com/blog

thanks!

2008-02-26T17:37:00.002-08:00

this blog ends here...with this post. im in the process of transferring to another blog and will let you know more about it when that process is done. cheeeerrrrsss.

2008-02-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

this blog will soon stop existing...

2008-02-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

my good friend nita salihu finished her undergraduate degree in graphic design from university of prishtina, and now is doing her masters in multimedia/graphic design also at the university of prishtina. She works for ogilvy in kosova, and as part of the independence celebrations, she designed the huge steel type that reads "newborn" set in DIN bold. This typography sculpture went in the center of prishtina, the capital of kosova, where the independence celebrations took place. the whole project took around 10 days to finish. most of the people celebrating the independence got to sign their names on the letters, including the president and the prime minister.

click here for more pictures

2008-02-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

i got sagmeister's new book in the mail today. comes with 15 different covers. very neat.

2008-02-20T00:56:00.001-08:00

So, my country, Kosovo (official name now Republic Of Kosova) became independent this past sunday. It's been very surreal and a great feeling. Surreal mostly because we never used to celebrate something of our own...we always celebrated other countries independence like Albania's and Americas...and since we weren't a country we did not have our own national soccer team playing in the world cup either so we always picked other european countries to support during world cup.

Anyway, everyone I have talked to at home has been feeling great about this "thing", this whole "thing" they have been waiting for too long. I personally didn't know how to celebrate. Well, I wasn't even in Kosovo...so instead I just spent the day playing ping pong and feeling great. I still continue to feel great for many reasons. I'm very excited to see my country on the map. I'm excited to be a citizen of a real country. I am excited that I will no longer confuse the people at the airport when they check my "passport".

Thanks to all the countries that have recognized our independence so far; Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Costa Rica, United States, France, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Albania, Turkey, Australia, Senegal, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Belgium, Finland, Lithuenia and Austria. And as for the countries like Russia, Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus who won't recognize our state I dont really know what to say. I'm not gonna say anything about Russia, cause i never care what they think. But, as far as Romania goes, shame on them. They are the poorest country in Europe so they should know what it's like to want something better. They were crying like little babies until they joined European Union. Im also very disappointed at Spain. Just disappointed that they continue to stand by the Serbian government on the Kosovo issue, a government that still to this day hasn't apologized the the people of Kosovo for all the pain and suffering they have caused them. A government that has denied the war and the killing in Kosovo. It's beyond my understanding.

I wish all these countries would understand. I wish they'd understand that we can't go back to someone who has raped us, tortured us, killed us, taken all the basic rights from us, abused us, massacred us etc. Imagine your father raped you, killed your mom and your siblings, would you go back and live with him? You probably wouldn't. That's how we feel about Serbia. We never wanna be part of it. We like being on our own more than anything now...and there's nothing that will stop us.

2008-02-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

i just finished the second issue of resource room. you can see more pictures on my flicker, and if you are interested in writing on the next issue please contact me at bardhi.haliti@gmail.com

2008-02-18T08:48:00.001-08:00

i took this image from my friend vigan's blog. this is the sunday cover of a big daily newspaper in kosova. p.s. yu stands for yugoslavia.

2008-02-17T19:11:00.001-08:00

2008-02-16T13:44:00.001-08:00

2008-02-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

martin woodtli

2008-02-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

2008-02-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

the swiss are good.

2008-02-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

2008-02-10T13:10:00.001-08:00

2008-02-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

animal collective/taste: there's a secret place i hide that's deep inside of me/an elusive voice that tells me what i like, now/you might think i'm gonna judge you in your fancy place/i don't really give that credit to what taste does 'cause/

i don't care if you don't like that/you get your feelings hurt/but i'm okay with that
and if i like you/it's for your simple ways/and we will always be at a tasty place
and you can cook a rose but i don't eat those/taste!

and i didn't pretend to like the clothes you chose for me/something in my heart, it tells me it's a weakness/but i like shiny things and flower prints you wouldn't dare take a woman's blouse and set it for your son to wear/when we share our points of view you get a glimpse of me/i get a glimpse of you/and i don't really care if i don't change your ways/we will always be at the tasty place/and you can cook a rose but i don't eat those/taste!

am i really all the things that are outside of me?/am i really all the things that are outside of me?/am i really all the things that are outside of me?/am i really all the things that are outside of me?/am i really all the things that are outside of me?

2008-02-05T23:55:00.001-08:00

I was just reading on bbc about this Palestinian family living in a cave in the West Bank. The family has no access to clean water, the children are unable to attend school and there is no electricity. Seems like after such a long conflict in the area, the governments and the people of that area should be striving to contribute to an improvement in people's lives rather than destroy their houses, arguing that the land they were built in belongs to only one group of people. I have yet to understand how putting some poor family in misery can become someone else's fulfillment and happiness.

2008-02-05T17:18:00.001-08:00

this is world's longest couch in denmark designed by anders nørgaard for BoConcept. total length: 168 feet 8 inches-weight: 1.4 tons-comprised of 54 legs-seats 104 people.

2008-02-04T23:10:00.000-08:00

2008-01-31T18:31:00.001-08:00

i took this picture of my super fun neighbor 6 years ago, and i just recently found it while looking for something else.

2008-01-31T17:57:00.001-08:00

in response to this

2008-01-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

i hate pennies, but for some strange reason i always find them in my pockets and it really annoys me.

2008-01-31T15:22:00.000-08:00

2008-01-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

i wasn't really kidding when i said i'm convinced i make the best spaghetti.

2008-01-27T21:57:00.001-08:00

(photography by andrew testa)
In the summer of 2007, I got a grant from Brigham Young University that almost covered my plane ticket to fly to Kosova. The grant is called "ORCA" and it was awarded to me to work on the new national visual identity of Kosova. My degree show (the last project i have to finish to graduate) is also on the national visual identity of Kosova.

How does a nation of diverse ethnic groups define itself visually while still acknowledging the existence of very different perspectives?

As a native Kosovar and ethnic Albanian I am very interested in my own country's visual identity and the perspectives of its people (including ethnic Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Romas etc.). Currently, the issue of national visual identity is extremely relevant as Kosova seeks its independence.

Kosova has struggled to maintain a clear visual identity that would represent its varying people and their culture for decades now. The worst action towards Kosovar identity came during the 1990s when Slobodan Milosevic was in power. He systematically destroyed everything that was part of a Kosovar identity. Historical buildings, educational institutions and other symbols of national pride were all targets. As a result, the continuing conflict expanded into a war and took the lives of many innocent people, mainly Kosovar-Albanian civilians. It also caused hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee Kosova into neighboring countries like Macedonia,
Albania and Montenegro.

Growing up in Kosova, I can say I'm very familiar with the country and its people. My immediate and most of my extended family still live there. I have experienced much of its recent political strife, and the issue of national identity is very important to me personally.

My objective for this upcoming show of mine is to show the results of my one year research on the issue through different graphic elements which include; a new state flag, postage stamps, government identity, and other various forms of national visual identity.

The exhibition will be announced in the next few weeks. Hope you can make it.