but first, check the water

The historical, cultural and architectural dimension of the Red Cross building acquires a new frame and interpretation when considered within the wider dynamics of the city. Research done in the field, stories collected from residents and the artistic intervention as part of Metamorphosis III have served as a method in approaching this building and questions connected to it. but first, check the water offers a broader perspective of the city’s cultural heritage history and a more focused approach to the neighborhood where the Red Cross building is located.

It also includes other important details about the artistic intervention conceptualized by the artists Nurhan Qehaja. This book goes beyond the artistic intervention to highlight a historical, socio-cultural and economic era of immense importance in Kosovo and identify other objects of cultural heritage. The site specific artistic intervention, took place on 30 September 2020.

This building, located in the old part of the city of Prishtina, known as Red Cross building, is believed to have been built at the early twentieth century and belongs to the family of Iljaz Agushi. The building is categorized as a monument, as in 2018 it became part of the List of Cultural Heritage for Temporary Protection.

Within the seven chapters, the writings of the contributing authors are intended as an intervention in the existing knowledge on the object, but also as a way of addressing the missing information. Thus bringing a general perspective from prehistory to the early twentieth century. The history and development of one of the oldest neighborhoods of the capital, which is known today as the Historic Center of Prishtina, is treated. Then the importance of social movements in shaping urban spaces is highlighted, as well as the role of ideologically motivated systems in the degradation of the city. From a more general perspective on the city, the publication returns to the object of the Red Cross and the relation to the space where it is located. It seeks to shed light on the building by reading approximately the architectural aspects, and emphasizing the importance of why it should be preserved. It also addresses the importance of preserving monuments and the condition of such abandoned objects through the sociological analysis of artistic intervention, touching on issues related to their public-private status.