KomshiLOOK: Traviata in Three Acts

KomshiLOOK is a participatory cultural model rooted in komshiluk, the Balkan value of neighbourliness. Tested in apartment blocks, urban housing neighbourhoods and villages, our methodology brings residents and artists together through trust and shared decisions. 

We work with communities of around 300 residents or 150 households, creating programmes that gather up to 3,000 visitors. For one day, residents open their homes, entrances, balconies and courtyards, becoming hosts and co-creators of performances and exhibitions. Each programme grows from local stories, architecture and everyday life, inviting people to look closer and deeper at their surroundings. Through hospitality and collective creation, we build connections, shared memories and pride in place. 

Our model encourages residents to recognise their capacity to shape the places they share. We believe in the idea of being a good neighbour: when people feel connected to their surroundings, they care, participate and become active citizens.

We have put this model into practice through Volt Dizni in Šuto Orizari, a village edition in Pobozje, and our latest production, Traviata in Three Acts. 

This site-specific adaptation of Verdi’s opera reimagines Violetta and Alfredo as neighbours, blending opera with local music and a shared wedding celebration. Audiences move through the neighbourhood as the story unfolds across balconies, entrances and courtyards, with residents as hosts and performers. The production is available for commissioning, with each adaptation developed alongside local residents and partners to reflect the host community’s stories and musical traditions.