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Across the Sea from Venice, Albanian Studio Crafts Carnival Masks

Since opening its doors in 1997, Angoni's studio has produced hundreds of thousands of masks. Adnan Beci / AFP
Since opening its doors in 1997, Angoni's studio has produced hundreds of thousands of masks. Adnan Beci / AFP
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Across the Sea from Venice, Albanian Studio Crafts Carnival Masks

Since opening its doors in 1997, Angoni's studio has produced hundreds of thousands of masks. Adnan Beci / AFP
Since opening its doors in 1997, Angoni's studio has produced hundreds of thousands of masks. Adnan Beci / AFP

As carnival celebrations are held across the globe, more than two dozen craftsmen in a quaint studio in northern Albania put the final touches on a series of elegant Venetian masks destined for balls, film sets, and street parties.
Every year, the Venice Art Mask Factory in Albania's Shkoder produces more than 20,000 hand-crafted masks, including 1,700 unique pieces this year alone, to be donned by carnival revellers from Rio to Tokyo.
A lion's share of the masks crafted this season were delivered across the Adriatic Sea to Venice, where this year's carnival was dedicated to Marco Polo -- one of the city's most iconic residents with celebrations marking 700 years since his death.
"With feathers, lace or Swarovski crystals, Venetian masks this year are made to attract all eyes thanks to their sparkling elegance," Edmond Angoni, the owner and leading artist behind the Venice Art Mask Factory, told AFP.
Angoni also owns eight shops in Venice where his creations -- costumes, gilded masks, and sumptuous dresses -- are sold for up to 5,000 euros ($5,350) each.
Among the most popular items this year are large animal masks inspired by the works of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt and Czech artist Alphonse Mucha.
Each new model is first sculpted in clay, then smoothed over with layers of paper mache.
The process includes nearly a dozen stages and it can take weeks to complete a single piece.
"Each mask has its own story, its own spirit, its own mystery and magic. Above all, each mask is a work of art," said Gise Zeqo, who has been working at the studio since it opened 27 years ago.
Since opening its doors in 1997, Angoni's studio has produced hundreds of thousands of masks, including those worn in Stanley Kubrick's erotic thriller "Eyes Wide Shut", starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.
"From the simplest to the most extravagant, large or small, each mask is a unique piece, a unique work of art," Angoni told AFP.
Alongside classic masks of Harlequin and Pulcinella that hark back to the Venice of old, new pieces feature the faces of Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson along with characters from the Netflix hit "Money Heist".
"Each mask has its own story, its own spirit, its own mystery and magic. Above all, each mask is a work of art," said Gise Zeqo, who has been working at the studio since it opened 27 years ago.
Since opening its doors in 1997, Angoni's studio has produced hundreds of thousands of masks, including those worn in Stanley Kubrick's erotic thriller "Eyes Wide Shut", starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.
"From the simplest to the most extravagant, large or small, each mask is a unique piece, a unique work of art," Angoni told AFP.
Alongside classic masks of Harlequin and Pulcinella that hark back to the Venice of old, new pieces feature the faces of Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson along with characters from the Netflix hit "Money Heist".

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Varieties

On Belgian Coast, Fishing on Horseback -- and Saving a Tradition

Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
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On Belgian Coast, Fishing on Horseback -- and Saving a Tradition

Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom of shrimp-fishing on horseback has all but died out. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP

Panniers strapped to their haunches, a team of horses waded collar-deep through North Sea waters -- hauling wide nets along the Belgian coast as cawing seagulls swirl all around.
In the saddle, clad head to toe in yellow oilskins, riders steered them parallel with the beach in Oostduinkerke -- the last place on Earth, they say, where the tradition of shrimp-fishing on horseback lives on, AFP reported.
Once practiced throughout Europe, the custom has all but died out -- but a community of enthusiasts has kept the flame going in this coastal town, earning a spot on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
They do not fish for profit, but the rare spectacle they offer has become a tourist draw for the small town, situated half an hour from the French border.
Back in the day, historians explain, poor farmers used to ride to the coast to fish -- as a way to supplement their diet.
At first they pulled their nets by hand, later using mules then eventually workhorses able to haul much larger, heavier loads. The method was used in Belgium, the Netherlands, northern France and the south of England.
'Unique'
On this sunny day in late October, a group of five headed out at low tide to fish for grey shrimp.
"This is the only place in the world where shrimp-fishing is still practiced with horses," fisherman Gunther Vanbleu told AFP as he sorted his catch on the beach -- surrounded by a curious crowd of smartphone-wielding onlookers.
"You're working with your horse, you're in the sea and the combination of everything at the same time -- the pleasure of catching fish or catching shrimp, all of that together makes it fun," he said.
This time around, some 200 people gathered -- in rubber boots or barefoot -- to watch the afternoon show under crisp blue skies.
"There is always a lot of interest from people, because it is unique," Vanbleu said.
Not for sale
The day's catch -- a few kilograms of shrimp -- is not for sale: it will be cooked up by the dozen families who keep the tradition going and shared among friends.
But the sight alone continues to draw tourists from April to October.
"I think that this will always exist in the municipality," said Vanbleu.
After the custom won UNESCO recognition in 2013, a committee was set up whose purpose is to ensure it is kept alive, he explained.
"I think that it will continue forever," he said.
Asked about the possible impact of climate change, Vanbleu said he has seen some shifts over the years.
"We do notice that something has changed a little, such as the temperature of the water -- it's maybe a little warmer than usual."
"And we are seeing other animal species arrive here," he said. "Maybe if the water gets too warm, the shrimp will move to colder water... in 30 or 40 years."
"If it comes to that, we will see," said Vanbleu -- who for now, come rain or shine, plans to keep riding out to sea.