Saimir Strati
Encyclopedia
Saimir Strati is an Albania
n mosaic artist.
He began his career doing restorations in Albania to several mosaics at the archeological sites of Byllis
, Amantia
and Appolonia. He is a member of the British Association of Modern Mosaic.
Strati is heavily inspired by music, and in the mosaic series 'The Four Seasons
' based on the Vivaldi concerto, each season is represented by a different musical instrument. This series was created over the course of more than five years. Another work on oil depicts traditional Albanian Polyphonic singers. 'The King' is a portrait of Elvis Presley measuring nearly 2 metres in height and uses over 400 CD's.
His work 'Sea Girl' is based on a legend from Vlora, his hometown. The story is about a young woman separated from her lover. She prays to become a fish to cross the sea to reunite with him. The artwork itself is made from sea glass
which took the artist several years to collect.
'Peace' is a quintessential work of the artist, where the mirror fragments used in the mosaic reflects the message of our relation to peace.
using nearly 400 kilos of nails over a 2x4m surface. The technique resembles digital photography, in that each nail represents a pixel. The record was confirmed in Tirana
by Guinness World Records on September 4, 2006, as the World's Largest Nail Mosaic.
While in Tirana for a friendly match on August 20, players from the Liechtenstein national football team
visited the exhibition. On August 26, Iceland
Prime Minister Geir Haarde
visited the exhibition with Albania
n Prime Minister Sali Berisha
. On September 1, for the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Albanian Royal Family, Prince Leka visited the exhibition. Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lulzim Basha
visited the exhibition on several occasions.
The mosaic was completed on September 4, 2008 and confirmed as the World's largest by Guinness Adjudicator Carlos Martinez.
Following the completion of the mosaic, players from the Swedish National Football Team visited the exhibition on September 6, and players from the Malta National Football Team
visited it on September 10, while in Tirana for FIFA World Cup qualification
matches.
's annual "One World, One Family, One Festival" (Dubai Shopping Festival).
The World's Largest Nail Mosaic and the World's Largest Toothpick Mosaic were created in the International Cultural Centre of Tirana. The World's Largest Cork Mosaic was created at Sheraton Tirana.
His audience has included Royalty, National leaders, politicians, business leaders, professional athletes and the general public from around the world.
2004 - Miss Globe International, Durrës, Albania
2005 - Fier, Albania
2006 - International Centre of Culture, Tirana, Albania
2006 - United States Embassy, Tirana, Albania
2007 - International Centre of Culture, Tirana, Albania
2008 - Sheraton Tirana Hotel and Towers, Tirana, Albania
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Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n mosaic artist.
He began his career doing restorations in Albania to several mosaics at the archeological sites of Byllis
Byllis
Byllis was an ancient city located in the region of Illyria. The remains of Byllis are situated north-east of Vlorë, 25 kilometers from the sea in Hekal, Mallakastër District, Albania....
, Amantia
Amantia
Amantia or Abantia was an ancient Greek polis in Epirus. It occupied an important defensive position above the Aoos river valley to the east, and on the road to the coast and the Bay of Vlorë. A Greek temple, the Aphrodite temple, a theatre, and a stadium have also been found in the city...
and Appolonia. He is a member of the British Association of Modern Mosaic.
Artworks
Saimir Strati is primarily an artist who works in mosaics. He has used materials including nails, toothpicks, corks, sea glass, eggshells, compact discs, coffee beans, porcelain and mirror glass among other materials. He is also a painter. The diversity of the artist's subjects, material and technique distinguish Saimir Strati as being traditional and contemporary with his approach on reviving the old technique and professionalism in antiquity and the mingling of daily/ industrial material.Strati is heavily inspired by music, and in the mosaic series 'The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season...
' based on the Vivaldi concerto, each season is represented by a different musical instrument. This series was created over the course of more than five years. Another work on oil depicts traditional Albanian Polyphonic singers. 'The King' is a portrait of Elvis Presley measuring nearly 2 metres in height and uses over 400 CD's.
His work 'Sea Girl' is based on a legend from Vlora, his hometown. The story is about a young woman separated from her lover. She prays to become a fish to cross the sea to reunite with him. The artwork itself is made from sea glass
Sea glass
Sea glass is glass found on beaches along oceans, bays, rivers, gullies or large lakes that has been tumbled and smoothed by the waves, water and sand, creating smooth, frosted shards of glass....
which took the artist several years to collect.
'Peace' is a quintessential work of the artist, where the mirror fragments used in the mosaic reflects the message of our relation to peace.
2006 - Leonardo Da Vinci
In 2006, Saimir Strati began what has seemingly become an annual tradition of setting a Guinness World Record. Using industrial nails, the artist re-created the self portrait of Leonardo Da VinciLeonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
using nearly 400 kilos of nails over a 2x4m surface. The technique resembles digital photography, in that each nail represents a pixel. The record was confirmed in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
by Guinness World Records on September 4, 2006, as the World's Largest Nail Mosaic.
2007 - Reinless Spirit
The following summer another record attempt took place. On July 26, 2007, the artist began affixing toothpicks, a total of 1.5 million over a 4x2m surface, to create the image of a horse. The work was dedicated to Antonio Gaudi, and was confirmed on September 4, 2007 as the World's Largest Toothpick Mosaic. The largest toothpick mosaic was 8m2 (86.11 sq. feet) by Saimir Strati (Albania) and displayed at the Arbnori International Centre of Culture, Tirana, Albania on 4 September 2007. The artist used 1.5 million toothpicks and worked 40 days to achieve this record.2008 - Mediterraneana
In June 2008, Strati contacted what is now Ekphrasis Studio to collaborate and help manage his third record attempt. After several weeks of intense correspondence with various organizations in Barcelona that yielded little interest, it was decided to do the event in Tirana. On July 20, Ekphrasis Studio arranged a deal with Sheraton Tirana and on August 8 the artist began his third record attempt. The mosaic had a Mediterranean theme, and consisted of 229,764 corks over a surface of 12.94m x7.10m, or 91.87m2. The event took place over the course of 27 days at the Sheraton and was accompanied by an exhibition of both previous World Records as well as seven other artworks.While in Tirana for a friendly match on August 20, players from the Liechtenstein national football team
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
visited the exhibition. On August 26, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
Prime Minister Geir Haarde
Geir Haarde
Geir Hilmar Haarde was Prime Minister of Iceland from 15 June 2006 to 1 February 2009 and Chairman of the Icelandic Independence Party from 2005 to 2009. Geir initially led a coalition between his party and the Progressive Party...
visited the exhibition with Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n Prime Minister Sali Berisha
Sali Berisha
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania ....
. On September 1, for the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Albanian Royal Family, Prince Leka visited the exhibition. Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lulzim Basha
Lulzim Basha
Lulzim Xhelal Basha is an Albanian politician.In 2005, Basha was appointed Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications in the government of Sali Berisha where he served for two years...
visited the exhibition on several occasions.
The mosaic was completed on September 4, 2008 and confirmed as the World's largest by Guinness Adjudicator Carlos Martinez.
Following the completion of the mosaic, players from the Swedish National Football Team visited the exhibition on September 6, and players from the Malta National Football Team
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
visited it on September 10, while in Tirana for FIFA World Cup qualification
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
matches.
Live performances
Every world record attempt Saimir Strati has attempted has been a live performance. He has also done a large scale artistic performance at DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
's annual "One World, One Family, One Festival" (Dubai Shopping Festival).
The World's Largest Nail Mosaic and the World's Largest Toothpick Mosaic were created in the International Cultural Centre of Tirana. The World's Largest Cork Mosaic was created at Sheraton Tirana.
His audience has included Royalty, National leaders, politicians, business leaders, professional athletes and the general public from around the world.
Exhibitions
1996 - Fier, Albania2004 - Miss Globe International, Durrës, Albania
2005 - Fier, Albania
2006 - International Centre of Culture, Tirana, Albania
2006 - United States Embassy, Tirana, Albania
2007 - International Centre of Culture, Tirana, Albania
2008 - Sheraton Tirana Hotel and Towers, Tirana, Albania
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