Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1398274
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 AUGUST 2021 7 ART CONCEIVED at a time when travelling was not an option, and inspired by the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz, these works transported Camilleri to ethe- real places and ambiguous spaces that echo familiar Mal- tese landscapes and linger to unknown territories, where si- lence and tranquillity reign. Fuga Modus, in English Flight Mode, is a body of work that recalls the mo- ment we switch our mobile phones on flight mode once the aeroplane takes off; the urge to flee away from a re- ality that betrays our expec- tations from life; the need for nature when the city becomes claustrophobic. Nature rises triumphant in spaces void of human presence; an absence that is rendered questionable by the presence of the artist as a silent onlooker; the embod- iment of the omnipresence of humanity even in its visual ab- sence. The raw manipulation of the paper medium and the limited palette, are enriched by subtle hints of burnt um- bers, ochres, and greys as they merge into an orchestration of velvety blacks and the intact tints of the underlying paper. Ethereal places and ambiguous spaces by artist Joyce Camilleri Another net removal project completed successfully THE Underwater Cultural Her- itage Unit (UCHU) within Her- itage Malta, in its continuing collaboration with the local AT- LAM dive club, has completed another net removal project at one of Heritage Malta's under- water sites – the HMS Nastur- tium. Around 12 million tonnes of plastic enter the world's oceans and seas every year, and ghost gear – abandoned, lost or dis- carded fishing gear – makes up 10% of that waste. The dangers of ghost gear lie in its mate- rial durability and buoyancy, persisting in the marine envi- ronment for decades. Histor- ic wreck sites attract a variety of marine life but also act as catchment areas for ghost gear, entangling and damaging his- toric remains and marine life. The threat is also there to visit- ing divers, often unaware of the risk of entanglement posed by nets, lines, and other lost fish- ing gear. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the threats posed by ghost gear, and a growing number of grassroot initiatives, both lo- cally and internationally, have targeted this problem. In Mal- ta, the presence of ghost gear on historic wreck sites has been noted through diver surveys and as a result, Heritage Malta, in collaboration with the local ATLAM Sub Aqua Club, has initiated a net removal project on its underwater sites. Throughout May, June, and July 2021, the project concen- trated on the HMS Nasturtium wreck site, located approxi- mately 10km off the coast of Valletta. Divers from both the ATLAM dive club and Heritage Malta participated in a number of dives, freeing the site from a large burden of nets. HMS Nasturtium was an Ara- bis-class sloop, purposely built for minesweeping duties by the Royal Navy during the First World War. The sloop was launched in December 1915, and was based in Malta. On 24th April 1916, HMS Nastur- tium left Malta, only to return on orders to sweep for mines and submarines known to be in the area. On 27th April, HMS Nastur- tium entered the same mine- field that had sunk the battle- ship HMS Russell earlier the same day, and struck a mine. The explosion occurred below the waterline on the starboard side, resulting in loss of life. The hole left by the explosion caused tons of coal to be lost. Consequently, the vessel listed heavily on its port side. In the early hours of 28th April 1916, HMS Nasturtium sunk, set- tling upright on the seabed at a depth of 67 metres.