Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/163731
41 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2013 Think of the nature around us – unique ecological street furniture in Merchants Street We seem to be collectively losing our connection with the natural world. The advancements made through science and technology are escalating to a point where we are becoming so lost in our technological world that we cannot even notice this schism. This is expressed in a project for Science in the City by Sarah Maria Scicluna, who holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Arts. She has devised unique ecological transparent furniture with plants and insects living inside of it. The aim is to bring nature closer to our daily lives. Her project sheds light on the science and technology in our lives that is juxtaposed against the natural environment. The main focus is that while technology and science are bettering our life, making it easier and more luxurious, we have been pushed further away from nature. This 2m2 seating presents the viewer with a piece of the Maltese natural environment from around A sketch of the ecological street furniture which will be in Merchants Street, Valletta, during Science in the City the islands, maintained by means of self-watering mechanism. Ecologist Dr Sandro Lanfranco is the scientific consultant behind this street art installation. "By presenting the viewers with a piece of furniture and inviting them to use it, they are purposely made aware of the flora within it. However due to the outside container they will never make direct contact with it, also hinting that for nature to thrive, human contact must be avoided," explained Scicluna. "This project is by no means a way to create environmental awareness, but to highlight the importance of greenery in our lives, which is not being appreciated enough. The ecological seat has been planned to blend with the surrounding street furniture in Merchant's Street," she said. Scicluna's ecological street furniture will be one of the attractions during Science in the City on Friday, 27 September. Supported by E-motion Signworks, it will be displayed in Merchants Street, Valletta. All activities during the festival have a direct public involvement and emphasise fun engagement across a range of topics. Visitors can have a chat with the artist and scientists on the night. As part of the pan-European event called Researchers' Night, Science in the City provides visitors an opportunity to meet researchers within the context of interactive activities and hands-on demonstrations. From 6.00pm onwards Valletta will be filled with art and entertainment all linked to science – a memorable evening for adults and children. The Science in the City festival is supported by the EU FP7 Programme and the Malta Arts Fund. The event is coordinated by The University of Malta, in partnership with the Chamber of Scientists, the Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sports, the Valletta Local Council, MEUSAC, Malta Council for Science and Technology, Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, PBS, Where's Everybody, Valletta 2018 Foundation, Notte Bianca, iCreatemotion, Vodafone, Microsoft Innovation Centre, St James Cavalier and RIDT. The Science in the City website www.scienceinthecity.org.mt will be shortly updated with a full programme or follow the festival on Facebook for regular updates: www.facebook.com/ScienceInTheCityMalta 'Malta in Europe – Europeana' Facebook page launched A newly launched Facebook page, Malta in Europe – Europeana invites everyone in Malta to join it as part of a campaign to encourage people to discover Europeana and open a doorway to the digital treasures of Europe's museums, libraries, galleries, archives and audiovisual collections. People are encouraged to visit and like the new page at www.facebook. com/EuropeanaMalta where interesting content will be posted daily and you will get the chance to participate in exciting activities and events, which will be announced in the fol- lowing weeks. At Europeana.eu visitors can explore, discover, share and be inspired by Europe's diverse history through books and manuscripts, photos and paintings, television and film, sculpture and crafts, sheet music and recordings and much more! AcrossLimits (Malta) is a partner in the Europeana network, which helps connect European citizens through their shared cultural legacy. Malta lies at the heart of such heritage – from the Ġgantija Temples in Gozo to Malta's role of Mediterranean trading centre during the time of the Phoenicians and the works of the Knights of Saint John, Malta has influenced and been influenced by its European neighbours for more than 7,000 years. Speaking about the new Facebook page, the Executive Director of Europeana, Jill Cousins said, "We want everyone in Malta to join us on Facebook. Through this new page, we're looking forward to finding out what the people of Malta have to say about culture and inviting the island to join in some great Europeana activities over the next few months." The Europeana website and the Malta in Europe – Europeana Facebook page are accessible at www. europeana.eu and www.facebook. com/EuropeanaMalta, respectively. You are also invited to follow A screenshot of Europeana's iPad app, which is freely available to everyone Europeana at twitter@europeanaeu and #AllezCulture BOV extends its summer offers Bank of Valletta is extending its summer offers on consumer lending throughout September. Customers will have one more month to benefit from discounted interest rates, no processing fees and an extended loan term of up to seven years. "We are extending our offers in response to the positive feedback received since their launch in the beginning of summer. The extension is also in line with the bank's drive to continue to consolidate its leadership position in the area of personal finance. The bank continues to reinforce its market position as a major provider of financing options to Maltese individuals by offering a range of products and providing tailor-made solutions to meet individual needs," said Albert Frendo, Chief Officer Credit, Bank of Valletta. Further information may be obtained from the Bank's website (www.bov.com), from any BOV branch or by calling BOVs Customer Service Centre on tel. 21312020 between Monday and Saturday from 8am to 8pm (excluding bank and public holidays) Emirates announces passenger services to Taipei Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing airlines, announced the launch of non-stop passenger services to Taipei, its 16th destination in the Far East. The service will commence from 10 February 2014, initially with six non-stop flights per week to Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport. The route will be operated by a three class Boeing 777-300ER equipped with eight luxurious private suites in first class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class, and generous space for 304 passengers in economy class, along with gourmet cuisine in all classes – served by Emirates' multinational cabin crew. The aircraft also features Ice, Emirates' award-winning inflight entertainment system, which offers over 1,400 channels showing the latest blockbusters, subtitled Holly- wood films, music, TV and games. Taipei, home to nearly seven mil- lion people, is an economic and cultural centre with renowned sights, attractions and a myriad of shopping options. The destination is famous for producing and exporting electronics, textiles, plastics and rubber, optical and photographic instruments and chemicals. "Emirates SkyCargo has operated a dedicated freighter service to Taipei since 2003. Given its status as a global trading hub and the demand, it is a natural progression for Emirates to launch passenger services to Taipei," said Barry Brown, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations East. Emirates now operates services to 134 destinations in 76 countries from Dubai. Earlier this year Emirates launched services to Warsaw and Algiers, followed by Haneda, Japan, in June. Emirates has announced plans to launch services to Stockholm starting 4 September to Clark International Airport in the Philippines and the transatlantic Milan-New York route on 1 October. Conakry (the capital of Guinea) will start 27 October, Sialkot (Pakistan) on 5 November and Kiev (Ukraine) on 16 January 2014. From 1 September Emirates is operating four scheduled flights weekly from Malta to Dubai via Larnaka, Cyprus, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. While on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, Emirates operates direct flights from Dubai to Malta and return flights fly via Tripoli.