Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1115758
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 MAY 2019 5 THIS WEEK MUSIC I have had very pleasant chats with her over the past weeks and so much has emerged through these sessions. I thought it was also important for Erica and Fabrizio to tune in to the whole concept, thought process and content of the preparatory work be- fore entering the studio to actually work on the creative ideas for the performance. I was looking forward to seeing what sort of discourse will develop in between these stages and what will emerge once things started taking shape. And it's always quite enriching to see how different angles and strands of thought help to achieve a deeper understanding to what is the essence of the text and the sounds we're working on and with. In the meantime the idea of "now here" and "nowhere" had me thinking a lot about how I wanted to present the visual element during the perfor- mance. I have been experimenting with in- teracting with indoor and outdoor spaces through a lens for the past couple of years. Although they are very personal perceptions of space, I am very much looking forward to sharing with the audience these in- teractions as moving imagery during the performance. Now that we have well and truly exited the orbit of the Capital of Culture, what do you make of the local cultural scene? What would you change about it? I think that there are quite a few ex- citing things happening in the Mal- tese cultural scene though I still feel that there isn't enough support and recognition for people who are fo- cusing on making very relevant state- ments through their art. A failure in the system was, in my opinion, amplified in the shortcom- ings of the Valletta 2018 Foundation as an agency that could have pro- pelled more of the exciting, daring and relevant art forms during last year and in terms of long-term strat- egies too. I would like to see a change in at- titude and mentality that starts from the roots and that lets the arts have a much stronger voice in the socio- political realities of our country, a scene that challenges and asks ques- tions, that can present a dissonance to mainstream culture and that is giv- en more space to be seen and heard. What's next for Engage Creatives? Engage Creatives, as a platform, seeks to engage artists from the most diverse art forms to collaborate to- gether. It also supports artists and cultural organisations in achieving their goals where possible. And during the coming months we will be engaged in a few selected pro- jects that will see foreign artists go on tour for the first time and showcase their product in theatres and festi- vals. We are also in discussion with art centres around Europe to help pro- mote Maltese artists who would like to venture beyond our local shores by offering our advice and support. This is aside from presenting and touring our very own projects like Now Here | Nowhere in various per- formance spaces around Europe. Now Here | Nowhere will be tak- ing place at the Valletta Campus Theatre, St Paul's Street, Val- letta on May 18 and 19 at 7.30pm. Bookings: showshappening.com. The project is supported by Arts Council Malta - Multi-Annual Support Grant (Malta Arts Fund) disciplines Actress Erica Muscat, contributing spoken word performances to Now Here | Nowhere Italian guitarist Fabrizio Fedele "This is not a music-literary evening and there is no role-playing either"