Documenting DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art archives in commons

The primary objective this project is to document a previously overlooked aspect of Albanian contemporary art scene in the commons. This represents a fundamental shift as, for the first time, we aim to add information and knowledge related to contemporary art in Albania in (at least) EN and SQ Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons.

Challenges: The scarcity of readily available materials and the elusive nature of formal and informal groups operating within the contemporary art scene in Albania has made it very hard to expose these materials to the general public.

Addressing the challenges: To overcome this, our approach involves working closely with an established art collective like DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art and Qendra Zeta. With this collaboration, everyone involved aims to add for the first time (in our knowledge) materials about the contemporary art scene in Albania (starting in the late 1990s to present), not only in public but in Wikimedia platforms so that others can be exposed to these works and improve upon it.

Last but not least, with this project we are aiming to foster preservation of the materials related to contemporary art in Albania (by publishing them in the commons) and promotion of the local scene on a global scale by hopefully having the articles we will create and edit in even more languages.

MoO can be found here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2024-MoU-Debatik-WCUGA-Zeta.pdf.

Project implementation period: July 2024 - August 2024 Project extension: September 2024

Project partners

Listed below in not particular order.

DebatikCenter of Contemporary Arts (DCCA)

DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art (D.C.C.A) was founded in 2003 by a group of young Albanian contemporary artists and launched the same year with a performance coinciding with the opening of the 2nd edition of the Tirana Biennale. The aim of the performance was to question the biennial concept itself, specifically the proliferation of biennials on a global scale and the illusion of openness this provided, by drawing attention to how unsustainable this growth was, especially in peripheral countries like Albania where the organisation of successive editions depended largely on personal relationships and political endorsement. In its current incarnation DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art is a nexus of academics, activists, architects, artists, imaginary and real collectives, critics, curators, journalists, translators, etc., that seek to shine a light on these practices but also offer the necessary tools to imagine alternative futures and strategies of resistance to the status quo.

Website: debatikcenter.net

Wikimedia Community User Group Albania

Wikimedia Community User Group Albania is a group of users of Albanian Wikimedia projects who are interested in organizing and participating in outreach activities on national level including GLAM and Education initiatives. Members of the group have been active for quite some time already participating and co-organizing among others many GLAMM related partnerships (memorandum of understanding), workshops, presentations in free software events (see OSCAL), or edit-a-thons organized in Tirana. WCUGA aims at the organization and representation of part of the Albanian community as well as the promotion and participation on projects that the Wikimedia Foundation initiates.

Zeta Gallery

ZETA Center for Contemporary Art is a non-profit exhibition space founded in 2007 by Valentina Koça. With its 150 square-meter area on the second floor of a mixed residential and commercial building at Abdyl Frashëri Street in downtown Tirana, ZETA functions as an autonomous cultural venue for multidisciplinary approaches to visual arts, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, sound, and performance. Besides exhibitions, ZETA also hosts educational programs, workshops and discursive events reflecting on the pressing socio-cultural issues of our times in relation to visual arts. While acting as a nexus of collaborative practices between artists and curators, critics, researchers and other art professionals, ZETA has developed partnerships with local, regional and international institutions.

Website: qendrazeta.com

Project contributors

Sonia Budini: logistics and grant compliance
Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei: English content management
Armando Lulaj: English content management
Redon Skikuli: Greek language translations, coordination, and more
Irdi Ismaili: Wikidata training and curation
Pleurad Xhafa: Image preparation

Participants

--JoraK (talk) 17:18, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--Pomodoren (talk) 17:18, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--Grigor Malo (talk) 17:19, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--ShkollaBashkuar (talk) 17:18, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--flowriverss (talk) 17:23, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--Pleurad Xhafa (talk) 17:37, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--Desnosie (talk) 17:37, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--Leeturtle (talk) 18:28, 17 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:03, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
--Irdiism (talk) 14:49, 26 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Guide for first time contributors

Introduction to Wikimedia

Wikimedia is a global movement and non-profit organization dedicated to creating and distributing free educational content. It encompasses several projects, each serving different purposes:

Wikipedia: The largest and most popular online encyclopedia, where anyone can contribute and edit articles on a wide range of topics.
Wikimedia Commons: A repository of freely usable media files (images, videos, sound clips) to support Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
Wikidata: A structured data repository that acts as a central storage for structured data of all Wikimedia projects, including interwiki links between them.

Creating a Global Wikimedia Account

Visit Wikipedia:
Create Your Account: Click on Create Account on top right corner
1. Choose a username which can be your real name or a nickname.
2. Provide an optional email address for account recovery and notifications.
3. Complete the CAPTCHA to verify that you are a human.
4. Click on "Create your account" to finalize the registration.
Using Your Global Account:
1. Once you have created an account on one Wikimedia project (e.g., Wikipedia), you can use the same username and password to log in to Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata without creating separate accounts.
2. This unified login system simplifies navigation across different projects within the Wikimedia ecosystem.

Writing a Short Description on Your User Page

Navigate to Your User Page:
1. Log in to your Wikipedia account.
2. Click on your username (usually in the top right corner of the page) to access your user page.
Edit Your User Page:
1. Click on the "Edit" tab (or "Edit source" depending on the interface) to start editing your user page.
Write a Short Description:
1. Introduce yourself briefly. Mention your interests, contributions you plan to make, or any relevant information you want to share with the community.
2. You can use wiki markup or plain text to format your description. For example: "Hello! I'm [Your Username]. I'm passionate about [topic/interest]. Looking forward to contributing to Wikimedia projects!"
Save Your Changes:
1. Preview your changes to ensure everything looks as expected.
2. Write a concise edit summary explaining your update (e.g., "Added short description to user page").
3. Click on "Save changes" to publish your updated user page.

Tips for First-Time Contributors

Learn the Basics: Familiarize yourself with the specific guidelines and policies of each project (Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata).
Start Small: Begin with minor edits or uploads to gain familiarity with the editing interface and community norms.
Use Reliable Sources: Always cite credible sources when adding or modifying content.
Engage with the Community: Participate in discussions, ask questions, and seek feedback from experienced contributors.
Respect Copyright: Understand copyright laws and ensure your contributions comply with Wikimedia's licensing requirements.
Reach out to the local Wikimedia Community Wikimedia Community User Group Albania

By following these steps and tips, you can effectively create an account, navigate across Wikimedia projects using a global account, and begin contributing to the wealth of knowledge shared by millions worldwide. Happy editing!

Wikipedia

In order to integrate the activities of the DCCA and its members properly into the existing EN Wikipedia structure, to following pages have been edited/created.

For wikipedia entries, drafts are available here. New wikipedia entries are drafted in the Google doc, and presented for inclusion on Wikipedia in Waves, to ensure a logical order of publication.

Editing progress
Wikipedia Page	Connected (Other Wikipedia pages reference it)	Drafted in Google Doc	Created (The (basic) page exists)	Completed/Updated
List of publishing companies of Albania	X	N/A	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Pika pa sipërfaqe Publishing House	X	N/A	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]	Kuc3dra (talk) 08:26, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Biblioteka Art & Politikë (book series)	X	N/A	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:15, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]	Moved to draft: not relevant enough
Lists of Albanians	X	N/A	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Armando Lulaj	X	Wave 1	X	Kuc3dra (talk) 07:39, 10 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Pleurad Xhafa	X	Wave 1		Kuc3dra (talk) 07:39, 10 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Ylber Marku	X	N/A
Gerald Michael Browne	X	N/A	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Jonas Staal	X	N/A	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Continent (journal)	X	N/A	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
punctum books	X	N/A	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei	X	Wave 1		ShkollaBashkuar
The Albanian Mechanism		N/A
Marco Mazzi	X	N/A	X
List of art galleries in Albania	X	N/A	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Zeta Center for Contemporary Art	X	X	X	Kuc3dra (talk) 19:10, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
DebatikCenter for Contemporary Art	X	Wave 1		Kuc3dra (talk) 07:22, 8 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Albanian art > Modern period	X
Manifesto (art collective)		Wave 2		Kuc3dra (talk) 07:50, 14 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sonja Lau		N/A
Ataol Kaso		N/A
Raino Isto		Wave 2		–ShkollaBashkuar Deleted, not relevant enough
Jonida Gashi		Wave 2		Kuc3dra (talk) 07:35, 14 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Academy of Sciences of Albania	X	X	--Kuc3dra (talk) 11:11, 25 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Centre for Art Studies	X
Art Studies (journal)		N/A
National Theatre (Albania)	X	N/A	X	Kuc3dra (talk) 08:26, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
National Theatre of Albania protests	X	N/A	X	Kuc3dra (talk) 08:26, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Open Access in Albania				Kuc3dra (talk) 10:23, 3 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Category: Albanian artist groups and collectives				Kuc3dra (talk) 10:51, 14 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
La Société Spectrale (art collective)		Wave 2		Kuc3dra (talk) 07:01, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Initial English Wikipedia Edits

List of publishing companies of Albania: added Pika pa sipërfaqe Publishing House and Ataol Kaso
Pika pa sipërfaqe Publishing House: created and basic edits done. Corrected by Ataol.
Biblioteka Art & Politikë (book series): basic edits done. Mention the publications published and forthcoming.
Ataol Kaso: to be developed
Lists of Albanians > Multimedia artists: this list already contains Armando Lulaj, added Pleurad Xhafa
Armando Lulaj: Wiki Wave 1. All wiki-internal links are already included, and all references (to be added as footnotes) are in the comments at pertinent locations.
Pleurad Xhafa: Wiki Wave 1. All wiki-internal links are already included, and all references (to be added as footnotes) are in the comments at pertinent locations.
Lists of Albanians > Publishers: added Ataol Kaso
Lists of Albanians > Historians: added Ylber Marku
Ylber Marku: to be developed
Gerald Michael Browne: added link to Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei
Jonas Staal: added link to Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei
Continent (journal): added link to Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei
punctum books: added link to Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei
Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei: Wiki Wave 1. All wiki-internal links are already included, and all references (to be added as footnotes) are in the comments at pertinent locations.
Marco Mazzi: to be improved
List of art galleries in Albania: added Zeta Center for Contemporary Art and DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art
DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art: Wiki Wave 1. All wiki-internal links are already included, and all references (to be added as footnotes) are in the comments at pertinent locations.
Zeta Center for Contemporary Art: to be developed. Once basic info is added, Manifesto Hijacking, Manifesto Desertion, Manifesto Great Wave can have a home here under a header Exhibitions
Albanian art > Modern period: this is where Manifesto (art collective) should be added, with care and circumspicion. Once they are integrated into the narrative, their Wikipedia pages can be created. Via the Manifesto (art collective) page, all remaining members (Sonja Lau, Raino Isto, and Jonida Gashi) that could not be added via other routes can be added.
Academy of Sciences of Albania: edited and updated in order to accommodate the Centre for Art Studies, which in turn accommodates Jonida Gashi and Art Studies (journal)
National Theatre (Albania) and National Theare of Albania protests should be updated with our reference to our writings, such as [1] and [2]. And also: [3], [4], [5]
Open Access in Albania does not yet exist but would be great to have since Art Studies (journal) is the only OA journal in Albania.

Final English Wikipedia Edits

On October 15, 2024 all English Wikipedia pages listed above were completed and already partially passed review by moderators. For a full list of edits, check the contributions of Kuc3dra, ShkollaBashkuar.

Translations in Non-English Languages

As of October 15, 2024, the following translations are in preparation by the translation team:

Zeta Gallery

Article in Albanian language: https://sq.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Qendra_p%C3%ABr_Artin_Bashk%C3%ABkohor_ZETA&stable=1
Article in Greek language: TBA
Article in Italian language: TBA
(Article in other languages): TBA

DebatikCenter of Contemporary Arts

Article in Albanian language: https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qendra_Debatik_e_Artit_Bashk%C3%ABkohor
Article in Greek language: TBA
Article in Italian language: TBA
(Article in other languages): TBA

Armando Lulaj

Armando Lulaj SQ language (improvement): https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armando_Lulaj
Armando Lulaj Greek language (new article): TBA
Armando Lulaj Italian language (new article): TBA

Armando Lulaj other languages (new article): TBA

Pleurad Xhafa

Pleurad Xhafa SQ language (new article): https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurad_Xhafa
Pleurad Xhafa greek language (new article): TBA
Pleurad Xhafa italian language (new article): TBA

Pleurad Xhafa other languages (new article): TBA

Manifesto (art collective)

Manifesto general article SQ language (new article): https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifesto_(Kolektiv_artistik)
Manifesto general article greek language (new article): TBA
Manifesto general article italian language (new article): TBA
Manifesto general article in other languages (new article): TBA

Wikimedia Commons

(the list is work in progress)

Pika pa sipërfaqe logo: added
punctum books logo: added

All multimedia materials descriptions will be in at least the following languages:

Albanian (shqip)
English
Greek

Çeta

All public works of Çeta should be uploaded.

Manifesto Hijacking

Manifesto hijacking (photos from events and artworks): TBA

Manifesto Desertion

Manifesto hijacking (photos from events and artworks): TBA

Manifesto Great Wave

Manifesto hijacking (photos from preparations? Drawings etc?): TBA

Manifesto Strikes

To be done: selection of multimedia materials (photos?) that will be added. Copyright should be cleared before uploading.

Pleurad Xhafa

portrait photo: TBA
photos while working: TBA
audio recording: TBA
signature: TBA

Wikidata

As of October 15, 2024, the following Wikidata items were created/improved:

Activities

The events where editing will happend will take place at Zeta gallery, but also online. Dates will be announced soon.

Location on OpenStreetMap: https://osm.org/go/xexSL9jG~?m=&node=3508350028

Event nr.1: 17.07.2024 @ 19.00

presentation of the project to the participants (general overview)
introduction do each Wikimedia sub-project (Commons, Wikipedia and Wikidata)
creating a Wikimedia username/account (for folks that don't have an account)
rules of engagement (do and don't-s for editors)
establishing the list of items that will be added to Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commmons and Wikidata
working groups get decided to establish who is doing what.
adding the first article.

Event nr.2

check in of each working group about the progress
editing time on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata

Event nr.3

Same with event nr. 2 (but it can also be online if there is a heatwave going on)

check in of each working group about the progress
editing time on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata

Event nr.4

Same with event nr. 3 (but it can also be online if there is a heatwave going on)

check in of each working group about the progress
editing time on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata

Event nr.5

Same with event nr. 4 (but it can also be online if there is a heatwave going on)

check in of each working group about the progress
editing time on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata

Event nr.6

Closing event of the project.
establishing the next steps and contributions after the grant.

Project results and learnings

(information will be added here once all the activities are done)

Outreach

https://forum.librelabs.cc/t/documenting-albanian-contemporary-art-in-the-commons/36 (dead link since the website is now down)

Results & metrics

EN Wikipedia Articles

SQ Wikipedia Articles

items added: (TBA)
items improved: (TBA)

Wikimedia Commons

items added: (TBA)
items improved: (TBA)

Wikidata

items added: (TBA)
items improved: (TBA)

Evaluation

What worked

We asked Marios from Wikimedia Community User Group Greece to join the project and they agreed to work on translating articles in GR Wikipedia. This work is expected to be done in October 2024.
Erik, a french youngster living in Tirana joined the efforts of translating articles in French language as well.
Printing materials locally are always a struggle due to the quality of the printed materials. This time we managed to have a company that delivered well, which was a surprise. Also getting materials from abroad is an issue due to the cost of the customs that need to be paid and raise the overall cost of the project.
We got lots of wikidata entries and this was due to the preparatory work and the information that we gathered initially.
Thanks to the clear structure provided by Vincent for the English Wikipedia entries, they were all eventually created and approved. The insistence on proper external documentation for every aspect of each entry guaranteed their quality and provides a yardstick for any other entries in other languages.

What could be improved

We were informed that the project had to be implemented in August, which is not practical at all for a country like Albania where heatwaves are frequent. In addition, this was one of the hottest months of the the last decades with lots of people struggling from the heatwaves.
Lots of contemporary art projects were done in collaboration, which makes it hard for the organising team to understand how to proceed with uploading in Wikimedia Commons materials that were collaboratively implemented.
We need to document as much as possible our experience so that other similar initiatives can easily replicate it.
Part of the team was inexperienced in creating quality Wikipedia entries, resulting in initially deleted pages.
Logistics could be improved, as the team initially responsible for updating English Wikipedia pages did not complete its work on time. All work was eventually completed within a week in October by Kuc3dra and ShkollaBashkuar.