Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1029140
14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 SEPTEMBER 2018 CULTURE Science and the arts... Two faces of the same coin WANT to push a mouse around Valletta? Trigger an artwork with your body? You can head to Valletta on Friday 28 Septem- ber and join in the fun and em- powerment of the science and arts festival: Science in the City 2018 – European Researchers' Night, between 6pm and mid- night. At Triton Square, three larger than life interactive installations – Of Mice, Carbon and Tritons – will be displayed to engage with visitors: a giant computer mouse, a virtual sculpture, and an interactive art piece. "This specific project is a col- laboration between the Uni- versity of Malta, Valletta 2018 Foundation and University of Applied Arts, Vienna. It embod- ies the core values of the festival in creating relationships across disciplines, and fusing science with the arts to entertain and educate in a uniquely engaging way," said Edward Duca, Man- ager, Science in the City. 'Pushing the Mouse' by artists Michael Bachhofer and Stefan Resch and researcher Marthese Borg, is a giant computer mouse that visitors can push around the Triton Fountain. Another installation will be a high-tech augmented reality experience called The Fourth Triton designed by Matthew Attard and Matthew Galea in collaboration with University of Malta researchers Vanessa Camilleri (Faculty of ICT) and Professor Ian Thornton. This unique structure can be accessed from your smartphone and visitors can see the virtual artworks brought to life. Reforming Carbon, an artwork inspired by Malta's rich heritage will also transform St George Square and is triggered by your body, created by Daniela Brill Estrada and Guadalupe Aldrete and researchers John Betts, Catriona Brogan and Rowan McLaughlin. The Malta Chamber of Sci- entists has joined forces with Creativity for Life and the In- spire Foundation in a Creative Communities project to build Ekologija. These three kaleidoscopic installations are the work of Inspire students, who learned about the local flora and fauna from the biologists themselves. Artists Liliana Fleri Soler and Gabriella Agius, and Inspire's therapists guided the students in sculpting, sticking, moulding and painting, a myriad of organ- isms. Look out for this installa- tion at the corner of Republic and St John Street. Wiki Loves Monuments, an annual international photo- graphic competition organised by Wikimedia groups and chap- ters, and Magna Żmien, another Valletta 2018 project, will be held at Spazju Kreattiv. Magna Zmien is aiming to preserve and provide access to local historic content from the past century that has been captured on ana- logue sound and image equip- ment by Maltese. Visitors can explore the dif- ferent layers of the Mediterra- nean seabed at Hoss fl-Ilma, a fusion of geoscience, electro- acoustic music and an inter- active art piece on the stairs leading to Hastings. The National Museum of Ar- chaeology will be opening its doors to a discussion on con- servation science through an excellent case study of the Gran Salon project. Sessions will be held on the hour between 7pm and 10pm. The Science in the City fes- tival – European Researchers' Night is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the Horizon 2020 Program (H2020, 2014–2020) of the EU. The consortium is led by the University of Malta, Malta Chamber of Scientists and the University's Research Trust (RIDT), in partnership with Valletta 2018, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innova- tion, MCAST, Esplora, JUGS Ltd, Studio 7, BPC Internation- al, GSD Marketing Ltd, Aqua- biotech Ltd, MEUSAC, PBS, Spazju Kreativ, Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta Local Council, Notte Bianca, Melita, More or Less Theatre, Transport Malta and Arts Council Malta. The programme can be viewed on www.scienceinthecity.org. mt or follow the festival on Fa- cebook for regular updates: w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / S c i e n - ceInTheCityMalta. An artist's impression of the giant mouse at Triton Square in Valletta The Majlis – Cultures In Dialogue exhibition open THE first international touring exhibition The Majlis – Cultures in Dialogue, organ- ised by The Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum of Doha, State of Qatar, opened this week at the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta. Based on the concept of the traditional space of learning, discussion, dialogue and sharing present in every home in the Arabian Gulf, The Majlis – Cultures in Dialogue will be presented at various ma- jor venues in Valletta, Paris, Vienna and throughout Europe. The exhibition itself represents the first part of a wider project that seeks to connect people, beliefs and cultures by offering a platform for respect- ful, yet incisive dialogue. The Majlis – Cultures in Dialogue is organised at the initiative of the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum, in collaboration with Qatar Museums, UN- ESCO Doha Office, the Qatar National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, and the Office of the President of Malta. It is presented for the first time in Malta under the Patronage of President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and UNESCO Malta with the endorsement of Valletta 2018 Eu- ropean Capital of Culture. A majlis is the social space present in homes throughout the Arabian Gulf. For hundreds of years and up to the present day, it has been a setting for hospitality and dialogue, where families welcome visitors bearing stories and exotic gifts from their homelands, where children learn from their elders, and where com- munities gather to make decisions, great and small. For the first time, The Majlis – Cultures in Dialogue will offer European audiences the experience of a real majlis. Visitors will be encouraged to sit, listen to stories and exchange ideas with each other and with scholars on what they see, discover and experience in the displays. Each visitor will have a unique experience at the exhibi- tion; the same object will trigger different thoughts and emotions in each individual. The majlis, a space for encounters and the transmission of knowledge, will provide the captivating scene for sharing these experiences. This will be supplemented by organised activities such as panels, in- teractive films, lectures, storytelling and more. Persian carpets featuring the Virgin Mary, mystic artifacts shared from Af- rica across the Arab world to India, Chinese Qurans, mosque lamps made in Vienna... these selected artefacts are a testimony to the beauty that has re- sulted from centuries of intercultural dialogue. They are at the core of fasci- nating stories that cover the full range of human experience, referencing events from di erent religions or holy books, re- lating conceptions of the world and the universe, illustrating matters of power and politics, and narrating tales of love, war and peace. The exhibition will run until 28 October.