Filip Pechevski

Playa Vista

I ran into Mitko by chance in 2019 at the zoo garden in Skopje. A couple of our mutual friends were working there, so people from our neighborhood would hang out there every day. We had known each other since childhood. We were never particularly close, but that didn’t stop us from being genuinely happy to see each other. 

It was a sunny spring day, and he immediately told me to cover up, knowing that he had skin problems and that I wasn’t so different from him. The worst was already behind him, and he was determined to keep fighting and get better. 

I remember he had a reputation as a good swimmer, and we started talking about a place that used to be the spot when we were younger. It was an open-air sports center with a swimming pool and many other activities. He suggested we go and see what was happening at Playa Vista, which is what we used to call the pool. 

 

The toboggan at the Playa Vista before being completely removed-2020
Mitko Jordanovski at the children's swimming pool-2020

The scene was apocalyptic and deeply sad. Around us, a few buildings were still being used as offices, but everything else was part of a vast abandoned space. The gates were open, and we walked into the pool area. 

We weren’t surprised by what we found. It was the usual sight of public facilities neglected and left to decay. It was hard to understand how a place that had once been so lively could now resemble the end of the world. Where were all those people going now, when the summer heat reached 45 degrees? 

As we walked around, I found the toboggan and its position particularly striking. I quickly climbed onto the diving boards to take a picture from the same level, hoping to capture a strong documentary shot. I felt this might be my only chance to preserve it. 

I had taken a few shots when someone approached us and asked what we were doing there. We told him we were just revisiting old memories—nothing special. He said it was dangerous to be there and that the place was closed to visitors. If we wanted to film anything, we would need permission from the authorities. 

We were happy to learn that there existed still authorities who manage this place and take advantage from it. It was hard to imagine that, ones, laughter and joy had overflowed here for everyone. 

We left without any trouble. We arranged to meet again that evening at another place, where Mitko  was teaching young children the art of swimming and make a shot. Even though Mirko had been trough difficulties, he was the most positive guy that I met during that visit. I guess, real fighters, never give up.