Culture and Society: Albanian artist makes Guinness record book again
18/11/2009
Albania's Saimir Strati sets a world record for his mosaic of a pop star. Also in cultural news: Dubrovnik National library marks the 140th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, and a bust of the late Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is unveiled at Skopje's sports hall.
 Albania’s Saimir Strati shows off the Guinness award for his work. [Getty Images] |
Albanian artist Saimir Strati entered the Guinness World Records on Wednesday (November 11th) for his mosaic of the late Michael Jackson, composed of 250,000 black and brown paintbrushes. Strati spent 16 hours a day for one month working on the mosaic and listening to Jackson's music. This is the fourth Guinness World Record for Strati. He previously created the world's largest mosaic with nails, toothpicks and bottle corks.
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An exhibition marking the 140th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth is on display at Dubrovnik National library until Friday (November 20th). The exhibition features 14 caricatures by Indian cartoonist Ranga.
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A bust of the late Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski was unveiled on November 13th in front of Skopje's sports hall, named after him. Artist Tome Serafimovski crafted the bronze sculpture.
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Eight films will be screened as part of the fourth Italian New Film Festival in Zagreb and Rijeka from Tuesday (November 17th) through Friday. The event is organised by the Italian Institute of Culture in Zagreb.
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Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic won the Paris Masters tournament on Sunday (November 15th), beating France's Gael Monfils. Djokovic, 22, said the match was very difficult, as Monfils was "unpredictable" and "hitting the ball very hard".
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Belgrade tops the Lonely Planet guide list of the best night life and entertainment cities in the world. The Serbian capital, known as the intellectual centre, was ranked first because of its numerous night clubs, restaurants, bars and discos. Greece's Thessaloniki also made the top ten.
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Thessaloniki is hosting the 50th edition of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival from (November 13th) through Sunday (November 22nd). The event features films from Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria and Croatia, presenting modern reality in the Balkans.
(Various sources -- 11/11/09-18/11/09)
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