Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1518068
15 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 MARCH 2024 The Art Explora Festival: A celebration of art, sustainability, and inclusivity THE Art Explora Festival's main attraction is a remarkable 47-metre long and 55-metre high catamaran, designed by Axel de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier which has transformed into the world's first ever muse- um boat with its first stopover in Malta. This magnificent vessel, with a capacity to welcome up to 2,000 visitors per day, epitomises the convergence of art, technology, and community engagement. Built in Italy at the PERINI NA- VI shipyard and registered under the French flag, the catamaran offers an immersive experience for all who step on board which is one of the festival's main ini- tiatives in collaboration with the Louvre Museum with the visual design by Graphics eMotion and sound and music by Soundwalk Collective as well as the sound- scape designed by Ircam x Cen- tre Pompidou that will take the audiences to a journey through the Mediterranean. This unique 10-day event, which brings together Maltese and international artists, to- gether with social stakeholders, aims to promote environmental sustainability, social justice, and personal well-being through a diverse programme selection. At the heart of the Art Explo- ra Festival lies a commitment to fostering democratic platforms for encounters and exchanges through the creative arts. From film to dance, circus arts to music, and visual arts, the festival offers over 30 initiatives and 55 activities through different mediums for the public to engage with. From electrifying music com- positions to thought-provoking productions, each performance serves as a powerful vehicle for storytelling and social commen- tary. Artists will use their cre- ative prowess to shed light on issues pertinent to our world, in- spiring audiences to take action and instigate positive change. As part of the festival's com- munity outreach, workshops centred around the captivating catamaran audio- visual experi- ence will tackle themes includ- ing cultural diversity, safeguard- ing of our natural ecology, and gender equality. These workshops, tailored for children aged 6 to 11+, draw in- spiration from Louvre artefacts, promoting active engagement and participatory learning. Ad- ditionally, the festival will also host the Open Book Fora, an inclusive space, where individ- uals share stories and explore contemporary societal issues, further enhancing the festival's mission of promoting dialogue and action on pressing global issues. Through the shared experience of art, attendees are encour- aged to transcend barriers of language, culture, and ideology, forging connections that tran- scend the confines of the festival grounds. In doing so, the festival becomes not just a celebration of creativity, but a catalyst for collective action towards a more equitable and sustainable world. The festival will challenge con- ventional perspectives and pro- voke introspection. Artists from around the world will converge to offer their unique interpre- tations of cultural diversity, en- vironmental stewardship, and gender equality, inviting viewers to confront their assumptions and expand their horizons. Ocean Weekend is another key component of the festival's line- up. This innovative initiative, in partnership with local organi- sations, will spotlight localised ocean- centric issues. Through panel discussions, guest speeches, film screenings, sound broadcasts, and NGO-led workshops, participants will gain diverse insights into ocean-relat- ed topics. In its debut in Malta, the festival collaborates with the Malta Biennale and the French Embassy in Valletta, presenting interdisciplinary discussions on water politics and archival poet- ry. The primary objective is to disseminate ocean knowledge through an inclusive and for- ward- thinking programme ac- cessible to all attendees. Minister for the Arts Owen Bonnici, who visited the cata- maran, said that, "over the next 10 days, we'll witness firsthand the power of art as a universal language, connecting people from all walks of life. Through the mobile exhibition and its accompanying events, we'll see how art can bring us togeth- er, spark inspiration, and ignite conversations that reach beyond traditional artistic boundaries." The 47-metre long catamaran moored at the picturesque Xatt Pinto Waterfront