Do you feel more of an artist or a fashion designer?
I wouldn’t choose one or the other… My work could be described as standing within the design realm whilst keeping faitful to artistic values. I dislike tagging or categorising work and in fact I do my best to try and keep my expression as versatile as possible.

How do you develop yourself creatively and how do you intend not to loose the passion about your talent?
I try to keep reinventing myself and research new techniques which i could apply to my work. If one truly loves what he/she does, it would be difficult for the passion around it to fade out. One might get discouraged at times and quit the activity, yet, the resulting void would inevitably trigger a return to it. Arts and design are disciplines that require ongoing processes of observation and discovery around new things.

Do you find fashion design fun or serious business?
It can definitely be fun, but it is also very serious because, many people invest heavily in it! The process is very much enjoyable especially the research process that makes you think you are going one way and takes you somewhere unexpected. It is the reality i appreciate most. Yet, when it comes to financing this cycle every single day, it becomes very serious and calculated.

How does a fashion designer go through the research, narrative/storytelling and design processes?
Everyone does it differently; there is no rule to follow. Personally, I usually start by reading a lot / researching various subjects, illustration, creating artworks, making test pieces, a lot of brainstorming, mood boards, a lot of sketching… all sort of stuff but it isn’t always the same. Research is truly one, if not the most, important aspect when starting a collection or a project. This because it’s the foundation for the whole experience around the work and it’s the foundation on which any fashion designer base his/her final creation.

Do you love collaborating with other fellow fashion designers? Ever considered collaborating with an architect or, say, a painter?
I haven’t yet collaborated with a fashion designer but I don’t exclude any possibility. I have always enjoyed collaborating with photographers, stylists or whoever took interest in my work. I always keep an eye open for such opportunities as I enjoy having a mutual inspiration with fellow practitioners. It’s been great so far. I look forward to more opportunities!

If you had to design a brand new pret-a-porter national costume for Malta, how would that look like? Can you show us a quick sketch apart from its description?
I would keep the ‘għonnella’, have it printed with Semitic patterns in 100% silk with heavy embellishment, then, I would have a floor length black, tight fitting Maltese fine lace dress with chunky filigree jewellery. Of course this would be for women!

What would be a great breakthrough for you to feel really up there with the best?
To look back after numerous years and say wow it’s been 30 years of doing what I love best… Hopefully, this dream will one day become reality!

Would you consider starting up your own manufacturing fashion house, locally?
Financial stability is a major factor when considering such an option. I would say that a local manufacturing fashion house would be a major financial risk because fashion industry markets are almost nonexistent locally. Going for such a commitment would probably be starting up at a disadvantage within such context. However, if in a few years down the line, I would be in a better financial situation, I wouldn’t mind considering such risk. I love Malta and I hope there will sooner or later be organizations that would be interested to look into the fashion industry as a source for investment, much like it is in other countries.

Following your experience in Malta and in the UK, what would be the one thing you’d change within the MCAST Art & Design system if you had to be Minister for Education for a day?
I would employ individuals who are truly passionate about what they teach, not necessarily academics or certified tutors. Sadly, there are only a few who truly inspire students. I wish Art & Design institutions live upon passion and energy not just guided lessons. They should be less conservative as i believe art & design is everything but academia.

Share with us a ‘like’ and an ‘unlike’ you can quickly think of if we tell you “Malta Fashion Week”
Like – It is a good launching platform for local talents.
Unlike – I just wish more industry-based organizations, both local and international, invested in it.

Are you an Italian or a British fashion world fan? Why?
I used to think I am more of an Italian fashion fan, but now that I have spent quite a bit of time in the UK and can understand what makes UK fashion, I find myself a UK fan too. Italian fashion is what I grew up with and still love. British fashion, on the other hand, is very inspiring and pushes a lot of boundaries.

Just like the Italian presenter Marzullo would do, at the end of this interview, we demand that you ask yourself a question and give yourself an answer?
- What does the world need?
- A new birth date. A Revolution.

Séf Farrugia’s The Casa Azul collection for spring/summer 2013 with a tinge of Frida Kahlo and Carmen Miranda’s distinct worlds.

Interview: Séf Farrugia

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

Never had, a photography exhibition’s title, been as self-reflective as Traces of Traces; the contemporary collective which featured at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity last month. Sparking off a concept by local artist Patrick Fenech, 10 students from the MFA Digital Arts Programme in the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences at the University of Malta, joined the lecturing artist to give light to an overall captivating set of digital, photographic images, which read through their own memory lanes, into varied kinds of surrounding, silently disappearing traces.

Spread across the upper galleries, the collection feels like a walkthrough in the realm of nostalgia where in most cases, recollections from a past instance or instances, are watched upon with a sentimental eye that recalls happy associations and a desire for the preservation of the same.

This feeling is very well transpired with works that depict things or moments that were, but which no longer are. Fenech’s series, for example, highlight traces both from the physical and metaphysical spaces. In his Newspaper’s Kiosk, Valletta and Putirjal-01 to 04 he reminds us of former structures, spaces and associated social functions that no longer exist, whereas in his missing religious icons set he delves into a socio-religious memory lane that represents a possible transmutation of a historically, religious society into a more secular one. Furthermore, with the Let’s Paint the Sand Blue series, Fenech succeeds to complete his analyses of human perseverance into preservation of a past, through this abstract landscape composed of ochre sand and flowing trails of blue – all reminiscent of Martian panoramic or details from a rusty garage door.

With a theme that is very close to heart and it’s sensitivity, Aidan Celeste and Daniel Tanti’s works stand out in their confidential stillness. Celeste builds a cinema-like narrative by projecting still panoramics onto a canvas made of the most ordinary bedroom furniture. In Building a Picture, Camera Obscura EXH 001 and 002, one is immediately struck by the traces left behind by a presumed protagonist and his presumed narrative; one which we are left to ‘trace’ and reconstruct ourselves. Much on the same lines is Tanti’s execution of Prayer and I. Here, traces of a protagonist are interplay of shadows that represent the human element and a missing sculpture of a presumed religious figure in the niche.

Less evocative are Justine Navarro and Janet Savage’s works. The transience of people in Navarro’s Tommy and Airport refer not to a physical trace but to a technically poorly reconstructed afterthought. Meanwhile, Savage’s shots are way too journalistic, thus leaving little to the viewer’s creative interpretation of the depicted traces.

The MFA students have researched the significance of traces left behind and ways to read and translate their recollections. They have touched on the evidence within all aspects of life, be it of a physical and/or a spiritual nature. The trace of intimacy and/or eroticism in Mario Abela’s Untitled Straberry and Untitled Chocolate is almost a parody to the sense of tragedy that transpires in Patrick Fenech’s Pacem in Maribus and Stanley Agius’s Fancy a Ride? and Walking on Water.

Traces of Traces sheds a light on the power of the photographic process as an archival reality; it acts in the present to revive and preserve a fading one that anticipated. The exhibition is an exercise which makes us investigate and get in touch with an existence characterised by a regenerating self-erosion. This, much in line with traces of a reality that can be regenerated in a photographic memory.

¹ (Grosz Elizabeth, 2001, Architecture from the outside. Essays on Virtual and Real Space, p.121)

Image Memories

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

Strangely enough, Malta – an island nation, features very few underwater photographers. Why is that and what made you specialise in this field of photography?

A strange matter indeed considering Malta’s natural environment where the sea acts predominantly! Since my very first dive in 2002 i got so enthusiastic about the sheer natural beauty of this, otherwise, alien, environment.

I gained experience as a diver and after five years I bought my first point-&-shoot camera. Being used to my SLR for my land photography and design work, i felt a bit frustrated when i realised this tool didn’t give me the same flexibility. That is why I set my objectives at investing in professional underwater, photographic equipment – a goal i managed to achieve last year following intensive work and investment!

Living in such a tight knit society, the saturation of sources and resources is inevitable and unfortunately this doesn’t allow the various local professional photographers and other serious enthusiasts to stand out from the rest. Combining the desire to document the natural underwater beauty together with my ambition to be different, I felt this niche segment in photography could suit me well.

How does underwater photography vary from the usual photography?

Underwater photography has a different language than land photography. The sea is not the natural habitat for men and that is why a number of physical and technical aspects need a different take when underwater, especially since there is an evident higher life risk factor to it.

The most evident constraint in this venture is definitely the lifespan of the diving tank which dictates the diver’s time under water. Meticulous planning need to be done prior to any dive. For instance, one can’t really have a chat with his model when underwater. Buoyancy, currents and wave action are other aspects that need serious dedication and attention.

The technical aspect of photography itself differs completely from land photography. For instance, red is absorbed completely from the colour spectrum, once it appears at a depth of six metres or more. On the other hand, the blue tinge of the sea water, changes according to the angle of the lens. A slight change can expose deep and dark navy blues or the most exquisite and lighter turquoise.

Strobes need to be positioned close to the subject and as far out from the camera as much as possible (approximately 20 inch on each side). If positioned incorrectly, images will get backscatter, which is very annoying and ruins the compositions.

Most of your shoots feature the human element inside the waters. How do you plan such photoshoots? Or do you improvise whilst on location?

A human element tends to add dimension and perspective to a wide-angled, underwater environment. Some shots are improvised but obviously a good number of shots are planned. Usually I study a particular dive site and investigate the topography and any special features in the area. Preliminary dives are done to notice any conditions/dangers and get more ‘intimate’ with the space.

Since the sun, being a major light source, is a major player in many shoots, i usually research the ideal time of day when it can provide me with various effects for the overall shoot.

How do you pick your shoots, and how does it feel working with non-models?

I’m currently trying to document as many locations possible around our islands. Working with non-models is not much of a struggle as the poses are researched and discussed prior to each dive. It is of utmost importance that the model feels comfortable underwater especially when she/he is required to dive into wrecks or caves. More often then not my diving buddy would be the model for the particular shoot. Since facial expressions do not really feature, being a non-model is not a huge setback.

When photographing water sports the athletes are very rarely directed so as to document the most authentic aura and the most expressive bodily expressions.

Is there any ideal season for underwater photography?

No. The real constrains are bad visibility; which usually occurs after rainfall, rough weather and high seas. Strong currents and rise in plankton, (mid to late summer due to temperature rise) are other aspects affecting the visibility underwater.

What are the challenges of the art?

The challenges are numerous and the risks are considerable. Intense training and practice on as many possible diving situations are very much suggested before actually taking the plunge. Depths are a big issue especially since natural light fades out considerably. Even more when you surpass thirty metres. As already indicated, natural elements such as currents and murky waters are other tough challenges.

Once I was competing in a ‘Macro live session’ organised by Germans in Gozo and I couldn’t pick any interesting subject. Whilst underwater, the photographer doesn’t have the facility to switch lenses so once there, one is practically bound to shoot with what he/she had initially set up for. Just imagine my poor luck having set up a macro lens, and finding a turtle hovering right above my head!

Indeed, familiarisation with the dive site, helps one to equip adequately before dipping into the sea.

Lately you’ve had a honorable mention in the International Photography Awards. Tell us more about it. What is the prestige of such a mention?

Recently I was awarded with two Honorable Mentions in the Editorial – Sports category for the entries The Swimmer and the Kite Surfing. The 2012 International Photography Awards received nearly 18,000 submissions from 104 countries across the globe. Such a prestigious mention is very rewarding and means much to me, especially on the international scene where i’m really keen to venture. A pat on the back and an indication that I might well be on the right track.

Does this kind of photography offer commercial viability for a photographer?

The initial expenses are phenomenal and the on going expenses are considerable. Underwater photography at this point in time is something which doesn’t pay the bills, so i try to compensate by  shooting commercially on land. Currently i am working on a project which seems to have good prospects and hopefully it will turn out to be financially rewarding in a few years. I am also investing time to build a strong portfolio and plan that by end of year i will conclude a deal with an online photographic agent.

How do locals react to your work? What’s the feedback from local publishing houses etc?

The feedback from the man in the street have been absolutely positive. I have been contacted by various people, both foreigners and locals, congratulating me. However, as predicted, the local commercial industry, including the diving industry, various entities and also local publishing houses are not willing to pay the true face value of high end quality imagery.

Considering the costs involved, it is not commercially viable to give away my professional work for free, or at a very low cost, in return to promises of exposure. Through my website and social media channels like facebook and twitter, I am already managing to get a very good exposure myself.

The thing i hate with a passion is plagiarism especially when my pictures are used for alien commercial purposes, without my permissions. It has happened a number of times already and all turn up with the excuse that ‘they didn’t know’. I believe this will keep happening and I just need to stay on the alert and monitor where my images are being used.

On a positive note I have sold a number of images to local and foreign publishers, including a set of images sold recently to an Italian magazine. I have also been contacted by various other publishing houses, one of which was all the way from India.

Is there any shoot you’d be really thrilled to conduct?

There are some marine creatures and places that I would really wish to document and there are some shoots in the pipeline for the coming year. Some places that I would really wish to visit and photograph underwater are: Palau, Indonesia, Galapagos, South Africa, Mexico, Iceland & the Arctic, amongst others. Creatures which I would really wish to photograph are: Whale Sharks, Great Whites, Seals and Manta-rays.

I also would be thrilled to conduct a shoot of a couple in their wedding outfits or a water baby… obviously underwater! Anyone interested can surely drop me a line!

What gear do you shoot with?

I shoot primarily with my Nikon DSLR using prime lenses such as a 35mm, 10.5mm Fisheye and 105mm Macro. The kit is then housed in a Sea & Sea housing and for every different lens I have a different lens port. Also I am equipped with two powerful underwater strobes on each side and a video/focus light to assist while focusing.

Have you been up to anything interesting lately?

I have lately photographed a water-polo session from underwater while the team was training. The set of 8 images have not been published yet and are being released exclusively for the first time here on redwhite.

Interview: Matthew Farrugia

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

The main theme of the project is the stop motion technique, featuring clay mation, cut-out animation and light painting techniques and made up from a total of 3,827 photographs. The short also includes some live action filming. The story revolves around a male clay character, created by actress Naomi Mamo at her desk, who tries to animate his infatuation for a female clay character. The other protagonist is a cut-out dog which unknowingly affects the turn of events in the whole setting.

Creative Vlogging as a medium

I try my best to imagine the mind as a potentially expandable fish bowl with humans as goldfish swimming in that bowl. A space where we can grow in larger territories. In the ever growing media landscape we have the same potential, through effort, to expand our own containers. This is exactly what the team behind ‘DESK’ did. They picked creative vlogging as a medium, where creativity took the limelight to become the most important aspect of the whole experience.

Whilst ‘vlogging’ might not be a familiar term (popular word processors will highlight it as a spelling mistake) it is still very habitual to present video blogs in the form of a person speaking to a web cam. The students here chose vlogging as their medium, created a theme, and aimed to show this visually, thus blurring the gap between the creative use of video medium and entertainment.

Creativity through limitation

Many believe that good budgets are equivalent to good productions, yet, even though I can’t deny that a good budget does help, creativity ultimately lies in limitations and these students did well to come up with creative solutions to deal with various constraints, including the 3-month deadline. With one of those months dedicated to researching the story, the character development, the techniques and location scouting – it did become a tough task.

Considering the technical and picture quality achieved, one would find it hard to believe that the project was set to a minimal budget. Low budget armatures that keep the clay puppets from falling had to be created, rather than bought, and a personal Canon 550D SLR did the trick for the refined quality of the picture. The students went through the process of familiarising and coming to terms with the three animation techniques used. Claymation, cut-out animation and light painting, were far from mastered, yet they were handled and rendered to an exceptional quality.

The students were relatively new to the technical roles they required to fill. With a positive attitude that characterised their production experience, they created the right environment that guaranteed excellent teamwork, and therefore, success. This came evident not only through their final project, but also the research documentation. Excellent pre-production work, gave the students, the basis for a good outcome – a stylistic approach which, unfortunately, is many times ignored when it comes to local commercial TV productions.

‘DESK’ can be described as a portrayal of techniques through a captivating and sweet storyline. Time invested in research and pre production provided a fertile land where students went through a learning curve to seek a successful outcome. Whilst the most spontaneous feedback would be highlighting the characters’ sweet personified characters, the most critical would be applauding the overall achievement at delivering this quality product. The technical animation skills mixed to a pinch of reality, a colourful environment and an amusing, captivating storyline will put ‘DESK’ amongst the forefront of contemporary Maltese success stories in digital animation.

A fascinating ‘Desk’

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

What made you seek a career in movie making?

I was lucky enough to be brought up by parents who always encouraged my siblings and I to look beyond academic studies and engage in something creative. For them, creativity was not just about painting or playing music but also extended to programming and coming up with my little projects involving the construction of toys and the organising of events. I had been hooked on movies (thanks to my father, my uncle and my older brother who were all film buffs) from an early age and the older I got, the more I became interested in this language.

Graphics and simple animation packages were my playing field since I was around eleven, and by the time I was at sixth form I was able to tackle a number of basic duties for the school’s video crew. My first taste of a big project was in fact the Sixth Form Battle of the Bands and then later on, the Soiree. From that point on, I knew that there was nothing else in life that I wanted to do.

Tele-Monkey represents the local obsession to teleshopping. What inspired the script and how did you go about compressing the thought into a short?

Well it was not really inspired by an audience’s obsession with TV shopping but rather by the stations’ over-reliance on TV shopping. When I started developing the project I was involved in TV productions. This made me suspect that too much time and space was being dedicated to cheap advertising, starting from TV and going all the way to print and street advertising.

I tried to keep two things in mind; keeping the short as simple as possible and sticking to a concise script as the budget was quite restrictive. I knew we would be pushing local animation skill and talent to a limit and hopefully beyond it.

I’m not much of a writer and back then (about 3 or 4 years ago) I cut the story to pretty much an under developed platform for the idea itself. Hopefully my projects-to-come will be proof for my learning curve during this first attempt.

Tell us something about Shadeena. Who is involved in it and what are your ambitions to it?

Shadeena is so far just me, working alone from a little room at home. The idea was to establish a legal entity which represents my efforts as a producer, allows me to tap into funding opportunities and gives me the opportunity to organise my work a bit more. The first project was Tele-Monkey, and Shadeena existed for 2 years, solely to produce that project.

However, seeing the exposure the project got, I decided to push Shadeena further, and in the past 2 years it was rewarded with an Invex Grant. It has also been involved in two Kreattiv-funded projects, one of which has been completed and received very positive feedback and also won the Malta Innovation Award in the Creative Category for Tele-Monkey. The plan is to transform Shadeena in a distinct production company with two distinct divisions each having dedicated goals and operational structure.

The first division aimed at producing and co-producing movies, starting with shorts and slowly, hopefully growing into feature films or TV projects. The second division is dedicated to media and the development of commercials, corporate material and one off event videos/projections. Shadeena is also aiming at a flexible approach by collaborating with freelancers, according to a project’s technical and stylistic requirements.

What is involved in designing 3D character and the main scenes?

A custom style for every project, has to be explored and developed; the styling of picture, the style resources, the concept. Next are the character and the scenery design which follow similar approaches.

At this stage, various people are involved apart from myself as director or producer. Illustrators, graphic designers and artists from different backgrounds are teamed up to translate the ideas into a world. In the case of ‘Tele-Monkey’ the character was modelled on the design of the monkey that features in Spooky Monkey’s logo. It was then developed further, then, modeled and textured by Ivan Saliba.

The scenery was designed by our production designer Matthew Grima Connell. He got himself triggered by a number of thoughts and inspirational quotes which i had jotted in a document while imagining the settings. Following further discussion and refining, Ivan Saliba took time to render them too.

How difficult is it to sync the visuals to the audio or vice versa?

Everything you hear during the short, was recreated by our sound designer. We spent an evening recording; from brushes to yawns, actors walking and skipping, humming, even choking.

I wouldn’t say that syncing was the hardest part, at least not with regards to timing. The hardest part was finding the right sounds, putting together the right combination of elements to give an audible texture to this world we created. This was not only so for the sound effects but also the music. Each track was created with the scene in mind in order to enhance the emotive power of it.

The Valletta 2018 introductory movie was entrusted to Shadeena. How difficult was it to get the job and what do you think persuaded the organisors to pick your proposal?

I was approached by the Valletta 2018 Foundation to submit proposals for the video clip in early 2012. They needed a video that showed the aspirations of the project and also the need for people to get involved. I called in Rebecca Cremona, with whom I had collaborated on previous projects, and decided that due to it’s scope it would be best to co-direct and co-produce the project.

We presented a number of ideas to the foundation and the one chosen was the one deemed to be the most fitting for this stage and the budget available. I think our proposal was picked because our work so far has shown a commitment to quality. Throughout our productions, we strive at getting the message across and support it with the best technical standards that budgets allow.

How do you invest in improving your thematic knowledge and technical facilities?

Actually, at Shadeena, the policy is “do not invest in technical facilities”. My day to day workstation serves all my needs, ranging from writing proposals to animating and colour-grading. A second station is specifically allocated for rendering. And that will be all, for the time being.

My idea is this. There is a lot of equipment and technical setup on the island as many companies keep investing but they don’t share the facilities. We collaborate with the people who already invested in technical facilities. They get a better return on investment and are able to invest even more whilst i keep costs focused in talent investment.

Picking the ideal freelancers for each project and trying to push for a fair wage is key. When possible i also offer small training positions or pay for short courses to such talents.

Each of our projects is treated as a challenge. At Shadeena we try exploring a familiar theme from a new angle or otherwise invest in experimentation of style and/or technique. It’s well worth the risk especially since the benefit of reaching a pre-set target is so accomplishing.

Is Malta going the right direction in the film-making education and production? What about it?

I think the question is, “In which direction is film-making education and production heading?”. So far it’s very hard to see one direction as there seem to be four distinct ‘projects’. MCAST, the University of Malta, the short courses organised by the Malta Film Commission and the Malta Film Fund are excellent initiatives which, unfortunately do not aim to one target through one common strategy.

Products by MCAST students give me the impression that the courses do not go into meticulous detail as it would be expected by the industry. Results achieved by similar trade schools abroad expose a huge gap in quality. This is mainly the result of a strategy which empowers students to indulge into one trade. Illustration, Media, Animation and Film, for example, are rarely combined in serious foreign institutions. The same problem appears at the University of Malta. Lack of specialisation possibilities, over emphasis on theory and lack of teaching of the actual crafts of Film and/or Media are huge setbacks.

The Malta Film Commission has so far organised a few weekend and day seminars – so it would be too early, and probably too hard to tell what outcome, such initiatives are having. In 2011 a very good workshop was organised. It lasted throughout summer and gave attendees a sound introduction to story telling, production and the development process. Hopefully more will be set up in the near future to provide more opportunities for up and coming film makers.

The Malta Film Fund was a great help in producing Tele-Monkey. Without it the project would have probably been halted at development stages since other funding was scarce. One setback to the MFF is its administrative inconsistency, which happened due to frequent reshuffles in the administration team. This has happened since the fund’s inception causing shifting of deadlines and a shifting outlook on the “film fund’ philosophy.

Having to deal with different evaluators and their distinct measuring sticks, makes it very hard to define what is the one common level of judgement of the structure and what is expected of you as a producer or director.

Currently there are options but none of them seem to support real growth of an indigenous film industry due to what seems like a lack of foresight and vision. Hopefully things will change and improve in the coming years. Just like the Cultural Strategy is intended to unite what has otherwise been separate offices and visions, within the cultural sphere, the same revolution needs to take place in the film industry. This can be achieved in the form of a comprehensive film policy that will lead future educational and funding opportunities.

Watch Tele-Monkey at 00:37mins

Interview: Martin Bonnici

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

Widely known for his current success within the local fashion industry, very few realise his background in architecture and his passion for form and space. redwhite spoke to Kris Micallef to get closer to his innate passion for photography. We were keen to know what made him venture into this aerial point of view.

As a child, Kris dreamt of becoming a pilot; playing with toy planes rather than toy cars. Through the years, his creative stream led him to venture into architecture studies at the University of Malta. And that’s where he developed an interest in photography.

At University, my camera was always an asset to try and make my projects stand out. During my final year, while working on the thesis project, we were required to take some aerial shots. This was the first time with aerial photography and I’ve been up for it a few times since then. The thrill of flying gives me great adrenaline and I always look forward to it.

According to Kris, aerial photography provides a different angle onto the most common spaces. Through these exercises, he has discovered quite a few interesting sites on our island. Having captured them in digital makes it even more rewarding.

Working in the photography industry so far has been one big adventure for Kris as he’s always working on something new and exciting. Very often, people ask him why is he ‘throwing away’ all the architecture study years, for photography. He finds that rather annoying and rude sometimes.

I’m not saying that working in architecture will not offer the same, however, right now I’d like to focus on developing my photography skills. In the meantime, however, I do work as a freelance architect working mostly in interior design for residential projects.

Architecture and civil engineering has helped me develop certain skills. The way I see and perceive objects and spaces has definitely sharpened throughout the years. Also, the fact that I selected the urban design stream during the course probably comes out to show through my photography as I find a great interest in spaces and form.

‘Mis-Sema ‘l Isfel’ is jointly organised by the Embassy of Malta to Belgium and Luxembourg and the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU. It is being financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Cultural Diplomacy Fund and will be displayed at Dar Malta in Brussels till the 12th of October.

From left to right: Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Malta's Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg; Hon. Tonio Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr Kris Micallef; and Ambassador Marlene Bonnici, Malta's Permanent Representative to the EU.

Aerial point of views

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

In 2004, Mario moved to his current Hertfordshire residence but it was only in July 2009 that he had his first supernatural experiences. The exhibition entitled Like Home is the culmination of a two year project completed as part of the artist’s Masters Degree course which involved researching Victorian parlour séances and then holding his own séances to gain better understanding of the paranormal activity. Mario also visited the county archives to draw up a list of all former residents, forming the basis of an installation piece entitled Deeds.

The uncanny within domestic space is a subject which Mario also investigated. How our homes shelter what we wish to keep secret, where the invisible becomes visible and the familiar becomes unfamiliar. He questions whether this provides us with the means to feel safe in our private space. Elements including twins, doppelgangers, alter-egos, masks and mirrors, all of which are deemed uncanny by psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank have also shaped the work and are now presented as forms of protection from all that we dread – confusing and evading what we most fear.

Apart from his Maltese roots, Mario also clinges to our Mediterranean culture for other ideas of protected and blessed spaces.

“Malta is one of the most Catholic nations in the world, and I am interested in how artwork can provide a sense of spiritual protection. It’s also fascinating how age-old superstitions and beliefs around the evil eye, luck and protection also continue to shape people’s thinking, including my own, to this day.”

Like Home follows Mario’s 2010 project entitled Of All That Is Seen And Unseen which centred on ghost stories told to the artist by his family about supernatural experiences they experienced in Valletta, Msida and Bormla.

“The project continues to prove very popular with a Maltese audience who enjoy watching interviews featured on my website where dad speaks about life in Mandraġġ area in Valletta and some horrific experiences involving spirits in their homes.”

Mario hopes to bring the project to Malta in the near future and is investigating funding options and exhibition venues. He is also researching a new project based around the house where he was born in Qormi and his early days spent in the village.

Real-life Hauntings

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

Something that stood out in this installation was the fresh use of space within the upper galleries of St James Cavalier. The audience was channeled through a path and into ‘new’ spaces which hosted the various works. John Paul Azzopardi (Malta), Zarko Baseski (Macedonia), Vince Briffa (Malta), Joseph Calleja (Malta/UK), Dominique de Beir (France), Jessica Harrison (Scotland), Davor Ljubicic (Germany/Croatia), Åsa Riton (Sweden), Raphael Vella (Malta), Elisa von Brockdorff (Malta) and guest artists Tracey Emin and Giuseppe Hyzler provided a curious mix of thoughts, themes, languages and interpretations of the same theme.

John Paul Azzopardi, synonymous with his found-object sculptures ushered the visitors into the first hall and into his memory lane – a walk which he considers as a self identifier.

Raphael Vella’s backlit portrait came as a teaser through a play of light into the discovery of the young Raphael and his spiritual looking back at time that passed. A very sinister approach especially compared to the neighboring self-portraits by various year-two pupils from the Laura Vicuna school. Their colorful and vivid expressionism is a fresh reminder about childhood hopes and dreams for a better future.

Elisa Von Brockdorff‘s photographic pictures, titled ‘evb’, re-establish her ever-growing reputation as the most colorful contemporary, amongst local artists. Whilst the subjects of these photographs speak a very common language, their deeper roots expose the intimate identity of the artist. Once again, Elisa comes out as a love-me-or-hate-me observer behind the lens.

‘I am my Photograph’ is a documentation by Vince Briffa in which a series of daily photographic portraits taken in 2004/5, create a time-lapse which assist the artist in relocating his self in that which he described as a “a narcissistic sculpture of immortality through artifice.” The column-like structure made of monitors, imposed itself peacefully but predominantly – like a Gulliver, over the tiny observer.

After talking to a few people who visited ‘Wiċċ imb Wiċċ – images of the self’, I can easily say that Zarko Baseski’s hyper-real sculpture definitely stood out and impressed. The scaled-down self-sculpture, nitpicked on the visitors attention who questioned the reality of the subject and expected some sudden movements by the subject… the perfect reflection of what the artist had been through.

Joseph Calleja’s large ‘portrait’ made of his friends’ Facebook profile pictures was one of the most freshest and contemporary takes in the exhibition, yet the fact that it was a ‘resolved’, locked puzzle, killed the interactive power of the piece.

Last but not least, I would also like to spend a word for Davor Ljubicic‘s performance art video which stood as a very strong cherry on a most exquisite cake. Reiterating on real facts like the death of children in Africa, he involved the viewer by sharing his questions whilst contextualising them within the space of the gallery.

‘Wiċċ imb Wiċċ – images of the self’, supported by the British Council and Heritage Malta, was indeed one the better exhibitions which i’ve attended to in the past months. One major setback though; the summer opening hours for St James Cavalier give little chance for the wider audience to attend. Opening at 9am and closing at 1pm, the space is made practically unavailable for the working professionals and hundreds of tourists. This issue should be quickly addressed to provide collectives like ‘Wiċċ imb Wiċċ – images of the self’ the deserved exposure.

Photography courtesy of Elisa Von Brockdorff

Images of the Self

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

Whilst visiting the exhibition, it was slightly difficult for me to keep in mind that the students are not in fact fine art students or artists, since this is the work that one is used to seeing at a contemporary or visual art exhibition, however I felt I had to keep this context in mind in order to write a fairer review.

The works have been split onto two locations for a reason. The students had to produce a piece of work that had been inspired from the style of one or more popular fine artists. The exhibition leaflet explains that the ones who have escaped from a more “direct reference” are stationed at St.James, and others who have made a clearer reference to their artist of interest are at Splendid. The leaflet also states that “The students contextualised these movements in a broader social and cultural sphere”. Although I find this to be true for the works at St.James, which, I found to be much more thoughtful and well presented in general, I do not think it reflects the works at Splendid.

The works exhibited at St.James Cavalier seem to have been more developed in general, reflect a contemporary local context, and at the same time incorporate the artists’ personal views. The exhibits at Splendid on the other hand, felt slightly amateur. Although there were some interesting tactile qualities in most pieces, and some of the pieces were quite appealing as a standalone, the descriptions did not do them any favours. These revealed ideas that did not seem to be as properly and as intelligently elaborated as the ones at St.James. I was impressed by the fact that most students were not afraid to experiment with a variety of mixed media, both conventional and experimental, however some seemed to have just applied the technique of the referenced artist to a hobby of theirs, which, in my opinion felt slightly childish.

I felt that Keith Bonnici’s ‘Across the Road’ is one of the strongest pieces. It is essentially a concrete black space where the viewer can go inside and hear heavy breathing, signifying the suffocation caused by the constant building of new apartment blocks. The black reflects the dark shadows that these apartments cast.

Pawlu Mizzi’s ‘Death of Malta’ also has a very strong and relevant message, and Pawlu seems to have found quite a distinct visual style that identifies his work. I wasn’t so sure whether the stylised portrait fits the idea of death since it is in fact so beautiful, and therefore might not invoke any particular compassion from the viewer, but rather an interest in its aesthetic qualities. Having said that, the placement of the work and the thoughts behind it are intriguing.

I was also surprised by Jacob Grech’s ‘I did it’ because of the curious way it was presented. Jacob dropped a hidden message in a well disguised piece, although again, I did find the description of the piece to be more on the rant side, rather than being reflective.

Stephanie Galea’s ‘Blood, Toil, Tears & Sweat’ video, is an interesting piece of work, and – when you get someone to tell a story there’s a big chance that you’re going to get a piece that intrigues the viewer. The editing is quite good as well, in the way she cut from the stories of an elderly couple to speeches during WWII. The only downside I would say would be that because the video is nicely filmed (with a few shaky pans) and edited (filming overlays, colouring etc…) again feels too beautiful for the story. It verges slightly onto documentary, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It would have been interesting to see a more raw approach, but in general I think it delivers the intended message.

Overall, I felt this was an interesting exercise carried out by students and perhaps should be done more often both in traditional and digital form as an eye-opener for the participants, although I did still have the feeling that the works at Splendid were more like experiments rather than something that should have been exhibited in a fine art context.

MIRRORED – Critical Reflections is open since July 9 till August 14. The Splendid Guesthouse will be open during the evenings of the 28 and 29 July whilst St James Cavalier is open daily from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m.

Photography courtesy of Mark Scicluna

Mirrored Reflections

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.

The concept of Peperosa visual design kick-started with the choice of a different format size that communicates immediately the importance and prestige of the Lanificio. The cover, a Splendorlux Versus Black board by Fedigroni, represents Cerruti’s style thanks to the fine finishes, silk-screen printed logo, black canvas binding and UV laminated paper.

The inside pages, 100gsm Premium White paper by Fedigroni, unfold using keywords reflecting Cerruti’s textiles: land, family, fashion, film, art, design and production. The collections are showcased through unique illustrations by Massimiliano Frezzato, an internationally renown artist, who managed to capture and create a dialogue between past-present-future. Many photographic pictures, retrieved from Lanificio’s historical archive, were used in single and double-page spreads creating a rhythm reminiscent of film editing.

A sophisticated and refined graphic piece which plays on black and white contrasts, making  Lanificio F.lli Cerruti brochure a precious piece of great elegance.

Lanificio F.lli Cerruti – The soul of fashion

redwhite - a maltese point of view on graphic design, typography, grid systems, illustration, colour and form.