Architecture & Design

Architecture & Design | 17 beginning or end. It's a universal, cross-cultural symbol of perfection and continuity. Each layer of the sphere is made of reconstituted limestone —a product made by our main partners Halmann Vella— that includes the ashes of a person. As more people are added, more layer's form—until a complete sphere emerges. It's a memorial not to an individual, but to a community. Death becomes collective, rather than individualised by names, portraits, or personal decor. We also created a film as part of the project, which imagined the ritual of becoming part of URNA; and have a photo essay investigating stone and funerary landscapes, faces and bodies. It gave us space to be poetic, even surreal. The final installation will sit somewhere between the documentary and the mythical—and I think that's what made it powerful. When you work in large collaborative teams, how do you ensure that each contributor feels represented in the final outcome? I've never had an issue with a team member saying, "this doesn't represent me." That's because from the start, my process is collaborative and discursive. Everyone has their role, their moment to shape something, but there's always a loop of feedback and reflection. Take Stephanie, who made the URNA film. She built her script independently, but brought it to the team for review. She took on 70–80% of the feedback, and then let us know where she wanted to hold her ground. That kind of dialogue creates empowerment, not hierarchy. My job as a curator is not to create the object—it's to build the team and the culture that makes the object possible. If someone's idea doesn't make it into the final project, the fact that it shaped our thinking is still a meaningful contribution. The best example of this was 'Frank u Jien'a highly collaborative performed art installation I curated investigating the archives of modernist artist Frank Portelli. Ten artists came together—none of whom had worked with each other in this way before—and we created something layered and unified. Projection mapped onto choreography, which responded to writing, which drew from art history. No one owned the outcome—but everyone helped build it. That's the kind of environment I always try to create. Finally, what do you hope URNA will contribute to public discourse in Malta—especially given how radical it is in both form and concept? My hope for URNA is, first and foremost, that it shifts how we think about the landscape. Even if people don't engage with the cremation aspect, I want them to see that public art can be more than decorative or commemorative. It can be bold, conceptual, and deeply integrated into its context. Politically, I hope it sparks conversation. And it already has—just by saying the word "cremation," we've had responses from ministers, commissioners, developers, and everyday people who've never interacted with contemporary art. That's powerful. Our communication strategy was deliberately multi-layered. We wanted URNA to speak on many levels: conceptually, psychologically, architecturally, and aesthetically. Even if someone doesn't understand every layer, they can still be moved by the form, the idea, the ritual. We also ran a 10-day intensive workshop at the university, where we gave students the URNA concept and asked them to adapt it for other cultures. They produced remarkable work—thoughtful, poetic responses that explored how different societies can memorialise in new ways. That's the kind of impact we're after. I know I can't change how cemeteries are built overnight. But showing people that it's possible to imagine differently—that's a huge step forward. We need more radical projects like URNA, and we need more ambitious international platforms where these ideas can live. Malta deserves a place in those global conversations—and there is most definitely the talent here to take us there. The URNA project will be heading to the London Design Biennale at Somerset House from 5 to 29 June 2025. URNA is commissioned by Arts Council Malta and made possible through support from Halmann Vella, Gasan Foundation, Embassy of France in Malta, Malta Enterprise, Deloitte Foundation, Visit Malta and all other partners. F r a n k u J i e n P h o t o C r e d i t : R o b G o l f C r u x b y T i n a M i f s u d

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