On Saturday 8 October 2016, I was asked to give a talk on the relationship between literary events and the space in which they are held, with a particular focus on the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival. In the first part of my talk I spoke about the Mediterranean imaginary and what it means to read in and about the Mediterranean.
A Natural Oasis? is a two-year nomadic free school dedicated to the development of new curatorial research paths in the field of contemporary visual and performing arts. The participants of the programme, one of whom is Valerie Visanich from Malta, have been to San Marino, Kosovo and Montenegro.
From the 7th to the 10th of October the participants will visit Malta. They will be following a three-day programme with the sea as its central theme. Being an island in the middle of the Mediterranean, the sea plays a central role in shaping the Maltese perceptions of space, place and art.
The old capital Mdina will be the first sojourn. Another city the participants will visit is Vittoriosa. Vittoriosa is home to the Maritime Museum, where artist Pierre Portelli and curator Dr Georgina Portelli will be introducing the REL•INK project. Crossing by ferry to Valletta, the first stop at the capital will be Fort St Elmo. The participants will be given a brief introduction by Heritage Malta, and Dr Adrian Grima will deliver a talk about the Mediterranean and the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival. For the past two years, Fort St Elmo has been the venue for the latter event. Dr Vince Briffa, Head of Department of Digital Art at the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences at the University of Malta will also be a guest speaker.
The participants will then visit Blitz – a Contemporary Art Space in Valletta.
On Sunday the participants will head off to Gozo to meet artist Austin Camilleri for a studio visit, Following up with visits to the Citadella and Ġgantija temples.
The programme will be rounded off by a portfolio presentation by local artists Glen Calleja, Giola Cassar, Darren Tanti and Ryan Falzon. Miriam Teuma, CEO of Aġenzija Żgħażagħ will also honour us with her presence.
Inizjamed is coordinating the visit to Malta with the support of Aġenzija Żgħażagħ. Thanks go to Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker Ltd. and Heritage Malta for supporting this programme.
Photos: Leanne Ellul
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