Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1369939
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 MAY 2021 4 ART Contemporary visual arts exhibition 'fuse' opens THE Valletta Cultural Agency has virtually launched the con- temporary visual arts exhibition fuse, in the surroundings of the Valletta Design Cluster. FUSE is a collaborative visual arts and research project which responds to the communities and contexts surrounding the Old Abattoir building in Vallet- ta. This exhibition, which com- prises of eight public art in- stallations outside the newly opened Valletta Design Clus- ter, celebrates traditions, iden- tities and stories of the people who lived in the Old Abattoir – a building with over 400 years of history. By means of a €10.4 million investment, the Valletta Design Cluster – located in a historic building that had fallen into disuse for over 50 years – has opened its doors to design- ers, artists, creatives and the Valletta community, who may benefit from its membership scheme and the various pro- grammes being developed. The newly opened roof gar- den at the Valletta Design Cluster is a key component of the urban regeneration pro- ject that the Valletta Cultural Agency has been undertaking in the Baviera area of Valletta. This intervention introduces a new green lung in this part of the city providing a new pub- lic space, freely accessible to all residents and visitors. The garden takes advantage of the low-lying nature of the Old Abattoir building on which it is situated and brings to fruition a long process of urban trans- formation centred around the needs of residents and future users of the Valletta Design Cluster. The Valletta Design Cluster is accessible to the public daily between 8am and 6pm. The process in preparation for the exhibition fuse, led by curator Elyse Tonna and her team over 18 months. Started from text-based the- oretical concepts moulded on community stories and through discussions which reflected the thematics associated with their work. Open until the 16th July, the exhibition deals with the themes of Conviviality, Sym- biosis, Ritual, Familiarity, Syn- ergy, Resilience, Displacement, Transaction and Intersection. Eight artists and collectives are exhibiting their works in- cluding Aaron Bezzina, Vic- tor Agius, Tom van Malderen, Laura Besancon, Noah Fabri, Fatima AM and Chakib Zidi, Text Catalogue and Andrea Zerafa, Samuel Ciantar, Giola Cassar and Aprille Zammit. Aside from the physical in- terventions in public space, an outreach programme will be carried out throughout the du- ration of the project. These will mostly be held within the Valletta Design Cluster and the School of Art. Further details will be an- nounced on vca.gov.mt and the Agency's Facebook page. Photo by Jonathan Borg Photo by Jonathan Borg Photo by Jonathan Borg