In Šuto Orizari, Skopje, there is a small street called Volt Dizni, named after Walt Disney. A street with an unusual name became the starting point for a project about something much bigger: visibility. Who gets to be seen? Who remains invisible? And what does it take to put an entire neighbourhood on the map?
In early Disney animations, characters wore white gloves to make their hands and movements more visible against black-and-white backgrounds. We borrowed this simple visual idea and turned it into the central symbol of the project. If white gloves could make cartoon characters more visible, could art help make an entire community more visible too?
Together with residents, artists and local collaborators, KomshiLOOK transformed Volt Dizni Street into an open-air space for art, encounters and collective creation. The street became a stage for visual installations, exhibitions, performances and a live jam session. Homes, walls and everyday spaces became part of the artistic programme, while neighbours took on the roles of hosts, participants and collaborators.
But we also wanted to explore another kind of visibility: digital visibility. We documented the street through Google Street View, bringing a part of Šuto Orizari into a digital representation of the city. GPS art, a map-inspired mural and other artistic interventions explored how neighbourhoods are represented, discovered and recognised, both online and in everyday life.
For one day, a small residential street became a meeting point for residents and visitors from across Skopje. People who might never have visited Šuto Orizari came to experience it through its people, homes, stories and artistic expressions.
Volt Dizni was never simply about attracting attention to a place. It was about changing the way we look at it, and about giving its residents an active role in how their neighbourhood is seen.
Because being visible is not only about appearing on a map. It is about being recognised as part of the city.
