Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1065920
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 DECEMBER 2018 5 THIS WEEK like Malta has missed out on a century of music. The innovations of 20th century music bypassed Malta completely. Our theatres were not keeping up to speed with the masterworks of the past cen- tury. It's like going through the sixties and not being aware of The Beatles. What classical music was be- ing performed in Malta in 1917 when there was the riot at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées during the pre- miere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring? … and in 1941, when Messiaen premiered his "Quartet for the End of Time" while he was a prisoner of war in German captivity? … and in 1950 when Stockhausen present- ed his electronic music work "Kontakte" in Cologne? It's not easy to speculate why. The island reality of Malta does not help … but on the other hand Iceland boasts one of the most active avant-garde art scenes." Ruben Zahra - musician "There's a need to create spaces for the people" "When it comes to the hip-hop scene, I think there is room for improvement. I recently curated a free- style rap tournament with Underground Sound to help in this regard. The main aim here was to provide a platform for local and expat rappers on the island to showcase their talent. The event was a success and Maltese rappers such as Sam Walker, as well as Caro and Yannick from 215 Collective, all came. That was really cool to see and to be honest I was shocked with how many rappers turned up. It only made us realise the need to create the spaces for people, especially for the younger generation to show what they're made of. I'll be working alongside Underground Sound on future projects to solidify a platform where more artists can be heard. Though Malta is a small island, there is an abundance of talent here. So, I hope to help organise more events to celebrate that talent." Fattima Mahdi - writer and hip-hop musician "Overseas opportunities are essential" The scene is definitely very busy, however, not always as outspoken or as critical as I would like it to be. Initiatives to link the local scene to overseas opportunities are essential. Be it the Arts Council, a private gallery or the Curatorial School, they are all crucial in linking us up with international curators, alternative exhibition platforms and larger audienc- es. The persons I know from the local scene enjoy working locally and with 'the local', but find it equal- ly essential to look beyond. It is geographically im- possible to rely on the infrastructure, opportunities and audiences that are available in bigger cities and could trigger a professional status. Hence, I would strengthen and build upon the previously mentioned initiatives and similar ones to help a greater section of the local scene in becoming full-time professional artists." Tom Van Malderen - visual artist and architect "The art scene isn't diverse enough" Things are always changing and mutating, and I'm speaking beyond Valletta 2018, which I think is just a marketing campaign for tourism and business in- terests. And it's quite a good campaign at that, but it's sad too because the cultural agenda wasn't really pushed properly. Despite this, places like Blitz exist and are very ac- tive, and Malta Contemporary Art and Valletta Con- temporary have popped up which is quite exciting, given the potential they show for more opportunities – both in terms of cultural exchange and local artists. What I detest is the lack of education, and the feel- ing that the art scene doesn't feel diverse – it sort of falters beyond a certain social sphere and doesn't quite reach out to new audiences. So hopefully some- time soon that starts to change too. Isaac Azzopardi - visual artist "Never change the nature of your project just to lure the funding beast" "There are a number of channels available to kick off creative projects and starting off with a conver- sation on funding may not always be a good start- ing point to get that idea off the ground. More time should be spent on researching that idea and finding the right collaborators and partners to shape a pro- ject idea into manageable stepping stones. Sharing a pet project with other artists or organisa- tions may be problematic for some, however collabo- rations provide new opportunities for ideas to grow and individual weaknesses can easily transform into productive collective efforts. Very few can single-handedly create, manage and sell their own work without losing focus on their artistic vision. In addition, as competition for pub- lic funding on both national and European levels in- creases at a faster rate than available funds, projects needs to be exceptionally designed to meet the pri- orities of the funds – this is the nature of the beast, but never change the vision of your project to lure the beast." Toni Attard - founder, Culture Venture "A holistic approach to arts education should be top priority" "My priority goes to the rethinking of artistic educa- tion of the very young in the light of what contempo- rary art and design will require in the years to come. A more holistic artistic education that supports the artistic process rather than the end product through informed experimentation and reflective thinking needs to be implemented at a very early stage of artistic education in order for the student to enter effortlessly into an already established framework of practice-based research at a tertiary education level. It is with a common holistic vision that pro- motes this culture of informed practical research and experimentation and affords time for such growth throughout the entire artistic education, that we can give our students the right toolset that can guarantee excellence in today's art world. We seriously need to commit to addressing this deficiency for the further flourishing of local contemporary art." Vince Briffa - visual artist and academic "The sustainability of the creative economy is a cause for concern" I am concerned by the sustainability of the creative economy. I am not interested in Valletta being a one- year capital of culture, but in a community which is living and evolving through its own creative activity. Art is a rich resource to reconstruct ways of thinking, apply ideas for a widening educational vision, create social responsibility and testing approaches to devel- opment heritage industries. I do not feel that this is being fully addressed. It is easier to blind society by the illuminating lights of spectacle when the envi- ronmental monster is breaking down our social and natural bonds. I hope that I will still be able to smell the thyme and taste the salt. Rebecca Camilleri - dancer