We started searching for a village in the Skopje area, looking for a place where we could explore these relationships and discover how art could become part of them. During this search, we discovered Pobozje, a small village in the Municipality of Čučer-Sandevo, on the slopes of Skopska Crna Gora, just outside the city. Surrounded by nature, traditional houses, gardens and courtyards, Pobozje offered something that fascinated us: an entire village where everyday life could become the foundation for a cultural programme.
Instead of bringing a ready-made festival to Pobozje, we started by meeting its people. We visited homes, entered courtyards, listened to stories and discovered what residents could share. Some knew traditional crafts, others grew food, cooked, made things by hand or simply had wonderful spaces and stories.
We were not looking only for artists. We were looking for neighbours and for the knowledge, skills and generosity already present in the village.
Building trust became an important part of the process. Through conversations, repeated visits and working together, residents gradually opened their homes and became more involved in shaping the programme. We wanted them to feel proud of what their village already had to offer, while inviting visitors to discover Pobozje from a different perspective.
It was an opportunity for residents to look at their own village differently too, recognising the value of things that had always been part of their everyday lives.
Together, we began transforming the village into a living programme. Private courtyards became stages, gardens became workshop spaces, homes opened to visitors, and streets connected dozens of small experiences. Residents became hosts, artists, guides and collaborators. Visitors could move freely from one courtyard to another, discovering traditional crafts, local food, music, performances, exhibitions, workshops and unexpected encounters. We also invited artists to reinterpret local traditions, knowledge and everyday practices, creating new connections between contemporary art and village life.
The first edition in September 2025 brought more than 3,000 visitors to Pobozje, with activities across approximately 30 courtyards and private spaces. Rather than gathering everyone around a single main stage, we invited people to explore the entire village, allowing each household to contribute something different. By evening, the smaller encounters came together in a shared musical celebration.
In September 2026, we returned to Pobozje, continuing the relationships established during the first edition and expanding the programme to around 40 courtyards. The return was important to us. KomshiLOOK was not meant to be a festival that visits a place once and disappears. We wanted to continue building relationships, discovering new stories and creating more opportunities for residents to participate.
The second edition grew into a full-day programme with more than 50 different activities and around 100 artistic and programme participants. Pobozje is a small village with a population of approximately 250 residents, making the involvement of the local community especially significant. Around 60 women prepared homemade breakfasts, lunches, cakes and traditional food for visitors, while 12 men supported logistics and organisation. Many other residents welcomed visitors into their own courtyards and homes. Everything was rooted in the local community, from food and hospitality to crafts, traditions and the spaces themselves. Artists were invited to work with these existing elements, reinterpret them and create something new together with the residents.
Sustainability and ecology also became important parts of the programme. By using existing homes, gardens and courtyards, supporting locally prepared food and traditional knowledge, and encouraging visitors to explore the village on foot, we wanted to demonstrate how a large cultural event could grow from resources already available within a community. Activities connected to nature, environmental awareness and sustainable practices brought another dimension to the experience, linking the care we give to our environment with the care we give to one another.
Pobozje helped us explore a simple idea: perhaps villages already know something about community that cities are trying to rediscover. By opening their homes, sharing their knowledge and welcoming strangers, the residents reminded us that culture does not always need a new building or a special venue. Sometimes it already exists in the garden, the kitchen, the courtyard and the relationships between neighbours.
